On the South Carolina Youth Turkey day, I took a little buddy that I’ve called turkeys to in past years. He and his dad met me before daylight on that Saturday morning and my young friend was excited to show me his new Ghillie Suit he bought at Bass Pro Shops. For those of you who might not know what a Ghillie Suit is, it’s a suit that typically includes jacket, facemask, pants, and gun wrap and storage bag. The suit will help you blend into the surroundings of your favorite hunting woods.
I was a bit concerned he put on the headpiece and saw that his eyes were covered with black netting and there were no eye holes in the netting. His dad said he can see all right…well as we positioned to work some birds off the roost, I realized it was very overcast , and not great light when those 5 long beards strolled and strutted up to the decoys. His shot rang out and 5 birds departed, all unscathed. Obviously, we were all disappointed and I asked how that mask was working out for him. He said he had trouble seeing through it. His dad immediately took out his knife and cut eye holes in the netting.
Two hours later, I coaxed three more longbeards into range and the 9-year old smoked the outstretched neck of the dominant bird. Lesson learned once again!
- 2300 views