The Sad Day

[jshively]

With the Spring Turkey season ending yesterday for us in Virginia, I was going through my post season ritual of cleaning up.  Cleaned out the truck, washed the hunting clothes, gathered all the calls and put them away, cleaned out the hunting vest, cleaned the guns.  I'll walk around the house for the next week looking lost and confused.  The family will even catch me trying to watch some turkey dvd's in hopes of bring back the good times.  At least I went to Target and got the success pictures printed.  I am hoping to do some at-home taxidermy work with the fans an beards - so that should be fun.  Curious to here what some of the other guys do to fill the void.  Don't get me wrong - I love my family.  But there is just something magical about Spring time in the turkey woods.

[longspur]

I use trout fishing for re-hab

[strutnva]

generally archery fills the void

[chipper]

I've started making scratch box calls and will spend time with the family at the lake, I also bought some choke tubes I need to pattern.

[spitndrum]

Bowfishing is my offseason rehab!

[Hognutz]

Fishing for me. Throw in some Harley riding, and I'll be just fine..Mike

[mikejd]

I'm living in N.J. So ill be surf fishing for stripers 4-5 nights a week till bow season rolls back in.spend some time at range. Pre season scouting for bow season and round and round we go.

[DeWayne Knight]

I milk the post season clean up as long as possible...take my time getting the vest unloaded and conditioning my strikers and friction calls.  Gun will get a complete strip down and cleaning.  I might even polish the barrel this offseason.  Also gonna order an assortment of mouth calls from some of the advertisers/sponsors here and get 2-3 favorites dialed in between now and next year's opening day.  I have a Lab that needs to get back in shape too.  Turkey hunting with bum knees is still fun but not all it could be!  Now that the season is over I'll get my knee surgery over with so I can be in good shape for next year! 

[TRKYHTR]

Our final season ended here yesterday at 4:00 pm. It was a great year even though we didn't have the best weather for CA. I have put most of my stuff away and cleaned things up. I am now moving on to my next adventure. I've already mounted one of my turkeys I killed this year and will be doing another one soon. I also have a few ducks from last duck season I want to do. Plus I am hatching some baby turkeys as I type this. It's never dull around my house.

TRKYHTR

[njdevilsb]

And the waiting until next year begins.  Cleaned my guns the other night and sadly put them away for another year.

I do quite a bit of fishing in the off season.  It won't be too much longer and we'll be out shooting our bows and going down to the farm getting ready for deer season.  Moving tree stands, putting out trail cameras, clearing shooting lanes, and checking for heavily used runways.  I've got a brand new muzzle loader that has never been fired that I have to get dialed in.  I'll probably have to grab a choke tube or 3 to try out this summer as well, just because I love shooting.  A little more testing with my muzzle loading shotgun couldn't hurt either.

I have messed around with making turkey calls a little bit, but it's something I'd like to get into more.  Maybe I'll take a couple days off from deer season in October and try to get my first fall longbeard.

[Uncle Bucky]

here is a video of what I do in the offseason  :

remember I got dropped on my head a lot as a kid 

http://www.youtube.com/user/bowhunterjohn63?feature=mhee#p/u/55/5L74KtNqMgE

[CASH]

Wallow in misery for a couple of weeks.  Run my calls in the house to piss my wife off for old times sake.  Then I fish and get ready for football season.

[ncturkey]

My season end her in NC on May 7. I have cleaned out my vest while watching turkey hunting DVD's. I have been working on two fan mounts from this year. I still practice my turkey calling everday. I have four wingbone turkey calls to make. The rest of the time until next spring will be filled with family time. Going to the beach in July. Got some trips to the mountions planned. I will flyfish for trout most everday while in the mountains. I also do alot of yard work to pas the time until next spring. Plus this fall and winter I will deer and duck hunt some too. Come on spring of 2012.

[gobbler336]

personally i'm gonna fight it as long as i can, heading north wed and stay for about a week, but that last walk back to the truck is a slow one, especially when toting a bird.  when i get home i'll put stuff away and with each item a memory will come back.  after its all said and done, i'll get back into fishing and we just had a son in feb so i'll spent alot of time with him.  been thinking of trying to hunt turkeys in the fall this year never have and i might just give it a whirl.  i'll deer hunt a bit but it just ain't the same.

[strutnva]

went back and read this post again, some depressed folks out there and I'm one of them