Dreaming of Turkeys for Christmas or anytime really.

Many of you, who read my columns, should know that I often write about hunting, more specifically, turkey hunting. Well as March 21^st may seem just around the corner to most of you, for me it is like a kid waiting for Christmas and it isn’t even Thanksgiving yet.

I didn’t write that much about hunting last year because there wasn’t a lot of success in the killing area. No deer and only a couple of does by friends in archery season. As for Spring Turkey season last year I was able to call in two birds for two different friends. But this fall was more about sitting and learning.

I’m relatively new to deer hunting, even though I’ve been doing it for 20 years or so. So, I’m still learning each time I go out. I guess that’s why I love hunting so much is there is plenty to learn about it.

This year I learned that sitting in the rain could be profitable. During archery season I hunted three or four times in the driving rain. However I also learned that shooting in the rain is a little different than practicing shooting at the back of the church in the shade with no wind or any other distractions.

Then of course I planned something for each of the 5 days of muzzleloader, the best time to hunt as far as I’m concerned. So at least this year I didn’t scare any deer off with a huge cloud of smoke emerging from the palmetto bush.

And for some reason every day I went out during general gun it was cold, or very windy. And every time I took my family to go squirrel hunting all the squirrels were not out.

Then came the news of two big deer that were killed by our neighbors, which I must admit made me wince and say half-heartedly, “Well, good for them.” So with the wind out of my sails I kept hunting and praying that another big deer might emerge.

So know I’m stuck filling the freezer from the store, which I hate and really wishing I would have shot more hogs. But if there is one good thing about hunting is that you can always talk about it, or think about it, or dream about it, even when you can’t go. You can tell stories about the days of old, when you did see or kill that big one. Or you can make up stories about how you are going to get a big one next year and you know right where to go.

Well, it won’t be long and I’ll be back in the woods, chasing long beards. If the good Lord allows me, and if I don’t drive every one around me crazy talking about how there is only 6 weeks left till, “YOU KNOW WHAT!” I guess until then I’ll just have to read my magazine on Turkey hunting and watch a few television shows to keep me from missing it too bad.

I wonder who the Santa Claus for turkey hunters would be? Yeah I better go sit on my wife’s lap and tell her what I want for Christmas, “Santa, I want a nice long weekend in the woods, calling up big turkeys.”

I hope you have something that you love to do, and take time to do it, and if you can teach it to someone else.