The Spring Legion Podcast

What We Learned From The 2026 Spring Turkey Season | 5 years of Spring Legion

• Spring Legion Turkey Hunting • Season 5 • Episode 158

Share episode

Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.

0:00 | 49:23

The last gobble hits different. One day you’re chasing that flydown window, and the next you’re standing in the quiet, realizing every spring moment you were going to make has already happened. We sit down for a true last call on the 2026 spring turkey season and talk through what we’re grateful for, what we learned the hard way, and why the best part of turkey hunting still might be the simple question we grew up asking: “Did you hear anything?” 

We also get honest about the road behind Spring Legion: quitting jobs, losing the safety net, watching the business crash and recover, and seeing how a few books and hats turned into a warehouse and a nationwide community. Along the way, we touch on grief, family, and the kind of support that comes from people you’ve never met but somehow feel close to. Faith shows up as a steady thread too, including the reminder that you can’t worry your way into a better outcome and that you still have to “bake the cake” with the ingredients you’ve been given. 

Then we shift back to practical turkey hunting and conservation: weather and hatch talk, broody hens, predator control timing, and the desire to help more people do real habitat management. We close with the stuff that sticks: passing shots you can’t verify, letting a bird drum longer than you “need,” taking kids to the woods, and ending a season on a note you can live with. If you enjoy spring turkey hunting, traditional turkey hunting culture, and real conversations from Mississippi and beyond, hit subscribe, share this with a hunting buddy, and leave a review so more folks can 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:

Season Ends And Gratitude Begins

SPEAKER_01

All right, everybody. Welcome back to the Spring Legend Podcast Last Call Edition. We have reached the end of the road for 2026 spring turkey season. I don't know if it's a sigh relief or a it's a you know that odd feeling of finality that you get when you you kind of feel like you never get there, and all of a sudden you blink and you're there, and every memory you're gonna make has already been made. And last gobbles have been heard for us at least. I know there's some folks out there still holding on a little longer, a little tighter, a little farther away than where we are right now. But we decided to um where I decided at least my cup was full about a week ago or so, and said that'd be it, and figured I better head on home now and tend to the business and and all the good stuff that's gonna take up the next nine months of our lives. Day one started as of recently. The off season, the time in between the best times of the years. And we're um rocking and rolling in them though, nonetheless. But we do have one more episode for the Spring Legion Podcast listeners, and the first thing I want to do is thank y'all for sticking it out with us this year. It is um this podcast has become something I look forward to much more than I used to. Yeah. Kind of became a little bit of a burden there after about four episodes. You're like, I'm gonna start a podcast, and this is a that's a good idea. Me and Cill sat down, took us about two days to record the first eight minutes in a little guest bedroom, and um, we thought we were doing something, and it's funny listening to it now. Oh yeah. But um, but then you run out of stuff to talk about, and then you kind of have that little wave of like now what, and then we kind of drudge through the now what's, and now look at us now, we're however many years removed from that first week of trials, and um there's a lot of folks that have been listening the whole time, and a lot of folks that started episode one and listened the way up, and if you make it this far, we definitely appreciate it. I don't think we'd be doing it if it weren't for y'all. This has become um something that the the podcast itself has introduced us to so many different people, um physically meeting them, virtually meeting them. You know, we live in a world where virtual friendships are a thing, and and there's there's several of them that we have and hold close and have um kind of spurred into to to real lifelong friendships, you know, from this little roadcaster rig, which is really cool, and and the avenues has opened up. But um there's not really enough words to to say to folks that how much we appreciate the sport because it would not be anything without it.

unknown

Right.

SPEAKER_01

Nobody knows about it. We definitely wouldn't be doing it if it wasn't for folks who wanted to hear it. And um, we hope we we brought you something this year, whether it be entertainment or a little know-how or a little few lessons to that we learned the hard way that y'all might have been able to avoid in the in the short-term scheme of things. A little more what not to do's. Because um still figuring out what to do on most of it. But but yeah, I mean, y'all turn this podcast into a top ten hunting podcast in the nation and um have made Spring Legion a household name pretty much coast to coast, and it's it's wild, you know, when you go to airports and see three or not one hat, three or four spring legion hats in the baggage claim line at every airport I've been to this year, you know, and and we're getting texts and stuff. Like I'm in so-and-so, and I just saw the fifth and sixth Spring Legion hat picking up their, you know, check baggage and stuff, and it's it's crazy, you know, um times we live in and what what it has become of just a spur of the moment decision. I I made a little post the other day on the on my personal page, the Hunter Dot Ferrier. And it and it really I typing it kind of really made me think of even more stuff. The whole kind of gist of it was uh a turkey I'd I'd shot earlier this year and I didn't do a great job of posting about stuff that much this year. Right. Um I'm I'm I'm not one of those I'm I'm the opposite of the folks who hunt for the fake for the for the sake of social media. Yeah. I I have to try really hard to remember I have a social media because our business kind of depends on that. Right. And I suck at it. But the gist of it was pretty much, you know, I had

