Joshua Turkey Hunts!

My son Joshua is seven years old and full of energy and enthusiasm. Everything about him is active – his hands, his feet, his mind and yes, his mouth. I was excited to take him on his first turkey hunt, but I wasn’t sure he could be quiet enough to see a turkey – much less shoot one.

Joshua is already an avid outdoorsman who had his first hunting experience riding in my backpack while deer hunting is Saskatchewan, Canada. He has been a key partner with me in Iowa and South Dakota pheasant hunts and is always game to get out in the woods or on an old farm pond. His eyes light up with excitement when we talk about some of the cool things we’ve seen together.

But how would he do sitting quietly in a turkey blind with all the adrenaline of knowing he had his own shotgun and was going to be the one to get to shoot if a gobbler happened along? I hadn’t thought we would get to find out for a few years, but then it happened.

The rest of this story will be published in the June issue of the Iowa Sportsman if all goes well.

Ernie