Songdoghunter
Twelve Pointer
As someone mentioned earlier, my opinions of youth hunting "seasons" are not popular. I was about halfway ok with youth "DAY" but am dead against 7 days of it. The fact of the matter is that Onslow and Duplin counties have some of the most unethical hunters found anywhere in the United States! Poaching, exceeding bag limits, hunting out of season etc. are rampant not only during turkey season but especially deer season. I've lost count of the number of people I've encountered carrying their sons and daughters, nieces and nephews, grandchildren and so on who couldn't hold up a Daisy bb gun, much less a youth .410 or .20 gauge shotgun and tolerate a turkey load. While there are legitimate youth hunts conducted by well intended adults who follow the rules, youth turkey season ends in the demise of far too many turkeys taken or molested when they are the easiest to call and kill by greedy adults who are merely taking advantage of the system and someone's kid! If your interests are truly in promoting ethical hunting and setting examples for kids, take them on opening day of the regular season or throughout the regular season and let them kill one of your birds. Political correctness has already bred enough sense of entitlement into our children without someone showing them how to hunt on the low road. I'm taking both of my grandsons tomorrow where I can guarantee they will hear and see 2 longbeards in action. I've spent the past week patterning these birds for them. If we're lucky enough for one of them to connect, great. If not, I'll be pleased that they are learning turkey hunting is not "shooting fish in a barrel" and that skills they learn along with some luck will eventually get them a bird. The youngest is 8 and killed 2 does during deer season with his .223. I doubt he has the necessary patience to wait on a bird but it's worth it to me to carry him just the same. For the past 4 years,youth week has left injured birds on our property. The sad thing is that on at least 2 occasions, the shooters were young men with their 4 and 5 year old kids.