As hunters, we all have to start our pursuits somewhere. Whether that be in a duck blind, a deer stand, or the turkey woods. For me, it started in a duck blind or rather a poorly constructed heap of branches that we called a duck blind. I grew up in a western state, so I wasn’t privy to turkey hunting culture, and, more importantly, I didn’t grow up turkey hunting. In fact, it wouldn’t be until 2022 that I would harvest my first spring gobbler. There is a certain pride that one derives from “figuring things out on their own,” but at the same time, that solo path can add a huge layer of fog and doubt to every decision you make in the woods. While my turkey hunting career may be young, one thing I do know for certain is that shared knowledge from a mentor or peer is worth its weight in gold. I would have loved to chase turkeys with my family growing up, or have had a mentor early on to help show me the ropes. Getting the younger generation involved in the outdoors is a common thread among many hunters. As sportsmen and women, we all want to share the joy and passion we have with young hunters and, more specifically, with our own kids when the time comes.
Recently, I had the privilege to sit down with Jordan Summitt from Duck & Buck Commander to talk about this very subject. Jordan is a dedicated father, husband, and outdoorsman. When deer seasons are over, and spring comes rolling around, you can find him in the woods chasing turkeys with his friends and family. Jordan didn’t grow up with a hunting background, but through his career in the outdoor industry, he’s become a well-rounded outdoorsman and turkey hunter. He’s been able to share his passion for turkey hunting with his two sons and, as a father, has had his fair share of trials and tribulations when it comes to getting kids engaged with the outdoors. Here are a few tips he shared with me for getting kids out into the turkey woods.
Target Practice
Helping your children understand firearms is an essential safety lesson. Beyond basic gun safety, though, there are several other important topics to cover. Some of which parents may find challenging. A common question many face is: What’s the best way to introduce kids to shooting for the first time?
“When my oldest son was five years old, him killing his first turkey was my main goal going into his first-ever turkey hunt. At the time, I was maybe 3 or 4 years into my own turkey hunting career. In preparation for his first turkey hunt, I went and got him a .410 from a pawn shop, I set up a target, and I got him ready to shoot for the first time. The gun he shot, which had a turkey load in it, kicked him pretty good. He got pretty upset about it, kicking him hard, and for about three years after that, it really affected him. It affected him enough that when I would get a bird in front of him, he’d ask me if the shot was going to kick him. That’s an experience I really learned from and improved upon with my youngest son.
I tell everybody now, if you’re teaching a kid and you want to teach them shooting, BB guns are a great place to start. After that, move up to .22s and so forth. I also wouldn’t personally recommend letting them shoot a turkey load until it’s at an actual bird. Get all the aiming and fundamentals dialed in with the lightweight stuff. Red dots are also a great option for kids because, as long as it’s sighted in, it’s good to go. All they need to do is put it right on his wattles and then squeeze the trigger.”
Build Woodsmanship & Keep Them Engaged
Regardless of whether there’s a turkey involved or not, there is always something for young minds to learn out in the woods. Teaching woodsmanship and making sure your kids stay engaged in the moment is an important part of the process of introducing them to the outdoors.
“In order to keep them engaged, find things that you can teach them about in the woods. It’s not just about a gobbling turkey. For example, we have this tradition that if you find a turtle shell on the ground, it’s a good omen. That’s a lucky turtle shell, and there’s probably a longbeard not too far off. There are also a lot of simple lessons you can teach kids. Early on, my kids were really bad about breaking sticks and twigs when they’d get bored. Or grabbing onto the low limbs of trees and shaking them. Moments like these are teachable moments. Like, hey, look at the top of the tree. You see that you’re grabbing it down here, and it doesn’t seem like a big deal, but when you look at the top of that tree, you’re shaking the treetop. If we can see that, a gobbler can see that too.
Especially with my second son, I would just take him out there when I’d scout. I wanted him just to be able to experience it without carrying a weapon. We’d go listen for birds, go look for tracks, we would do anything that really involved turkeys, except for the actual shooting part. So before we even hunted, he knew what to expect when he was out there. Rather than throwing him into the deep end and expecting him to know to be quiet, know to have soft feet when he’s walking, etc. Now, because of those initial experiences, he knows that we walk in a straight single-file line. He knows we walk with soft feet. He knows not to break sticks and pull on trees so that the tops aren’t waving around. All of these little things have been taught in the woods throughout those experiences.
