Special Opening Day of Turkey Season For Mi Dad and Two Sons

My sons and I have been turkey hunting together for the past three years, and this opening day was the best so far.

Turkey Hunting Newaygo County

After more than 25 years of turkey hunting, I’ve learned that just when you think it can’t get any better, it somehow does. When my youngest son turned 10, he completed his hunter safety course and spent time practicing at the range. Then, on the second morning of his very first season, he dropped a massive tom with a single shot. It was one of the most thrilling and unforgettable moments we’ve ever shared.

The morning before, the two boys nearly pulled off a double. The pair of toms just wouldn’t keep their heads up at the same time, though. As the bigger bird started to move out of my shooting range, my oldest son lined him up and took the shot. That was our first real taste of turkey-hunting excitement.

After we tagged my youngest son’s bird on the second morning of the season, the boys were ready to switch gears and go fishing, leaving me to hunt solo. I’ve always made it a priority to let them fill their tags first, turkey season can turn on a dime with the weather, and I’ve had my share of birds over the years. These days, I get far more satisfaction watching them work a hunt and doing the calling than I do pulling the trigger myself.

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The second season somehow topped the first. My youngest son tagged a beautiful tom on opening morning, and my oldest followed it up by dropping another that same afternoon. After staying up late celebrating, the boys slept in, which left me alone in the blind the next morning. It turned into a picture-perfect hunt, gobblers sounding off all around, and I was able to take the larger of two toms that came strutting into the decoys.

Dad and Sons Share Special Turkey Season Opener

I’ve found turkey hunting can be a lot tougher on windy days, not because of scent, but because the birds just don’t behave the same. In my experience, they move differently, stay on edge, and gobble far less. So I was pretty concerned about the weather heading into the 2026 opening weekend on our private ground. On top of that, my oldest son and I were both getting over being sick, quietly working through cough drops all morning just to keep from making noise, though, in that case, the wind actually worked in our favor.

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Not long after the rain let up around 7 a.m., the gobblers started answering my calls. I could see both of my boys perk up with anticipation. About 40 minutes later, three jakes, two toms, and a hen came right into our decoys, just like the script we’d talked through. It didn’t take long for my oldest to settle the bead of his shotgun and take a beautiful tom with an 11-inch beard.

My youngest decided to pass on the second tom, but over the next couple of hours several gobblers and hens were responding to our calls. When things began to slow down we headed back up to the house to take care of the first bird then get a little snack and nap in before the second hunt.

We saw several birds pass by the blind before we got that short nap in. We went out a little later than usual because the wind really picked up and I was certain we wouldn't see anything until closer to the roost.

We headed out around 5 p.m. and got settled into the blind when the neighbor came buzzing out of the woods on his side-by-side, not exactly ideal timing, especially since I’d just hit a few locator calls. Surprisingly, about 20 minutes later, my oldest spotted two solid toms slipping quietly through the timber. My youngest got set and dropped the first one as it made its way toward the decoys. The second tom began to angle in, and I took my shot.

The excitement that filled the blind and seemed to ripple through the woods was undeniable, one of the best moments I’ve ever experienced turkey hunting. We were all in disbelief that the birds had come in so quickly after the side-by-side passed through, and even more so that we managed to fill all our tags on opening day. We felt incredibly blessed to share that moment together, something all three of us will never forget. And to top it off, we caught it all on video to relive again and again for years to come.

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