11 April 2023
TOPEKA (KSNT) – A Topeka teenager is celebrating after successfully hunting her first turkey alongside her dad and grandpa.
Thirteen-year-old Taylor Reddick was a first-time turkey hunter when she set out alongside her dad, Andy, and her grandfather, Marty, on the first day for youth season, April 1. The trio hit the road in the early morning hours and set up their hunting blind on some private property near Ozawkie.
“About 8 a.m. everyone was getting bored and cold when out of the corner of my eye there were fifteen to sixteen hens,” Andy said. “One had a little beard sticking out of its feathers.”
Taylor waited for the hens to separate and get a little closer before firing a shot with her great-grandfather’s Remington 20-gauge shotgun. At fifteen yards, Taylor hit the target and claimed her first turkey. Andy said his daughter is “a heckuva shot.”
“We went out and got it tagged,” Andy said. “She [Taylor] brought it home and jumped right in there and cleaned it herself.”
Andy said the bird weighed-in at 12.5 pounds and had an almost three-inch beard. The beard, wings and tailfan were taken as trophies for a display at Taylor’s home to celebrate her success.
For Andy, it was a proud moment as a father.
“I grew up doing it as early as I could get out there, probably four or five-years-old,” Andy said. “I have four kids. I start taking them out when they’re four for dove hunting, turkeys and deer hunting later.”
(Photo Courtesy/Andy Reddick)
(Photo Courtesy/Andy Reddick)
Taylor said she enjoyed her first turkey hunting experience and anticipates it won’t be her last. She said her favorite part about hunting though is getting to spend time with her family.
“It’s just really fun getting to sit with them,” Taylor said. “Really fun to experience it together and hunt something.”
Youth season for turkey hunting ends April 11 with the regular season opening on April 12. For more information on the season, go to the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Park’s website by clicking here.
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