You are never to old to start Turkey Hunting.

Growing up in Central Alabama and North Western Alabama in the 60’s and 70’s we never saw many Turkeys, therefore we did not hunt them. Efforts of the NWTF and the Alabama Department of Conservation with restocking changed that and numbers of Birds are now over half a million. Many of us cherish the day when you get to take your Children and Grandchildren Hunting for the first time and  you beam with pride… The feeling was so different, our soon to be 93-year-old Father asks my Brother and me to go Turkey Hunting. Wow how where we going to pull this off? The wheels started turning between my Brother and me… We first started with a trip to Nashville Tennessee to the NWTF Show to get ideals by talking with many vendors and strangers we met on the show floor. This being my Brother’s first season to Turkey hunt he went into knowledge cram mode like a College student studying for a final exam by reading everything he could get his hands on and watching DVD’s on Turkey hunting. I myself not qualified to be a turkey expert started listing to every Turkey hunter I could find. I started picking up items to Turkey Hunt at Bass Pro Shop, Academy and even called Don Saylor at Straight Creek Calls and ordered a Box call for Dad.  My Brother picked up Dad’s old Remington 12 gage Pump Shotgun cleaned it and test fired and pattered it with Turkey loads. Sunday afternoon March 20, my Brother and I rode over to his hunting Club “Southeastern Hunting Club” in Coosa County Alabama to setup a ground blind for Dad to hunt out of with one of us.  We looked for an area that had signs of Birds and did not require much walking even though Dad can still run circles around me. Thursday March 24th my Brother picks our Dad up, who was already waiting on the front porch with Gun and Bags packed. Running late from getting off work for a half day, I meet up at my Brother's house and we hurried over to his club lease. I decided that my Brother needed to hunt with Dad in the blind because of my Medical problems of a chronic cough.  Dad would have a better chance of taking a bird than with me even though we would be close to each other half a mile away.  My Brother and Dad got in the Ground Blind and I tried to slip down to number 4 Plot not really knowing how far it was away from where I was dropped off and low and behold  I spooked 7 Birds off the plot as I walked around to the area. Due to the high wind, I was not able to call the Birds back. Dad and my Brother where unable to get any action either due to high winds. Friday March 25th came and boy was I pumped, the temperatures where a crisp 34 and no high winds where predicated. We arrived back at the club and decided to go with the same setup as the day before.  I knew Birds would be in the area. I changed sides of the plot thinking the Turkeys would be coming from the other side of the plot and I would have a cedar tree as a shield to my back. Little late getting setup with decoys and first hit of my Straight Creek Call Slate I got a immediate response from more then one Tom. I was almost in tears, yell Baby the Birds are talking!  This went on for almost an hour with the hens joining in with their song.  I got the Birds as close as 150 yards away but never could convince them to cross the creek and check out my Jake and hens. Around 8:20AM, the winds picked up and the birds shut up.  Well we where unable to close the deal and get a Bird in for Dad but I got to thinking we where blessed to be able to have Dad with us in the woods like old times when we where squirrel hunting. Time spent with our Dad Hunting is Priceless and we hope to do it again very soon. If you have the chance to take someone hunting be it young or old do it!