By Daryl Bauer
I have noted in my blog many times before that spending time in the outdoors with friends and especially family is very important. Have spent a lot of time in the spring turkey field with both my son and daughter. We have enjoyed each other’s hunts as much as our own.
Time never stops, and my kids are gone from home at this time. Both of them now have their own spouses to share hunting adventures with. That does not mean that we still do not take every opportunity to hunt and fish together. Unfortunately, several dozen miles between us means those opportunities do not come around as frequently as they used to.
Oh yes, we are in contact with each other. Modern technology makes that easier than ever. This time of year we especially keep tabs on each other’s reports from the field and on the water.
If I may, I have taken great pride this spring knowing that both my kids were in the field pursuing gobblers. Oftentimes, we were a long way apart, but somewhere in Nebraska we were doing the same things, often at the same time!
Opening weekend of our spring shotgun turkey season we were all together, but we were not hunting. We had a 65th wedding anniversary to celebrate (my wife’s folks). Had a lot of fun together with family. The weather was gorgeous that weekend; the wind actually was not howling! Sorry, but I have to admit that many times those two days our conversations veered towards turkey hunting. We were all thinking it.
The following week we were in the field. As I said, I loved knowing that even though we were not hunting with each other, we were all listening to turkeys gobble just like we had together when my kids were growing up.
The old man scored first one evening (Race Winner):
Early the next morning a flash came over the cell phone from my daughter:
The next afternoon, my son sent the news:
Would have loved to been hunting with them, but thought that was pretty cool: My bird in eastern Nebraska. My daughter’s in central Nebraska, and my son’s in north-central Nebraska. Taken on back-to-back-to-back days! Love the fact that we can hunt wild turkeys in all of those corners of the state.
Have not shared a lot of details with each other, yet. We will save the serious story-telling until we are together again, soon.
I grin looking at the photos. Without prompting or planning, there were many similarities in our “hero shots”.
As I was leaving the field on a recent evening, the full moon was just clearing the trees. Turkeys were gobbling not far away.
I would call it a “harvest moon”, or maybe “gobbler moon”, but I guess the correct name for the April full moon was “pink moon”.
We are still hunting together, even if we are miles apart. Are out there under those same Nebraska skies, under that same pink moon. My kids carrying on traditions that were passed down to me. Early in the morning, late in the evening, middle of the day, we are in the field hunting spring turkeys. They have the appreciation and respect for Nebraska’s great outdoors and the creatures in it that was taught to me. They may cringe, but I smile knowing that probably more of me than they would like to admit has rubbed off on them.
We will continue to share the hunt, somewhere under a pink moon, even if we are miles apart.