The statewide youth turkey hunt, which originally debuted in 2004, kicks off this weekend for its 20th anniversary. Saturday and Sunday will constitute the 2024 youth turkey season.
Hunters ages 12-15 are allowed to take one bearded bird during the youth hunting weekend. The second bird of the two per-season limit must be harvested during the regular hunting season, which begins May 1. Hunting hours are the same as the regular season, a half-hour prior to sunrise to noon.
In my opinion, turkey hunting is a much better break into real hunting for kids, as opposed to deer hunting, simply because it is mostly action packed. Endless hours playing the waiting game on deer to show up, and quite possibly never show up, can be a daunting task for a youth hunter. The temperatures are typically much warmer and much more tolerable as well, compared to deer season. The immediate response of a thundering gobble to a call made by the mentor is something else. It is certainly a memorable moment to a youth hunter who has never experienced such a thing.
I have had an incredible amount of success taking youth hunters on their first spring turkey hunts. Over the last 19 years, I have really narrowed down what works and what does not. The following are a few things that top the checklist.
My single No. 1 tip, and also something that many readers may disagree with, is to choose a shotgun with a scope or a red dot sight. I cannot reiterate this fact enough.
In 19 years of taking kids turkey hunting, I have had a 100% shot opportunity ratio on a mature gobbler during the youth weekend. Every single missed bird has been with an open sight or a bead sight shotgun. There have not been many, but there's been enough. In the same breath, I cannot recall a youth hunter using a scoped gun or a red dot that has ever missed. It is straight-up irrefutable data that does not lie.
Many dads have pleaded with me over the years that they have practiced a lot and their child shoots an open sight gun wonderfully, which I don't doubt they have. The answer is still no. You can practice all you want, and even if they are shooting open sight guns, great. Once that big tom is coming right in, gobbling hard, adrenaline flowing, it is one heck of a moment for a youth hunter and proper form is easily forgotten. Despite what is said to keep calm, most, if not all of that practice goes right out the window and the load of shot sails right over that big gobbler's head and he flies away unscathed. A scope or red dot forces a youth hunter, or any hunter for that matter, to properly shoulder the firearm, properly aim, and fire; instilling good habits from the get go. At this point in time, I will not let a youth hunter under my wing shoot an open sight shotgun. This means a bead, double bead, or rifle sights.
Tip No. 2: Use a pop up ground blind. Let's face it, kids get antsy and love to move. They haven't been picked off by the weary eyes of a gobbler, so they really do not know how good their eyes truly are. Utilizing a ground blind makes everyone's job much easier when it comes to harvesting a longbeard. You can really get away with quite a bit of movement inside a blind. In my experience, even if set up the day prior or even the morning of in the dark, turkeys just do not care about the presence of a blind. Just remember to keep the windows on the backside closed, or you will end up silhouetted and picked off.
No. 3: This is a big one as well. If using a full strut or jake decoys, keep them out in a good way. Typically much farther than you would initially think. This is especially important if using modern TSS turkey loads. The thought is to keep them nice and close for what you would think would be an easy shot for your youth hunter.
Unfortunately, that is almost never the case. I find we've had more birds missed inside 15 yards than I would like to admit. Put decoys out absolutely no closer than 25 yards, but preferably 30 or even 35 yards. I know this seems extreme, but trust me, it is ideal. The pattern of modern guns and chokes at close range is extremely tight, and with that comes the necessity to aim really well. Without a precise aim, it makes it very easy to miss with a tennis-ball size pattern at close range. Decoys out at 30 yards or more give a much larger aiming error buffer, allowing the pattern to spread out a bit. Also, it keeps the birds out a little ways farther and provides an edge on not being picked off. There is nothing worse then urging a youth hunter that they need to shoot "Now!" at a gobbler because he saw something he didn’t like, became nervous, and is putting and about to run. The goal is to shoot at relaxed birds that have no idea of the hunters presence.
The only time I would recommend keeping decoys close (20-25 yards) is if you are using regular lead turkey shells. Although lead, I would say that Winchester Longbeard XR shells fall into the modern shell category and I would still suggest 30 to 35 yards if using those.
No. 4: Use a set of shooting sticks. Fabricate a set of sticks yourself, or pick up some type of manufactured gun support. I tend to shy away from the monopod type because they take a little more finesse for a youth hunter to use, but in a pinch, they are certainly better than nothing. Even youth model guns get heavy for a kid holding it up as a big gobbler is approaching, trying not to move and shift a heavy gun is a pretty big task. Alleviate this issue by using a set of sticks. It really cuts down on movement and also provides a much better rest for an accurate shot.
No. 5: Do not let kids practice with actual turkey shells unless shooting a 410. No one enjoys shooting high recoiling shotshells. Even a 20 gauge turkey shell still packs a good punch to the shoulder. All this does is inspire trigger yanking and flinching. Use a low brass light target load and fire away. The pattern point of impact will be very close to the aimpoint of the real turkey loads and when practicing at close range they will be spot on. Doing this will establish confidence and give you a youth hunter who is not afraid of recoil, ultimately creating a much more accurate shot. The morning of the hunt, slip in the real turkey shells, and trust me, they will never realize the difference when shooting at that big tom.
No. 6: Bring an extra pair of gloves and an extra face mask, kids love to lose stuff. Especially face masks. These are also items that always seem to be left in the truck. Curtail this issue by being prepared with extra everything in your pack or vest.
Best of luck out there for youth weekend and remember don't forget to take kids out during the regular season as well! Hunting heritage is relying on us, the mentors, to keep the tradition alive.
In addition to the hunting tips, the last tip is to sign your youth hunters up for the 15th Annual Youth Turkey Hunt. Last minute is better than not at all!
The event is absolutely free and will feature cash prizes, food and refreshments. Every youth hunter in attendance will receive door prizes as well.
The weigh-in will be held at the Auriemma Residence, located at 197 Truax Road in the Town of Amsterdam from noon-1:30 p.m. on Saturday.
To sign up or if there is a youth hunter that wishes to go out that is in need of a mentor please do not hesitate to call Mike Auriemma at (518) 669-0460 or Dick Andrews at (518) 843-9086 or (518) 461-2912.