Took my 9 year old daughter yesterday, she got her first turkey! It's been a rough week on turkeys around here.

A few photos from my son-in-law. His ammo company gets some great photos.

This thread has fallen WAY too far. So, here's an update.

Been hunting as hard as I can, with working so many extra hours the last 6 weeks it has been tough.

I've been on a few birds here and there, nothing real special. And I'm hunting for special moments, not beard size. I had a blast calling in a nice Tom for a buddy last week. Worked this bird for a long time- till he hung up across a small ravine (barely a ditch). So, we grabbed essentials, hiked about 3/4 of a mile in a WIDE circle, and set up what we thought was in front on him. We heard him gobble just off the edge of the clearing to our left about 100 yards or so, so I wheeled around behind my buddy and started sweet talking it. He gobbled once, then shut up. I quit calling, just started scratching the ground when a stick and giving the lightest clucks I could. My friend was zeroed in on where we thought the bird would emerge in full strut. Instead, that rascal was slinking through the thick brush dead quiet. I caught a glimpse, but couldn't get my friends attention. I threw a pebble and hit I'm in the ear (accident)- and pointed out the bird. He slowly turned and got ready. I was directly behind and a little above him, and could see right when it was lined up. When the Tom hit an open patch, I gave a soft put to raise his head. BOOM- clean miss @ about 12 yards... Fun times though.

Tonight, I took my 2 oldest kids with me. We had a BLAST. Saw some elk on the way in, and took time to let everyone find them in the binoculars. I thought I heard a gobble where we were heading, so we slowed down and eased up- as quietly as 2 kids in boots can. When we got there, I caught a glimpse of a turkey tail easing into the brush about 80 yards to my right. We had JUST missed them. No putting or running, I didn't think they knew we were there. But they were in THICK stuff, no way to get there with the kids. I set the kids up under a nice tree, threw the bag of snacks at them, and set off the get ahead of the birds. I wouldn't be more than 100 yards away, but would be out of sight. We talked about this possibility, and my son has been with me before doing this exact thing. So I didn't worry too much.

I got ahead of them, and began easing back through the woods towards the birds. A hen and I spot each other at the same moment, but the sun is at my back. She is heading to my right, away from where we had first seen them. I freeze, and after a minute or two standoff, she relaxes. I'm hoping she has the gobbler in town, and will drag him over the same spot. But instead of going right, she turns and jumps down left, below where I can see. I wait about 20-30 seconds, ready to shoot where she was standing. Then I over think it... they weee moving left to right, so the gobbler has to be to the left I think. She turned and went down back from where she came, so that gobbler has to be down there... I ease forward about 3 steps, and not 10 seconds after I had lowered my gun a red headed gobbler hops up on the exact stump... but now I have brush between us. Somehow, he had been to the right!

No matter, they are about 10-12 yards away, just over a small ledge. I'll sneak over the top and bust him. I ease up, and see the hen unawares of me. I spot the gobbler, behind a tiny pine tree. I'm slowing raising my gun, intending to let it fly as soon as Im on him. Then I hear a strange noise, so do the turkey, and they waste no time hauling butt down the hill. I literally almost had my bead on that sucker. I hear the noise again- it is my Daughter calling me VERY loudly.

I couldn't have been gone more than 8-10 minutes- but that must have been an eternity for them. Oh well, I work back up to them and we all reunite. Spend the remaining daylight calling to distant hens across the creek, watching elk, eating sandwiches, and shooting slingshots at every pine tree that looked crossways at us. What a great evening for this mountian turkey crew!

Turkey season recap. It has been a great year.

Opening weekend we were hooked up with the kids from Outback Outdoors. They had a hunt lined up in Nebraska that got cancelled. They opened the season with a bang, actually several bangs and one thwack!











Sara, a first time lady hunter got it done with a bit of fancy footwork.



An old friend from my DU days drove down from Steamboat to take a jake in the first 30 minutes of his hunt.



Brylan and his dad glassed the birds and got ahead of them for a good tom.



Kristyn took a tom with her shotgun after her sister missed one with her traditional recurve.



Hunter, my son, killed a jake this morning. We stayed out and I was able to talk this Tom into coming to say hi for a father son double.