Youthful enthusiasm OUTDOOR

With the warmer weather arriving daily all things outdoors are starting to bust wide open. Each day brings us closer to morel mushroom hunting, trout fishing, and turkey hunting. If you’re fortunate to have a youth in your hunting circle, you don’t have to wait because you can hunt this weekend during the Wisconsin Youth Turkey season.

In a related matter, across the river in Minnesota, the youth season runs from April 13 – May 31. That basically means youth hunters can take the entire season to harvest a bird. Hats off to you Minnesota for creating the most and best chances for a young hunter to succeed. Wisconsin should follow suit, but I digress.

There were no youth hunting seasons when I was young. Recruitment into the outdoor world wasn’t necessary at that time because hunting and fishing were a part of the culture, even if you lived in town. In our world today, it’s about passing down what we know so that our pursuits live on. Thinking about that reminded me of hunting with Brady.

My first experience with a youth hunt was when I took Brady, who was my neighbor at the time, on a turkey hunt. He had the outdoor gene and he needed a little prodding. I did take him morel mushroom hunting but I was always leery of showing him the “motherlode” for fear that he’d spill the beans. As for the turkey hunt, he was so excited that he got me excited. What’s great about youthful enthusiasm is that it’s contagious.

The first bird a hunter bags is pretty special for a few reasons: It’s the hardest bird to shoot because when it doesn’t happen right away, you think it’s never going to happen. It’s the same thing with the first white-tailed deer. Fortunately for Brady, he didn’t have to wait too long.

Brady and I were sitting in a blind and all was normal until a group of jakes walked into range. When you’re a young hunter trying to bag your first bird, the task seems monumental. Once that tag is punched for the very first time, the feelings are equal parts relief and exhilaration. For Brady, it was exactly like that because fortunately, his shot was true.

So why am I talking about recruitment, youth seasons and all that business? Well, it all sort of comes back to Brady and his first turkey. Brady and his wife are new parents to a little boy. I think Brady is going to make sure that little guy is a turkey hunter.

That’s why youth seasons are important. We want to see your turkey hunting photos! Please share them with Dave at [email protected] Didn’t get enough Dave this week? Visit “Outdoor Trails and Tales with Dave Beck” on Facebook for photos and video of Dave’s adventures. You can share your own photos and video with him there as well, or by emailing him at [email protected] Also, check out OTT content on Instagram @thepiercecountyjournal

BY DAVE BECK