Why Hunt Turkeys?

I've said before that the spring turkey season could be the perfect time to introduce a youngster to hunting. I wrote about the pleasant weather, the safety aspect and controlled situation, as well as the fun of being in the woods on a spring morning. But I want to elaborate on why spring turkey hunting can be so much fun for kids. It's really a complete aural, visual, and adrenal experience. First you build excitement the night before by listening for gobbles in the area you plan to hunt. Hearing a tom gobble from the roost in the dark will make it hard to sleep and easier to get out of bed at 4:30 a.m. the next morning. And knowing where a tom is roosted will help you set up the following morning. On morning of the hunt, you'll hear more gobbles walking to your blind in the dark, which builds anticipation. Snug in the pop-up blind, it's time to watch the woods wake up, and this can be a great show. Birds noisily welcome the sunrise, and raccoons, deer, and maybe even a bobcat will sneak past in front. As the sun rises, toms will often gobble continuously, announcing their presence to any nearby hens. Now it's time to call, and letting the youngster scratch out some yelps on a box call is a great idea. But look out, when you call and get an immediate response from a gobbling tom, the excitement meter can peg. Then there's the adrenaline rush as the gobbles get closer and closer. Finally, silence. Where is he? He has to be close. Then a thunderous gobble right next to the blind, followed by the sound of spitting and drumming as a tom struts into view toward the decoy. If you're not shaking now, you don't have a pulse.

If you don't feel comfortable taking your youngster on a turkey hunt, look into one of the special turkey hunts where guides will assist. There's one at Council Grove and another at the Kansas Army Ammunition Plant near Parsons. Both are limited so don't delay. The youth turkey season opens April 1 and runs through April 12. Hunting pressure is light during the youth season, making it a great time to explore the hunting opportunities on public land and WIHA tracts.

Get Involved

In my last entry, I wrote about the Pass It On events that will be taking place over the next eight or nine months. Many of these events will be organized by KDWP staff -- wildlife area managers, game wardens, park managers and biologists. However, none of these department staff can conduct successful events on their own. All of them work with local volunteers, who are essential to a good program. Occasionally, I get inquiries from experienced hunters who want to know how they can help. The best way is to get involved with a local chapter of a conservation organization such as Ducks Unlimited, Pheasants Forever, the National Wild Turkey Federation, the Quail and Upland Wildlife Federation, the Kansas Hunter Education Instructors Association or others. All of these groups are actively involved in Pass It On events, and many organize their own. Being a part of a conservation organization is a great way to give back to the wildlife resources so important to our hunting heritage and can also be a way to get directly involved with passing it on.

They're All Good Kids

With spring-like weather on the way, Pass It On wingshooting events are being added to the calendar. The program has several part-time, trained wingshooting instructors who have considerable experience working with beginning shooters. From now through next fall, the guys will be on the road conducting clinics at outdoor skills events organized by KDWP staff, conservation group chapters, and other organizations. Each instructor has a fully-equipped trailer with portable target launchers, semi-automatic 20-gauge shotguns, shells, targets, and safety equipment. I usually get the chance to help with several clinics each year, and I've always enjoyed them. The minimum age is around 10 -- they need to have enough upper-body strength to hold and handle the shotgun safely. Over the past eight years, I've worked with hundreds of young shooters and to a kid, they've all been well-behaved, polite and respectful. I know these kids aren't all little angels, but in the brief time I've spent working with them, they've been a joy to be around. I believe it's because kids respond positively to the direct one-on-one attention we give them at the clinics. We're outside and doing an activity that is fun and exciting, so it's not hard to keep their attention. I believe there may be something to the "nature deficit disorder" theory Richard Louv writes about in his book Last Child In The Woods. I believe that parents who spend the time teaching their children to hunt and fish build healthy relationships with their children and those children have an advantage over those who don't get that attention. If you're interested in finding out about a Pass It On event near you, call me at 620-672-0765.