The Risk That Built Spring Legion

SPEAKER_01

gone back to a place this year that wound up being the first place I went after I quit my job five years ago and and really banked on uh self-bublished book and a couple hats, keeping the lights on, so to speak, and until I figured out the rest of how to get this company off the ground. Yeah, I I mean I went back to where my truck eventually landed after quitting my job and taking that risk and betting on myself and and parking the same spot on the same direction and said, wouldn't you know it? A turkey didn't answer my calls from the same spot. Right. And it was it was really like that turkey was there that day five years ago. We reenacted the whole first morning of freedom, like literally like he he knew what to do. He did the exact same thing that first turkey did, and and I just sat there staring at him and and uh I'm I couldn't help but think of the years which separated the the two turkeys right there and and all that has happened because it is it seems like way more than five years worth of stuff. It really does, yeah. Uh I mean just between life and and the business and and the the failures that have come along and there's a little more gray and a brown now and 12 gauge and what for 20. I have gotten a little older. And I'm feeling it this year, more than last year, let me tell you that. But um Met Peyton, married her. Now I'm a dad to two beautiful daughters, and another is on the way. Got another little girl coming in this summer. Uh had a son and I lost him, and y'all were there for that. And Chase and Seals had to take the reins of the podcast there for a little while while the grieving process got underway and um still get a lot of support from other folks I've never met. And um and it is real humbling and and honoring when folks go through and that and that and that's a a tragic deal to go through and there are a lot of other folks who go through that. So when they think of me and reach out for advice and stuff like that, I think you know that kind of feels some of perhaps God's purpose in creating strength through trials for other folks. And and it's always an honor to hear from folks who who just need need to hear from somebody who's been through it. That and all they're looking for is it's gonna be all right, you know. So that makes me grateful that sometimes you are kind of under the microscope a little bit.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Or the magnifying glass, I guess, however you want to spend it. Right. Makes things smaller or bigger. But um but but since spring leaders started, and I'm I mean I'm pretty much forfeited my 401k, health insurance, steady income, all that. Um but I've seen a million bucks and I've borrowed money to pay the mortgage.

SPEAKER_00

No.

SPEAKER_01

It it's it's a lot of stuff goes on that that folks don't know about. Y'all think this thing runs smoothly, you're wrong. Um, and and both of those were within the past 365 days. So it ain't like it's just like a a gradual going up. It's it's up and down real fast, then up again, then down real fast, and then it crashes, and then it comes comes back up at one time.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. All the ziggin' and zagging.

SPEAKER_01

Sometimes you're expecting a zig when it zags, and this it's chaos of in here. And you ain't got long to figure it out, but you always figure it out, and that's uh kind of the point of it. Um I've watched these books and hats turn into, you know, we're sitting in the Degum warehouse now, and I never thought that. Yeah. Full of turkey hunting gear and apparel. It's allowed us to do a bunch of cool things that never see places never thought we'd see.

SPEAKER_00

Which we're coming up on a year in this warehouse. Uh I was looking at pictures last night, looking for I was hunting a specific picture, and I saw the pictures from when we were looking to this place. And it was a about this week last year. Should have been as soon as we got back. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Because up until you know, this time last year, everything was still. Chase's house was the warehouse. Yeah. Living room to guest bedroom to everywhere. Down the hallway was shipping labels and everything. It was that yeah.

SPEAKER_00

I was it was a bed and a warehouse. Yeah. In a house. You lived in a warehouse. The warehouse wasn't in your house.

SPEAKER_01

Right. So it was it was rough. And and then we had to that enclosed trailer. Chase be packing orders in the rain and everything.

SPEAKER_00

And 100 degree heat. No wind. Yeah. What was bad was when it was there was a 110 in that trailer and it was raining, so I couldn't leave the door in the driveway. And this, I mean, folks don't don't realize all that happens.

SPEAKER_01

You know, I'm I'm I moved to Georgia, moved back. Yeah. Um I mean, there's that that's all within the past five years. I mean, that's a lot of stuff that's been that's had to happen for that to be the outcome. But um, but I'm thankful for it. And it and it is, it is it's it's really cool to to see, even from my perspective, that it worked. Yeah. You know, I'm not just thankful, thank God I my lights are still on, but like it it didn't crash and burn. It crashed several times, but it just never burned. You know, for some whatever reason, we figured it out. And and and a lot of that has to do with other folks too. You know, other folks beside myself making sacrifices, my wife and kids being one of them. I don't think folks realize how much they have to sacrifice, you know, from time and money and opportunity and vacations that don't get had and stuff like that because of, hey, trust me, this is going it's gonna pay off. This is gonna work. You know, you've made a lot of sacrifices, our parents, friends, seals to Gary even and Logan helping on the you know trade shows and everything. We've had a lot of folks we don't even know come in and lend hands that that are are part of it, whether they know it or not. They're part of the the the big picture, the part of the journey. Right. And we certainly appreciate it. But um, but no, I mean I I mean I kind of left it with a uh one of the favorite verses of mine that I do live by, and um it comes from the book of Matthew, and it's it it's it's one I lean on a lot because hey, I take a lot of risk.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

And and I might look like I'm not anxious or worrying about much, but a lot of times on the inside I am. I just have to kind of hold the front up in front of folks that hey, I got this figured out, and I'm I'm trying to figure it out as I'm thinking that or saying that. But um, but it does say it says, look at the birds in the air, they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable

Faith Over Worry And “Bake The Cake”

