Get ready for turkey season

Get ready to shake off the winter blues. The spring wild turkey season’s still four weeks away in most areas, but that means you still have time to get ready.

If you’re a turkey hunter, you have some time to wait. Spring turkey season doesn’t start until the first of April in about half the areas, and April 8th in the rest. If you don’t have a license yet, there’s still time to get one. You won’t be able to get a limited quota license, but you can get a general tag from most Wyoming hunting license vendors.

And unless you have a piece of private land already lined up, the general license is a better deal anyway. If you put in for a limited quota tag, you can only hunt that area. But with the general, you can hunt five different areas.

Granted, there’s a limited amount of public land where you’re likely to find turkeys. But there are also a few walk-in areas on private land that have been opened to the public.

The Game and Fish doesn’t print the walk-in atlases anymore, but you can still find them online. Check out the walk-in areas in the region you plan to go hunting, and you’ll probably find a good place to go get a turkey.

Spend the next few weeks practicing with your turkey calls. This is the time of year when you’ll have the best results with a call. Spring is mating season for turkeys, and the toms will be more territorial than usual. If you’re good with a call, you should be able to lure a bird within shotgun range.

Keep in mind that the only legal birds in the spring are males, or those with visible beards. Make sure you can see the beard before you pull the trigger.

Over the rest of the month, get ready for the opener. Pattern your shotgun using the loads you’ll use when you hunt. Find all your hunting clothes, and make sure they’re in good order. If you have to replace something, you still have plenty of time to do it. Be sure you have a waterproof layer or two. This time of year, you’re likely to find yourself standing under a downpour. That’s a pretty miserable time to realize your rain suit is hanging in the closet at home.