04/26/2026
Long long ago I had the privilege of hunting with some of our very own .wildlife employees Steve and Jason as a personal turkey guide for youth day here at Otis Air Force Base. They did an outstanding job of teaching me the way of the woods, working on stubborn and finicky birds, and luckily for me even how to correctly put one down.
Super stoked me and Gavin got to give back to the program that help us in our earlier years gain experience before we could hunt on our own. I helped shoot one of his first birds right around the corner from where Jason and Steve called me in mine. Gavin got another youth on a bird for an all around stellar day thanks again to .wildlife Otis Air Force Base, and for setting up youth-day, giving us access to some of the best turkey land in the state, and connecting us with some kids that are excited about getting in the woods, and learning the dos and don’ts of being a successful turkey hunter / good steward of the woods. Cool to be the mentor now and not the mentee and be able to see both sides of the coin. Got some photos I’m working through from a recent North Carolina turkey hunt so keep your eyes posted for that, got a nice mountain bird and will be out tomorrow for opening day. Congrats to all who got a bird youth day and put a gobbler down, let us know in the comments how you did, Jake, Tom, or Bearded hen always something to be proud of droppin a Turk out in the woods.