SPEAKER_01

than they? Can you can any of you add um an hour to your life by worrying? Pretty much is what it says. I kind of paraphrase that. I don't I don't really necessarily have it in front of me. But I'm pretty sure that comes from the Sermon on the Mound, don't quote me on it, and which is a big how-to and a bunch of parables that Jesus gave to a lot of folks. It's kind of a very important sermon, so to speak, if you weren't aware. But um but kind of what it doesn't say is is is what I was thinking about kind of after the fact. Because all he all he's saying there is uh you're not gonna die.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

He's not saying hold your hand out and I'm gonna give you all these things that you want. You know, you the figuring part's still up to you. You just I'm gonna give you food, is what he's saying to keep you alive. So don't worry about that. You're not gonna die. And when Chase Chase has kind of done the same stuff, he's taking a risk and and you know, stuck his neck out and went out there for Spring Legion and and quit jobs just as much. And that's what I kept telling him, like, you're not gonna die. I've learned that. I figured that out. Yeah, you can get down to zero and not die.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, trust me, I know all about not dying. I mean, you can live, it might not be funny. It ain't fun, but you're I'm still standing, so yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, that's all that's all it takes. But you know, it's it's still your job to figure it out, and we we we've been able to figure it out, and I'm sure everybody listening to this is has got a similar situation where they have taken a risk of some kind and figured it out. Yeah, and they didn't die, you know.

SPEAKER_00

There's uh there's one thing that stands out to me. I heard somebody refer to some scripture and and they were talking about worrying about everything and you know praying for certain things. And um what whatever it may have said, I can't quote it now, but um they said bake the cake. God'll give you all the ingredients, but if you don't bake the dang cake, you ain't gonna get what you need, you know. You still gotta do something. You still gotta work for it a little bit, you know. But if you if it was more towards unanswered prayers, wondering why your prayers weren't getting answered and stuff, and it was like, hey, he's giving you all the ingredients, you just gotta bake the cake. You trying to if that makes any sense. You want him to bake it for you, and it ain't how it works. That ain't how it works. So that's one that stuck with me pretty hard over the last few years.

SPEAKER_01

So but but no and and and a lot of it has to do with hey, somebody's not gonna need a cake for you to bake it. If you bake it and don't know and need it, you just kind of spinning your wheels. So that's when the the folks who religion this comes into play, they don't realize how big of a part they are of it. Right. Is that we definitely wouldn't be doing it wasn't for y'all, and it would be of no use and a waste of our time and money and all the sacrifice would be nothing if it weren't for y'all. So that's where our appreciation lies in y'all, is that it is it is being consumed and it is being put to use and people are enjoying it, people are giving us feedback. And um hopefully the the the main thing of Spring Legion is is keeping traditional turkey hunting as we know it to be the culture of the Southeast turkey hunter alive and well, and I think it is. I I think there's other there's always gonna be other guys that um that portray it in different lights and stuff, and I think we have done what we tried to do back then, we still do it now, is just throwing throwing our way in the ring. I don't I ain't gonna get into right ways and wrong ways, but all we do is is put our way out there and what we know it to be, and and there's a lot of folks who are like-minded, and that's that's been very refreshing in the five years is to learn that that it has always been alive and well. Yeah. It's just a matter of knowing that. And um and and then folks to get behind you and and support you and and enjoy the mission and stuff. And I was very I was overwhelmed at the response actually to that post I made, which kind of made me want to bring it back up on the podcast that I had no idea that folks even cared, really, you know. A lot of stuff I do I I don't do for other people. I think is a good trait. Yeah. I'm not mad that I'm wired that way as much as I am about I I wish I was better at getting stuff out there a little more, but um, but I really don't do anything for the sake of other people, and I think that's that's been a a good thing so far. Yeah. Um but I had no idea that folks, you know, did appreciate it and and did draw whatever inspiration they might have from it. And um, yeah, I just want to say thank you to y'all. If this is the last podcast we do. Who knows what happens between now and March or February, anywhere, whenever we're supposed to. This might be the last one I ever record. Who knows? I mean, you really don't. You don't know. So if if if I die tomorrow, y'all y'all know I appreciated it. But um, but yeah, we'll dive into I guess we'll just dive into a little bit of a recap on our 2026 season and what we thought, what we got out of it, and all the good stuff and all there wasn't any bad stuff, we'll talk about it too. Um I mean I got a few stories piled up we could tell, or heck might want to save them for next year. We ain't gonna have none, I don't think. Um yeah, we will. I mean, I I've I've got three or four, five maybe that could that could get us through the first month or so. I I do want to get more guests on next year. Yeah. And um that might eat up a few of them episodes instead of y'all listening to us tell stories. I I like the whole stories in the during season, during the season, and then we'll get other folks maybe preseason and talk a little more specific stuff. And we might have stuff in between. I don't want y'all to think that we are definitely not gonna have podcasts until next spring. Right. It's it's run through my mind to go ahead and do a bi-weekly, you know, like a every two weeks kind of episode, maybe a more themed episode, maybe a more themed whole off-season towards habitat, you know, kind of stuff like that. I I I I love research stuff because it's it's it's asking the right questions and and trying to answer them. And there's a lot of private land management stuff that we could go over that we're unaware of that that I got some search questions to ask a lot of folks, and and we're in a position where we know a lot of folks who do know a lot of stuff about that kind of stuff. So if nothing else, I'll hit record on a phone call we might be having with somebody as we're trying to learn it. And our job is just to relay it to y'all.

