The Harris family of Dixmont are deer hunters. At least until Alex,13, killed two turkeys with one shot on youth day Saturday.
Now his parents Andrew and Melanie Harris want to learn turkey hunting too.
The successful hunt was made possible by Moose Maine Kids, a nonprofit organization whose volunteers give kids who want to learn to hunt opportunities to do that.
Alex had tried to hunt turkeys himself last year, but didn’t have the skills. This year Moose Maine Kids provided him with a guide who taught him the basics — and patience.
“Dad wants to get into it now because of how cool it is,” Alex said Monday.
He, his guide Sam Valleau and his father went to an area in the late afternoon where there had been some turkeys and waited for them to roost in the trees. Knowing they would be there in the morning, they planned to return for when the birds came back down out of the trees.
Turkeys are very vocal when they are in the trees, gobbling back and forth before they finally fly back down to the grass.
Alex said the alarm didn’t go off and they were a little late, but it ended up not mattering. They set up decoy turkeys and as soon as the hunters started calling, the toms answered back. They gobbled every 30 seconds for about half an hour, Alex said, and then went silent.
The hunters sat down and waited, then called again. The toms began to answer. Alex, his dad Andrew Harris and Valleau saw the birds on a gravel road a little ways away. It took the turkeys just 5 minutes to come within shooting distance, but Valleau told Alex to wait.
A lesson in patience.
Soon the birds spied the decoys and then came in fast. Puffing up at the decoys, they aligned themselves perfectly, Alex said. When Valleau gave him the word, Alex shot once and two toms dropped dead.
“Sam was very excited. I think he was more excited than me. He was jumping up and down,” Alex said.
What made the hunt even more special for Alex was the gun he used — his dad’s 12-gauge. He was glad his dad could be on his hunt, and was very grateful to Calvin Jewett, the landowner who allowed him to hunt there.
“I think it was an excellent experience for everyone,” Andrew Harris said. “It’s a wonderful program they (Moose Maine Kids) is starting.”
The birds were 19.6 pounds with one-inch spurs and a four-inch beard and 17.8 pounds with one-inch spurs and a 10-inch beard. He has the fans and beards to mount.
Usually the empty shotgun shell mounts with the display, so he’s not sure what to do about that since the birds shared a shell. But he figured he would work it out.
His sister Ellie, 10, goes deer hunting but has no interest in turkeys. But his mom wants to join the fun, he said.
On Tuesday, Alex is taking his mom turkey hunting.
“I’m the only one [in the family] who knows how to call them in,” he said.
