I wouldn’t have believed it myself if I hadn’t watched it on the video.
Nolan Stubbs, 3, of Monroe killed his first turkey on Monday, opening day of spring turkey season.
He used a .410 shotgun that his grandfather gave his father 25 years ago. His father put a red-dot scope on it for his son.
The first thing Nolan did after killing the turkey was to call his Grandpa Bruce, Stubbs’ father, to tell him the news. It was a joyous moment.
Nolan was in the company of his dad, Ethan Stubbs and friend of the family Ross Curry and his 5-year-old brother Oliver in a hunting blind on the edge of a field.
It’s not unusual for hunting families to start teaching their children at young ages about guns, hunting and gun safety.
Ethan Stubbs said they went out on youth day Saturday but it was bad weather, with pouring rain. He asked Oliver if he wanted to hunt, but he declined this time around. Nolan, who will be 4 in September, was eager to try it.
“I didn’t expect Nolan to do it,” said Stubbs, a merchant marine by trade and a registered Maine guide.
Stubbs practiced with his youngest son, repeating lessons about gun safety and hunting. Nolan shot the 410 about a dozen times in preparation for the turkey hunt, hitting the target well every time, he said.
Stubbs said the key for him was Nolan’s positive energy about the hunt. He didn’t have any trepidation about it, and really wanted to do it.
Both boys like to go with Stubbs when he hunts and they fish with him. They also are interested in learning about tracks and scat they find in the woods.
A video taken by Curry shows the hunt from the turkeys gobbling in the trees on the opposite side of the field at dawn to luring them closer to the blind with decoys to Nolan lining up his shot and killing his first bird.
Stubbs and Curry both were coaching Nolan on when to take a shot, but Nolan had his own idea about his hunt. His shotgun, which was resting on a Bog DeathGrip tripod, was aimed at two Toms, waiting for the right moment when he had a good bead on the head of one of the turkeys.
“Most kids would have just shot anyway, but he waited until he was ready,” said Stubbs, a very proud dad.
He said Nolan has enjoyed telling his story to friends and family, especially to his Grandpa Bruce and his Mom.
“He was pretty excited and proud of himself,” Stubbs said. “I’m proud of him too.”
