Turkey Season Preview: Our Top 5 Goals for Spring 2026

March flips the switch. The maps come out, trucks get loaded, and our heads fill with plans, spots, and what-ifs. We press pause on the chaos to share the five principles that keep our turkey season rooted: faith first, people over tallies, mobility with purpose, a learner’s mindset, and the courage to slow down when spring tries to speed you up.

We start with practical updates—fresh gear, reworked bundles, a free-shipping fix, and a POD10 code—then step into the mental game that makes or breaks a season. We talk about walking closer to Christ in the woods, choosing to hunt with more friends and family, and honoring those unwritten public-land rules that hold our community together. We dig into how to find a truly “killable” turkey, why it’s okay to bail on a stubborn bird, and how having plans B through E turns pressure into options rather than anxiety.

Curiosity drives the rest. We’re journaling weather and behavior to spot real patterns, not myths. We’re pushing our comfort zones, exploring new ground we’ve driven past for years, and admitting when filming helps or hurts the hunt. There’s a bigger balance here too—bringing a fly rod for roadside water, grabbing a diner breakfast, or letting the family tag along so the trip becomes more than a tally. Above all, we protect one nonnegotiable: our livelihood won’t depend on killing a turkey, because guarding the resource, the heritage, and that first gobble’s thrill matters more than any number.

If you’re ready for a season that’s more intentional, more present, and more fun, tap play. Grab the code POD10, check the bundles, and tell us: what principle will guide your spring? Subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review to help more hunters find the show.

LINK: Save 10% on your next North Mountain Gear Leafy Jacket with code LEGION26 at northmountaingear.com

LINK: SAVE 10% on the new 2026 Line of Turkey Hunting Gear at springlegion.com with code POD10

Follow us on Instagram:
@springlegion
@hunter.farrior
@chasefarrior

We'd like to thank the following sponsors for making this podcast possible:

• North Mountain Gear
• Mossy Oak
• Apex Ammunition
• Vortex Optics

Transcript

Welcome Back & March Hype

SPEAKER_02 1:04

All right, y'all. Welcome back to the Spring Legend Podcast and welcome to the month of March 2026. So in a matter of days, we will be hunting turkeys here in our home state, which is uh Mississippi. And if you're like anybody who is addicted to turkey hunting, like ourselves, you have probably been out and about listening to turkeys and scouting out new ground or old familiar ground, trying to acclimate your senses back to the turkey woods. And um that's the that's the best time of year, according to me. I I if it was in my book, I'd I would rather live in these days almost as much, if not more, as middle of April when we're in mid-season form and have been hunting the turkeys for a while. I'm just so bottled up and ready to uh to get after them, and I know a lot of y'all are too. Um if you're uh a new listener to the podcast, I want to welcome you. And if you're uh uh a loyal listener, so to speak, want to say welcome back and that uh we appreciate y'all listening. The past few have been a nice little refreshing group of guests and stuff like that. If uh I don't know if it was one or two or three episodes there in a row that um that Chase was able to hop on with a few folks from Nashville when we were up there at the NWTF convention and um got to pick their brain on a few things. So we want to extend a very sincere appreciation to those folks who were able to hop on there for a little while and then also to the NWTF for allowing us to get those podcasts recorded for y'all. And um we've still got a few more with the guests that are gonna be kind of trickling out here as the season goes on. And um some of them might be bonus episodes for a week or something like that, or if you know there is a a reason that we can't get to a uh recorded show on the spot. We'll at least have one or two in our pocket that uh that will fill in that void. But um, but yeah, we're not done with the guests, and then we might have some more guests down the road and and more current event situations. But nonetheless, wanted to uh to get a uh a live more live recording here before the season starts, because I hadn't been on this joker in in some time now, it feels like. And uh that we're back to our normal operations, got everything kind of figured out from the mass chaos up there in in Nashville, and and then coming home to even more chaos, obviously, as everybody's ramped up their minds and purchasing power towards Turkey gear. So uh we've been in that market and we're embracing it, and we're embracing all the the chaos that comes with it. If if you haven't, be sure to check everything out at springlets.com, check out the whole new you know, line of gear we've got for the season, and and we've got a couple deals we're gonna remind y'all about with uh this uh buy one pair, get the second pair 50% off on all gators. That is for all of March, I'm pretty sure. So that along with the bundles are back, kind of kind of reconfigure a few things. We started selling out of the hats that were in there and had to move a few around and and pretty much get those back restocked on the website. So check them out and you pretty much get the whole get up for less than 250 bucks and got a couple different different options there. And um free shipping over$100 is back as well. So got some somehow along the lines I got that was on the website and it wasn't really applying. I don't I don't it was something in the settings of the website's online store, not in the actual like discounts. So it was showing on my end, but it was showing on y'all's end, but it wasn't happening. Got that figured out. So, yep, free shipping on all orders,$100 on a website is a go. And if that ain't enough, we got the code Pod 10 POD10 for 10% off your order regardless. I think that's a one-time use, I'm not positive, but check it out. And uh I'm gonna hit on a giveaway real quick before we jump into today's topic and subject of discussion, which is gonna be chasing my own top five-ish goals or things to remember in the spring turkey was this season. But the giveaway winners, we got two actually this week because it has been a while and we try to do these pretty pretty weekly, semi-weekly. First is gonna be from our YouTube. It is just that a random subscriber, and that is gonna be Zach Martin2743. You're getting a free Spring Legion Turkey Vest. And then our second is from um an Apple Podcast review from a guy named John Temple. So John or Zach, or excuse me, John and Zach, if you hear this, shoot us a DM, send us an email at podcast at springlegion.com. Y'all are both getting a free turkey vest. So pretty good week if you're a uh faithful subscriber. And then next week, I'm gonna give you a heads up. If you share this podcast to your story on any social media platform, we're gonna be picking one of y'all at random to uh give away another one next week. So be sure to tune back in to see if you won that turkey vest.