I think if you burn them out, it’s you personally being selfish. Not selfish as in you’re wanting to kill the bird, but by the fact that you’re forgetting what you’re there for. You aren’t just there to kill a turkey. You’re there to have quality time with your kid in the woods and be able to teach them something every time they go out. A question I ask my boys every time we step out of the woods or come back from a trip is, ‘What’d you learn today?’ Most of the time, they’ve got an answer for me.”
Gear That Makes Hunting Comfortable
Even if you’re a “minimalist hunter,” you’re still a gear junkie. We all are. Part of the fun of the pursuit is making sure you have the right gear for the right situation. And in today’s day and age, there are more than a few ways to help keep your kids comfortable out in the field with the right gear.
“A good youth vest is always great. You know, you just want to make them as comfortable as possible. If you make it uncomfortable, they’re not going to want to do it. And I’ve done that before with both of my boys. My oldest son is 16, so now he can keep up a lot better and do most of what I can do, but with my younger son, and with my oldest son when he was young, it’s a different story. I have a 28-gauge for my youngest, which is lightweight, and I also have a turkey hunting youth chair that works perfectly for him. I also got him a little Bog Shooting Stick, which helps so he doesn’t need to worry about holding up the gun the entire time.
Another thing I recommend for hunting with youth hunters is using decoys where allowed. Decoys are great because, with kids and trying to teach and help them aim, you may have to move a little bit more than you normally would, and decoys are a great way to help keep the turkey’s eyes off of you. That’s honestly why I use decoys, I don’t really use them for myself because I like to run-and-gun, but it’s super helpful for kids. Another thing that I have that works well is a packable stake blind. Which is essentially tent poles that stake into the ground that have a ghillie suit-type fabric on the front, like a mini ground blind. You just stake it in, and you can make a little semi-perimeter right in front of you. That can also help cover up movement. It’s great, and it’s an easy, compact thing to pack around.”
Perspective And Gratitude
Whether it be in your daily life, sitting in the turkey woods, or when teaching your kids, having the capacity to slow things down and learn from your experiences is a powerful tool.
“If you look at these experiences with the only goal being to kill a turkey, man, that’s sad. Because there are so many other things you can have to be successful for the day. If that’s your goal, and that’s the way you look at things, then it’s likely your kids will look at hunting that way, too.
There are rough patches in our lives. You’re gonna go through struggles, and you’re gonna go through changes in life, but it’s how you handle them that determines the outcome of how you’re going to turn out. I had one turkey season that was just the roughest season ever. And I remember praying and asking God why. Like, can’t I just catch a break? I look back on that season, and I don’t think the goal was for me to kill a bird. I look back on that season and think about all the things I learned from it and how it made me a better hunter. I talked about that with my boys the other day. We had hunted in Alabama, and it was pretty tough hunting. As tough as it was, we still heard turkeys, and we still had a good time. As we were walking back to the truck one of those days, I remember saying sorry to my son because we weren’t able to get it done. He replied by saying it was okay because we got to spend time together in the woods, we were able to hear some birds, and have fun regardless. That moment made me feel good. Like I had actually taught him something. We came to kill a turkey, but in the end, he was appreciative of all the other stuff besides shooting a turkey. That made me feel like I won that one.”
Make It Fun
This one shouldn’t need a whole lot of explanation. And as Jordan put it earlier, “You aren’t just there to kill a turkey. You’re there to have quality time with your kid in the woods”.
“My number one tip will always be to make it fun. Whatever you gotta do. Make it fun. It’s not about the turkey, it’s about time with your kids and making sure that they want to come back.”
Final Thoughts
Getting the youth involved in the outdoors is an incredibly rewarding experience. It’s a way for us to pass on our love of wild places, the birds we chase, and to strengthen the heritage and culture of hunting for future generations to uphold. In my conversation with Jordan, I learned a lot of things I hope to one day utilize with my own kids and a few things that I, as a turkey hunter today, can have in my own mind the next time I step into the woods. Never stop learning, appreciate the wild places that god has created, and be on the lookout for those lucky turtle shells.