As I write this, I am almost 38 weeks pregnant.  I finished up my first season (more like sample) of turkey hunting with Dad and have found some things are vastly different than then were 22 weeks ago when I was deer hunting.

For starters, Dad and I are novices when it comes to figuring out how turkeys operate.  Give me a rainy weekend and I can tell you the times of day that the deer will be moving and when they will bed down.  With these turkeys, that rule doesn’t seem to apply; they are out in a complete downpour.  When I make noise by rattling antlers or using a bleet, I know if I am trying to imitate another buck or a doe.  I have no idea what sort of bird I sound like when I use my box call.  In the fall, I can sit in a tree for hours and as long as I dont move too much or make too much noise, I can shoot a deer from 30-100 yards away.  Dad and I learned this spring that not only do you have to be hidden, but you have to be close to those birds in order to get one. 

One of the oddest things I noticed was my physical “condition.”  Dad bought us a ground blind for spring turkey hunting and as we sat there Saturday morning in the rain and wind, I tried to sit on my hands.  When deer hunting, I can tuck them under my hamstrings and keep them warm when I don’t have my gloves and hand warmers on.  On Saturday, I couldn’t do it.  The baby has prevented my hips and legs from coming together comfortably, to be a heat source for my hands.  It is so weird how things shift and move when you are growing a small human!  On a positive note, I was not nearly as tired this spring as I was last fall and I could still walk to our blinds and wear most of my hunting clothes. 

It was fun getting out, hearing some jakes and toms reply to our calls and seeing turkeys everytime we went out.  We didnt get any meat to bring home, but it was a whole new experience and Dad is already planning modifications to our attack for next spring.  I am counting down to the start of deer season – 5 months as of yesterday =)