Outdoors - The anxiously awaited arrival of spring

   The past week or so, I have noticed gobblers alone or in groups of two or three.  They have spent all winter in bachelor groups and are now ready to stake out their own territory.  Even more sure than spotting the first robin, or the days getting longer, the sight of a tom turkey alone is a sign of spring.  It is not that I do not believe robins, but I have seen more than one hunched up with his back to a raging blizzard. They may think they know when to migrate north, but they are sometimes surprised, cold and hungry. 

   There is something about a turkey you can trust.  Viewed up close, they are not particularly attractive with their multi-colored bumpy head and neck.  They also have the disadvantage of being mighty tasty. If something is ugly and tastes good, it must be smart in order to survive in this world. I vote for the solitary tom as the first sign of spring and spring is the very best time of year.

   Spring is the time waters open for fishing, the birds migrate back to nest, but best of all, spring turkey season is just around the corner. I enjoy all types of outdoor activities, from the relaxing aspects of fishing to the craziness of paragliding off mountains and everything in between, but the best a person can do is to hunt the old turkey gobbler during the spring season. I have sat on a wet log behind a thorn bush with the cold rain beating down on me only to have a big old gobbler sneak up behind me and scare me half to death with a loud gobble from a few feet away. There is a thrill when the prey gets the better of the hunter.  A person remembers times like this, since so rarely does a person get so startled in the outdoors. 

   I have been in a blind in a comfortable chair on a warm sunny day with my son and grandson when a gobbler walked in front of us. I can honestly say, I do not remember if we got a bird or not. I do know, all three of us will remember the experience. The green grass, warm sunshine coming in the tent, and a turkey a few feet away, checking our decoys will be etched in our minds as we all watched intently.  

   More than once, I have sat with one of my sons in the early morning light, talking in hushed tones, as gobblers called from the trees and the hens answered from the ground. The adrenalin flows and the excitement mounts as we watch for a gobbler to fly down. In the dim light the faint shadows appear as the light grows brighter and the feeding birds get closer. A tom rattles off a gobble and struts into view. Times like this are remembered for a lifetime. Sometimes you get your bird and sometimes you don’t, but the hunt is always there. It is about being there during the early days of spring. It is even better if you have a chance to share this special experience in the outdoors with family or friends.