There’s no doubt about it, hunters are starting into the tradition younger than ever and we’re all for it. Almost every state wildlife agency has either lowered their minimum age requirements substantially, or better yet, they’ve eliminated them completely allowing hunters to start whenever their parents feel they are responsible enough to go afield with them. As a result, more youngsters are getting hooked on hunting at an earlier age than ever before.
And many of these young hunters are hitting milestones that sometimes take older hunters decades to achieve. Bowhunting for instance. Many hunters start with a firearm and then work their way towards the greater challenge of using a stick and string. However, there are many youngsters out there who are showing some true skills using archery equipment.
Today’s video from Everything Archery Outdoors features Craig and his 8-year-old son Austin as they head to Nebraska for a turkey hunt. The goal being to get Austin a shot at his first gobbler ever. However, Austin isn’t your usual youth hunter. Because he’s using a compound bow instead of a shotgun. And he ends up making a fantastic shot on a Jake that you’ve just got to see.
Well, we’re impressed. It’s tough to harvest any animal with a bow, much less a turkey from the ground. To do that at age eight just makes it even more impressive. There are hunters who go for years trying before they finally find success taking a turkey with archery gear. Craig is clearly a good teacher to his son, and Austin has obviously spent a ton of time practicing for this moment.
We were especially impressed that Austin didn’t let that miss earlier in the hunt phase him in the slightest. We often see people who worry younger hunters will get discouraged and won’t stick with hunting unless they find success right away. However, Austin showed a great attitude and patience after that miss. It ended up paying off in the end when he harvested that nice Jake the next day.
Congratulations to Austin on his turkey, and thanks to Craig for sharing the video of this awesome father-son moment with the world!
For more outdoor content from Travis Smola, be sure to follow him on Twitter and check out his Geocaching and Outdoors with Travis YouTube channels.
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