SPEAKER_00

Yep.

SPEAKER_01

But in the title, What It Is so y'all can find it easy. But encourage y'all to follow us along.

SPEAKER_00

Yep.

SPEAKER_01

Because if I don't know how in the world I'm gonna tell you about it if y'all ain't following the show or subscribe to the show, the podcast, because if they start coming out, there's not gonna be one the week before to tell you about what's coming next. You know, it'll be pretty random. You're gonna look up in February, go, Dad, coming, I missed eight episodes. Right. You got a long way to catch up. So I guess I guess follow or subscribe to it, and you'll you'll know. It'll give you a little blue button or something like that, maybe, or follow the social medias, check out Spring Legion. I'm sure we'll put some updates on there. We'll we'll be adding casual stuff throughout the year. We're gonna have a little outlet tab on the website for any kind of deals and specials we have for the 2026 gear that's left over. Um,

Off-Season Plans And How To Keep Up

SPEAKER_01

it's pretty pretty at random as far as what's left. Some patterns ain't there, some patterns are there, some sizes, some sizes ain't. Got a lot of work to do on the product development stuff. We got we're gonna have some cool stuff for 2027. Got stuff underway, got stuff getting 2.0'd um minor changes to make things better. Usually that 2.0 is a big difference between the the original release. We figure out the fine-tuning and make it better. And and we're already, I'm looking forward to some of them like this is gonna be nice. Yeah, you know, this is gonna fix that real quick.

SPEAKER_00

Yep. I've got a few things in my back pocket as well.

SPEAKER_01

Yep, and um easy fixes you just don't know until you get the real feedback from the massive quality of folks. Right. Yep. And um got that going and um oh one last thing, trade shows. Oh yeah. Yeah, if y'all might if y'all don't hear from us till then, we're gonna be at some trade shows. I know for a fact we'll be at the Mississippi wild extravaganza down here in our hometown of I guess it's a technically in Pearl, yeah, Mississippi, sometime mid to late July. And um, that's all we have booked. But if y'all know of some that y'all would really like to see is that let us know if she's a DM.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

And uh while there's still a little time to get registered, some of them we might not be able to, but we'll try.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, especially some in the southeast, you know, area. Yeah, you know, those are easier easier for us to do. Um, but I mean I I wouldn't hate going up and doing a few far ones. Some some there's some of the best ones are are far away. Um so need to try and be reminded of those a little bit because I always remember when I see folks there. Yeah, that's about whenever we find out when they are. And that's a little elite. So yeah, if y'all know of one coming up, send us a a DM or something and just remind us of those. We may be able to get in them. We may not be able to. So you're um but yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, so what did um give me a not a one sentence, but give me a rundown of what you got from the season. I ain't gonna go through our goals that we set at the beginning of the season. Remember the goals we said we're gonna I didn't do no journaling, I didn't do none of the stuff I said I was gonna do. I didn't hardly hunt. Yeah, you didn't hunt a ton.

SPEAKER_00

I I I felt like I didn't, but Yeah, I mean I really didn't. I mean I yeah, I think the last three seasons I've missed a total of four or five days from usually March 15th through June 1st. I mean I may not come out with more turkeys, but I'm out there. Right. You know, and um this year just the cars didn't fold my way. Uh had a lot of life going on that was non non-negotiable. Yeah. And um as as do most. Right, right. And um you know, I I think we had I had a good year for the for the mornings that I did was able to go. Um I think I went, you know, probably between 15 and 20 times. Really? Roughly, you know, that's I didn't keep count, all that stuff. But almost every morning I did go, I had a good morning. You know, weather you know, weather was pretty decent for most the most part of the season and um goblin with activity was pretty strong. And turkeys as far as turkeys working, they were, you know, typical hard-earned turkeys that didn't wanna didn't want to work most days. Um and uh just sat back and enjoyed a lot more mornings,

Season Recap And Savoring Mornings

SPEAKER_00

you know. I wouldn't even throw my hat in the ring of quite a few mornings, I just kind of hung out there and watched them do turkey things. I mean I was trying, but you know what I'm saying. Right. I wasn't just gonna go and do some off-the-wall stuff, you know, trying to kill myself, you know, to get to them in a form that uh be hard to get over there. I just kind of relaxed a little more.

SPEAKER_01

I've done that more the past couple of years is like I can go shoot that turkey right now. Well, yeah. You know, but I like I like this. Cause because you you start to realize how how finite them moments are, you know, and and especially in the month of May, I'm like, I ain't gonna get to hear this. I ain't gonna get to hear drumming. Why would I want to shoot before you sit here drumming that, you know? Yeah. If he'll do it a hundred times, I'll listen to all the hundred of them. So get one of them in. Um I caught myself doing that a couple times this past few weeks. Be right. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

But um Yeah, there were several mornings I just sat there and I knew those targets were gonna fly the other direction, and I just let them gobble as many times as I could on the limb. And I heard a hen gobble this year, that was cool. Yeah, I forget about that. Um I saw a saw a pretty good hatch, it seemed. Um Jakewise, you mean or no like this year's hatch. Oh, you've seen bolts on the ground. Um I've seen I saw one little set, um five or six probably. But um everybody I've seen yeah the snapshots I've received, you know, messages on Instagram and stuff, it seems like we had a really good year.

