My son received a dozen new hunting arrows for Christmas and we tested them on the outdoor range wearing T-shirts. We are fortunate to have 10 km. of cross country ski trails close by and we never had enough snow to cover the rocks, roots, and mud and did not ski them once. The fuel tank of the snowblower was refilled for the first use in January and there is still 3/4 of a the gasoline still left un-used. At the beginning of March the apple trees were pruned while we wore sunscreen on our bare arms. The lack of cold weather kept the frost from going too deep in the roads and consecutive70 degree days during the first week of March melted them off and mud season lasted 36 hours. Turkeys were gobbling at daybreak.
The warm temps and lack of snow were a bit disconcerting. What threw me and has me a bit nervous is seeing Toms in full strut and them calling in the hens looking to mate and opening day is still seven weeks off.
The warm temperatures and lack of snow has a huge impact on the economy of Vermont. The ski areas usually blow snow to augment natural snowfall which was well below normal and warm temps kept many areas from making much snow at all. The people who rely on snowfall to generate work; snow plowing, roof shoveling, repair of vehicles and roofs; took it even worse. The only water falling from the sky fell as rain and just ran off into the rivers and had minimal effect on recharging the aquifers.
Hearing the first gobbles of a new season is always exciting. Hearing the first gobbles of the new and early warm weather was a bit disconcerting. My hope is the birds are photo period sensitive and not just warm weather activated. It would suck if the hens were all bred out causing the Toms to become less excited by a good yelp on a call.
My hope is the lack of snow allowed the birds to eat and grow all winter and the Toms will be huge and filled with energy. With no snow and mild temps, beards ill not have become broken and the Toms will be tripping over them when they strut. Easily found food should go to building long spurs and not spent as calories to keep warm.
Soon it will be time to re-tune my bow for the Bullheads, cover the bow with fake leaves, and get ready to get up well before dawn, walk to my spot and listen to the world come alive.
Those gobbling Toms were excited and so am I. Opening day is just around the corner.
 |
| Mud season was short but intense. The end of the driveway was an absolute mess. The rest of the road was pretty aweful too |
No comments:
Post a Comment