SPEAKER_01 5:59

Nice.

Setting The Stage: Top Season Goals

SPEAKER_02 6:00

So anyway, here we are. Top five goals or things to do or things to remember, or you know, just things at the forefront that we try to keep our uh mentals uh focused on because y'all know as well as I do, as well as Chase does. Turkey season rolls around, everything changes in the upstairs. It feels like your your mind gets racing, you get concerned about things, and you get rushing. And I and I think that's kind of the I mean they say, you know, time is a thief. And I think of uh kind of in the same breath there is a a sense of lack of time as a is also a thief because it robs you of the appreciation of each moment. You're you're way too worried about hey, what happened ha what hasn't happened yet. I think uh I I remind myself that very often and I remind other folks that if they're ever anxious or worried or anything like that, that most times you're worried about stuff that hadn't happened yet. And if you if you eliminate that, your sanity comes back pretty quickly after that. And and not racing and not trying to do a bunch of things that really don't matter in the end. If you if you can kind of control that, you're going to enjoy the season. And that's you know, it it's it's hard for me to not enjoy turkey hunting. I don't I I can't not enjoy turkey hunting. But but there is ways, even you know, myself even can can get caught up in stuff. So these are some things that are not necessarily new to this year, we're just kind of making it I guess a little more public. Right. That uh some things that we do remind ourselves of this year. So Chase, do you wanna spill some of yours first and I'll go after, or we can kind of do this however you want to?

Walk Closer To Christ Outdoors

Hunt With More People, Make Memories

SPEAKER_01 7:34

Um, I mean one of one of my main ones this year is I wanna I want to walk a little closer to Christ in the woods this year. Yeah. Honestly. I've um I found myself the last few seasons just kind of getting too bald up in the the fact of the matter of I'm there to hunt a turkey and only hunt a turkey, not spend time in nature and enjoy the little things, I guess you'd say. Um so slow it down a little bit, sit sits sit a little longer sometimes and um just appreciate our creator that allows us to do that. Right. That's gonna be at the forefront this year for sure. Um I've seen some things um some other people's channels and stuff, and that's kind of I I've kind of realized I've missed missed a little bit of that this year or the last year or two. Um versus how I used to do it. Yeah. So that's gonna be number one. Um number two, I want to hunt with more people. I I've I've gotten away from that. Um and I think I think you have have to at some certain situations and and you've been pretty good about it the last few years, uh reining that back in and hunting with more people and stuff like that. Um but but yeah, that's a big thing I want to do this year is is is make more memories, I guess you'd say. More memorable hunts, I guess you'd say. Um because that kind of comes along with the rushing through it and and and only focusing on one or two things and and not spending time enjoying where you're at. Absolutely. Spend time where your feet are, you know, kind of thing. Um and that's kind of resulted in me not having quite the memories I would want, you know, to remember. And and unless it's really I have to really think on them, you know. And I want it to kind of be more as of hey, you know, anytime I think about something, it's it's it's instant, you know. Oh, I'm remote time, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. Have a good story to tell, you know, almost kind of a little bit more. Um stay consistent. That's another big thing with me, and move around a lot more. That was the kind of been the mine and your conversation quite a bit off off camera, off mic, whatever, is um I gotta learn to move a little more. Um it it sounds like I'm speeding up and slowing down at the same time. Well, it depends on what you're doing. But I I do wanna wanna get more mobile a little bit more and and know when to throw my hat in the ring in a certain place. You know what I'm saying? And that's that's something I struggle with. I it ain't a struggle. I like doing it that way. Right, yeah, it's just a small moment, yeah. And you know, a long time ago, I mean, I if I picked a tree to sit down on, I wouldn't get off that tree till 10, 11 o'clock, you know. And I was just convinced 110% that that's what was gonna happen, and it worked a lot. It will work, yeah. It it didn't work every time. I don't want to try and rush every trigger pull by any means. But you know what I'm saying? Like I just want to stay a little more mobile this year, a little more consistent, a little more um I don't really know the word for it.

SPEAKER_02 11:18

It sounds like you're kind of tapping into to testing the boundaries and testing the limits and and in essence learning a little bit, you know.

SPEAKER_01 11:25

Yeah, testing my personal limits.

SPEAKER_02 11:27

Yeah, see seeing what you can get away with, what you can't get away with, you know, kind of just opening up a a whole new window and and which I think is good because that's that means you're ever revolving and advancing, you know what I mean? Right trying new things.

SPEAKER_01 11:42

And that's uh some of what I mean with that too, but a lot of it's more push my personal boundaries. Yeah. You know, what I what I'm comfortable I don't know if it's comfortable doing or automated. Yeah, that that sounds good.

SPEAKER_02 11:54

Your usual is what you're saying.

SPEAKER_01 11:56

Yeah, yeah. Yeah. No, I'm just saying like getting out of the usual. Out of my comfort zone a little bit more. You know, hunt harder, hunt longer, make more time, yeah. You know, stuff of that nature, I guess you'd say. I I don't know the word that would sum that up into one funnel.

SPEAKER_02 12:11

You know, I don't either, honestly.

SPEAKER_01 12:13

But I want to hunt a little differently this year and I want to try some different things, I guess you'd say. Just just kind of get out of my normal ways over the last few years and and and really enjoy it. Right.

