Nine young hunters participated in the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries’ (LDWF) Fort Polk-North Wildlife Management Area (WMA) 2026 Youth Lottery Turkey Hunt with six harvesting a bird.
The hunt is guided by knowledgeable and experienced volunteers to ensure a safe, educational and exciting morning in the woods.
Before dawn, participants and their families gathered for breakfast courtesy of Harold Yarbrough and the Lake Charles chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF). After a safety briefing from LDWF’s Bubba Parker, the young hunters and their guides set out for the hunt. Although high winds made it tough to hear turkeys, the cool temperatures seemed to result in a burst of turkey activity. By the end of the day, six hunters had harvested gobblers.
Youth hunters participating in the event were Cason Curtis, Ethan Duplechian, Jase Alford, Ryder Riddle, Audrey Batts, Grant Echols, Racelyn Scallon, Judah Lewis and Andrew Szush.
After the hunt, lunch was provided by NWTF Lake Charles and hunters traded stories. Each youngster went home with a gift bag that included turkey calls, stickers, educational materials and more, courtesy of LDWF Lake Charles region staff.
A special thank you to volunteer guides Charles Boles, Cody Cedotal, Donald Perkins, Ronnie Harrington, Ben Norris, Alex Murray, Owen Best, Hunter Lawrence, Kade Parker and Clint Mayo for guiding and mentoring these young hunters, and to Army personnel at Fort Polk for making this event possible.