The youth turkey hunt is on the horizon

“I love taking a kid out and watching them shoot one (a turkey) more than myself !” Jody Apfelbeck told me. “It’s a rush that’s hard to explain; hope I never lose that feeling!” He was talking about the annual spring youth turkey hunt.

In 2007 the state of Wisconsin held its first youth turkey hunt. The youth hunts all came about because someone, just like you and me, had an idea and submitted a proposal to the Conservation Congress at an Annual Spring Hearing. A small pebble dropped in a pond sent ripples far and wide and changed modern hunting for the better.

The youth turkey hunt has specific rules and only lasts for two days – Saturday and Sunday. The youth hunter must possess a license and a valid turkey tag for the zone they are hunting in. Any season tag allows the youth hunter to hunt the youth hunt. They must be under the age of 16. A Hunters Ed class is not needed since they can hunt under the mentored hunt program.

You can decide to take a youth hunter out for a trophy quality hunt right here in Wisconsin today and take them hunting this Saturday. Just purchase a “leftover turkey tag” for the youth hunter for the zone you’re hunting in.

Any turkey is a trophy that provides some of the best table fare the land provides and some of the most beautifully patterned feathers on the landscape. The lack of pressure on the birds provides some great encounters for youth hunters. But the adults may enjoy the hunt more than the kids.

“It absolutely makes my heart happy to see our youth getting involved in the outdoors and hunting,” Sam Frost told me. She and her husband are planning on taking their son out. “I love seeing their huge smiles when they have success and listening to them tell their story to others. Seeing their excitement and seeing them shake is just an amazing thing to be a part of.” Weather rarely cooperates with the youth turkey hunt. So, if a youth hunter does not fill their turkey tag, they may still hunt the time period that the tag was issued for. Tent blinds help on early mornings when the mercury is hard to see. The concealment of movement for a youth hunter’s first bird from a blind increases the chances of harvest. A heater, comfortable chairs, and shooting sticks lend a hand in success. Later in the day, if conditions warm up and everyone’s getting the hang of things a bit of locating and hunting by setting up on located birds give the young hunters a real charge. That first youth hunt is a learning experience for the kids.

“They love to learn and I enjoy teaching them all about safety, educating them (about the hunt), and seeing them retain that information,” Travis Frost told me. “Kids will always remember these special moments and hunting adventures. They don’t remember all the little things you bought them or that TV show they watched or video games they played. This is something I could just talk about for hours, I am truly passionate about this.”

Everyone will remember their first turkey just like their first deer or bear. The hunter will remember how the calling went, the location, the weather and they will be able to picture this in their mind forever. But, what they will remember the most is who was with them.

These hunts are not just rewarding for both, they are emotionally powerful, creating lifelong bonds.

The youth hunts remove the pressure from the hunter and the resource allowing for a more natural hunt. They afford the adult to make the hunt a better experience for their young hunter. If it’s raining or snowing, wait for it to clear up or hunt from a blind. If its too cold in the morning head out after lunch when its warmer.

Take breaks, warm up, eat a snack, maybe even enjoy a nap in the woods. Maybe just make it a short hunt and a short evening scouting trip. The youth will learn from the chance to get out in the field. The more enjoyable the mentor makes it for the youth, the more fun everyone has.

I’m hoping every young hunter chasing turkeys this weekend has truck loads of fun, sees some turkeys up close, and hopefully gets a bird. Good luck!

And please remember, Safe Hunting is No Accident!

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