Mobility, Boundaries, And Learning Limits

SPEAKER_02 12:24

Hunt hard and kind of uh collecting those that one or two opportunity that's that you might have left on. Right. I might have not gotten, you know, not not staying longer, not going further in there. Yeah. Um 'cause those exist and I I mean I remember learning that, you know. I would get to a certain point or time or and it's funny because, you know, if I go back and hunt with say dad or anybody and and a lot of folks, this is this is how they hunt and I I still do and and it's it's weird because the older I get more of a dad I get to be. That is kind of how I'm I'm gonna going back to um and especially folks who who have a a time they gotta be at work and stuff like that. Right. There there's a certain you know opportunity there that it's very finite. They they have to leave, they have to do this or whatever. But even on the weekends, I remember my dad like you know, that that gobbledy that came to you here, he didn't. And that was either one won him off the roost or you lost him off the roost, and that was the morning, you know. That he didn't he didn't really stay long, you know. We were always back by nine o'clock, I felt like. Right. Um, it was just a yes or a no. Did did you win or lose? And it all revolved around if you picked you or the hens. If you picked the hens, you lost. You know, it was over with.

SPEAKER_01 13:41

Yeah, and I mean that's kind of what I want to say is is get better at finding a turkey that wants to work. Yeah. You know, that's okay. Hey, this one go ahead and say I lost a lot faster than I have before. And go find and that's that's something I gotta remind myself of is willing.

SPEAKER_02 13:57

You know, hey, that that ain't the only turkey in the world. You know, you can not get not y'all know I'll get wrapped up on a turkey and and hunt him until I'm about dang near sleep in the woods. Uh you know, because I I don't want to give up. I hate giving up, but you're really not giving up. You're you're you're sifting through the opportunities there. And and all I know a lot of folks kill a lot of turkeys, and that's kind of the a very consistent commonality between them is they hunt killable turkeys and they're they're good at finding those killable turkeys, and that's not every turkey, and they understand that. Yeah. They don't they don't hear a goblin say, That's him, and that's all I got. I'm all I'm putting every egg in that basket. They they get out there and they find multiple preseason during the season, stuff like that. And and if if that turkey's not that interested, they don't they just get up and they're like, hey, you know, I got him, I mean, I'll come back to him later. A lot of this is on private land and stuff like that, you know. Right. A little different on your public land and you gotta sleep that night not knowing if somebody else is. I heard somebody ride by my truck today, so he knows I was here. Right. You know, so ain't but one reason a truck would be parked right here two days in a row. I kind of struggle with that. You know what I mean? I'll go out there in the rain just to park my truck, I feel like sometimes like uh I really don't want to hunt today, but my God, yeah. I don't want anybody else to know about this turkey or whatever, and lo and behold, I wind up having to travel and come back, and I'm like, well, yeah. Sometimes I come back and the turkey's still there, honestly.

SPEAKER_01 15:29

A lot of those times you know you're in for rodeo too, whenever you walk in there if he's still there after you'd be gone two weeks and everybody can be dead.

SPEAKER_02 15:36

Yeah. I I've had that happen plenty of times. I'm like, whoo, somebody definitely has been hunting him because he didn't he is not volunteering much. Yeah. Um he is acting like he was been hunted a lot, but you know, give you know, part of it.

SPEAKER_01 15:50

And that's that's something, you know, that kind of goes back into why I'm saying that, you know, staying mobile and whatnot, all that stuff is is a lot of times, you know, if I do go in there to hunt a turkey, I don't know if somebody didn't come in the day before at one o'clock and kill me. Yeah, you know, and I mean don't don't get so hung up on it, like, oh man, he didn't gobble today. I wonder why he ain't gobbling. Yeah, he may not be there. You're exactly right. He may not be gobbling, but there's a good chance somebody else walked in from the other side and won the battle. I guess you didn't know that.

Finding Killable Turkeys Vs. Fixation

SPEAKER_02 16:20

Yeah, that is it. And and I guarantee you was someone who ain't that worried about it, uh-uh, you know, came in there and yelped with a box call from his passenger door, and he hammered right there and he walked 15 yards, sat down, and shot him, and left.

SPEAKER_00 16:33

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_02 16:34

You're over here sweating to death, trying to find a turkey that's dead. And you know, you gotta keep that in mind. You gotta you gotta have playing B, C's, and D's and E's and and stuff like that. And that's something I didn't include in mind, but I I I got my spots, and even I ain't even listening yet. You know, I I I know I need, I mean, I need personally three turkeys tops around here. Right. I know of three good spots that should have turkeys just from hunting the same ground for you know multiple seasons and years and stuff. But I might need four or five, you know, uh spots, not turkeys, but yeah, you gotta include the ones that that ain't gonna be there for your number two or three or whatever and stuff like that.

SPEAKER_01 17:17

That's that's my I'm already starting to stress that by you know, I I went and listened, I guess, last week, whenever y'all were in Disney. I went four days and found a handful on some different spots, but I I went to new spots that I I've I've I mean I've hunted around it my you know several years now and never even looked at it. And all of a sudden I look at it, there's a turkey there. I'm like, oh dang. Why did I not look at this before?

SPEAKER_02 17:43

I can I can think of several spots that I'm uh I will be going to in the next week or so that I probably won't go to anywhere that I've heard or hunted or killed a turkey at before. And it's all a lot of spots I've passed by on days I'm trying to get to X, you know, and I'm like, oh, I bet there is one down there. I mean it it it should according to a map, but I'll come back tomorrow and I never come back and never try it. Forget all about it. For all I know. I mean, you gotta find some I I love the old, you know, returning to old spots and seeing what's grown and stuff like that, especially traveling. I'm weird about traveling. I like going back to places the next year and stuff, and and I'll get attached to it. I'll you know, I'll have two or three tags and and it'll be three or four turkeys there, and I won't cheat but one because I'm like, this is kind of my spot, you know. I know other folks are coming in there and stuff, but I I would I feel bad about you know messing anything up for the next year because I plan on coming back. And you kind of treat it like when you plan on coming back the next year and the next year and the next or bringing somebody you know down the road, especially when you got kids and stuff like that, you're like, oh your your tags stay in your pocket a little firmer. Um kind of thinking in the future like that.