SPEAKER_01

That's good. 'Cause that was I mean it it that's that's kinda what determines my mood during and postter season is the is the weather. Yeah. I'm very affected by the weather as a as a person in general. Um I don't do good on gloomy days. Right. Um usually ride a lot on gloomy days um because there ain't nothing else to do. But I would love if I I don't like being indoors, period. Right. I'm always outside and stuff, but um, but this year it felt like kind of nationwide up until the very end. Yeah. The good Lord blesses with some good weather. And I'm hoping, I mean it's gonna kind of vary depending on region, but should have should have been good, I hope. I'm not an biologist, but I think we we now it's been raining for three days. Yeah, now it's kinda like but I'm saying I'm hoping that that didn't screw the hatch. I don't think it did. I don't I think we had textbook weather. I don't know that, but I feel that.

SPEAKER_00

I mean I'm I'm not I'm not I'm not saying we did either, but um from what I saw it seemed that way. And I tell you just watching social media and and people sending me Snapchats and whatnot, the broody hens I saw this year, you know, the hens doing like the Kildee dead front thing or whatever to distract you from their polts. Yeah. I saw like 20 posts of that this year and I've never seen anybody post about that. And that was you know, odd. You know, I just had never I've seen a hen do that and was like the first time I saw it, I was like, what the heck's going on? Then it donged on me, they probably got polts around here. Or a nest or something they're distracting you. Right. Um but you know, I I guess that's more people seeing that too. You know, it means there's more polts on the ground somewhere. But as long as they made it, as long as everybody, you know, got a good handle on their predator population, I guess. Right, and then if you don't it's too late.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. And and that's something I was I and I got a conversation with a guy way up north, um, skinning turkey and talking to him. He he was coming out of the woods. I don't know, his name's Matt. Might be listening to this. Um but he was coming out of a place, I actually hunted there that morning and um wound up shooting turkey on the same place but on the way farther other side or whatever. I didn't walk out that way, I came back, my truck was still there. Um and I thought to him for a long time, and and he was I mean, you can imagine somebody from way up there. I mean, and he was a turkey hunter, he he hunted turkeys, he keep he keeps up with you know folks and stuff, and he knows the the the current what would it be a current event kind of deal of of turkey hunting, so to speak. He wasn't just like the the random deer hunters who who shoot their turkey and you know that you usually run into and they just know like yeah, they're everywhere, they're 400, 500, you know, in December. I'm like, it's a little different than now. Um but um but he of course you can imagine how inquisitive he was about like southern turkey hunting cultures like so d coins. And I'm like trying to open up a can, ain't you? Yeah. Um like he wants to hear it from somebody from down here, like, what is y'all's opinion on them? Kind of deal, like I'm and he's kind of like stepping back, like, don't don't shoot me,

Hatch Talk Weather And Poults

SPEAKER_01

you know, because I said the D word. Um I'm like, no, we're not like that, but no, we don't use them a lot, obviously. Um around here. But um but yeah, he was he was he was asking about predation stuff, and because he was like we you know, we we don't have a problem with turkeys, obviously. Yeah. And um, you know, between the ag stuff and the the woods and habitat and everything. And it does look different, the woods up there that you know I don't I don't know if you can duplicate that and everywhere. Um it's just a matter of of where it's at and stuff. And but but I was telling, you know, the the timing of predation control is does does make a difference. I I've seen it firsthand, you know, when until we did that, there was on our very, very, very small piece of sample we got to to uh to make first hand evaluation and opinions on it. The year we started doing that, the year after that significant job. It was a difference. Yeah. And it and and obviously I thought you go back and look and if it rained the whole April, that that probably had a lot more to do than the you know, fifteen coons we caught on the eighty acres. But i if you if you hold it pretty constant and we always trap, you know, late February, early March, and even a little bit almost into the season, right? You know, and risk it. Um just to get those nest predators out of there for and we can do it for four weeks. Yeah, we did we put a dent in it before anything get back in there. Um I think it does help. You know, I was just explaining to him, you know, the timing was such a big deal down there or down here um of when to do it and stuff. And I I I definitely think folks have gotten on board. We've we've had a couple years since the whole scare we had, you know, and and folks really open their eyes to the the fragiless of the resource and that don't go away. Just because we did have a good hatch, you know, not that that that don't go nowhere because the last thing you want to do is get back in there. And like, I mean when I say it, like you're you're always about a year and a half removed from big problems. Oh, 100%. Um kind of quicker than any legislation could even happen for the most part. I know they can do whatever they want to, but I I think if it if if stuff really hit the fan, and it probably will again, eventually, you know, uh you you you're gonna wish you would have done some stuff, you know, instead of instead of slacked on it, I believe. That's just my take on it. And you know, we try to make sure whatever we can do, we do. And then at least at least we did whatever we could do in terms of of management and stuff like that. But I do want to kind of get out and and maybe create some situations for folks to get involved more, because that's that's a a burning problem of mine, is as much as I want to do stuff, I I feel kind of handicapped. Right. You know, just with lack of of property to do stuff with and um and all that good stuff. I would love to just go be able to trap other people's places and stuff. I don't even know or know of where to go. So if I can if I can figure out I'm sure other folks are kind of doing the same. They're like, man, I would love to do more things. Just for the turkeys, yeah. And and donate, whatever, but but I like doing stuff. You know what I'm saying? So I want to do stuff on top of whatever we're doing. Right. And I know there's other folks like that. You're just a guy, you know, that's just guy stuff. Right. And and and enjoy stuff like that. So that that's kind of a project in the back of my mind is if if I can create a way to to kind of enable some some type of bridge. I don't know. We'll we'll we'll I ain't gonna tell you nothing that I don't know of yet, but I'm gonna I'm gonna be thinking on it. Um but yeah, I think I I think it it was a it was a good year. I I mean I'm I'm my cup definitely overflows as far as experiences. Um I've I don't remember a uh a start to a season that were near that was nearly as good as this, just overall, you know, weather-wise. Um you can't draw it up better, I don't think. And we're just blessed to have those days, I think. So many times it's so wet and cold and rainy and everything. And it's still fun turkey on to me. I love stuff. I like getting out there and it being, you know, right after rain, and you slip around and everything is just, you know, you're always on eggshells because you have no idea what's walking around you and stuff. It was just it was just pretty this year. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

