cuppednlocked
04-14-2013, 10:35 PM
My nephew lives in Chicago and has recently expressed a desire to try hunting.
No one on his father's side of the family hunts so I have gladly taken on that responsibility. This past Jan he came to NC as an observer on his first duck hunt. My father flew in as well so there could be 3 generations as it was when I started hunting. After enjoying the time in the marsh he wanted to try turkey hunting.
Friday didn't start out well with the bad weather so we slept in and arrived at the game land around 9am. We heard some gobblers but they didn't want to play so we moved a couple times each with the same result. The last bird we got on was HOT but we couldn't get in front of it. Around 3pm we were chased out of the woods by a thunderstorm so we called it a day.
Saturday was much different. We were in the woods and settled before the first bird gobbled. Unfortunately he went the other way. We moved a couple of times but couldn't get a bird to head our way. After lunch we ended up where we started but a little closer to where I thought the bird had roosted. We had already decided that we would leave by 5pm so we only had an hour.
The shot had to be under 20 yards so I put the decoy ~10 out and made a good shooting lane for Nick. Ultimately, he learned why we turkey hunt. After a day and a half of walking/work he was rewarded by in your face spitting and drumming.
Nick was shooting his Great Grandfather's double .410. I learned how to handle a firearm with that shotgun and actually used it with my Grandfather. I know he was smiling that afternoon.
At ~7 yards my nephew introduced this bird to 11/16oz of #7.5!
~21# (battery on my scale died), 10", 1-1/16'
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc5/cuppednlocked/2ccda8db-74dc-4761-a4a3-070cce74f5ba_zps927a70b8.jpg (http://s217.photobucket.com/user/cuppednlocked/media/2ccda8db-74dc-4761-a4a3-070cce74f5ba_zps927a70b8.jpg.html)
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc5/cuppednlocked/6e760e2c-dcaf-4d62-80b8-e69435312b9c_zps32c53c16.jpg (http://s217.photobucket.com/user/cuppednlocked/media/6e760e2c-dcaf-4d62-80b8-e69435312b9c_zps32c53c16.jpg.html)
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc5/cuppednlocked/32dfc704-b1da-4fb5-851a-cc16c3d3b5e6_zps26670b53.jpg (http://s217.photobucket.com/user/cuppednlocked/media/32dfc704-b1da-4fb5-851a-cc16c3d3b5e6_zps26670b53.jpg.html)
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc5/cuppednlocked/515b7716-b07f-46e7-9833-8f20538f7f63_zpsfafa0a35.jpg (http://s217.photobucket.com/user/cuppednlocked/media/515b7716-b07f-46e7-9833-8f20538f7f63_zpsfafa0a35.jpg.html)
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc5/cuppednlocked/DSC01947_zpse001aba9.jpg (http://s217.photobucket.com/user/cuppednlocked/media/DSC01947_zpse001aba9.jpg.html)
ETA: a serial number search showed the .410 as being made in 1925, something I did not know.
No one on his father's side of the family hunts so I have gladly taken on that responsibility. This past Jan he came to NC as an observer on his first duck hunt. My father flew in as well so there could be 3 generations as it was when I started hunting. After enjoying the time in the marsh he wanted to try turkey hunting.
Friday didn't start out well with the bad weather so we slept in and arrived at the game land around 9am. We heard some gobblers but they didn't want to play so we moved a couple times each with the same result. The last bird we got on was HOT but we couldn't get in front of it. Around 3pm we were chased out of the woods by a thunderstorm so we called it a day.
Saturday was much different. We were in the woods and settled before the first bird gobbled. Unfortunately he went the other way. We moved a couple of times but couldn't get a bird to head our way. After lunch we ended up where we started but a little closer to where I thought the bird had roosted. We had already decided that we would leave by 5pm so we only had an hour.
The shot had to be under 20 yards so I put the decoy ~10 out and made a good shooting lane for Nick. Ultimately, he learned why we turkey hunt. After a day and a half of walking/work he was rewarded by in your face spitting and drumming.
Nick was shooting his Great Grandfather's double .410. I learned how to handle a firearm with that shotgun and actually used it with my Grandfather. I know he was smiling that afternoon.
At ~7 yards my nephew introduced this bird to 11/16oz of #7.5!
~21# (battery on my scale died), 10", 1-1/16'
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc5/cuppednlocked/2ccda8db-74dc-4761-a4a3-070cce74f5ba_zps927a70b8.jpg (http://s217.photobucket.com/user/cuppednlocked/media/2ccda8db-74dc-4761-a4a3-070cce74f5ba_zps927a70b8.jpg.html)
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc5/cuppednlocked/6e760e2c-dcaf-4d62-80b8-e69435312b9c_zps32c53c16.jpg (http://s217.photobucket.com/user/cuppednlocked/media/6e760e2c-dcaf-4d62-80b8-e69435312b9c_zps32c53c16.jpg.html)
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc5/cuppednlocked/32dfc704-b1da-4fb5-851a-cc16c3d3b5e6_zps26670b53.jpg (http://s217.photobucket.com/user/cuppednlocked/media/32dfc704-b1da-4fb5-851a-cc16c3d3b5e6_zps26670b53.jpg.html)
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc5/cuppednlocked/515b7716-b07f-46e7-9833-8f20538f7f63_zpsfafa0a35.jpg (http://s217.photobucket.com/user/cuppednlocked/media/515b7716-b07f-46e7-9833-8f20538f7f63_zpsfafa0a35.jpg.html)
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc5/cuppednlocked/DSC01947_zpse001aba9.jpg (http://s217.photobucket.com/user/cuppednlocked/media/DSC01947_zpse001aba9.jpg.html)
ETA: a serial number search showed the .410 as being made in 1925, something I did not know.