Respect, Restraint, And Community

SPEAKER_01 19:32

But I mean, and that's that just comes back to the you know, leave it better than you found it. That's it. I mean, and I I'm I'm the same way. I mean, if I s if I hunt uh a block of public and kill one or two, or you know, one off of it, I'm probably not going back in there trying to kill two. I'm probably gonna go try and find a different block to hunt. And and that's just so I know that there's a chance they they stay in there. You know, they I mean I don't hope that necessarily. I I do hope that, but I don't, you know. If I'm having a rough day and I know there's a turkey in there, I'm gonna go in there and hunt. I mean, don't get me wrong. Um I think that's just the turkey hunter in everybody. If you ain't got another one found, you're gonna go in there. But um, you know, for the best part, you know, if you're traveling or whatnot, you know, remember to to leave some for the other guys. Yeah. You know, don't be that guy if if if you can help it. Um I I've always just kind of paid a little respect to that, I I felt. I don't know. That's just me though.

SPEAKER_02 20:27

Yeah, and it's I mean, like you said, it's it's kind of turkey huntering all of you, which you mean call me what you want, but I mean my reason is because I might come back. It may not be. That's the main reason. I ain't gonna lie. I mean, I don't I like you, but I don't love you, other turkey hunters. You know, I would I'm out there to kill turkey, I want to kill turkey, and that's what I'm there to do. But there's there's and then that what that's called is personal boundaries and limitations that are not necessarily concreted into legality. Right. You know, just because it's illegal doesn't mean you gotta do it or don't gotta do it or whatever. It's not a black and white thing as much as it is a you know, some stuff is black and white, and you don't exceed that obviously. You don't, you know, if it's a legal reason, that's not even in question. Right. But there's some you know, some stuff you're permitted to do that you know, you have your own I that ain't how I I want to do it, and that's not how I want to go about it, and that's you know, that's that's too many, that's too much, that's that's too far, that's too easy.

SPEAKER_01 21:30

Right, you know. And I mean there was one or two last year towards the end of our season that that I didn't pull the trigger on just because I didn't get excited on. You know what I'm saying? Like the hunt just didn't go out the way I wanted I didn't want to end my season that way, you know what I'm saying? Yeah. And that that's that was very odd for me. Um kind of same here. It was just a weird end of our year. Um and I think that made me think about a lot more other stuff, you know, I guess by the end of the day. Um, you know, it's it's more just than just just toting one out, you know.

SPEAKER_02 22:01

It's it's it's out. Thank god hurt.

SPEAKER_01 22:05

Um, you know, and I I don't just keep I mean I I don't remember the last time I've filled all three of my tags in Mississippi. I mean I kill by two a year, you know, um and I'm cool with that. And and I'm not I'm not preaching on that by any means. I'm trying to shoot off three of them. I it's more of me just April 30th if I ain't, but um but another big thing I want to do this year is talk to more people on public grounds. Yeah. I want to run into them. I'm not saying run into them. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Let me take that back. Do not walk it on me in my truck. Please don't. No, I want a new truck by now. Yeah, I want to. We invited me in here. Yeah, pretty much. No, that is not what I'm saying. Remind me not to hunt with you. Yeah, pretty much. Um no, but I want to I want to make more friends in the turkey hunting community. I guess you'd say. Um that's that's uh and you know, whether it's hunting with them or just you know, seeing somebody stop sign pulling up, saying hey. You know, if nothing else, be friendly, be nice to your neighbor.

Honorable Mentions: Journal And Share

SPEAKER_02 23:03

Because you represent a lot of folks, yeah, being a turkey hunter, and I've always preached that as you know, how you act after you kill one, how how you display it, how you announce it, how you go about it, you know, you're you represent all of us pretty much, you know. If it's good light or bad light, you know, we're all you know, a lot of folks are gonna disp disperse their opinion amongst all of us and and whatever reaction they have to whatever you do. Um and you you gotta remember that and and I I try hard to to make sure to remember that too, because not only because it's easier for me to display it in a very respectful manner because of the amount of respect I have for the birds and and those do that do hunt them the right way and stuff like that, but but also I mean there are folks who who don't have anything else to go by besides and and usually the ones that are in front of them on a news feed and or a social feed and stuff are the most obnoxious, are the loudest, are the are the ones who are are are are doing whatever they can get to get in front of folks. to get views. Right, yeah. And and some folks that's all they do see. So when you're kind of the the one who is a little bit not I'm a little quieter, you know.

SPEAKER_00 24:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 24:21

Um it it's not nearly as flashy to talk about it in the light that we do, but so less folks are going to see it. So if you see them in the in the real world, you know set that example.

SPEAKER_01 24:31

Right.

SPEAKER_02 24:32

Um and and how you go about it. And that that goes for everybody. You ain't got to have no dang podcast to do that or a YouTube channel or something like that. I mean a simple handshake we're the we're the half a percent representing. You know what I mean? The the other ninety nine point five are are folks who aren't aren't in the in the light nearly as often. Right. And they carry a lot more weight than we do.

SPEAKER_01 24:54

A hundred percent.

