What makes this Mississippi turkey hunter's Grand Slam so special? He's only 4 years old
JACKSON, Miss. — In the world of turkey hunting, a Grand Slam is a hunter harvesting each of the four subspecies of wild turkeys in North America. It's a feat that takes time, money and skill and one relatively few accomplish.
However, a Mississippi hunter did it in one season and he's only 4 years old — possibly the youngest to ever complete it.
"Actually, it just kind of happened organically," said Mark Newell, father of 4-year-old hunter Joshua Newell. "It really wasn't planned out."
Wait, a 4-year-old hunting with a gun? Yes. In Mississippi, there's no minimum age for a child to begin hunting, but one of that age must be under the direct supervision of a licensed hunter 21 years old or older. Other states, such as those the two hunted in, have similar requirements.
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However, to be successful, the child must be proficient with a gun. So, the journey began well before 2021's turkey season. Newell said he began working with his son on shooting and gun safety the year before using a .22 rimfire rifle outfitted with a red dot sight.
"These red dots are so easy to use," Newell, of Pontotoc, Mississippi, said. "You don't have to worry about length of pull or the scope hitting them."
Newell also used a telescopic butt stock typically seen on AR-15 rifles so it could be adjusted to better fit his son. Then, it was time to practice.
"We shot a lot and I mean a lot," Newell said. "We live in the country, so we can shoot right out of the back door."
Once Joshua became accustomed to shooting, Newell moved him up to a .410 bore shotgun outfitted with a red dot sight and used low-recoil field loads instead of the more powerful tungsten super shot loads he intended to use for turkey hunting.
"I didn't want him to have any negative experiences," Newell said. "That TSS (tungsten super shot) has got pop."
Newell explained that in a hunting situation, the higher recoil isn't an issue for a shooter.
"When your adrenalin's flowing while you're hunting you don't notice it," Newell said. "It never fazed him. He didn't notice it at all."
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Hunting turkeys across America
Newell is a co-host of television hunting programs "The Bucks of Tecomate" and "Tecomate Whitetail Nation" and has friends across the country. When youth season for turkeys in Florida came in late February, Newell and Joshua were on the road to South Florida to hunt Osceola turkeys, one of the most difficult to harvest because of limited opportunity.
"I knew he was ready to hunt and I've got connections down there," Newell said. "They're only in South Florida. That's the only place Osceolas live. There is very limited area to hunt."
In short order, Joshua harvested his first turkey and Newell realized it was the start of a long journey — one that would take them between 6,000 and 7,000 miles.
"When he killed that Osceola, that's when it started," Newell said. "Then we were like, 'Hey, we might kill all four.'"
Youth season in Mississippi came in March and the two were at it again. Newell called in a gobbler and Joshua, hidden in a ground blind with his father and his shotgun on a gun rest, scratched an eastern turkey off the list.
Youth weekend in Kansas was much the same. Joshua collected a Rio Grande turkey.
The next stop was Nebraska which Newell said was the most memorable hunt of the season. Joshua not only finished the Grand Slam with a Merriam's turkey, he helped his father harvest a bird, too.
"He hit the box call and a turkey gobbled way off," Newell said. "I called and nothing.
"He hit the box call and he gobbled again. He tells people he called that one in for me."
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The youngest turkey hunter to complete a Grand Slam?
Newell said he contacted the National Wild Turkey Federation to have his son's Grand Slam recorded and found ages of hunters who achieve slams are not recorded, so they couldn't confirm if a 4-year-old has done it before.
"They just said, 'Wow. That's amazing,'" Newell said.
"Wow," was also the first word uttered by the Mississippi Chapter of NWTF's Johnny McKinion when he was told about it.
"For a 4-year-old to do it in one season, that's just awesome," McKinion sad. "I don't know if it's every turkey hunter's dream, but it's huge.
"To do it in one season is a massive accomplishment. That's a huge feat and I haven't even done it. Kudos to that young man for doing that."
To make it more impressive, all of the birds were mature, but Newell said his son isn't concerned about all that.
"He really doesn't know what he's accomplished," Newell said. "It really hasn't sunk in. All he knows is he was just hunting with Daddy and having a good time."
Follow Brian Broom on Twitter: @BrianBroom.