A thought by team member Tyler Wheat
Gobbles, hero shots, and last year’s highlights are flooding social media. We are consumed with consuming content from Pinhoti Project, Panola Productions, Shane Simpson, The Hunting Public, Catman, and the list goes on. It is like we are drinking water from a fire hose.
The countdown is on. The lucky ones are south of Okeechobee. As they wade knee-deep in gators, pythons, and blackwater, we turn green with envy. To the non-obsessed, non-addicted normie that may sound like a weird way to spend springtime in Florida. The rest of us sit refreshing our Instagram stories with anticipation.
We find ourselves conditioning calls, scrolling and pinching onX, and praying our local outdoor store gets another shipment of Apex Ammunition.
The fortune ones, the daily listeners, have already dropped pins. Weekend warriors are running cameras while our northern friends are awaiting the snow to melt. If you are running behind, finding yourself clueless, Do Not Panic. Daily life throws us challenges. We strive to fulfill our duties as husbands, wives, parents, students, and employees. We run 27 hours a day for 8 days a week it often seems. It’s not always easy and not always fun.
Whether you have a day, morning, or one hour, MRI (most recent information) is relevant. Walk a bottom, the top of a ridge, and/or road. Put boots on the ground. Nothing against digital map study, but you cannot find crap on there, literally. Get outside during the digital age. Use what time you can create. Tracks, strut marks, scratching, and poop are important. Crap is important! Find the sign. Anything that says, “turkeys were here.” Stay faithful to the process. Invest into your knowledge of the land and habitat. At the right time, make your withdrawal.
Enjoy the process, embrace the challenge, and don’t forget to have fun. Best of luck. Enjoy the sleep while you still can. Don’t worry. The sun will rise, and Lord willing the turkey will gobble.
A Day in the Field 