SPEAKER_02 24:55

Um but yeah no I mean I agree with a lot of yours um uh especially you know kind of keeping the the forefront with a relationship crisis and stuff like that and then that you want to to to never lose sight of the main thing which is that and and where it all comes from and I've done um kind of lately especially which I've got a three and four year old you know girls that are interested in turkeys and know the difference in a jerk and a long beard called Jakes jerks and and stuff like that. But they're but but we're also you know any chance I get to get them outside is is to make sure that they understand where this comes from. You know the good Lord you know put blessings on us and and that everything is a blessing that even the bad days are and stuff like that. And and um but yeah but I mean getting putting that out there a little more it should be on my list that it wasn't written but but you're right about that. But there was a I I did five with some honorable mentions.

SPEAKER_00 26:00

Yeah.

Family, Camps, And Habitat Mindset

SPEAKER_02 26:01

So my honorable mentions going first obviously not not necessarily in a degree of importance but go to going from five to one I figured honorable mentions would come first and and one of those being to journal more. Yeah kind of document the weather stuff like that a little bit more for personal reasons a lot to do with my memory I you know I get to hunt a lot now and I've already hunted a lot before Spring Legion was ever a thought there are hunts that I don't remember. Yeah and that's kind of I I'm a little more thankful that we do do video stuff every now and then a little more even if it's not good but I'm I'm I guess I'm getting old I don't know you know how else to put that but but also in the fact of of I'm a very analytical person and I love data and I love like correlation stuff and and okay so every time on this when it's cloudy for two days and you know on the on the second sunny day they actually gobble twice as much. Right. Because I think there are goblin studies and stuff of it's very not very rare. It is it is actually more rare than you would think to have two good goblin days back to back and that's not because of anything but the turkey's like energy reserve more than anything. It really didn't have to do with the weather like two two identical days back to back if you're hearing a decent amount of gobbles on both there's there's a good chance it's two different turkey A D and E and and B C and G herb gobbled on two different days. Right. And the ones that were hot one day were the next day. Or out. Yeah literally I I mean I think that's what they were getting at and uh I can't remember I think it was on you know one of the biologist guys shows the Turkey hunter science maybe kind of deal I don't know Goul's beard one of them yeah in that in that group of folks it might not have been him I don't know but folks who know a lot more about the actual bird than I do. Another one is to uh post and share more daily behind the scenes stuff of kind of our lives and and everything that goes on. I don't think I did a great job of that last year.

SPEAKER_01 28:12

I know I've struggled with that last two years. I've got several turkeys like turkey hunts that were successful that I never posted a story posting nothing about it.

Five-To-One: Numbers, Friends, Learning

SPEAKER_02 28:22

So do I but I but I also I I I was definitely bad about the ones that we didn't kill one on. Right. That wouldn't that nothing happened to to make sure folks understand that we ain't going out there and just you know we didn't hunt 15 times to kill 15 turkeys we we hunted a lot more than that if we killed 15 turkeys but a lot of times it was we hunted a month and might have killed one. Right. You just didn't know that because we didn't we didn't tell you yeah um so so doing that and then also kind of the the the balance in the business you know being a small business owner stuff like that having no earthly idea what I'm doing half the time you know I I'm all for folks doing what they want to do and and and and and seeing the reality of hey you you might like your nine to five a little more if you were to to to come over here for about 36 hours. It's it's not not all the grass is greener, you know, if I could tell my 20 year old self that that aspire to do a lot of things I do and I I still consider myself blessed to be able to do it and stuff like that. But at the same time there's a lot that goes into this that nobody I hadn't been listening. I hadn't gotten my turkey stuff together and everybody else I know has and you know I haven't I barely got a time to go pee right now you know day or night and it's just it's just the way it is and and this is our busy season I I knew that's not enough. But at the same time you know it's it's a lot goes into it and and worth uh worth entertainment if nothing else. Honestly on the wall shoot. But yeah just a little bit of that and then also um and like I mentioned earlier having a couple daughters are that are coming up they ain't they ain't ready to go youth hunting or anything like that but I do and I've never really thought of this because I guess with my age and walking life and stuff but I do want to find a camp or a lease or something like that that I can you know we've never really been a part of that. Yeah and um having them coming up kind of your your paradigm of of the outdoors shifts a little bit and um and and having some habitat to work on and and just finding reason to get them out there and you know they're they're very interested. Kids are like a sponge and they want to learn and stuff so I'm out there in our yard teaching them as much as I can they learn about pollination yesterday and you know stuff like that. But but they're they're eager to get out there and get and and put their boots on and and and dig around in the dirt and see what happens and why we do this and why we do that. And um but yeah just just having somewhere besides the back of my yard to do that. And and you can do stuff like that a little bit on public ground like teaching wise but you can't really can't really do like habitat work or you can't really touch a lot of it.

SPEAKER_01 31:04

Yeah you can't cut trees or not burn anything on your legally or trap or anything you're gonna get in trouble.

