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Turkey opener is productive, if getting blisters is a good thing

Today was Virginia's spring gobbler season opener. I hunted national forest land in Botetourt County. My buddy Sam Dean and I left early to make sure we got our spot and we did.

I think we walked at least 6 miles, and did'nt hear anything. Actually, Sam said at one point he thought he heard a distant gobble but then added, "It may have been my imagination."

It rained steadily the whole time. I had a Gore-Tex shell but got soaked anyway. May have been from sweat from all the uphill walking. I knew rain was expected. I don't have camo rain pants so I sprayed some old camo pants with Scotch Guard yesterday. Didn't work.

We did find some great sign and I have confidence that if we (or I) get back in there we'll at least have some action.

We ran into four hunters. One had heard one turkey gobble twice, and another guy had seen five hens. So, it was tough for everyone up there.

Driving home we saw about two dozen turkeys in fields. We were joking about going and knocking on doors and asking for permission to hunt.

I expect it was a pretty quiet opener for a lot of people because I haven't gotten any e-mails from buddies bragging about their opening day birds.

My brother-in-law is in town and if he's up for it Monday morning I may take him out to a spot I have in Bedford County.

If you have a good story or pictures from opening day, please share

Comments

# 1

[April 16, 2007 9:44 AM]

TJ

Saw no Turkeys, except for the two guys sitting behind a blind dressed in head to toe full camo calling turkeys on a wooden box. Saw plenty of signs of deer, nothing of Turkey.

Not a bad first time out there.

TJ

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About this blog

Mark Taylor holding a fish.

While growing up in rural Southern Oregon, Mark Taylor developed a passion for the outdoors while he and his younger brother tagged along with their father on fishing, hunting and camping adventures.

Graduating from Northwestern University in 1988, Taylor spent four years as an officer in the U.S. Navy based in Norfolk before moving into journalism.

After five years writing about the military for a Norfolk-based publishing company, he became the outdoors editor at The Roanoke Times in 1998. He lives in Roanoke with his wife and twin daughters.

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