Submitted PhotoLamar Elementary student Azlyn Shed killed her first gobbler during youth week while hunting with her grandfather Randy Smith. She killed the gobbler with a Mossberg 500 .410 shotgun. The bird had a thick 8 3/4-inch beard and sharp 1-inch spurs.

 

Azlyn Shed was determined she was going to harvest a gobbler this spring, and she told her grandfather she wanted him to take her hunting. Randy Smith is an avid turkey hunter, and he was excited about the prospects of taking her hunting, so he looked around at several possibilities of purchasing a shotgun for her. Now, it couldn’t be just any shotgun, mind you, but one that that would not kick too badly but at the same time be adequate for a clean kill.

“I found a Mossberg 500 .410 shotgun at the Rock House, and I took her shooting a few times before we went,” Smith said. “By the time we got through, I knew she could handle the shot placement and be proficient enough to make a good shot.”

Smith, of Collinsville, has family land up in Kemper County, where he grew up and learned to hunt, so he made plans to take Azlyn hunting up there on the opening week of youth season.

“She actually shot the gun a few times on Friday, so we planned to go Saturday morning,” Smith said. “I went to our natural blind and got things ready that night and also put out a jake and hen decoy near the stand. However, when I got up the next morning, the wind and cold was so bad, I decided to take her later when it warmed up. I wanted her to enjoy the hunt regardless of if we got a gobbler or not.”

Later that afternoon, Smith picked up his granddaughter, and they went to the woods and checked the area out and didn’t see anything, so they made their way to the natural blind.

“When we got there, the jake decoy was mashed on the ground and torn up by a gobbler, so I called a few times, and we settled into our blind and started watching for turkeys,” Smith said.

After watching the field with no action, Smith decided to stir the pot some.

“I clucked a few times, and two hens and a jake came out and stopped about 80 to 90 yards away,” Smith said. “We were sitting side by side, and I clucked with my Primos mouth call and purred with a Woodhaven slate call, and suddenly, a gobbler came charging out toward the jake.”

When he got to the jake and hens, Smith purred and clucked again, and the gobbler turned on a dime and made a beeline straight to the decoys and started fighting the jake. Things got so intense that Azlyn couldn’t get a clear shot at first.

“That gobbler was wearing out the decoy, and he finally got clear of it for a minute, and I told Azlyn to shoot,” he said.

“Ka-Boom!” Roared the Mossberg gobbler gun, and Azlyn’s first tom was history! Needless to say, the proud grandfather and granddaughter were thrilled she got her first gobbler, something that is very difficult to do. And it wasn’t any sure thing this time, but it went about as well and quickly as you’d ever want.

Shed’s gobbler was a mature bird with an 8¾-inch beard and 1-inch spurs, and the entire hunt took about 20 minutes from start to finish. Sometimes it’s good to get a quick clean kill, especially when you’re 10 years old and hunting with your grandfather. Shed is the daughter of Chad and Danielle Shed and granddaughter of Randy and Debbie Smith.

If this hunt is any indication, then this young lady should have a very bright future in the woods and on the waters. If the proud grandparents have anything to do with it, she should have many more opportunities and success stories. Carpe Diem!

Call Mike Giles at 601-917-3898 or email mikegiles18@comcast.net.