Thursday, September 6, 2007

Old School


I'm fall turkey hunting four states this fall between the mid-September and mid-December period of time, and carrying five tags all told . . . one option is bow-only, but that turkey season lasts a generous, low-key 101-days (New Hampshire). With any luck I'll be able to go along with tag-carrying buds too, before and after I use my handful, assuming I do. It's all good.

Five tags. Several thousand road miles to come.

Our fall turkey tradition evolved out of a period of time when resources seemed limitless (as indicated by the image). Still, I have to wonder: What the heck was it like living at that time? Moreover, what was it like to be part of that particular hunt? (Which no doubt resembled many back then.) Such a take wasn't illegal at all, as modern game management had yet to develop . . . fact is, this model has only been achieved as of the late twentieth century, and we're still tweaking it as other challenges arise in the twenty-first.

These are the good old days of turkey hunting, folks.

--Steve Hickoff