Youth hunting event continues tradition

After participating in the annual NEMO Youth Turkey Hunt, participants traditionally gather at Ralph’s, in Maywood, for lunch and prizes. This year’s hunt will be Saturday, April 12. It will be preceded by a gathering at The Crossing, 425 Broadway, at 6 p.m. Friday,  April 11. Contributed photo

MARY LOU MONTGOMERY

A hundred young people have already signed up to participate in next weekend’s NEMO Youth Turkey Hunt.

The event kicks at 6 p.m. Friday, April 11, at The Crossing, 425 Broadway, Hannibal. There will be a nationally recognized speaker, in addition to Christian fellowship, to be followed by preparations for Saturday morning’s hunt.

Billy Yargus of Hannibal, who was inducted into the NWTF Grand National Turkey Callers Hall of Fame in 2024, will be the main speaker.

Following the program, each youth will be paired with an adult guide. Some guides are volunteers, others are members of the youth’s own family.

“If the guides have done their job, they will have found where birds are roosting,” Yargus said. “Turkeys sleep in the trees. The goal is to get within 10 or 15 yards of the birds, sit down, and begin to call, and hopefully draw a turkey to your location.

“The kids have to be quiet. They are learning to discipline themselves as far as being quiet.

“The goal is to get kids out in God’s creation, and be able to enjoy that, hear a turkey, see a turkey, and,” ultimately, “harvest one.”

The youth are under the supervision of their guides. “So far, we’ve never had an accident. I hope we keep it that way,” Yargus said.

“We will get them started; but they have to learn gun safety first. Safety is first beyond everything else. Then they make arrangements for the Saturday morning hunt.

“We have a lot of volunteers who donate ground, or the parents or guides have their own places to hunt. Sometimes they hunt in public areas.”

If the hunt is successful, “the guide will help with bringing the turkey back for a weigh-in at Ralph’s in Maywood,” Yargus said. “We will have lunch at noon, and bring turkeys there to get group pictures, measure the beard length, spear length on the leg, and get some bragging rights.”

Youth who don’t harvest a turkey are still eligible to participate in the regular turkey season, beginning on April 21.

In order to participate in the event, youth are required to pre-purchase a Missouri turkey tag either online, at Walmart or at some local gas stations.

And they are encouraged to join JAKES, a youth affiliation of the National Wild Turkey Federation. The membership to JAKES is $10, and the membership qualifies the youth to participate drawings for prizes.

JAKES stands for Juniors acquiring knowledge, ethics and sportsmanship. Long-time local sportsman Gene Guy is credited with coming up with that acronym, Yargus said.

On Friday night, and again at noon Saturday, prizes will be given away.

The Woodhaven Custom Calls company, which sells the signature brand of turkey calls produced by Billy Yargus, “will give pretty much every kid a turkey call.”

Of those hundred signed up to participate next weekend, “Many of the kids are repeaters,” Yargus said. “It was actually designed to get kids out hunting. Maybe they wouldn’t have a place to go or anyone to take them. It has exploded, it is a really good thing.”

On the day of the event, “adults don’t get to hunt,” Yargus said. “You have to be 15 years or younger to be able to hunt the youth season.

“We have been doing this for 16 or 17 years,” Yargus said.

Sponsors have donated 17 shotguns to be given away at the event on Saturday.

“One of the of main sponsors, Heimer Construction, usually helps buy a couple of guns; Knox County Outfitters are buying nine of the guns this year. Without our sponsors, we wouldn’t have that many good prizes.”

It is a tradition that the meat - hot dogs and hamburgers - for Saturday’s noon meal is provided by Cindy O’Laughlin, Mo. Senator District 18. The NWTH supplies the rest of the food.

Other event sponsors are Mossy Oak, Winchester Ammunition, HomeBank, Knox County Whitetails, Nukem Grab and Go Hunting Blinds, Terstriep Tree Service Inc., Refreshment Services Pepsi of Quincy, Heimer Construction, FinBonz Custom Ringbone Turkey Calls, Andrew Wiskirchen, Cathy Rupard, Doug Vaughn, Steve Armsman and Travis Fox.

Yargus works with Ralph Bedenbender of Maywood in organizing the annual event. Tonya Bedenbender is in charge of registrations.

The main speaker at at the Turkey Season Kickoff event on Friday, April 11, will be Billy Yargus, who was inducted into the NWTF Grand National Turkey Callers Hall of Fame in 2024.