Cast-n-blast (no blasting though)

[AL trout bum]

Went to Mississippi to hunt turkeys for my 3rd year in a row with my g/f's dad. I have never killed one and I have wanted one more than any buck or other thing I have hunted. I blew a chance last year at a nice bird when he busted me as I tried to get a shot on him. This year, I had high hopes, as always. (bear with me, fish are involved eventually)

The night we arrived, we were given a present.



I am convinced that labs are the most ADD dogs there are. We threw his toy and he soon forgot about the opossum and ran off after the toy. Surprisingly, the opossum never made a run for it. I understand it's their namesake and all, but if something had me in its jaws then ran off after something else, I would at least make a run for a tree or something, but I digress.

The next morning, these were in full bloom.


In the south, when the dogwoods bloom, it is the official start of spring. I have heard: "When the dogwoods bloom...(insert activity)....begins," all my life. When the dogwoods bloom, the white bass are running, the striped bass are running, the bass are bedding, the crappie are spawning, plant your crops, the turkeys are gobbling, etc. The last one is the one that is important for this adventure. However, the turkeys must have missed the cue, because they did not gobble, cluck, NOTHING!!! We hunted hard for 3 days straight. Each morning began with the owl hoot, that the previous two years elicited numerous gobbles and the ensuing pursuit. This year, the early morning forest was alive with squirrels, crows, songbirds, etc, but no turkeys.

I find it interesting all the things that crawl on or around you while sitting motionless for an hour or more at a time. (All pics were taken as I was getting up to move to a new spot or in transit to a new spot. I'm not dumb enough to even blink as I'm hunting!)






Even without getting my first gobbler, it is so peaceful to sit and watch the woods wake up. It's a neat experience and there were several hens called in. The troubling thing is they were alone, meaning they had already been bred and were nesting. The weather prompted the turkeys a little too early this year and the season opening day was about 2 weeks too late. Such is my luck.

There was a pond available, and I did have my fly rod, so why not?


After the first cast, I hear a loud SPLASH! What the heck, oh, you again.


He was going straight for my fly. Here he is chasing a false cast....


It was clear fishing with a frisky labrador retriever nearby was going to be nearly impossible. I was able to coax him into his pen and shut him up for a while.

I could see some bass cruising the shallows and several seemed to be on beds.



That would be the biggest, but the action went on for a while.



Tried a new popper.



After quite a few bass and even more bluegill, it was as if someone flipped a switch and that was it. The fish developed lockjaw and it ended as quick as it had started.

All in all, it was a good weekend. Not sure if I'll get to go again this year for turkey, but I am going to go crazy if I don't kill one soon. It doesn't help to see facebook photos of everyones gobblers shot over the weekend nor that I spend $330 for an out of state license to hunt them every year with little to show for it. It's still an enjoyable experience and maybe my day will come eventually.