Slow It Down And Embrace Off Days

Balance Hunts, Travel, And Life

SPEAKER_02 31:10

Yeah um you may not see turkeys right but um but yeah but so so number five the actual list was number five and these are kind of stuff that have that are kind of all that a lot of them are are not specific to this year I don't think honestly any of them are they're just they're kind of my my all-time five that I that I remind myself of years ago, years last year next year all of them but number five being this is the last and only time we really care about numbers period is is this list of five things I got right here. Right. I've never been one that's big on the kill numbers or the state numbers and stuff like that. That's just never been in the discussion of anything you know any discussion I've ever had with a lot of folks I hunt with. And it's um just just a personal deal. I don't I don't I don't get caught up in it. I think that's a good thing. You know I know a lot of folks who are good folks who are good turkey hunters that do get caught up in it and don't don't have any you know I don't I don't I don't think less of them or or hold less conversations with them. We're still buddies and everything. That's just a personal thing. I I'm I'm just a very very very competitive person and I think if I were to let my that door open I would regret it is all I'm saying. You know um I I would I do get consumed by things and um and that's not something I I necessarily want to. But number four is uh is hunt with old friends. Um I have I have tried to do better at hunting with new people folks who I have never met or anything like that. And that's still up there. You know there's folks even in the industry even though I hate calling it an industry I've you know developed friendships within it and um and would like to hunt with them and and especially folks who don't turkey hunt a ton you know who and and learn stuff from them in a different aspect of you know folks who are not new to turkey hunting but that's not their meat and potatoes are their their livelihood and stuff like that as as they they like um hunting other things. Yeah. So hunting with folks like that and then also hunting with them if I get a chance to hunt with some doggone good turkey hunters I definitely ain't turning it down. But hunting with old friends that I hadn't hunted with in five plus years and stuff I you know used to hunt with in college or high school or something like that, even though there are very few of them. Right. Those and you know hunting with dad and stuff like that. I think we're going to try to hunt opening day maybe to make sure kind of put that at the forefront. Don't wait until late May and we gotta go travel thousand miles to go hunt because we didn't get around to it. Doing the ones you you you don't need to just wait and get around to at the beginning to to make sure that happens. Number three studying turkey behavior again and kind of get back into that learning realm. I'm a firm believer the the the more you talk the less you listen and kind of in the same same breath there the more you teach the less you learn. It's hard to do both. And we get in get on here once a week and we're always and every conversation and this is not a bad thing but even just riding up to to West Point the other day and the the folks we did talk to and stuff and a lot of it was just questions asked us and we answered them. You know and the best we could but I might have had a question for you guy. You know like I I I need to get back into that and and being more open about that and the stuff I don't know and and figuring that out and um and and I I mentioned it I in a reply to a comment the other day on our YouTube videos of like you'd be surprised that some of these hunts are rewatching going, what am I doing? Oh 100% you know I mean hey hey I'm I'm I'm half out of it probably I ain't eating in a day and a half and and and this is day number six in a row of hunted and stuff and I'm like man that's not what you do there. And I'm supposed to be doing it right yeah you know I I get I mean I always mess up but dang I I guess I forgot it turkeys don't do that. Yeah. Um but get back and I used to be a I mean a freak about it just counting the notes and every yelp and what preceded that yelp was it was it purrs or they don't do that. You know I want to find a flock of hens and and not make a sound and just be like a like a I mean just like stealthy behind them like a cat like just following them and not do nothing at all and just stay in earshot of them and how many times do they call period in an hour? Is it six or less you know do they not have to? Why you know why are they doing this? Why are they doing that? What are they doing on these windy days and stuff? Stuff that I honestly probably know the answer I just gotta remind myself of because there is no really documentation of it that I know of. Kind of going back to that whole I need to journal a little bit more um for the sake of myself but um number two slow it down even more I I've I've gotten better at slowing it down I think we um we did that episode with Dave Owens of two, three years ago, but he was the first to kind of mention the progression so to speak chapters of maturing as a turkey hunter and and and everybody who goes through it and I think he hit the nail on the head with it was you know you have your phases. You have your beginner phases you have your killing phase you have your kind of peak there of of when you you realize hey I'm good at this or hey I'm I'm I'm I'm real gung ho about this. I want to hunt every turkey every day. You know and then you kind of get into the more protecting the the heritages of it and then and kind of the protecting the the resource being the turkey and stuff like that and and you start thinking about the the future a little more as you mature and stuff like that. But but I I I do remember I don't think I'm in the kind of the 90 to nothing phase anymore. Even if um I was out of the quote unquote killing thiller phase or whatever I still wanted to hunt as much as possible. I did and there is nothing else I want to do more than turkey hunt still but slowing it down enough to kind of be okay with the the what quote unquote wasted days and the ones where the weather's bad and there's you know very low likelihood of me hunting. I can go hunt be cool but be cool with with not much happening. Yeah I w even even as of last season I would get mad at the clouds and mad at the wind. And I'm just like I only have so many of these days. Even though I got a lot more than a lot of other folks I still want every day to be great. I want every day I want to get on a turkey every single day and just being okay with not and and then and and I missed a lot of life experiences probably because of that. Hunting days that I shouldn't have been even worried with honestly but you know hunt the good days hunt the days that you have the opportunity to and make the most of them you're gonna kill more turkeys the more you hunt obviously but um but also you know eating at the diners and stuff like that and going to a pawn shop that I wanted to go to and and not being like well I can't because I I gotta I gotta go hunt a turkey. I can't not hunt you know it's just that that internal drive that just doesn't rest. You know kind of I'll have to tell myself to to rest it every now and then I I don't think that takes away from anything hunting them as much as possible because I I'm telling you I think I love it more the more I hunt even you know wasn't nothing lost by hunting them more I can guarantee you that but knowing when to reel it in just to just to uh to not miss anything else. You know there's m there is a little bit more to life than hunting turkeys.

SPEAKER_01 38:48

Right and that was one thing I did I put a middle note on the other day I I want to keep a fly fishing rod in my truck. Right stuff like that you know hey I've I've seen this creek you know three years in a row now and I've always seen a guy out there fly fishing. How about I try that one time I've never done it. Right. You know 10 minutes of your life right there could be takes up four you know four inches around and two feet long and I can leave a little collapsed little fishing rod in the back of my truck under the back seat and stop somewhere and fish already might as well I think you'll have more fun doing being outdoors versus only turkey when you just limited the turkey on right because I mean you if you think about it if you if you set out on a trip and your your goal is only to to kill kill some turkeys.

SPEAKER_02 39:37

Yeah or hunt some turkeys or hunt some turkeys don't get across with killing the turkeys I'm not that's yeah I gotta kill them at whatever I got to do to kill them. But I was that way about hunting I still kind of am can I say something what the term killer I really wish it would go away.

