Youth Weekend Turkey Hunt a hit

Friday, April 14, 2017
Six-year-old Boston Parke, of Fair Play, with his first turkey which he shot on the opening day of the annual Spring Youth Turkey Hunt last weekend.
Submitted photo

Turkey hunters ages six through 15, took advantage of the good April weather, harvesting 4,074 birds and completing the two-day special youth hunt without a single reported hunting-related accident.

The inaugural Youth Weekend Turkey Hunt started back in 2001, with the youngsters taking 2,530 bearded birds. Vernon County had 54 bearded birds checked this past weekend. Statewide there were 3,296 adult gobblers, 712 juvenile gobblers and 66 bearded hens in the total.

The Harvest Assembly Church in Fair Play hosted a check station where the young hunters could have their harvested gobblers weighed, as well as their spurs and beards measured. Members of the church were on hand to weigh and measure turned-in bird. Today, there will be a turkey banquet where hunters will be recognized for their participation. Awards will be given for first through third place in three categories: Spurs, Beards and Weight. There will also be a drawing for every participant during the hunt for new a 20-gauge shotgun.

Alivia Crawford, Willard, with her father, Joe, at the check station with a gobbler she shot on opening day of the youth hunt.
Submitted photo

Lyle Shaulis, pastor of the church, said, “This will be an annual event open to all the young turkey hunters.” This year’s hunt was a special one for 6-year-old Boston Parke, whose interest in turkey hunting started when he was only three. His grandfather, pastor Lyle Shaulis, said, he saw other hunters go turkey hunting and would get excited whenever he saw a turkey. This year, he reached the age of six and was able to participate in the youth hunt.

Park described the hunt by saying, “My grandfather and I got into a blind before daylight. After it got light, we saw a gobbler and two hens. When the old gobbler got close, I shot and had my very first turkey. My grandfather used a mouth-call to help bring the big bird close for me to shoot.”

Boston was a very happy young boy. At the weigh-in station he was jumping up and down, telling anyone close that he got a turkey. As his grandfather said, “Boston will be a turkey hunter for life after that first experience in hunting those unpredictable birds.”

During the Youth Hunt, the youngsters hunt was from one-half hour before sunrise to sunset, with most of the big birds taken early in the morning hours. During regular spring turkey season, hunters have to quit hunting at 1 p.m. Central Daylight Time.

Conservation officials say they don’t expect the youth harvest to effect hunter success during the upcoming regular three-week spring turkey –– season which opens Monday. They predict with favorable weather, the harvest will be comparable to last year’s.

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