10-year-old Takes the Fast “Lane” to Turkey Triumph

My First Turkey Hunt

On my first turkey hunt, my dad and I started out in the black hills. Me and my dad were shock calling, trying to get a turkey to gobble back at us. I must admit that he was a lot better than me at the beginning. After a little bit, we saw a white turkey, but it was someone’s pet. I bet that thing would’ve tasted good. After the first day, we had seen nothing that we could have shot. We tried briefly again the next day, but did not see much.
After our fun in the Black Hills, which consisted of trout fishing, we drove out to try at my grandpa and grandma’s ranch. Very quickly we saw a group of about seven turkeys. We started stalking them. We soon realized they were on a tiny island surrounded by a small creek, and we had to cross it to get at them. We soon got to a spot where we could cross, but there was mud that would swallow you up like quicksand, so we built a makeshift bridge out of a fallen tree that we would have to spider climb over. My dad made it over easily, but I wasn’t so lucky. I made it over two thirds of the bridge when I fell off the tree bridge. That water was cold. When I got out I was covered in mud and brown water. I wasn’t too happy about it. We got over the creek and into a spot where we could possibly shoot, when a tom walked about fifty yards ahead of us. I was really excited and could not believe the turkeys had followed the creek to the spot we were at.
We had to find a spot were we could feel comfortable and shoot. The problem was that there was thistle everywhere and it felt horrible when we were lying on it. Then I felt something on my leg, and I think it was a tick, but I flicked it off in a hurry.
Back to the turkeys….there were two about fifty yards ahead of us. I loaded a bullet as they were both toms, and I put my scope crosshairs on one turkey’s back and had my first attempt. I missed. The grass was probably too tall.
Then, seven turkey’s, all toms, sprinted out of their cover. I attempted once more and I missed AGAIN. We went back to my grandpa’s house and restocked on bullets and had a pop. We decided to go back out. Soon enough, my dad saw more turkeys down by a road. We got on the four wheeler and went closer to them. We thought one of the toms was coming our way along the creek, then we saw a perfect place that I could shoot from and not be seen.
We waited and waited, and then quietly my dad whispered, “Lane, there’s a tom coming right around those trees about a hundred yards back. You have to be quiet.” However, instead of coming around the trees, it used a trail going through the trees and popped up about twenty feet away from us. I had my gun trained on its back but my dad thought that I didn’t have a clear shot so he told me not to shoot. (I am pretty sure I had a clear shot, by the way.) It went back into the bushes. My dad thought it had left, but I knew it was still in the bushes. About ten minutes later, it came back out and my dad said I could shoot. I did. It ran about ten yards and then flipped over.
I stood up, let out the sneeze I had been holding in, then ran over to it. The turkey hunt was successful, and I was very pumped. It is hard to explain how happy I was when I shot my first turkey. I carried it back to the 4 wheeler, then my dad and I cleaned it. My grandparents, who were at a graduation party, were back to see it. I was so proud of the tom I shot on my first turkey hunt.
My dad cooked the turkey on his smoker, and it was amazing. We shared some of it with our neighbors and took some back to grandma and grandpa later the next week. We all loved it.
When I got back to the ranch, my uncle Tom was there. He turkey hunts, but has never had any luck with his bow, so I enjoyed giving him a hard time. While he was eating the turkey, I asked him, “Tom, how did your turkey taste?” Everyone laughed. Even Tom.
I had a lot of fun and a fantastic time.
I bet it even tasted better than that white turkey would have. It tasted like a mix of chicken and venison, and that’s good.

By Lane Knutson
Age 10