Brother, sister bag beautiful gobblers

Fri, May 9, 2008    to del.icio.us

It didn't take Codi Reenders long to bag her first turkey.

The 14-year-old eighth-grader at White Pines Middle School shot her first bird earlier this spring on her first trip into the turkey woods.

In fact, she finished the hunt so early, she missed only the first few minutes of school.

Click to enlarge
"We got up at like 5 in the morning the second day of the first season," Codi said. "I was really excited to go because I've never hunted before. I was really nervous. I could hear them gobbling all around us."

Hunting with her father, Mike Reenders, on private property south of Grand Haven, Codi quickly found herself surrounded by birds, both hens and toms.

"We could hear them gobbling all around us. There was even one in a tree above us," she said.

Codi had her gun at the ready, and was watching some birds out front when her dad said to pick one out and take it. She didn't know what he was talking about until she realized three big toms had just come in from behind them.

Click to enlarge
"I couldn't see them because my hat was in the way," she said. "Then I just picked the last one and shot."

Her reaction?

"She said, 'Dad, it kicks!'" Mike said, referring to the recoil of the shotgun.

"He told me it wouldn't kick," Codi added.

The bird didn't go far, and after posing for some pictures, it was back to school for Codi.

The worst part? She didn't even get to enjoy her turkey for dinner.

"I got sick that night and couldn't eat," she said.

Then it was her younger brother Ethan's turn. Ethan, 12, a sixth-grader at White Pines, has already had some success in the turkey woods. He killed a bird last spring and another last fall, but was eager to get out for a chance again this spring.

His turkey took a little more patience.

"I finally got it the very last day of the season at about 11 a.m.," Ethan said. "Every single morning we saw birds. We had jakes (juvenile males) dancing around the decoy every morning."

On the final day of the season, Mike and Ethan had their decoys set up hoping to draw the turkeys in from the left. As is usually the case with hunting, the quarry didn't play by the rules, and a group of five birds came up from behind on the right.

"There were five toms together, and once they put their heads down, I had to scootch over so I could get a shot," Ethan said. "After about five minutes, Dad clucked and they all stuck their heads up. The one I wanted had its head behind a branch, so I picked another one."

Michigan's spring turkey season opened on April 21 and, in some areas, continues through the end of May.