Ok, this isn’t a dig on my son, more of a dig on myself for assuming. My son was inexperienced at turkey hunting even though he’s killed a couple multiple years apart. The last bird he shot was in 2020.
Four years later he really wanted to go so I do what any dad does and take him.

This video was our first hunt. We shocked a bird with a crow call and he was close! We immediately set up as quick as we could and it was totally my fault. It was windy as heck and I set him about 10yds to my left, the direction of the gobble. I should’ve ranged a tree or two to give him a reference and told him it’s a 50yd gun all day. The next mistake was sitting too far away. The bird was at 35yds the entire time. To him he said it looked way farther. The video isn’t the best for some reason, but you’ll get to see the bird enough.



Ok this nest video has us setting on the creek with a clearcut across the creek and a burn behind us. I was facing the clearcut and he was mostly facing the burn. We simultaneously had a bird gobble behind us and out in the clearcut. The clearcut bird showed first so when I saw it I told him. The bird jumped up on a log looking for the hen and I reached around the tree and told him to pivot around to his left and come up beside me. Now I’m thinking lickety split type of move. He was thinking let me move an inch a minute. When the bird came in I was expecting the gun to go off. When I said shoot, he said a tree was in the way! Anyways, no shot and no bird!



Now y’all ain’t gonna believe this one. Same spot, 20min later! Again, my fault for assuming he would have that dot on that turkey no matter what! When I said shoot and he didn’t shoot I told him to wait. We had another opening and I was thinking we still have a chance. Whatever I said, he thought he should swing his gun all the way to the wide open. I thought maybe he saw another turkey at first so I moved the phone to see what he was looking at and realized this bird was gonna get away too.




Again, just posting so maybe someone doesn’t make the same mistakes when taking someone new to turkey hunting. Y’all know he finally killed one from the Georgia turkey season pics and video.

I feel your pain. Went through double digit experiences just like you described and other between 3 sons over the last 19 years. All 3 sat on the ground right between my legs until they got to 9-10 years old and then we’d sit within 5-10 feet of each other or back to back as you describe. Amazing what different perspectives 2 people have from just a few feet apart. They’ve killed birds that I couldn’t see anything other than a fan and had birds putt out of sight on ‘wide open’ lanes that I clearly had that they couldn’t see anything at all.

Good news is it looks like y’all are wrapped up with opportunities. Good luck to you both.

he will never forget the day with dad!!!!

I refer to it as killing instincts.
Some kids/folks learn it, some are born with it, and some struggle trying to get it right their entire hunting career.

2 votes on Clay's assessment of the situation.

Exciting, thanks for posting this.....jk

Agree with Clay 100%. Have a buddy who has tried to kill a turkey for like 8 years now. Cant seem to make it happen. He also cant seem to kill a deer with a bow. I think he lacks those instincts that tell him to "move now" or "dont move." "Be aggressive" or "back off." Sometimes you get bested, but other times you shoot yourself in the foot.

I think some folks, friend above included, also focus on what they did right more than what they did wrong and therefore miss out on a lot of learning opportunities.

Your son has had some excellent opportunities and has a good teacher so maybe he'll get it figured out soon

Very Cool videos

I think his older brother got all the “killer” genes, lol. He was killing birds by himself at 14. I mean going after his own gobbler on the roost and calling it in. He also learned on public land.
Again, this is just to show anyone else that what we “assume” as common knowledge isn’t common at all to someone less experienced.
And yeah, he’s fired up now and really getting back into hunting.

WB,

Guiding is a tough job...especially with neophytes going after spring gobblers.

I've wanted to throw my hat on the ground several times.

One time, with my wife, I actually did take my hat off and slammed it to the ground after she missed a 15 yd shot at a big gobbler we had maneuvered on from dawn until 10am....and had already hunted for over a week of mornings. Her shot threw dirt all over the gobbler....he took off flying and likely didn’t land until he was cleared to do so at the next airport.

Big mistake, on my part, to slam that hat onto the ground in front her. I might have been OK if I hadn't cussed right after doing it.

Good times!

The best turkey hunts I’ve ever had were all with kids and more times than not, they turned out like that. You were doing way more than hunting. You were making memories!