And that was the first first good opening week or two we've had in several years down here in Mississippi.

SPEAKER_01

So and personally speaking, you know, I got to see my dad shoot a turkey. Yeah, that was cool. The first time in my life. Yeah. First turkey he shot in uh God knows how long. First one in Mississippi in over 20 years. Mm-hmm. Um, which um kind of also made me think as I'm kind of, you know, I do my last calls, my last everything's kind of I I need about a good 24 hours of closure from turkey seasons. I mean, there ain't much more things I love than than turkey hunting. And um, and I love everything from the smell of a turkey vest

Predator Control Timing And Access

SPEAKER_01

to lacing up my boots, stuff like that. Um more if not, I mean, as equally, if not more, than actually like hunting the turkey. You know, I just love everything associated with spring and the birds you hear that ain't turkeys and stuff like that. So I gotta really soak those in by myself every year. And um, it really kind of hit me like I might be next year, might be the first year I take my oldest daughter. Yeah. She'll probably hold enough to go. I did take her this year to quote unquote hunting. Right. And she took to it like white on rice, you know. I mean, she I was like, you pay attention a little better than I thought you did to these, you know, she hears me editing these things and stuff. Like, you must have been listening. Um, she kind of knew the scoop already. I'm like, okay, this is kind of anticlimatic. I was just planning on teaching you all this, but I guess you've already been taught by listening to me talk to other folks so you know, four years of your life. Right. Um, but I mean she's already looking forward to it and and stuff like that. So that's that's a wild feeling that I've never felt before that my anticipations are different already as far as what is to come and and all that good stuff. And yeah, you talk about wanting to get on to some projects in Habitat and stuff like that. Whenever you got a little one coming up, you want to make sure that the opportunity is there even more. Um because if it ain't, if you're like me, you're just like, well, I'll go to a big old junk of public an hour away and uh and try to find one, but you can't do that with a little one. Yeah. So it's tough. So my focus is is it gonna be and and it's it's odd because I don't know what it's gonna be. But I've never done that before. It's it's new ground to me. Uh, you know, Seals has done it for years, and you know, Casey's killing two and three a year, and um, so he's he's gotten through that figuring out and stuff, and I got a lot of friends who've done that, and so this this I'm excited for that. And the next time I get in the woods might be with her. Yeah, very good, but very good chance. Might get an early crack at him, so we'll see. But um, it feels like 2027's already begun. Yeah. In in my mind. Um, but I but I did get to see a lot of cool places. You know, I took a trip out west with um Seals and James. We've talked about that and saw things I thought I'd never see, uh never seen an elk till then. So I really have. Um that's cool though. You know, I mean stuff like that's just cool to me. And um and and seeing places that I I see on a yearly basis or hadn't seen two or three years and stuff. And that's that's kind of the the the reason I like traveling is is because I get to do that. And then I like to I you know I ain't trying to I ain't one of the super slammer crowd, you know. Um just not not that guy. I don't know, you know, like it's it's it's something like I I respect a lot of folks who are really good at golf. I've just I I don't want to be. I don't it just ain't what what I wake up and want to do. Um but what I do like is is going back to these places and seeing how they've changed and stuff like that and chasing the the early spring days as long as I can. Um I like that and I like feeling that feeling it's just the feeling of of spring. You come down here and it feels like June. Yeah, that's about to be June. Um just because it's about to be June somewhere else, you know, it kind of feels their June is a little different than ours. Right. And it feels like our March. It reminds me of March and April here. So that's that's the that's what I love about springtime, is the actual is a lot more than the just a turkey strut in front of me. Yeah. Um but I but this year I did, I I I did um somehow in the moment, usually, you know, everything kind of turns black or you know, it's almost like you're it's it's a it's a fog as a turkey's closing in. And I and I almost, if it wasn't like if somebody wasn't there with a camera or something like that, because my camera, I promise you ain't getting it. My GoPro, if I do have it turned on when it's pointed at the ground or in the back of my vest or something, but if someone else was there, I'd almost have to watch it and kind of like that was awesome. You know, it's kind of like I don't even remember that 38 seconds of my life. I just remember that it happened, and then I kind of have to sit there and think hard on like how I this year. I think I I realized a lot of it in real time. Right. I soaked a lot of it in and just kind of ingrained a lot of it.

