As I write this week’s column, I was reminded that the best-created plans often get busted and don’t turn out the way you were hoping, though!
Due to my work schedule and a fuel pump going out on the truck, the time I spent hunting so far has been 4 hours on Wednesday evening. I can share that Wednesday brought no turkey, though.
Here is what that evening did offer, though. I applied a slightly different approach to hunting that night; I packed my kayak and floated the river calling for birds along the way. After an hour of floating, I decided to beach the kayak and explore hardwood ridges.
During the float, though, I saw mallards, wood duck, redhead teal, and geese. Watching the various waterfowl was entertaining, and I have made a mental note of potential spots to try duck hunting in the fall.
The walk through the hardwood ridges showed signs that turkey had been in the area earlier; there was scratching all through the leaves as they searched for bugs and green shoots to eat. The amount of feeding sign had brought high hopes that I would see birds come back into the ridges for their evening roost. Those hopes, though, never came true as I watched the sun sink in the sky.
A few whitetail deer wandered through the hardwoods that evening browsing and no care in the world that I was around. It’s as if they knew that they were off-limits to me; come this fall, then they know differently!
As the almost 8 pm quitting time approached, I packed up my gear and started a slow walk back to the kayak. A couple of owls hooted in the woods, and I stopped to hear if a turkey would gobble back in response. The turkey were either not in the area or tight-mouthed that evening!
As I got back to the kayak and loaded the gear up, I found a painted turtle shell. As I shared that finding with family, Dad commented, “Do the turtle in Mead shed their shells!”, we chuckled over that comment.
The float back to my original take-out point was peaceful as I listened to the frogs come alive. The only other sound was the water droplets dripping from the paddle. I sat in the kayak as I reached the final destination and hesitated before getting out.
During this moment, I sat and thought even though I didn’t have a turkey on board with me, it was a great evening! The outdoors had let me be part of its world for just a moment and gave me some beautiful sights.
This evening adventure was a success in a way that wasn’t measured by filling a turkey tag. It was measured in the form of enjoying the time away from typical day-to-day life. That river bottom hunt allowed me to hit the reset button on life and remember that tomorrow is a new day.
In closing, I hope you find a way to get into the outdoors, create your adventure and memories, but most importantly, find a way to “Celebrate the Experience.” Go check out www.thankfuloutdoors.com for more content and share your “Celebrate the Experience” moment with us!
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Author: News Desk
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