I hissed at my great nephew Jackson as the group of jakes entered our decoys from the side of the blind. It was our second morning in Nebraska for spring turkey season. Jackson was catching a little cat nap as I had been calling trying to lure in a gobbler. I handed him the Mossberg 500 .410 and told him to pick one out. He gave me a confused look as he whispered, “I’m already tagged out!”

Rules & Regs

We were just in from Missouri, but thanks to local friends, I had connections. Nebraska has been a top turkey destination for me since the ’80s. I have experienced the highs and lows of turkey hunting in the state. Recently, regulations have changed from a single-day three-bird limit over the counter, to a draw and a two-bird limit (one per day). Nationwide, turkey populations are on the decline, so like many states, Nebraska has reacted with new regulations to ensure a healthy turkey population. 

My nephew and I had been talking about applying for tags (first come first served), but he said he was too busy to go this spring and asked if I would want to take his son Jackson? I said sure, as although we had not been successful in the spring, he had taken several deer and furbearers with me. Jackson was only 10 years old at the time, just turning 11 in December 2023. 

Nebraska is a very youth-friendly hunting state. Youth tags are unlimited and available online for only $8.00 each, the same for resident youth tags. What a deal! Youth are required to purchase a habitat stamp and a turkey tag.

Make it Fun

We had only bought Jackson one tag and he had filled it the afternoon prior. After chasing a gobbler the first day on my buddy Roy’s place, we relocated to a new property that another buddy Monty had secured for us. Since I had hunted there in the past I knew where to set up our blind for the afternoon hunt. We had just settled in when a gobbler started answering from behind us. He was getting closer, and we were getting excited. Suddenly a mob of jakes came over the hill and disappeared behind us, only to come running back by us, chasing the longbeard we had been working. They ran him off and disappeared. We were excited about the encounter but disappointed about no shot opportunity. 

Jackson is a great kid with an outstanding personality. I still feel like a kid myself and always like to joke around, saying anything to get a smile out of Jackson to try to keep hunting fun. I didn’t act disappointed and played it off as just part of turkey hunting. Adding that if those jakes come back, we’ll show them what for! We’ll feed them a snack of Browning’s TSS #9!

I always let Jackson do part of the calling and he is getting good with a box call. Let’s face it, if a gobbler is ready — he is ready — and will respond to the worst calling ever. And we were there to have fun, not enter a calling contest. 

I surprised Jackson with his own custom tube call for that hunt. My friend Phil Petka, of Turkey Leg Game Calls, turned one out for him and so we did a lot of practicing while sitting in the blind. Anytime a young hunter can make a turkey gobble it is a treat — heck, any time I can make a turkey gobble it’s a treat.

Jackson brought his digital game along and played on it during the drive and at the hotel room, but respectfully left it in the room while we were hunting, so it was up to me to not let him get bored. I continually include him in decisions. What do you think Jackson, where do you think that gobble came from? In my old age my ears are not what they used to be. Jackson’s ears are like an old turkey gobbler himself. On a youth hunt awhile back, I kept asking my hunter if he heard that turkey gobble, and he would acknowledge yes. Finally, he asked me if I heard that turkey gobbling? I replied no, where was it? He pointed in a different direction and said it had been gobbling all morning. I never heard it. Oh, to have young ears again.

Back to our Nebraska hunt, Jackson was already tagged out and we had one last morning to hunt before hitting the road for home. We went back to Roy’s land to try to roost a turkey and attempt to fill my second tag that last morning. We roosted him all right. Monty and Roy both said it had been gobbling all afternoon. Sure enough that old longbeard was tearing it up. I figured he was alone as much as he was gobbling. It was a tricky deal as he was roosted across the road on a neighboring property. 

Jackson and I drove up and down the road surveying the land to decide where the best opportunity would be. We had to be a legal distance away from the county road, but also wanted to be out of sight. The corn field behind Roy’s house dropped off steeply enough to hide our decoys from being seen from the road. That way the gobbler would have to cross the road onto Roy’s land before he could ever see the decoys. The problem was that we were only 100 yards behind Roy’s house. So even though we were shooting the .410, I either had a narrowly safe opportunity for a shot if the gobbler would approach off the hill before Roy’s house, or wait until it cleared safely enough for a shot after the house.

The bird started gobbling early and nonstop. The problem was that once he hit the ground I couldn’t tell exactly where he was. Jackson was just back and below me. I literally asked the kid where the tom was after every gobble. I hit the calls aggressively as soon as he reached the ground, thinking I had to first get him across the road. 

Jackson caught on and every time the tom would gobble Jackson would discreetly point to where he was. Jackson finally confirmed he was across the road on our side. I yelped at him with a mouth call, and he cut me off just above. I had just enough time to adjust my gun before he came into view. He gobbled one more time and stuck his head up to see the decoys and offered the perfect, safe shot. Roy slept right through it all. Due to the terrain and my bad hearing, Jackson pretty much called it step by step. Invaluable team work.