SPEAKER_00

Um which was cool. I did try to do that a lot better this year.

SPEAKER_01

It became second nature, yeah. A little more um just uh a common sense over it and and soak those moments in, and and you know that feeling of when he's at 30 and he's looking past you, and you know you're about to be able to, you know. Right. Not you got it, you still gotta you gotta connect, obviously, but you're 99.9% of the way through right there, and you hang on to that point one percent pretty long. You know, let him get 20. Yeah. And and get them 10, because you can get them back after after the fact, you know what I mean? Um so I did that a little more, and and I I'm glad I did that. I'm gonna do that probably the rest of my life, I think. Um had enough analysis on that situation to to say I I enjoyed it more than not. And then there there were several, I mean, I can think of at least three I could have killed that I didn't because I couldn't verify if it was Longbeard or Jake. That um then I did it again. And I've told you all before I'd rather miss a turkey ten times than not shoot a turkey that I could have shot. Yeah. And it just bothers me. It's like I just I don't like I don't like being a reason something didn't, you know, I didn't do my part. I didn't if it's unethical, if it's clean, you know, and I'm just and like literally the opposite of what I just said, I'm just asking him to give me a little better something. Right. And he don't.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

And I'm like, man, I just wasted his time and mine. Yeah. He he did his what he was supposed to do, and I did almost everything I was supposed to do except

Family First And The Future Woods

SPEAKER_01

pull the trigger. Um usually on on times where I'm I'm I'm leaving the next day, I'm like, well, somebody the most recent one I'm thinking of is one that happened on the last day of the season. I'm like, that that joker just got like you talk about the get out of jail free card. Uh-huh. And and the one I'm thinking of, I was actually with Easton, and it was a bunch of saplings in front. And it was just enough I thought it might if if the wad even clips one of these things. I got a shot between every one of them. And he's given me one of them between every one of them. He stopped two or three times in between them. And I'm like, oh. I could definitely do it, but if he's six yards away on either side and it's it's wide open, and it's easy if he moves his head, I can just shift. I'm saying like I didn't want to pop but you know, and him put it behind one of them. So I'm trying my waiting is not to shoot, just it's to get him to an area where I can make him stick his head up real good. He's he's drumming and stuff, he's got hands around him, moving left and right and stuff, and I'm just so nervous about making him stick his head up and there's a chance it could be behind one of them. And then, you know, then it's gonna be one of them, then I might have to shoot a riskier. Left and I'm expecting right or right and I'm expecting left. Yeah. You know, I've I just created the bad situation. So I'm I'm nervous about creating the bad situation more than I am like shooting through it. I I know I can shoot through this stuff. Yeah. Like between it, not through it, through it, through the sticks. There's there's plenty of gaps. But I wanted him to get on left or right of it, and he didn't. He he got behind a tree and walked the other way and had no ideas in the world, never never cut at him or nothing. And once he got down on the other end, you know. It's hard to bring him back up to a spot there where they don't give you more than one chance a lot of times. You're lucky to get the first. You're asking for two chances, that's gonna be tough. But he's probably still there. He'll be there until next year. I ain't gonna be the one hunting while I'm open the weekend. I ain't driving up there for every weekend, so somebody else will get a crack at him. You're welcome. If he is. But I can't think I think the the uh I might have mentioned this last last week, but uh one of the better turkey hunts was came at a moment when I was about ready to hang her on up. I'm like, eh, these jokes are done. You know, the season's gone. And I felt bad because I felt like I missed it. I'm like, I didn't soak it in enough. I didn't I didn't get the whole last uh hoorah that I wanted. Which is selfishly speaking, I wanted one gobbling in and stuff, and sometimes it's not what you get in late season. Sometimes you do get the hours of loafing. And me and Gary talked about it the other day was you know, that that period of loafing and doing nothing, of acting like a June turkey just gets bigger and bigger. It starts in kind of April. It's just a matter of 30 minutes, it turns into an hour, turns into two hours, and you're gonna get what you want at the you know, right the fly down, they still gonna gobble and they're gonna do it for 30 minutes and they're gonna shut it off, and it's gonna be up until they about roost, you know, a lot of times. And it's gonna be boring turkey hunting in between, unless you get the right turkey on the right bay and all that good stuff. There's just few and far between. But it was it'd come to the point where I was like, Dang it, I've missed it, you know, it's over, and I didn't realize that it was over. It's kind of like you didn't you don't know that's gonna be the last time you hear this or do this or whatever, and and it just is. And and you you all all you got's the memory of it, and um, so that was kind of weighing on me, and then by God, if it didn't one didn't kick it on, and then it acted like it was March, and it was it was awesome. Um just happened to be right when you least expected it. And um and that was really cool, and then that's stuff I'll hang on to and and whatnot. And and and one of these turkeys I killed this past week or so it kind of did it, and it was it was nice, you know. Yeah, did some stuff I wasn't expecting, came in. I mean, he was about eight yards at one time, gobbled one time, like that might have been my my cue. You know, it's it's you you've you've done it. Yeah, you've gotten all the clothes you need right there, and if you're gonna hang your hat on something, that might have been a good one hanging on. And and that's how I am, and I'll I'll leave. I'll be like, that's it. The second that comes over full, I'm like, that's yeah. That's what I was needing. And it wasn't a turkey

Passing Shots And Late-Season Magic

SPEAKER_01

on the tailgate kind of deal. It's like I needed to hear one drumming that I didn't know was there, or something, you know, something of that nature. If if we can we can flirt with them boxes this week, that's what I'm here for. That's what I drove twelve hours for. Yeah. It's to is to feel a couple feelings one more time and turn her around and go home.

