4d • General discussion
Turkey Season Wrap-Up (No Bird… Still a Win) 🌲🦃
Turkey season’s officially done for me — and I’m walking out of it with no harvest.
But honestly…It was still a successful season and here’s why.
1) “No harvest” doesn’t mean “no progress”
Spring turkey hunting has a funny way of teaching you that the win isn’t always what you carry out — sometimes it’s what you learn, what you notice, and what you bank for later.
Frustrating at times, as the least intelligent animal I hunt gets the best of me hunting wise. Their instinctive survival awareness is simple something to admire.
On the bright side, this season, I put in the time, got the reps, and sharpened the kind of awareness that pays off long-term and got reminded why I love being in the bush so much.
2) The real surprise: deer sign I can use this fall 🦌
While I was out chasing turkeys, I stumbled onto something that immediately flipped a switch in my brain for fall:
Deer rubs on a tree, in fact a whole trail worth of der rubs.
That’s not just “cool to see” — that’s information.
That rub tells a story:
A buck was here
He was active in that area
He was leaving sign that can help me map movement and patterns
Deer rubs are when a buck marks his territory using his handlers and visually marks trees and leaves scent from his orbital glands around.
So even though turkey season didn’t end with a bird, it absolutely gave me intel for deer season — and I’ll be coming back to that spot with a different plan when the time’s right.
3) First season using a slate call… and I loved it 🎶
This was also my first season running a slate call, and I’ve gotta say… I really enjoyed it.
There’s something about it that feels more hands-on and “in the moment” — like you’re actually part of the woods instead of just passing through it.
Even without sealing the deal, I learned a ton just from practicing:
cadence
tone
when to call vs when to shut up
how the woods “responds” (or doesn’t)
That’s experience I didn’t have before this spring.
4) Biggest win of all: turkey season got me out in the bush.
If I’m being real, the best part was simple:
Spring turkey hunting got me out in the bush.
Early mornings. Fresh air. Quiet sits. Slow walking. Listening more than talking. Watching the world wake up. Even got 1 hint of one of my daughters.
That stuff matters.
And there’s research backing it too…
Quick academic study note: even ~10 minutes in nature helps your health 📚
A well-cited study on “green exercise” found that very short time periods in nature can improve mood and self-esteem — with the biggest gains happening early (within the first few minutes).
Citation:
Barton, J., & Pretty, J. (2010). What is the best dose of nature and green exercise for improving mental health? A multi-study analysis. Environmental Science & Technology.
So yeah — even when the hunt doesn’t end the way you want, the time outside is still doing something good for you.
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Turkey Season Wrap-Up (No Bird… Still a Win) 🌲🦃
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