This past weekend I experienced something with my 11 year old son Brady that I'll never forget.  Brady and I headed to the mountains Friday afternoon to set up camp with the highest expectations of us bagging a big gobbler on Saturday morning.  I've been hunting PA turkeys on public ground for a long time and I still have yet to kill a turkey in my home state.  Brady has been watching every turkey hunting video he can get his hands on and practicing his mouth call getting ready for the big day.  I did not want to steal his dream in anyway but I also didn't want him to be hugely disappointed if things did not work out like in the videos.

Saturday morning came and we got up at 3:00am ready to go.  I also had my 16 year old son Tyler and one of his friends along to try their luck at another spot on the mountain.  We were in the spot Brady and I scouted out the week before and it was just feeling right.  Daylight came and we could hear some gobbling going on in the distance.  We started calling and trying to reel one of these trophies in.  As we were sitting there Brady looked at me and said "these are the times I wish would never end, just you and me sitting here in the woods watching the sun come up and listening to the turkeys gobble, I'm going to tell my kids about this and how cool it was to be able to do this with you". 

At this point I was even more determined than ever to get Brady his first turkey.  The gobbling came and went as the sun came up, we were just sitting there having some good quality father son time and I pulled out a snack for us both and we started munching away.  Off in the distance we heard a gobble and I knew where this bird was coming from.  He was on top of the mountain and my son Tyler and another hunter were both trying to call this turkey in.  I thought to myself this is our chance to get in on the action.  I started throwing everything I had at this old boy trying to suck him in to our decoys.  After about ten minutes I could hear he was on his way to us and I grabbed the unfinished snack out of Brady's hands and said it's game on Brady get ready.  As he got closer Brady and I both were shaking with excitement, I told Brady to get his gun ready because he was coming in hot.  Just then I looked off to my left and this smart old gobbler came in to our left and was headed behind us.  I told Brady to turn to his left and smoke him.  He pulled off the turn with out being busted and lined him up in his sights and left him have it. 

The bird was down and Brady and I were so fired up it was crazy.  After our huge celebration Brady looks at me and said you did it Dad just like in the videos...  I don't think it was my calling that made this hunt successful, I think it was this young mans ability to have some of the biggest positive thinking I've ever seen.  If I never kill another turkey again, this will be the hunt I'll never forget. 

Brian