Spring Forward
What is everyone looking forward to as temps begin to rise and daylight starts sticking around a little longer each day? I enjoyed the cold snap experienced during February as it gave me a chance to get out on the ice for the first time in many, many years but now it’s time to start focusing on the transition to Spring. For me, Spring used to be just a time to anticipate wetting a line during the Summer months in a farm pond. That began to change in my mid-twenties as I got introduced to the Steelhead run in the rivers of the Great Lakes. Now it wasn’t just about a hook, bobber, and nightcrawler. It was about public land access, scouting, sight fishing, river conditions, water temps, etc. It was about long hours and a few bites. I now had to “work” the fish in with finesse rather than brute force. It opened up a completely new Spring world for me. Even more recently, turkey hunting has become my new inspiration for Spring outdoor activity.
I’ve written several times that there were no turkeys or a season where I grew up. Thanks to some fantastic conservation efforts, Turkey is now abound in the Mid-West and other areas of the USA. With a little guidance from an Uncle and some access from another, the last two seasons have been spectacular. So good that I am just chomping at the bit for the season to arrive! I am very interested in seeing how this season will go. My first season was over just about the same time it started. Season number two saw plenty of turkeys but none that I was able to close the deal on. Whether we admit it or not though it’s these unknowns and challenges that bring us back time after time. Mushroom hunting is a pastime my dad introduced me to as soon as I could walk (or maybe even before). It’s just a fantastic opportunity to get out in the woods, especially with kids. It’s great for the body and soul. Sunshine, walks in the woods, good eats, what else could you want?
Something I was actually big into for several years, but my enthusiasm has since waned, is shed hunting. I loved the thought of finding matched sets and surveying the upcoming deer crop. Even better was finding multiple years’ worth of antlers from the same deer and eventually hanging him on my wall. It’s not so much that I have lost interest, it’s more of I have some other time commitments that simply take precedence right now. Perhaps things will change in the future for me, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get out there. How about you bear hunters? Hog hunters? What other types of fishing are hot in the Spring? I’d love to hear about what you have coming up in the next few months. Maybe you’ll inspire me to get out and try something new. Hopefully reading this article has your mind wandering with high hopes to get out and enjoy what this beautiful planet has to offer as we exit Winter and enter the next season. Make it happen.
