The 2024 spring turkey season has officially come to a close. After doing some serious scouting and prep, I officially started my season on April 24th with youth day and spent a lot of my time this season mentoring; hunting with mostly green hunters. I may not have had personal success this season, but can say without a doubt that this was one of the most rewarding seasons in my lifetime of hunting turkeys.
Last season I took a young man out for turkeys, and he shot a jake. When I say that it was the most invigorating hunt of my life, I am not exaggerating – and I wasn’t even the one pulling the trigger. This year I was determined to get more people in the woods, so that’s what I did. I could not believe how fast it came to fruition! Through people I met online, American Daughters of Conservation, and some friends I was able to hunt with 5 different folks all on the prowl for their first turkey – and sent another youth hunter out with my old man. Collectively the new hunters harvested 1 turkey throughout the course of the season but what a time we had. Sharing my joy this season has brought me more of my own joy, than hunting myself, even tho I did make time to get out a couple times both by myself and with my pops.
I will be writing over the course of the next couple weeks about the different individuals and the hunts that we went on because they were just too great to lump into one post. Watching someone’s face light up under their mask when they hear that thundering gobble in the roost is absolutely priceless. There’s something to be said about taking someone out and having them experience something that you already love; to watch them love it too. It melts your heart and I could sit all day and watch other outdoorsmen get excited in the woods. It really hit home with me as someone who loves to hunt why my father always insisted we shoot; we take the tip up; we take the rod when there was a bite. Most days mentoring, I didn’t even bring my gun.
With that, I must say thank you. Thank you to everyone this season who gave me the opportunity to take you out and share my joy with you. It has given me as much happiness and and inspiration, especially to have some of you reach out after the fact and tell me that you were hunting on your own and getting more confident and taking what you learned into the woods; it makes my heart so full.
Cheers to new friends, new hunters, and sharing the joy.
Wild Woman 