I've never been much for hiking even though some of my friends love it. And I feel the same way about camping. I've often said if I'm camping, there needs to be a hunting or fishing trip involved somewhere.

The motto for many turkey hunters this year is, "So close, and yet so far away." It really is amazing sometimes how close we can be to a good gobbler and yet be unable to take a shot. More than one person has bemoaned this truth to me. I empathize with them.

It was a beautiful morning. The rain was enough to get me wet, but not enough to keep me from pursuing another tom. I did, however, wait until I heard a gobble before I decided where to set up.

If you have hunted for a considerable amount of time, you can trace your evolution. While once any deer would do; soon you held your shot for something larger. But then what?

Opening morning of turkey season did not disappoint. Even though I never took a shot, I had lots of action. And it's always great when you can watch a tom strut for an extended period of time.

This time of year I try to spend as much time in the turkey woods as possible. Since I speak and write to a lot of hunters, I really do need to be able to tell some stories that are not too far from the past.

I just returned from Texas. It was 3 days of hanging around a neat bunch of guys, bookended by turkey hunts on each day. It's true. While hunting was part of our trip, the real enjoyment came before, during, and after, mealtimes. We ate so good I thought I might have to book two seats on my flight back home. It was a trip I will never forget.

I can take you where two gobblers roost. They are in the same place about five of seven days. We have been meeting and talking several mornings since the season opened. I can describe what they look like. They have walked within 35 yards of me. They have come from behind me, beside me, and in front of me. Sometimes they came quietly and sometimes they broke through like a bull in a china shop. After a month, I can take you to where two gobblers roost.

In my home state of Tennessee, turkey season starts on April 12^th. For years the opening dates were always the last Saturday in March. But as the number of birds started to decline, the game commission changed the dates. While there were probably several reasons, I think one of the main ones was to let the hens get bred before hunting season.

Deer give us a great example of how patterns change according to one's needs. Right now, in many parts of the country, we are seeing a changing pattern. I always break these down into three periods; early spring through late summer, late summer through fall, and winter. Let me explain. In the early spring through late summer, the land is full of all sorts of food.

I remember the last time I came back from a river-fishing trip with a friend. It was a beautiful morning to be on the water. The early morning, during the summer, is usually the best because the heat really picks up about mid-morning.

I found a warmer day to cruise a property that I hunt. While I initially went to look for deer sheds, I really just needed to get outside and take in anything that was not manmade.

This winter has lingered longer than I wanted. I'm glad March is just around the corner. While that month is unpredictable, most likely there will be more warmer days than miserable ones.

I can remember my first solo deer hunting trip. I sat in a maple tree that was only about 50 yards from an oak tree that was flooded with acorns. The path to that oak made its way right under my tree stand.

I love the warmer days of winter. It gives me a chance to walk my hunting areas. Because the leaves are off the trees and because there is no concern about spooking deer, I can gather all kinds of information from the last season

Deer season has been over for a few weeks now, and turkey season is right around the corner. I like how each of these are so different than the other. If hunting turkeys involved as much as hunting deer, I would have to give up one. In days past, they were. Let me explain.

I'll probably lose some readers today because of this next sentence.

If you have been fishing long enough, you have got a story to tell about a motor breakdown and how you had to paddle all the way back to the dock. I can remember two of these episodes and the order of events is always the same.

Each morning I walked about three-fourths of a mile to get to my stand. I had cut limbs and bushes out of the way and yet there was one area where I had to navigate around several tree-laps and weeds

A star. I think of all the things God could have used to guide the first worshipers to Jesus, He chose a star. Not some man-made innovation. Not a person or prophet. Not even a voice.

The cameras don't lie. Their all-seeing eye is there when I can't be. I know every varmint that comes across my field. There were raccoons, bobcats, turkeys, skunks, coyotes, and even a bear.

Timing is everything. Have you ever felt like you were out of sync with what was going on in the woods or on the water? Sometimes it seems that on the days you can go fishing, the weather is terrible or the fish are uncooperative.

Most of us hunters like to consider ourselves, the diehard variety. We're not afraid to get up early, stay out late, and do whatever it takes to get our deer - unless it's walking more than about a quarter of a mile from our vehicle.

I noticed that I was shivering. I had seen deer off and on, all morning, and I was afraid any move I made would be detected by a nearby deer. So, I sat still and shivered.

I spent a total of about ten days in the Midwest, hunting deer. It's always one of my favorite places to go. I always have great expectations, and those expectations are always bigger there than most other places I go.