Last night's bowhunt for turkey was very satisfying. Didn't come home with anything, but certainly not unsuccessful. Took my 6- and 8-year old daughters out. Really tested their patience, but 3.5 hours later we finally had action with a small bunch of turkeys getting in on us from the backside. Unfortunately a big old hen came in first to inspect the decoys and the others were slow to follow.
I've got a Double Bull equipped with the two big net windows on one corner. Think it works better for kids and for a stickbow guy like myself. They got to see this hen up close and personal and all puffed up at maybe 5 yards. Very cool. One jake came in close enough, but not where I had windows open. I repositioned my one daughter and when the jake faced away I dropped the window and tried a quick shot but just shaved some feathers off his side from an awkward angle.
Anyway, I had coached them pretty heavily ahead of time about needing to be very quiet if turkeys showed up. And when it was all over my youngest girl said, "I was being very quiet. I even tried to get my heart to be quiet." When I asked for clarification she said she tried to hold her breath to make her heart get quiet because she could hear her own heart.
Man, what a flashback to a time when I was probably 8 or 10 and with my dad. I'd been carrying a .410 double and killed a squirrel earlier but as evening came on, we were deer hunting and Dad carried a Bear recurve. Suddenly we had three does all around us when we were on the ground (no blind) and Dad buried an arrow into a tree. I remember my knee bouncing and my heart racing... I remember that vividly 35+ years later to this day, and I hope my daughters will recall last night similarly.