Finally, after the cold winter it is time to be back in the woods.  I am eager to shake off the winter and get back into the sunshine, nicer temperatures and even play in the mud a little bit. This year spring means turkey hunting, fishing and looking for some sheds on the hunting property.   

This will be my third turkey hunting season and I am hoping that the third time is the charm.  The first year, we called one tom and three jakes in but didn’t bring any meat home.  Last year, I went out with a guide and blew my shot by sitting in a spot that prevented me from shooting to my right.  I did get to see the tom drumming and strutting right towards me but I couldn’t finish the job.  This year will be different; I have all of my camo ready including gloves that I purchased this year, a ThermaCELL ready to go and a few different places and people that I will be going out with in hopes of bringing home one (or maybe two if I am really lucky) turkey.  I will do it this year!

I am also returning to Chet’s Camps in Grand Lake Stream to do some fishing.  It was a great trip last year and I caught a small salmon while trolling with a fly rod.  I am not even close to being a fisherman yet, but feeling the fish bite and the fly rod in my hands… I have to be cautious or I could get sucked into this sport with no hopes of turning back.  Until I am ready for that, fishing trips are the safest way to go.  And who can beat the views from a camp on the water far away from the city and traffic.  Last year I could not get the Wi-Fi to work and it was fantastic.  I am eager to get back there and unwind, relax, visit with Sue and Al and just be in the great Maine outdoors.  Catching a few fish would be a bonus. 

I will find a shed this season.  I have been reading up on tips and what to do and not do.  I would love to find one or the set from either of those big eight pointers that are on the trail cameras.  It would be a great scouting tool and it would be great to see how healthy and big those deer are.  Even the six pointers looked pretty thick through ‘em last fall.  I also want to get a dog at some point this year and begin to train it to find sheds.  There are training kits to buy and Jeremy Moore has a great one that Mark Kenyon spent an entire ‘Wired to Hunt’ podcast talking about.  I hope that by next spring, I have a dog ready to go help me find some sheds. Until then, it’s all me.

 It should be a busy spring for me and I hope the weather is nice enough to get outside and be productive.  It would be great to report back to all of you that I got a turkey, some fish and a few pieces of bone.  Plus, Dad and I have a treehouse to build in preparation for deer season (you can read more about T3 on my blog).  There are so many great things to be doing outside that I am sure that we will be busy!