Mentoring Youth Turkey Hunts With Steph Lane
I was 14 years old when I tagged my first Turkey. It was a beautiful Spring day in Southern Iowa with my Dad. Right at shooting light a long beard stepped out into the open grass, one shot. It ended up being a hen with an 8-inch beard! I strolled back into our camp grinning ear to ear, eager to show our friends the bird over my shoulder! I started chasing them a couple years before that, alongside my Dad and little Brother. Although my first Turkey is probably the most clear memory of all my turkey hunts, all the hunts before and that have followed still stick with me. Being 30 years old now I have had a lot of successes but twice as many mistakes and lessons learned. A lot of long sits with no sign of them, ticks, plenty of misses, being spotted, rained out, and many other examples of not ideal hunts. But none of it has ever been enough to fall out of love with Turkey Hunting.
When I was younger I often heard adults say, “I enjoy taking others hunting even more than hunting for myself.” And I would think, “ain’t no way, I have to work hard at this as it is, I want that turkey.” And my oh my, how my feelings have changed over the years! For about 4 years now I have mentored and coached a numerous number of folks in areas of hunting and the outdoors and I know now why so many enjoy mentoring others more than hunting for themselves.
I just mentored my third turkey hunt this Spring in Iowa with 3 or more coming up. And with every hunt I want more and more to see the success of the young hunters I am taking. This last hunt really hit me. It was a very windy, Sunday afternoon hunt in Washington County and I took a mother daughter duo. Shortly after settling in I find out that this is their very first hunting experience for the both of them. Even being 14, the same age I was when I got my first turkey and about the time hunting really became ingrained in me. I wanted nothing more than to get a strutter in range for her!
With ripping winds I knew I would take my Woodhaven Box call, that would be loud enough to break though the loud roars of the wind to give us the best chance for birds to hear us. Throughout the afternoon it was hard to hear much but I did hear distant hens yelping but no gobbles. Half way through the hunt Evey spotted a hen that ended up walking 10 yards from the blind and hanging out with us for quite some time. Hopeful a live decoy would bring in a big Tom but he never came. We saw plenty of deer, a raccoon, heard lots of owls and pheasants, that hen, but no Tom Turkey.
We sat until about dark, walking back to the truck I was playing back every part of the hunt in my head. Where were they? What could I have done differently? Did I give these two the best experience I could? Writing this now, my mind still races. As many of us know, hunting is not a sure thing. Sometimes, and really most times, it doesn’t play out exactly as we hope. But I have never wanted it to work out as much as I do for the young folks I have mentored. We may not have walked away with a bird over her shoulder but success is not solely measured by that. It’s about what we learned, new experiences, the people we share it with, time in nature, and many other things to different people. To me, being a hunter means woodsmanship, patience, looking and listening, and experiencing parts of our world that very few will ever have the chance to. Being a part of that journey for others is an honor and a privilege and only makes me want to get better.
Thank you for letting me be a part of your experience and I wish all of our young hunters good luck this Spring! Get out there, don’t give up, and have fun!