SPEAKER_01 39:55

Today for sure especially with the A's God bless I I get so tired of seeing that anyways that's just a all right that's a side note that I've I've wanted to say for a while. Yeah. Anyways no but like you can enjoy so much more than just pulling the trigger you know and and that's oh yeah it's to be on everybody's mind this year I think um a lot more and and I've been pretty decent with it the last few years but I want to I want to even do more stuff while I'm traveling. Make it more of a vacation instead of a strict hunting trip. You know what I'm saying? Enjoy my get the most of it and and see some things while I'm on the road.

Filming Honestly And Memory Making

SPEAKER_02 40:35

It detour a little bit I I don't know if I will ever be able to just not go hunt turkeys on a day. I because I'm so torn I'm already talking myself out I'm like I don't want to fly fish more than I want a turkey hunt. Right. So I don't know why I would want to do that but at the time you know if I I'm I'm gonna try to discipline myself to to do the things anyway or to bring the family along with me on a hunt or two you know just to make a trip of it find a place that does have hotels within 30 minutes and let you know let them see some cool things too and and stuff like that and and not sacrifice everything. Because I mean you do get out there and you you by yourself or a lot of it I hunt a lot by myself and I love it but the time in between the hunts and stuff you know I could probably probably maximize that a little better and and and really soak in the the blessing that I got to be able to do that. But I do like hunting turkeys I don't know. Yeah um I found I've we'll re reconvene after season and see how much I was also thinking the other day I mean the I ain't really thought about the season but I was like what if we do kill the turkey opening morning? Yeah. And then the whole daggum fire has started and then I can't go hunt the rest of the day and it's supposed to be a pretty day who can I call to go hunt with that might not have hunted that morning and I'm just already going through like I do want to go somewhere else though if it's a beautiful day and God forbid we kill one off the roost. You know that's kind of right. I hope that don't happen knockingwood honestly that was kind of a a thought of mine the other day I was like what what if what if we do kill one in the morning right off you know everything goes quote unquote two point usually by now we realize the chances are slim because it's gonna be pissing rain and and wind and there's gonna be last year would be 100% until 3 p.m because I was in tornado shelter the whole day of the morning. Yeah. You know and I knew that the whole week leading up to I'm like I ain't we don't really I can go but it ain't I'm not wondering what am I going to do if I do kill one because I'm gonna be like probably ain't probably and I was right we were very right. But yeah so I mean but number one is just to is to just hunt turkeys and that's you know when I'm hunting let it you know I've always kind of um kept true that my livelihood will never depend on turkeys dying period you know that and I and I that's true and that I've done a I'm not gonna say I've done a good job of that but I've I've never even let that creep in. Because I knew that I think knowing that going into hey you're gonna have a a business that is centered around turkey hunting you know apparel and gear and stuff like that. But um but we we'll never have quota type stuff of like we need X amount of this and that and stuff for that for our you know for food to be on my kids' table. That ain't gonna happen. I'm not gonna do that. That that will never happen. I'll I'll find I'll go work somewhere else. If that ever be is the case it just I I think that would justify the how and the why I would hunt because I mean there ain't a lot of things I love more than drink hunting but you know providing for your family is over that. Yeah. And that's you know they came down to it I don't mean I know how in any other situation I do whatever I have to do to to get there and I I don't want killing a turkey to be one of those. I got to do whatever I got to do to do that. Um so and that's just something I always keep in number one to make sure that doesn't if that ever falls to number two I don't know I I don't think I would do it anyway but to make sure there ain't even a chance that's always my top one is is to is to make sure I'm I'm just hunting turkeys like everybody else hunts turkeys and that's that's it. We we do make some very mediocre YouTube videos every now and then. I think this year I'm gonna probably intentionally film some and intentionally not film some again. Right. I'd kind of my goals of the past couple years was like try to bring a camera on all of them at least because you know to to if nothing more show the fam show dad show whoever have for when you're old and and want it.

SPEAKER_00 44:37

Mm-hmm.

Solo Vs. Crew And Unwritten Rules

SPEAKER_02 44:37

And I did the past year or two maybe and we got more hunts out of it and I put a barrel camera on and made a video out of all of them and everything but I kind of missed the night camera. Yeah. Having even even knowing good and well that things filming some leaves right now the turkeys coming in that's still a little different than there being nothing else. When I'm by myself I ain't you know if if I'm hunting with somebody and and have a hand sure I'll I'll film it and try to get you know what what I can and and that does make memories. I was a little more against filming period for the longest time. Now I'm not not as against filming as as much. A is it's hard as crap if you never try to do that. But B, I think I'm also okay with not getting somebody was telling me once one today they're like you'd be surprised the number of turkeys that didn't die because of that camera I'm like oh yeah brother you'd be surprised the turkeys didn't get on camera because that turkey didn't do it a camera wish it would have died. Like I I'm not geared that way. Uh-uh I am shooting that turkey um and that and that's respecting that's not like I mean for folks who can do both can't tip my cap enough you know like it ain't easy and um and I I'm trying to do that when I'm when I am filming something but but no I I I can't I I I I think I'm I I've never even I wasn't cut from that that cloth at all like that ain't in my skill set and that's alright and I've always been okay with that.

SPEAKER_01 46:01

Yeah um I I love carrying a camera that's the difference of me and you I love carrying it now will the quality of the footage be any better? Probably not but I want a camera with me if I'm going. Right. In in in in a lot of forms. And just but just because I I enjoy sharing it with my buddies or or you or or you know whether we get a YouTube video out of it or not, about a third of the you know actual good videos I've gotten have actually made it to a surface anywhere. You know, just because I don't like editing them. Or really putting on a computer in a organized pile. That's my main problem. But just I just it didn't it's it's a form of enjoy enjoyment for me to film while I'm sometimes I'm like that.

