when is a youth hunt not???

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.
 

recoil

Eight Pointer
So in reading this thread we obviously should also cancel all remaining wild game seasons. It does not matter if it is youth season, regular season, bow season, or gun season someone is not going to follow the rules or bag limits. A poacher will poach no matter the time or season but I don't think we should end the youth season because of this. There will be bad shots and unfortunately animals wounded during any normal season. I normally hunt a couple times during youth week with a co-workers son, a kid from church, and now my own son. I have more of a rush sitting beside a younger hunter who is learning hunting than if I was behind the trigger myself. My son killed his first bird this year, 6 years old, no blind, with a 12 gauge 11-87. We practiced in the yard with 7 1/2 target loads (swapped to 6 shot turkey load for the hunt) and caldwell field pod in the yard before hunting. He showed more patience in waiting for his shot than I ever could have. Sat completely still while a hen circled us until the tom was in range and was able to take his first turkey. He would have hunted youth season or not. Not saying every 6 year old is ready to turkey hunt but throwing a blanket over the youth season is not right.
 
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Buxndiverdux

Old Mossy Horns
So in reading this thread we obviously should also cancel all remaining wild game seasons. It does not matter if it is youth season, regular season, bow season, or gun season someone is not going to follow the rules or bag limits. A poacher will poach no matter the time or season but I don't think we should end the youth season because of this. There will be bad shots and unfortunately animals wounded during any normal season. I normally hunt a couple times during youth week with a co-workers son, a kid from church, and now my own son. I have more of a rush sitting beside a younger hunter who is learning hunting than if I was behind the trigger myself. My son killed his first bird this year, 6 years old, no blind, with a 12 gauge 11-87. We practiced in the yard with 7 1/2 target loads (swapped to 6 shot turkey load for the hunt) and caldwell field pod in the yard before hunting. He showed more patience in waiting for his shot than I ever could have. Sat completely still while a hen circled us until the tom was in range and was able to take his first turkey. He would have hunted youth season or not. Not saying every 6 year old is ready to turkey hunt but throwing a blanket over the youth season is not right.

I agree, but kids are killing "their" turkeys, so that can't be good.
 

Songdoghunter

Twelve Pointer
It doesn't have anything to do with that Sir, at least not to me

Same with me. If it's all about the kids, why not make youth season the entire month of March? I have yet to hear why youth need their own "special" season. What's the difference for example in a kid hunting on Friday (last day of youth season) and the next day which is the first day of regular season? The answer is obvious in that many adult hunters are selfish and are able to clear their conscience by taking the kid during the designated time and ridding themselves of the possibility their own season will be infringed upon by a kid. If it's really about the kids, let's remove size and creel limits on game fish for them and bag limits on game for them. Again, I totally respect those doing it by the book but I simply don't buy into the theory of the need to get kids involved in the sport of hunting etc.. From what I've observed, hunters are not a dying breed.
 
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CRC

Old Mossy Horns
Same with me. If it's all about the kids, why not make youth season the entire month of March? I have yet to hear why youth need their own "special" season. What's the difference for example in a kid hunting on Friday (last day of youth season) and the next day which is the first day of regular season? The answer is obvious in that many adult hunters are selfish and are able to clear their conscience by taking the kid during the designated time and ridding themselves of the possibility their own season will be infringed upon by a kid. If it's really about the kids, let's remove size and creel limits on game fish for them and bag limits on game for them. Again, I totally respect those doing it by the book but I simply don't buy into the theory of the need to get kids involved in the sport of hunting etc.. From what I've observed, hunters are not a dying breed.

What is really terrible is those kids are getting screwed over by being limited to just one bird.
 

nccatfisher

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
What is really terrible is those kids are getting screwed over by being limited to just one bird.
So where in the regs does it say they can't hunt during the regular season and abide by the bag limits set forth for that?
 
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