Two birds, one shot, from 9-year-old Lily Chapman

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On opening morning of turkey season, around 9:30, Lily Chapman and her group were set up in a ground blind early and heard some gobbling at a distance. Mr. Glen was their caller that morning and he was set up behind them on the ground. About 30 minutes into the hunt, two hens flew down and one really nice Tom fly down into view. Mr. Glen turned him toward the group and, the bird started strutting.

Lily was excited! She was asking, “Can I shoot him now?” “We have to be patient. He is too far and not willing to leave his girls.”

As the morning wore on, the birds slowly moved away. Mr. Glen was not what this Tom wanted in a girlfriend. Lily was getting bored, tired and hungry, but was told that things could change very quickly in hunting. Lily remained patient and sat back and waited.

When the birds moved out of sight, Mr. Glen decided to move the group to get a better view. They eased around the edge of the field toward where the birds had headed. When they finally got around there, they saw some birds off in the distance. They backed up and picked out a pine tree.

Lily learned she needed to sit down and prop her legs up so she could brace her gun on her leg for support. She whispered “But I need to stand up to shoot.” “You are about to learn how to shoot from the ground.”

Mr. Glen did a little hen call and, boy, did he make one really mad. The action started. Lily could see the birds. They ran into a small deer plot and were looking Lily’s way. They also had three Toms in tow. They ran out of the little field into two rows of pines back into the big field.

“Get ready! The hens should come out first and the Toms behind them. You must be very, very still. The hens can see every movement we make.”

There were about 10 hens running around trying to find Glen. The head hen was not happy. Then came the three Toms.

“Pull your hammer back and shoot for the neck. You can shoot any one of the three.”

Lily was shaking a little bit and her thumb slipped off the hammer. She said, “I can’t get it.” “Yes, you can try again.” She got her gun up and ready and pulled the trigger. Wham! Two birds were flopping around!

Lily jumped up and, in disbelief, looked at the two birds. Mr. Glen was right behind them. Lily said, “That hurt!” Mr. Glen said, “Well, you have to finish the job. One bird is not quite dead.” Lily said, “I need some help.” Mr. Glen helped her reload, take aim, and she took one more shot to kill the second bird. Lily was beside herself. Of course, the first person she wanted to call to share the good news was her daddy.

Lily Chapman, 9, was on her first turkey hunt with a single shot 20 gauge at 30 yards. One of the birds had a five-inch beard and the other had a six-inch beard. Her parents are Jamie and Stephanie West Chapman.

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Two birds, one shot, from 9-year-old Lily Chapman

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Two birds, one shot, from 9-year-old Lily Chapman

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