My 10yd olds first bird

[3seasons]

I was able to surprise my 10yr old daughter with our first hunting road trip to SW Oklahoma. We met up with a friend of mine from Ft. Worth Friday night. Saturday morning we could hear and see birds strutting in the trees but all had hens. When they hit the ground the hens pitched down to them and off they went. We hunted until around 9am chasing different birds on different ends of the property. We finally got within 100yds of a group of 2 gobblers 2 jakes and 15 hens. We watched them do their thing for a few minutes then we backed out and made a move.

My daughter and me eased up to a small mesquite tree and set up with her between my legs. My buddy hung back and started calling. A bird gobbled just out of eyesight and then there they were. Two birds one strutting and the other looking but they are 60yds out. The hens start to take them off away from us, so I eased my 4 track Madhatter pot call out and made a few strokes and the birds gobbled and gobbled. I sat it down and started cranking on them with my mouth call and my buddy started answering me back. Finally we broke a mad hen off of the group and she came to straighten us out. The Gobblers slightly followed. I ranged a small bush and it was 42yds , I told my daughter if they walk in front of that tree you’re going to get a shot. She started shaking so bad(don’t have a clue where she gets that from, lol) that I had to talk to her and calm her down.

When the strutting bird walked in front of that bush(38yds) I told her to breathe and squeeze the trigger on the 20ga I had finished building her a couple days before. BANG!!! And I see a bird flopping and I take her gun and tell her to RUN go put your foot on him. As she’s running I see the other gobbler to the side and could have made the shot but I didn’t want to take any of the excitement away from her on her first bird. She makes about 3 steps and gets tripped up and gets up running. As she stands on his head with a huge smile on her face I hit the ground shaking and dry heaving(yes it gets to me). I finally got up and walked up to her and she was just all grins as we all high fived my buddy was telling her how great she did and how he was happy to be a part of the hunt.

To say she’s hooked is an understatement. 4/23/16 8.5" beard 1 1\8" real nice spurs

Edited April 28, 2016 by 3seasons

[Ravin R10 man]

Congrats! Way to Go!

I shake worse after I shoot a Turkey than I do for a deer!

[Strut10]

Good stuff right there !!!!

CONGRATS to the both of you !!!

[MUDRUNNER]

That's about as good as it gets! Memories that will last a lifetime...congrats!

[Rhino]

Congratulations!!! WTG!!! Nothing like it for both of you. Brings back memories of my son's first bird from a long time ago.

[wtnhunt]

Very nice. Congratulations to your daughter and you too.

[VermontHunter]

CONGRATS to your daughter and you as well on a great bird .. heck I've gotten the shakes do bad after a harvest I couldn't walk for abit.

[archerjg]

Congratulations to her on a great first bird.

Archerjg