Wrapping Up And What’s Next

SPEAKER_02 46:43

Yeah. But I'm not like that all the time. Right. I I think then there's a it's a it's like a third eye watching you kind of deal and and it's kind of and sometimes I'm like this is a this is a one-on-one. This ain't a one-on-one and somebody's looking you know I it it's just it I don't think it's ever changed anything but the but the feeling that it it could doesn't bother me. Yeah. It's just I don't know. It's just a weird feeling. I'm I'm just I think I if I if I allocate a few to not even worry with it which I mean there's several turkey hunts successful and unsuccessful that didn't that I didn't have a camera with but that wasn't necessarily the plan you know it was just it happened fast and I'm not about to reach back there and grab it. But it had but it crossed my mind to do that and I don't I don't even want that cross my mind sometimes you know it it's a different freedom there that I can just you know not have to worry about anything but one thing right now and that's whatever that turkey does. And it and and and then and that didn't really happen when you're home with folks. So a lot of that a lot of that'll be by myself. And then last year I only hunted by myself and y'all know me I only hunted by myself a couple a handful of times. Very few times. Which is odd for me. And I don't I don't know I mean I don't have a goal to hunt by myself or not hunt by myself more. But it was I I didn't I didn't realize until then of the season I'm like um I really hadn't you know spent too many days along um I like I like them both I like I think turkey hunting is a is a personal thing and you you're used to and still a little bit you're you're supposed to hunt 'em by yourself. It's just it's a solo man sport type deal. But at the same time I think the memories are are best made and are meant to be made in the Springwoods with folks. And I think you get a lot out of that. And I didn't know that for a long time. Um and I sometimes you focus a little that not might have been too focusing too much on trying to just hunt a turkey just kill a turkey just you know and I I love doing it that way. But I think I was missing I wasn't able to relate to stories to folks who who were you know in a group of two or three and stuff. And that and that that is just as fun if not more in certain situations in certain areas too go out west and stuff like that like you know especially new places when when when you've been somewhere and that and that's fun too going to places me and Cyl was talking about the other day like we might ride down to Louisiana for a weekend or something like that. Neither of us have a clue about Louisiana turkey hunting. Never once thought about it I mean you'd think we have I mean we live an hour and a half from Louisiana I ain't even forgot they were there almost you know I've never pointed my truck that direction might do something like that where we can't neither one of us got a clue almost not even like e scout nothing. Just ride until we find that site okay go down there okay check the website can we hunt? Yep can go in there you know stuff like that.

SPEAKER_01 49:44

Kind of be a kid again yeah to an extent that's kind of yeah I like that I like that idea because yeah I didn't hunt a lot with people last year and that I used to hunt only with people. That is true. I mean I was very only if I was only going if I had somebody go with me. And I I think I'm just more of a people person than the average person. More than me. Well yeah but I think I hunted I I went on that trip with Gresham you know he's a good buddy of mine and then I hunted like two really windy days with Jeremy. Right. And other than hunting with you or Breck or Dad I didn't hunt with nobody else I don't think you know if so I don't remember it. Um so sorry if I did hunt with you and I don't remember it but I don't remember much if you did. I I mean I barely we either even if we did we we split up yeah you know yeah if me and you may start the morning together but we normally end up at different sides of a place. We may hunt the same block but further down or you know we're normally pretty close to each other if somebody needs something but not always. Right. Um which is kind of funny to think about me and you kinda got our own little territories it's like oh yeah I don't go over there that's true I found that spot and then you kind of do the same thing with me. It's probably kind of been like that. Yeah if if somebody shows me a public one like shows me a pen like I just I'm always like dang it. I wish you wouldn't have I really wish you wouldn't have known it showed me that because I was gonna go look at it next week. Right. Now I can't go in there.

SPEAKER_02 51:08

Yeah that's kind of off limits in. Yeah. So yeah I mean there's there's some unwritten rules and I mean I know folks who don't abide by them and some folks who are are kind of on the s in in line with it you know but I'm I'm I'm always weird about even mentioning it you know but I ain't afraid to nine I do do catch coming back here you know you're gonna know about it. Um and then some of them are like oh yeah man I I wouldn't do that and some of them are like don't worry like yeah yeah we're good I got you um like they already knew that they weren't even thinking about it um but yeah that is kind of a a rule of thumb there. Yeah even as brothers I don't we don't have a lot of the same jerkies without each other. You don't you don't I don't even really ask or you know anything like that. But some folks ain't like that some folks come on you know some folks ain't I I ain't I ain't trying to find out where their stance is you know it's one of the things like I cannot believe that person asked me that. Um and I had to answer no tried to send him to the middle of Bluff Lake I've done that several times. Hope they never hope they realize before they got to the actual pen. Yeah but um no that's about all I got I ain't got much more we're gonna get in here and get a couple things done I think uh I think everything's running smoothly on the website and um tail end of this week I'm gonna hopefully have everything caught up I ain't been caught up in ten years I feel like but enough to uh to let it rip on not autopilot but semi-autopilot for a few days here at the warehouse and and um get out there and find a turkey to hunt that's my plan so we'll see uh my heck we might run in a couple y'all out there but um but we're here and I think uh next week we'll hopefully have an episode will we? Yeah so next Monday there will at least been a day or two of turkey hunting we can talk about. So about a week from now we'll be sitting down and talking about something. Yeah. What did or didn't happen. So y'all tune in, y'all follow along and we'll uh we'll see you then. Appreciate y'all listening to Spring Legend podcast.