Huntlee Goins’ turkey seasons already read like the kind of stories hunters tell for decades around campfires. From longbeards hanging just out of range to split-second setups in the Kentucky hills, this hunter has already experienced the highs, frustrations and unforgettable moments that make spring turkey hunting so addictive.

What makes it even more impressive is Huntlee is only 7 years old.

Huntlee shot his first turkey in April 2024. His passion for the outdoors started when he was only 4 years old, when he began following his dad into the woods, developing an early fascination with turkeys and wildlife.

“It’s hard to keep a kid engaged,” his father said. “However, having a passion for it is something that is instilled in him. I have done my best to keep the passion of wildlife and the woods and just being and enjoying nature, whether it be hunting eastern longbeards, white-tailed bucks and smallmouth bass or just camping and enjoying being a kid.”

His father has mentored him on every hunt, including turkey and white-tailed deer seasons, while teaching the woodsmanship skills that matter far beyond pulling the trigger. Huntlee is even beginning to work a mouth call effectively on his own.

During Huntlee’s 2025 turkey hunt, the pair initially focused on two fired-up 2-year-olds working their way in from roughly 300 yards away. Then the hunt changed instantly.

“This old boss tom came in silent like, ‘Here I am, that’s my hen,’” his father recalled. “We took our eyes off the younger birds because Dad knew that was the boss tom on this private land.”

The silent longbeard slipped into range, and Huntlee pulled the trigger. The old bird was an impressive gobbler with 1.5-inch spurs, an achievement that reflects both patience and skill beyond Huntlee’s then 6 years of age.

But the following spring’s hunt in Kentucky proved even more dramatic.

The pair set up before daylight during the 2026 Kentucky Youth Season, knowing a gobbler was roosted about 100 yards away with hens. For more than two hours, they watched the tom stay just outside shooting range as he slowly worked down the ridges with the hens.

Eventually, the gobbler and hens moved down a bench level below the hunters, forcing Huntlee and his father to make a move. After waiting for the birds to disappear out of sight, they hurried to another setup location on a nearby point.

A few soft purrs and yelps immediately triggered a thunderous gobble.

Soon, three hens appeared just 15 yards away from the gobbler, but the rushed repositioning left the hunters in an awkward spot. The hens suddenly noticed movement and locked onto the blind while the gobbler still hung just outside ideal range.

“Huntlee was on the right side of me, so we did what we had to do,” his father said. “I picked him up, held him out, and the rest is history.”

The customized Mossberg 500 20-gauge loaded with Verdict TSS ammunition anchored the bird cleanly. But in the excitement after the shot, Huntlee’s father noticed tears rolling down his son’s face.

“At least we got him, Dad,” Huntlee said despite a bruised face from the recoil.

The next day — Easter Sunday — brought another unforgettable hunt on the final day of Kentucky’s youth season.

After church and family dinner, they headed back to the lease for an evening setup near a clover plot tucked into a creek-bottom holler. Before they could even get situated, they spotted a hen feeding in the field. They backed away, hit a turkey call and immediately heard a gobble about 150 yards down the creek.

The pair slipped into the blind and set the Mossberg into a Bog DeathGrip tripod. Another sequence on a Woodhaven call drew an instant double-gobble from just over the hill less than 60 yards away.

Huntlee stayed motionless as hens began filing into the plot one by one.

“We just knew the gobbler was going to be right in line,” his father said.

Then came silence.

For what felt like forever, the tom disappeared. Suddenly, a gobble exploded from only 10 yards behind the blind.

The bird circled the setup, spitting and drumming for nearly five minutes while the shotgun remained pointed toward the hens in front of the blind. With the remaining windows closed to keep the interior dark, Huntlee could only wait as the gobbler refused to commit.

“At this point Huntlee is getting a little frustrated because it was like the tom wasn’t going to break and come past the blind,” his father said.

Then chaos erupted among the hens.

The birds began fighting, purring and jumping at each other in the clover plot. The commotion proved too much for the gobbler to resist. The longbeard finally broke strut and marched directly past the blind, completely distracted by the hens’ commotion.

“Huntlee got ready, eased the trigger and the turkey never moved a muscle,” his father said.

For Huntlee and his father, though, the memories go far beyond filled tags and successful hunts. The time together in the woods — learning patience, woodsmanship and respect for wildlife — is what matters most.

And judging by the stories Huntlee already has at such a young age, there will likely be many more spring gobblers in his future.