Drop the curtain

[ChesterCopperpot]

Proved a rather difficult final morning. Sopped in, soaking wet, windy, and cold. Which makes it all the better we got on a bird. Managed to get him within 75yds, which in the fog might as well have been 75miles, and after that he ghosted us in the way only turkeys know how. Hunted another spot this afternoon and had two hens and two jakes come within 15yds. The long beard never showed. Just poured me a tall jar of Teelings, which is to say my turkey season is officially done. Been a while since I haven't gotten all my birds, but one in SC, one in NC, getting the wife her first bird, shooting my best bird, watching woodpeckers make woodpecker love, watching redtails make redtail love, listening to owls caterwaul, hearing grouse drum, watching a grouse drum, watching a tom watch the sunset in full strut from the limb hanging off the side of the mountain, all the deer, the sow bear and cub, the sunrises, the quiet, the complete lack of quiet, the plans, the way those plans blew up in our faces like black cat firecrackers, it was a good one. They always are. The seasons come and go like that one distant gobble off the limb. Now it's just the silence and the long wait.



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[3bailey3]

Sounds like a Awesome season David!

[Happy]

Good writeup. It's always bitter sweet. There is next spring to plan and look forward to though.

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[Mountainburd]

Great write up Chester. It's all those little things that nature has to offer that should make us all feel so blessed to be alive. I appreciate every minute of it. The birds, streams, owls, bears, grouse, porcupine ( first one seen in a long time). Lonely mountain streams and springs that only I see. The window gets shorter every spring. It's all so grand.

[Tom007]

Fantastic story, unreal photos. Great season Dave! It hits us all the last day when we go to put our gear away for the year. It's a sad withdrawal, thank god we have the forum to keep next years dreams alive in all of us. Be safe....

[crow]

Cool looking picture to top off a good season

[Turkeybutt]

Well said!
Every season is a good one, just some are better than others.
Soon we will all be sitting around reminiscing of past hunts and waiting, longing for another Spring to arrive!

[eggshell]

Good reflection, chestercopperpot. We had our Ohio tags reduced to one and I filled that the end of the first week. I still had a couple trips back to Ky, but most of my turkey season was over at that point. I made a comment to my wife about it being a short season here at home. Her comment was along the line of, "you've killed plenty. it'll be ok". I told her that it wasn't about the dead turkey, it was the pursuite/the hunt that mattered. If all I wanted was a dead turkey we'd go to the store and buy it. She knows this but was just trying to offer solice. It's so much more than a turkey: It's listening to the whipporwill, hearing the day shift of singers take over, watching the woods and fields magically start to produce life, watching the mystical fog and running streams after a big spring rain, finding morel mushrooms, sharing the woods with those close to your heart, good exercise for the body and mind, finding a quiet moment to reflect, being moved to give thanks to our creator, having that hooded warbler land on your gun barrel, Getting so tired you sleep like a log, noticing all the wild flowers and finally the big game(out whitting one of nature's masters of the woods). Yeah, it's just about killing turkeys, not!

This year I am seeing how many species of wildflowers I can log and identify. Here's some

Columbine

Fire pink

Lark Spur

]Wild geranium

[ChesterCopperpot]

Good reflection, chestercopperpot. We had our Ohio tags reduced to one and I filled that the end of the first week. I still had a couple trips back to Ky, but most of my turkey season was over at that point. I made a comment to my wife about it being a short season here at home. Her comment was along the line of, "you've killed plenty. it'll be ok". I told her that it wasn't about the dead turkey, it was the pursuite/the hunt that mattered. If all I wanted was a dead turkey we'd go to the store and buy it. She knows this but was just trying to offer solice. It's so much more than a turkey: It's listening to the whipporwill, hearing the day shift of singers take over, watching the woods and fields magically start to produce life, watching the mystical fog and running streams after a big spring rain, finding morel mushrooms, sharing the woods with those close to your heart, good exercise for the body and mind, finding a quiet moment to reflect, being moved to give thanks to our creator, having that hooded warbler land on your gun barrel, Getting so tired you sleep like a log, noticing all the wild flowers and finally the big game(out whitting one of nature's masters of the woods). Yeah, it's just about killing turkeys, not!

This year I am seeing how many species of wildflowers I can log and identify. Here's some

Columbine

Fire pink

Lark Spur

]Wild geranium

You're absolutely right. Coolest wildflowers I come on this year were Dutchman's breeches which I don't see a lot, and a couple pink lady's slippers. Trillium out the ying yang. Woods slap full of trillium.


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[eggshell]

The lady slippers are pretty rare here anymore, too much logging has hurt them

[bwhana]

Good reflection in the season!  I  have "picked" flowers for many years and send the pics to my wife each spring and fall.  I never got into identifying them, so thanks for helping with that in the thread.  Just a few from the season...

[Gooserbat]

Summed it up well. 

[PalmettoRon]

Just returned from a long DYI hunt in NM, AZ and the San Carlos  Indian Reservation in AZ. It was a very successful hunt as far as me taking four different gobblers on four separate hunts, but more importantly was the bonding time with my bud and all the other things we witnessed.

Saw 3 different bears, 2 up close, 2 bobcats, innumerable elk, mule and Coues deer and some awesome sunrises and sunsets that made the long days well worth it. Hopefully next year we see the mountain lion and wolves that laid down a lot of tracks in AZ.

Making the trek to Maine for one last hunt, but already know I will miss the Spring as Summer rapidly approaches. Hopefully, I have a few more trips around the sun to enjoy this great sport.

Thanks David for your thoughts on this Spring in the Carolinas.

[NCL]

Eggshell,

Great thoughts and wonderful flower photos.

Bwhana

Those are also great flower photos.

[Cowboy]

Yes sir. Nothing finer than Spring. 

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