Spring youth gobbler hunt next month

By RALPH BARTHOLDT

Staff Writer

Andrew Owens’ children got hooked on deer hunting first.

By the time they were in middle school they had their sights set on whitetail, and they didn’t turn their attention to spring gobblers until they were teenagers, said Owens, of Hayden.

“We kind of did it backwards,” he said.

That’s because for many Idaho youth, bagging a gobbler is a graduation of sorts.

Chasing tom turkeys in the spring is a turning point that signals they are on their way to bigger things, having moved on, at least for the time being, from gunning rabbits or upland grouse.

In Idaho, licensed youth 10 to 17 years old are allowed to hunt before the general turkey season starts, so there’s an added bonus to get young hunters afield.

Idaho’s youth turkey hunt runs April 8-14.

“It’s an opportunity for kids to get an early shot at turkey hunting, and a way for parents, grandparents and other adults to mentor a young hunter without affecting their own hunt,” said Roger Phillips of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.

Because it’s inexpensive, doesn’t require a lot of specialized gear and it’s exciting, turkey hunting is a good way to get kids into the woods in spring.

“Turkeys are often found in fairly accessible places where long hikes into rugged country are not required, and it’s also easy to pack one out if you have a successful hunt,” Phillips said.

Hunters can usually find spring turkeys at lower elevations, often near agriculture lands. The birds follow the snow line up in elevation as the season progresses.

The outlook is good for turkeys this spring in the Panhandle, where the general adult turkey season runs April 15 to May 25, said Wayne Wakkinen, regional wildlife manager for Fish and Game.

“The Panhandle is looking good despite the snow that accumulated in lower elevations,” Wakkinen said. “Although the region had near-normal winter snowpack, the winter did not begin in earnest until mid-January and snowfall in December and early January was below normal, so turkeys were not stressed for a long period.”

Poor road conditions and flooding may be a challenge for Panhandle hunters this year.

Owens remembers a hunt with his son, Joe, in which a bunch of younger birds grazed through the decoys calling to each other before two toms warily and quietly approached.

“I told him don’t blink, don’t flinch, don’t make any sudden movements,” Owens said.

It took his son several minutes to inch his shotgun up without spooking the toms.

They both tagged out.

“That was pretty fun,” Owens said.

He hopes to be out again this season.

“I think I will,” he said.