Youth Turkey Hunt

[DonBo]

Young and afield: Special Minnesota turkey hunt

DOUG SMITH, Star Tribune MORTON, MINN. -- Seventeen-year-old Sami Kelly

hunkered in her blind, eyeing the young male turkey strolling past her

decoys just 20 yards away. The bird, angling across a plowed corn field,

offered Sami a clear shot with her bow. "I don't see a beard ... do you?'' I

whispered. "No,'' she replied. That meant the turkey wasn't legal to shoot.

It soon disappeared, and with it Sami's opportunity to bag her first wild

turkey ever. An hour later, a big-bearded tom came gobbling through the

tangled woods just 30 yards behind us, but refused to step into the open.

It, too, eventually disappeared into the woods. Sami, of Comfrey, Minn.,

went home empty-handed -- as do two-thirds of all Minnesota turkey hunters.

She was among 237 youths partaking in Minnesota's fifth annual youth turkey

hunt last weekend. Ninety-four bagged a bird. "It was fun,'' Sami said

later. "I probably will do it again.'' That's what organizers hope. The goal

of the special hunt is to encourage kids to get outdoors and try turkey

hunting. First-time turkey hunters and a parent are paired with a

mentor-guide from the National Wild Turkey Federation. Only the kids are

armed. It's one of several youth hunts offered by the Department of Natural

Resources to promote hunting at a time when hunter numbers are declining

nationally. "The goal is to ensure the future of hunting and conservation in

the state,'' DNR hunter recruitment and retention supervisor Jay Johnson

said. "We're developing that next generation of conservation advocates.''

Kids saw birds aplenty

I joined nine other guides with the Redwood River Boss Toms chapter of the

National Wild Turkey Federation to hunt in Renville and Redwood counties in

southwestern Minnesota. Sami Kelly and her mom, Kelly, 36, were the only

females in group. Kelly Kelly works for the Archery Trade Association. "I

didn't grow up in a big hunting family,'' she said. She began deer hunting

with a bow in 2001. She tried turkey hunting with a bow in 2004 and watched

five toms fly down from the trees. She missed four shots that first day, but

arrowed a bird on her third day. "It was awesome; I was hooked,'' she said.

Sami, who has hunted deer once, went out in the turkey blind with her mom

once. "I thought it was cool,'' she said. So she signed up for this year's

youth hunt. The goal was to arrow a bird, but she brought a shotgun along

just in case. We heard more than a half-dozen gobblers Saturday morning. But

none came our way. "I thought hearing all those birds that we'd see more,''

she said. Sami, like the other young hunters, learned turkey hunting can be

tough. Last year, just 35 percent of youth hunters bagged a bird, slightly

better than the 33 percent success rate for regular turkey hunters.

Youth hunt growing

Minnesota's youth turkey hunting program started in 2004, with just two

hunts and 29 participants. This year, there were 30 hunts and 237

youngsters. The hunt, sponsored by the DNR and the National Wild Turkey

Federation, is dependent on volunteers. About 400 kids applied for the youth

hunt this year, and about 250 were selected because of the availability of

guides, Johnson said. "If we had more mentors, we could have taken more

kids,'' he said. Experienced turkey hunters interested in mentoring should

contact their local Turkey Federation chapter. (For a list of state chapters

and contact numbers, see http://www.startribune.com/a4295

<http://www.startribune.com/a4295> .) The youth turkey hunts all are done on

private lands to reduce any conflict with regular turkey hunters.

A happy 12-year-old

The youths hunt until noon Saturday and Sunday. After Saturday's hunt, our

10 hunters, their mentors and parents gathered at scenic Birch Coulee County

Park for hot dogs, chips and pop and to recount their morning. Tradition is

for each kid to stand up and tell the group about his or her first turkey

hunt. Based on their accounts, they learned that turkey hunting isn't a sure

thing.

Everyone saw or heard birds. Five of the 10 kids fired at a gobbler. Four

missed. But not Griffin Schaub, 12, of nearby Danube, Minn. "There were four

bunched together, and this one came in front, and I shot him,'' Griffin

said, to a round of applause. His guide, Mike Anderson of Danube, and dad,

Randy, said it was a great experience. "He was real patient,'' Anderson

said. "There were four birds together, and I told him to wait to be sure he

only got one.'' Said his dad: "I don't know how you could have a better

experience. It's marvelous they get these kids exposed to this.'' He said he

and his son likely will turkey hunt again. Sunday, the others headed out in

the dark again. And again, most saw birds. But Griffin was the only one to

bag a bird. Still, most called it a success. Organizers say the hunt

succeeds because the guides are willing to spend a weekend sharing their

passion. But by Sunday, it was hard to tell who had enjoyed themselves more,

the guides or the kids. "This was great fun,'' said first-time guide Tom

Ellig of Redwood Falls. "I'll be back next year.'' So will a new batch of

young turkey hunters.

A big hand to all you mentors out there. With the sad news earlier this week about a deadly turkey hunting accident, this news goes a long way to put a better light on our sport.

DB

[woody1975]

What a great opportunity you have given the youth. My hats off for helping preserve and passing on the passion that many of us hold for the outdoors.

DL

[Powerstroke]

I mentored for my sister so she could take part in the youth turkey hunt. She had a great guide and we saw many birds.

This is a really great program for young hunters.

[Bandit]

This is a really great deal for young hunters. My daughter was drawn for last years hunt, and by 9:30 she had her gobbler. She had told me that she was not too excited about going, but had a totally new perspective afterwards. I will look for a pic of her and her bird to post. For now I would like to show you one of her last year deer hunting. I know it should go in the deer hunting forumn, but it is also about a happy young hunter!