SPEAKER_00

Which yeah, I mean, that is a big deal. Um ending it on a good note. Yeah. Because last year I ended it on a not so great note. You know, I just it was a I I actually okay, I killed a turkey. It just was not a very eventful hunt, you know, and all that stuff. It wasn't the one I wanted to remember for a year, yeah, you know, end it on. Um would have done it a hundred times over, you know. It was an urned turkey. He just didn't gobble and and drum it twenty yards like I wanted him to, and that's selfish of me and all that.

SPEAKER_01

And I've met folks who are even more that way. I'm like, brother, I'm shooting him at 35 before he struts. Yeah. But I mean and I and I might not shoot him, he might be at a hundred, you know, if I can just make sure I get a gobble that morning. And I'm like, okay, you know, I did hear one.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. Um so I mean that was an odd feeling leaving the year that way. But I mean it didn't bother me that bad or nothing, you know, it seems, but it it just was like it could have been a little better. Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_01

But then you go back to like you ask them to do too much, and you kind of just you know asking too much. I've I've ended them on misses before, I've ended them on, you know. If I don't end it on a nothing, I'm happy. And that's that's the really when I when you I I never and I I just I don't know if it's how I grew up or if it's a paradigm that was created, or but I I'm thinking like if I call if I call somebody right now, or somebody I know, you say it's it's early April and someone walks in the door, or dad, I remember when we were little or whatever, this is we never said you kill anything. It was like, Did you hear anything? Yeah, that was that was the determiner. Did you hear anything this morning? And that was it. You know, that was that was sincerely my my curiousness, my curiosity was did you hear something? And that's kind of when I left 3 30 that morning or whatever, or 6 30, whatever time, I was going to hopefully hear something. I wasn't going to hopefully kill something, I was going to hopefully hear something. And that's still kind of my goal is you know, I want to get out there and and if I hear a turkey, that means I got one to hunt. Even if he's a mile away, I can hopefully get to him. Um and if he's a mile away, I can hopefully call him this far if I can't go all the way over there or something like that. But you at least give it a shot and got one to try, even if it is a tough one. Yep. And um that's a that's a good morning. That's what I wake up thinking about about 365 days a year is is getting the chance to hear a turkey gobble. I said I've I've probably heard my last one for the year. Yep. Ain't no probably two unless one just decides to walk through this parking lot. But I know I have. Yep.

SPEAKER_00

So which I intended on making another last run, but it just didn't work out. Sometimes it don't. But we got about five more days left. I don't think I will be doing that.

SPEAKER_01

I got uh I got take girl swimming lessons. Yeah and um got a lot of emails to reply to, a lot of uh exchanges and return emails and texts and stuff like that. Gotta gotta get going and then I mean you forget twenty twenty seven gear deadline ain't far. Yeah, we gotta get it finalized pretty quick. Mm-hmm. The stuff that we're gonna have next year it's gotta be figured out in the next eighty days at least. If not sooner. Probably sooner, honestly. Soon this this is when the real work starts. Yeah. The good times are over. For now.

SPEAKER_00

For now. Good Lord willing. But we got deer season coming. Never heard of her. I am excited for it this year.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, okay. Just kill me one. Yeah. I'll pay for the processing and I'll be in the office. Yeah. But um, I don't know, I might do a little bit this year with having youngins. We'll see. Um, if this is it, y'all, we appreciate it. I do want to give uh a big thank you to the sponsors, Vortex, Mossy Oak, North Mountain Gear, Apex. Um, two things that that I made very um very definite when we started Spring Legion was I was never gonna pay somebody to wear it. Yep. So if you ever see anybody wearing our stuff, we did not pay them to wear it. Yep. But but any kind of sponsorships that that we had, it will always be somebody we use anyway. Right. It will never be because we're getting paid to use it. Yeah, I'm just gonna do it. You know, this it's the complete same side of the coin. So I mean, Mace Vortex, North Mountain Gear and Apex use those anyway. Yeah. Already had well before the podcast. And um that will always be the case. So if you hear us talking about them or anything like that, just know that it ain't because they're sponsoring us. It's because we we we have run them through about everything you run through, and that's who we chose. Yeah. And and that means a lot to me that that they would be on board and and partnering with us. Because I mean, same same deal. I think they're a big deal. And you know, absolutely. If it wasn't them, it wouldn't be nobody, it wasn't another option kind of deal. Right. But we're very fortunate to have them on board with us and and to make the the uh the means of the podcast possible. But wouldn't none would be possible without our listeners, and we want to make that very clear. And if this is it, this is the final sign off for the year. We appreciate you listening to the Spring Legion podcast. We'll see you see you around the bend.

SPEAKER_00

There you go.

Head Shot

Hunter Farrior

Host