15 birds? That's kid stuff

Isabella Worthing was in charge of the treats.

The 8-year-old, just like everyone in her family before her, has to go along on hunts for a year before her father Joe will let her participate.

So, as much as she begged for a chance with her brother's shotgun, she has to wait until she knows all about safety in a blind and how to handle a gun properly.

“It's the same thing my father did with me and my brothers,'' Joe Worthing said.

Isabella's older brothers and cousin got all the action they wanted last Saturday during the special youth waterfowl hunt.

Hunting on some land near Schuyler, Neb., that belongs to their uncle John, Joseph Worthing II, 14, Simeon Worthing, 11, cousin Kaleb Worthing, 14, and another teen, 13-year-old Nick Babcock, harvested eight Canada geese and seven ducks.

Simeon killed two big geese using his single-shot .20 gauge.

Another son, 17-year-old Zachary, went turkey hunting because he was too old to participate in the youth hunt. He passed up his one chance because some undergrowth prohibited him from a clean shot, and he didn't want to wound the bird.

“By any duck hunter's standard, that is quite a day in the duck blind,'' Joe Worthing said. “These kids were just bouncing off the wall with excitement and stories.

“It will stick with them for the rest of their lives. They will be waterfowl hunters the rest of their lives. That's why the Game and Parks has these types of seasons.''

Worthing said he's followed the example of his father Daniel in making his kids, who also take hunting safety courses, wait for their chance.

Now, Worthing and brothers Chris, Tom and Bill take their dad, the former Douglas County health director, out on a “manhunt'' once a year.

The Jim Meier family allows them to use some of their land on the Platte River near Elm Creek.

“It's lots of stories, lots of memories for us boys,'' Joe Worthing said. “We could really care less if we shoot anything. It's really to get Dad out where he started hunting all these years ago.''

Isabella kept a close eye on everything that happened last Saturday. Her dad predicts she'll be just like her brothers.

“They could care less about video games, TV and computers,'' Joe Worthing said. “Where they want to be is out on the marsh with their dad and their uncles and cousins.''

Duck Callers introduce youth to hunting

Twelve other youngsters had an unforgettable weekend during the Don Plowman Memorial Duck Callers Association of Nebraska youth hunt last weekend.

The 12- to 15-year-olds killed 22 geese and six ducks. Ernie Glup hosted the event at his hunt club near Tekamah, Neb.

“A lot of these kids had never been hunting before,'' Duck Callers board member Jim James said. “They had a great time.''

One of the geese killed had a band, which was won by Koral Gunneson after her name was pulled out of a hat. She was the lone girl in the group. It was her first time hunting.

The group had an orientation meeting the weekend before, where the kids got some experience shooting. They were matched up with a mentor for the two-day hunt.

The adults cooked up the birds, and the group had a barbecue on Saturday. They also got to shoot blue rocks until they ran out of 30 boxes of shells that afternoon.

James said it's the 10th year that the group has sponsored the event, which is free for the youngsters involved.

“They were just tickled pink,'' he said.

Contact the writer:

444-1034, marjie.ducey@owh.com

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