Required Gear

Every hunt is different, but from my experience hunting with kids, a good ground blind is a must. Blinds allow for a lot of movement that you would never get away with just sitting on the bare ground. Good chairs add to the height that you can be in a blind for maximum visibility and comfort. Comfort is a must, comfortable enough so that the kids can fall asleep if they want. There’s nothing wrong will falling asleep in the turkey blind. Done it many times myself, and woke up to turkeys in the decoys on more than one occasion.

Warm, comfortable clothing is a must, there’s nothing more uncomfortable than not enough clothes or too many, so make sure that your hunter is warm and dry. Waterproof boots for those dew-covered mornings or those creeks that need to be crossed. Food and drinks are a must. Whatever your young hunter likes, my guy is Dr. Pepper and beef jerky 100%. Water, trail mix, candy bars. Make sure you have plenty.

I like having a rangefinder along, too; it is fun to help teach distance and make a game of it. Pick out a tree and take turns guessing the range. Not only is it a good time-killing game during slow moments, it is also very valuable when determining if a gobbler is close enough for a clean shot. We have been hunting with a .410 for the last six to seven years. They are lighter to carry and add a little challenge. Plus, they are kid-friendly, don’t kick much and are quite effective out to 40 yards using the new TSS ammo now available. Include your youth in the patterning of the shotgun, plus the target practice is fun. It teaches them not to fear the gun and where their pattern is going. Again, make it a fun, educational outing.

Decoys are important, they obviously help bring in the birds and also double as yardage markers. If a gobbler is by the last decoy, he is 30 yards, the closest decoy is 20 yards. Allow them to practice safely aiming at a decoy’s head. This shows you if the blind’s window height needs adjustment or not. And it takes a little monotony out of the waiting.

Turkey calls of all kinds are a must. Let your hunter do the calling, like mentioned earlier, it’s pretty hard to scare off a turkey with a turkey call unless the calling is excessive. This teaches the young hunter to be better and how much to call. Any time a new hunter can make a turkey gobble is a win-win!

A good cell phone is invaluable for topo maps of the area you are hunting, as well as documenting your hunt with photos and videos. Share the successes back home with mom and dad and the grandparents. And don’t forget to keep track of any inclement weather headed your way.

One last item that may or may not be needed for your hunter is a gun vise mounted on a tripod. This will hold the gun in position for the hunter. It can be adjusted for height, windage and elevation. These are golden for young and old hunters alike.

Patience

Don’t go into the turkey woods with a new, young hunter thinking that you are going to harvest a gobbler. Rather, remember that you are going to have fun, let your hunter experience the sights and sounds of the woods waking up. Make it a great experience, don’t focus on the kill, focus on the hunt. If you harvest a turkey — it is icing on the cake.

Take the time to teach your hunter some good woodsmanship skills. How to whisper without cracking their voice. How to walk quietly in the woods. Heal to toe instead of shuffling. Point out turkey tracks, the difference in a tom track from a hen track. Point out droppings and the difference in hen and gobbler droppings. Being my trapping buddy, Jackson will also point out coyote scat and raccoon tracks. Teach them to notice those signs. 

Be patient, if they miss a shot, laugh it off and joke about it to not make them feel bad. Help them over logs and across streams, up hills, etc.

During our last hunt we had more than a quarter-mile to haul in a blind, chairs, food and drinks, decoys, etc. I grabbed the blind and chairs and my vest, and told Jackson what else we needed. I went in and set up the blind and chairs, and just then Jackson showed up with his gun and the deer sausage that Monty gave him! I asked if that was all he brought? He just smiled and shrugged his shoulders. His dad and I got a big kick out of it, he had all that was important!

Today’s youth are our next generation of hunters. Those numbers are dwindling, so we need to make it fun and enjoyable. Make it a big deal to sit down to a meal made from something that the young hunter harvested. Help them preserve their tail fan and trophies. Help make them the quality of hunter that we need to carry on the tradition, and then pass it on to their kids and grandkids.

Conclusion

Back to that second morning of our hunt, Jackson had been able to call back the group of jakes that scared off our gobbler the evening before and harvested his first turkey ever, so he was tagged out (for that day)! 

Unbeknownst to him, I called his dad that night to go online and buy Jackson another tag. There were so many groups of jakes running around I felt sure that he could get another opportunity the next day. I printed it out at the motel and had him sign it thinking that it was from his first tag.

After giving me a confused look, I quickly informed him that we had bought him a second tag and that he was legal to take a second turkey. It didn’t take long for Jackson to pick out the biggest one and harvest his second turkey ever in as many days! 

After taking pictures and texting about his success, all of a sudden the gobbler from the day before started gobbling again and was coming in, but nervous about all of the jakes running around. So we quickly got ready. Jackson was on the rangefinder keeping track of the distance. He told me to shoot as the gobbler hit the 40-yard mark, and the little Mossberg .410 did its job. We had a great trip, got to bond a little and experience some fine turkey hunting. We even  made plans for the next year on the way home. 

I have no doubt that when Uncle Tad is too old, Jackson will see to it that I still make it out in the woods for turkey season.