By Dan Groebner

Looking for something to get your teen interested in the outdoors this spring? Arizona Game and Fish is providing a couple of opportunities with a Youth Hunt Camp co-sponsored with many sportsman groups as well as a combination of seasons where both adults and teens can get an over-the-counter tag without going through a draw process.

Young hunters who haven’t turned 18 before the start of the Youth Hunting Season can obtain a turkey hunting tag over the counter for Units 1, 4A, 4B, and 27 in the White Mountains area. This means they don’t have to get lucky through the draw system, but they must be over 10 years old and if under 13, must also have a Hunter Education certificate. The season is split into an early half and a late half, separated by a couple of weeks, and runs from April 19 - April 25, 2024 and May 10 - May 23, 2024. Refer to the Arizona 2024 Spring Hunt Regulations for details.

Hunting one of the wariest game birds in Arizona is not easy even for the smoked, cured, and crusty old hunters, not to mention a fresh teenager. To help get new hunters started with turkey, one of the best ways is to participate in the local Youth Turkey Hunt Camp, April 19-21, sponsored by Youth Outdoors Unlimited, National Wild Turkey Foundation, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Arizona Elk Society and the Arizona Game and Fish’s Outdoor Skills Network.

The Marvin Robbins Memorial Youth Turkey Camp is held off Forest Road 118 just a little north of Highway 260 near Greer. You must pre-register for the event, as food, activities and door prizes are included. Go to www.youthoutdoorsunlimited.com for more information on the Unit 1 and 27 Youth Turkey Camp.

Camp participants are served up delicious barbecued meals, provided nearby camping sites and bathrooms and educated in outdoor skills activities such as wildlife identification, archery, and other hunter education skills, including calling turkeys. Young hunters are certainly not guaranteed to come back to camp with a turkey, but most will be provided with a “mentor” who is an experienced hunter familiar with the area and how to hunt turkey. Even the most experienced turkey hunting guide does not get a chance at a turkey every time out, so this challenging hunt demonstrates how much skill is needed to be able to survive as a “hunter-gather” type person.

So the main objective of the turkey camp is to enlighten new hunters to the interesting habits of wild turkeys, how to take advantage of their need to communicate through their calls, and open some eyes to the challenges and patience needed to hunt turkey. Wrap all of this information into a camp setting in the gorgeous White Mountains as spring has sprung and you’ll be making memories, so bring the camera.

Unfortunately, you might be in the position where you do not have that weekend available and you also didn’t get drawn for any spring turkey hunts through the normal draw system for most of the best hunts. Bummer. But you still want to get out turkey hunting with that young person who fits the definition for a youth hunt? 

You’re in luck if you can shoot a bow, as there is an over-the-counter archery turkey hunt that overlaps the second part of the over-the-counter youth turkey hunt May 10 - May 23 in Units 1, 4A, 4B, and 27. Shooting a turkey with an arrow is more difficult than it sounds, as fluffed feathers provide a deceptively large “looking” target, so practice like you would for a bull elk hunt. Since shotguns are the only legal firearm for turkey, hunting together with an archer limited to a similar short shooting range should work well together.

Turkey hunting is a great way to introduce young hunters to the challenges and rewards of being outside in pursuit of wild game. You can make it more active and exciting with some prior scouting trips to find roosting gobblers the night before your hunt or try a “locator” or “shock” call when it is still pitch dark in the morning to stimulate a response from a roosting gobbler that is just waking up in the tree. Knowing where a gobbler is located for sure greatly increases your chances of having a conversation with him using your turkey calls.

“Talking turkey”, or convincing a gobbler to come closer to you, can be way more exciting than it sounds. The gobblers hardly ever come straight in, preferring to zig and zag, with intermittent and unpredictable gobbles, from one clump of dog-hair ponderosa thicket to another. He’ll remain silent until you’re convinced that he has hi-tailed it over the hill into the next canyon over, when all of a sudden from 10 yards behind you the gobble shocks you like a train horn, even though you were half-way expecting it. Better a turkey than a barking coyote!

You should be proud to have experienced a situation like that, since it means you have remained quiet and motionless enough to call within range the wiley turkey.

There are plenty of YouTube videos out there explaining how to attract turkeys using the various types of calls. They can do a much better job representing turkey calls than this article can, so we defer. But the best advice most experts provide is: “Don’t overdo the calling - listen and look more than you call."

Since turkey hunting usually starts with having to hear the birds, spring weather with high winds can be especially frustrating. At least the swirling winds won’t give away your scent to the turkeys, since they can’t smell very well, which eliminates the need to “play the wind” when hunting to avoid giving yourself away like with deer, elk, sheep and antelope. That’s one less variable to have to deal with when hunting, making turkeys a great quarry to start hunting, even though they are famous for being able to see the slightest hunter movement or non-camouflaged piece of clothing.

To make sure the young hunter stays comfortable during their first hunt, plan for sitting in a small stool or on a comfortable pad for at least an hour at a time. Too many layers of socks that are too thick will restrict blood flow to the toes and will actually not provide the warmth of a single good pair of wool blend socks. Mittens with just a trigger finger are warmer than gloves. And don’t overdo the shotgun load for the new hunter, even though they have shot a few target rounds prior to get an idea of the BB pattern. Many young hunters use a 20-gauge with a full choke, but most use a 12-gauge. To avoid flinching when pulling the trigger, it might be good to stay with standard length shells and avoid the 3” magnum loads.

A great breakfast will help feed the young hunters’ furnace through the morning and is needed more than they think since they will be more active in a cooler climate than usual. A good “guide” will be able to mix up sitting against a tree trying to call in the birds with a little hiking to get a bit closer or into some different habitat. As you’re moving from site to site, make sure to look for those antler sheds that have just fallen to the ground, but don’t forget to keep those ears open for any turkey calls!

For more information call the Region I Game and Fish office at (928) 367-4281 or check the Game and Fish website at AZGFD.com.