 |
Home | Search | Browse | About IPO | Staff | Links |
|
Home | Search | Browse | About IPO | Staff | Links |
|
2001 Heritage Youth Turkey Hunt STORY AND PHOTOS BY P.J. PEREA During this year's inaugural Heritage Youth Turkey Hunt, 274 youths and their adult guides took to the field. The special youth hunt opened a week earlier than the first season in the southern zone and two weeks before the northern zone. The results were better than expected as 75 youngsters, including nine girls, harvested turkeys. The 75 birds accounted for the youths' overall success rate of 27.4 percent. Considering that the statewide average for harvesting a turkey is about 25 percent, the youths did slightly better than the average regular season hunter. Department of Natural Resources Public Events and Promotions Manager Jim Raftis was pleased with the results. "We plan on continuing the Heritage Youth Turkey Hunt next year," Raftis said. "I'd expect about the same level of permits for 2002 and even higher participation." Out of 587 permits available for the 2001 hunt, 313 were not issued. Due to a late administrative ruling to allow this year's special hunt, there was only a two-week window for application.
A recent Stanford University study found that children who spend less time in front of the television and video games are not as likely to be aggressive as those bombarded with violent media. Programs like the Heritage Youth Turkey Hunt are perfect opportunities for adults to teach children about the outdoors and introduce them to a challenging sport that may follow them for a lifetime. Here are a few tips to consider when taking a youth out for a hunt or even an extended walk in the woods: • Spend some time in the field practicing calls and teaching the child how to move quietly through a forest. Kids usually don't understand how noise affects wildlife and will move through the woods with the grace of a bulldozer. Show them how to quietly and efficiently use deer trails to navigate to spots and tiptoe into turkey territory. They'll be surprised at what they'll see when they learn to walk quietly. • During slow periods, teach the young hunter how to identify the spring flora and fauna of the woods. Trilliums, mayapples, ferns, morels, hickory trees and deer are just a small slice of the living forest around you. Expect to answer dozens of questions, so study those nature guides! • Knowing how restless children are, it would be a good idea to invest in a portable blind. The blind allows for a minimal amount of noise and movement without hurting the hunt. The most important thing is to have a positive experience, and you'll likely have a new partner for next year's hunt.
|
|||||||||||
|
|
Toby Teope, Hanover Park, responds to a gobbling bird on his slate call (right) and shows off his first turkey (left).