It's The Little Things

My granddad's name was Francis Xorbie (pronounced zorbie) Miller. Throughout his younger years, he was called Xorbie, but he never liked it, and when he became an adult, he usually went by Francis. When Granddad was little, his friends called him "Soap" because they had trouble saying Xorbie. Soap was a nickname he was stuck with in grade school. Granddad told me that story when I was 12 or 13. He was retired and living in Canon City, Colo., but he and Grandma pulled their travel trailer to Greensburg during the fall so he could watch me play football and we could hunt pheasants together. He told me the story about his nickname when we were driving the sandy roads south of Haviland, hunting pheasants. Granddad was born in Wellsford and farmed south of Haviland for many years. He told stories about the people who lived on the land in the thirties and forties, pointing to an abandoned farmstead and saying a name, and he usually had a funny story about them. I know we walked lots of fields, got cold and hungry, and maybe even saw some pheasants, but I can remember Granddad's stories as if I'd heard them yesterday. I dearly loved Granddad, and I think part of why I hunt today is to be close to him. And, by the way, I think Xorbie is a pretty cool name.

Multi-year License

This year, KDWP is offering resident youth multi-year fishing and hunting licenses. The idea for the multi-year license came when staff looked at the license buying habits of our hunters and anglers in data from our automated license sales system. When looking at age at purchase, we see a spike in sales at 16 years old, followed by a precipitous drop for the next five or six years. Teenagers get busy with high school activities and when they go to college, spending money can be limited. The new resident multi-year license is valid when they turn 16 through the end of the year they turn 21. A multi-year fishing or hunting license is $42.50 and a combination multi-year fishing/hunting license is $72.50. That's a significant savings when you consider that the regular annual fishing or hunting license is $20.50 and an annual combination license is $38.50. The youth multi-year license is designed to keep young people active in the outdoors and make it less expensive for families to enjoy hunting and fishing together. The new license is a great deal any way you look at it, and you'll be investing in much more than a fishing or hunting license.

The Perfect Youth Season

With most of our hunting seasons closed or winding down, you might be thinking that Pass It On activities will have to wait until next fall. But there is one more season that might be perfect for young hunters -- the spring turkey season. We kick off our spring turkey season with a generous youth season, beginning on April 1 and going through April 12 this year. During these 12 days, youth 16 and younger can hunt with any legal equipment while under the supervision of an adult mentor. They will need a turkey permit and 16-year-olds will also need a hunting license. (The early season is also open to archery hunting and hunters with disabilities, but hunting pressure is light.) A spring turkey hunt is perfect for new hunters for a variety of reasons. First, hunting is very controlled. Hunters usually select a hiding spot or pop-up blind and sit tight while trying to call a gobbler into range. The adult can sit with the youngster, controlling all aspects of gun safety, whispering instructions as a bird approaches. The weather can be mild and spring is a great time to be in the woods watching wildlife. A typical morning hunt may only last a couple of hours, and it doesn't have to be physically demanding. And there's nothing more exciting than having a strutting gobbler approaching the blind and gobbling in response to your calls. The target is stationary and success rates can be high. Kansas turkey populations are generally very good. The only negative is that spring turkey hunting can be quite addictive, and many who try it become hopelessly obsessed. It's time to start planning a spring turkey hunt.

Outdoor Equity

In my last entry, I reminisced about hunting as a youngster and the fact that while I remembered my first pheasant, I didn't remember many after that. I enjoy hearing my colleagues stories about taking their children hunting and fishing, but I hear a reoccurring tone from them, at least before a trip. Most of them are anxious about somehow ensuring success. They worry that if their children don't have success they won't want to continue hunting. But anyone who's hunted knows that in fair chase situations, success can never be guaranteed. Even though I don't have children, I try to counsel my colleagues to not worry. I tell them that 10 years from now, their son or daughter won't remember what game was taken on a particular trip, but they will remember the time Mom and Dad spent with them outdoors. I have no doubt that some will get bored or tired or cold. And there will be some children who may not care for hunting or fishing. However, every child who spends time learning to hunt and fish with an adult mentor will remember that time and be a better person for it. The best advice is to plan a trip well and not worry about success. Have fun and teach children about nature. The time spent outdoors will definitely pay off -- for your children and for you!