Some guys have anchored a longbeard by now in places like Florida's south zone. Way to go. Me, I'm doing laundry.
But wait, laundry? . . . Yep, laundry. I'm talking about trying on and washing all the camouflage stuff I'll wear turkey hunting in Texas . . . after the next brutal four weeks of waiting pass. Been there? Though one of my magazine editors told me it's 75 F. where they sit today, outside the northern New England wind is ripping, and the weatherheads are calling for one below zero tonight. Inside our woodstove burns bright orange, and my setter Radar is curled up in front of it as if out of one of those classic bird dog paintings that adorned the pages of The Saturday Evening Post in the 40s. That is when he's not checking me out as I don another camouflaged item. Hunting? He repeatedly thinks so, and waits for the sign . . .
Anyhow, the clothes. In Texas, warm-weather hunting apparel is mostly a must. In my case this year we're talking Bass Pro's 100% soft nylon, micro-lite, fast-drying, zip-off pants (that also morph into shorts for downtime at camp), and micro-lite shirts (with mesh panels for circulation), plus two big front pockets for mouth calls, a pack of gum, and a penlight. There are a couple of longsleeve air-mesh shirts in there too, along with some other items. Much of it is in the new Realtree "apg" pattern. I won't wash the full-shouldered Redhead turkey vest with its lounger feature for mid-morning naps (I've counted 15 pockets on this thing, but I may have missed some as it's been tried on). Along with the other gear, let's not forget my Gore-Tex, PacLite outerwear. I flat-out love this stuff, whether I'm quickly pulling it on over blue jeans to go run the dogs for an hour in colder weather, or hunting places like Texas where pre-dawn mornings can temper the spring heat some. Don't own any? Get some. It's good stuff, durable, and again, easy to throw on.
Beauty of it is, as air travel goes, most of this apparel rolls up tight as a relay racer's baton (ok, ok, I'm a former track-and-field guy). Anyhow, the vest won't get much smaller with its internal back support, but hey, and my size twelve, 18-inch snakeboots will fill the travel bag just a little. Like most of you I'll struggle to keep it under fifty pounds, lest I pay more at the post-hunt, airline check-in. If your airline allows, check two bags. I'm rarely that smart.
Twenty-eight days and counting . . .
--Steve Hickoff
(NWTF photo)
