And so it begins..........

This year was Griffin's very first Youth Season for spring turkeys. 

He and his Dad have put so much time and effort into being prepared. They've target practiced, they have scouted, they've worked on blinds, they've even sat in the hallway and practiced moving around slowly and aiming his shotgun. Turkey hunting is hard and Drew did not want him to have any shortcuts to make him think it was a sure deal. He's an anti-participation trophy kind of guy, and I respect that. 

Griffin laid all of his clothes out on Friday night, and because of that "he needed to sleep in our bed". Also, because he needed to be woken up early. 

It was somewhere in the 5 o'clock hour Saturday morning when I heard them. Griffin was talking so loud and sounded like he had been up for hours. Very chipper, and not his normal zombie self before school. I laughed and got out of bed to get this photo of the mighty hunters. 

There was a trace of snow on the ground, and Drew said it would be very surprising if the birds moved much. Despite the 20 degree temps, Griffin wanted to go. He made it a good 3 hours before needing a break. They came home, had a good breakfast, and went back to it. Besides a whispering problem, Griffin did really good. Drew was very impressed with him actually. They saw some turkeys but nothing close enough to take a shot. 

Sunday came and they went out again. Drew let Griffin decide whether he wanted to go or not, no pressure at all. The morning hunt was cut short due to Griffin feeling sick. They came home and got a nap in with a couple of lazy hours around the house. 

Cooper was also very puny that day, so he and I spent most of it in bed. The most exciting part came while I was making dinner. Drew sent me this picture with the caption, "about to get exciting". 

It was a long wait and I was very anxious. Finally, 30 minutes later I got this picture. 

I have never been happier or more proud of anything involving the death of an animal. I think Drew's heart was probably about to burst with pride. It was a really exciting hunt that led to Griffin having to get on Drew's lap, on his own knees across Drew's legs, and while Drew sat sideways, Griffin lined the gun up and had to take the shot all on his own. I wish I could have been a fly on the wall. So much sport involved, so many good lessons about perseverance and working hard to achieve something. There are shortcuts that can be taken during youth season to ensure a kill, but they did not do any of them. 

 

And Pa was very proud........

Little brother said "That's cool!"

It was a very special weekend! One to be remembered forever.