Haha, I didn’t video the hunt on another day in the very back of the property where I kept easing back while calling to draw the gobbler up the hill in shooting range. I was about 75 yards back in cover when I heard the last gobble and thought that bird has got to be within sight and range!!
I heard the shot and came running up the with my fist pumping in the air all excited only to see his face that told me he missed. I made him sit back down and went to the spot and not a feather to be seen. He said the turkey didn’t come straight up the hill but came up to his left and he doesn’t know what happened or why he did it, but the dot wasn’t even close to that birds head, lol.
Think it was 8 hunts total with 5 shot opportunities before he finally connected! Definitely made memories this year, especially when we started calling him O’for after the first encounter of not shooting then the miss, lol.

Ohhh man what a great season and so much learned from just doing it!! Thank you and congrats to the young man.

I've tried to guide my son several times deer hunting and he has had some of the crumbiest luck which I get down on myself for as his guide but gosh dang. He finally got a doe this past fall. I've seen and missed more large bucks the few times we've went together than I have seen by myself in my whole life. I try to explain to him that seeing them is most the fun but he is young and wasn't interested in hearing it. Luckily he got the monkey of his back. Luckily we have the monkey off our back I should say. All you can do is get them out there and ya can't fault a guy for trying. Good luck to ya.

Guiding is even more "difficult & frustrating" with a close family member.

But, it is also MUCH more exhilarating for the guide when the neophyte finally connects.

I've never been as excited over any gobbler or deer I've killed than when I watched my sons, neice, and wife FINALLY meet success.

Good stuff!

“Killing instincts” are much more than making a shot connect.
It’s things like having your gun up and pointed in the correct direction at the right time, knowing when you can get away with a slight movement, reading an animal’s body language, having that “feeling” that this is the spot or that something is about to happen, etc.
My daughter is the only female that I’ve ever seen that had it naturally. Her mother has killed a pile of turkeys and it’s a struggle every time lol.

I enjoy Turkey hunting like trapping it’s something I look forward to and calling for others is more enjoyable than getting myself a bird now. It’s not uncommon for me to go on trips and let others shoot the birds I call in. I’m just as excited for them then if I shot that bird. I often need to go out later in the season to fill my tags but it’s about the game more than killing a bird.

Local eye Doctor I hunt with called me up and wanted me to guide him a few years ago I laughed and said no but I’ll hunt with you anytime. We went out and he shot a nice gobbler then he tried to pay me $300. I just laughed and said I got to go turkey hunting keep your money. Last fall he invited me on an archery elk hunt for a week in the Black Hills as plus 1 I jumped on that it was a good time in the forest.

I’ve tried a lot of sights and guns for turkey hunting like said the prep when working a bird is as important as the trigger pull the later in the season especially on public it can make all the difference in making that shot. A public bird 3-4 seasons into a season is nothing like a first season bird I’ve had them come in walking fast and leaving on a run at the slight movement or just not seeing what they expected decoys or lack of a decoy will freak out educated birds you never know that’s where the challenges come into play.

This is the best sight I’ve tried for turkey hunting it’s made for Italian guns 8MM but I filed it to fit my Versa Max that’s 10MM wide. The low profile works well with standing or moving birds. Amazon rear shotgun sight it takes some looking to find it.

I’ve tried sights like that and I’m too rough on my turkey gun to have that last a season. I went with the FFIII umpteen years ago and haven’t looked back. In fact I have a spare just incase something ever happens to mine. Actually I think I have another on an AR.

Machined steel mounted by 4 set screws I’m not easy on things when I have places to go but no issues with this so far plus I have a spare just in case.

Thanks for sharring, very good footage. It took me back years ago when my son shot his first bird. He was 13 years old at the time and was also unsure when to pull the trigger.

So I called in a 19 pounder for him and the bird walked in front of the blind twice and my boy wouldn`t pull the trigger (clear shot on two occasions) so I told him, I will bring him back one more time but you will need to shoot it because if it gets any closer this guy is getting in the blind with us...so he got it done, a 13 yards shot. To date, he still talks about it and we both laugh at that story, just good memories...

He is now 23 years old and this morning we went out turkey hunting together, we had geat time calling in birds. He is a very responsible hunter and I feel very safe around him. He`s with us until the end of the month and returning back to school.

He just finished University and has decided to do another two years so he can become a teacher.

We are very very proud of him. A hunter, trapper and soon a teacher.

Yep, a teenager who often stuggled pulling the trigger, so don`t worry and enjoy the hunt!