Young gun gets hooked for life on hunting

May 02, 2008 04:00 am

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Excitement filled the air as the big tom responded to their calls. He gobbled over and over, every time those sweet-sounding hen yelps echoed through the trees. The birds moved in, getting ever closer to the waiting hunters.

There were two nice toms in the group. Each strutted and spit as he approached. The hens milled around as the tension grew. The old gobblers would soon be within range.

Suddenly there was a flurry of feathers as the two toms faced off. The fight was on, and a young hunter had a ringside seat.

Olivia Miller, a 13-year-old from Sherburne, made her hunting debut during the Spring Youth Turkey Hunt. She and her uncle, Morris resident Dan Tracy, hunted along a farm meadow not far from the Klipnockie Beagle Club.

Imagine sitting with your shotgun resting on your knee and having not one, but two big toms fighting right there in front of you. There are a good number of seasoned hunters who have never experienced such an event.

Somebody must have moved, though, because a hen spotted the camouflaged hunters. The whole flock took off after one distress sound. Olivia picked out one of the toms, but it was a little too late. She missed her chance.

Olivia quickly learned that getting a turkey is not as easy as it seems. She and her uncle spent the rest of Saturday morning hunting for other flocks with little success.

As the sun came up Sunday morning, they were back in the woods. The hunters set up outside of Morris near the Little Woods Road.

A gobbler had answered their call and was slowly coming in. Olivia's heart pounded as the big tom let loose a thunderous gobble. Suddenly he appeared, following two hens. The long beard was in full strut.

His wings were vibrating and his tail was fully fanned open. Slowly, he came in close enough for a shot.

Using a .410 shotgun, Olivia dispatched the beautiful bird with a single blast. Her first tom weighed 21 pounds and sported a 10-inch beard.

Normally, turkeys are hunted with bigger-bored shotguns. Most guys like at least 12-gauge shotguns with extra full turkey chokes, which allows them to reach out a little farther instead of letting the game get up close and personal.

With proper guidance, though, Olivia did just fine. And now, she's hooked for life.

Rick Brockway writes a weekly outdoors column for The Daily Star. E-mail him at robrockway@hotmail.com.