There’s not much to hunt, but there’s plenty to do

We’re smack-dab in the middle of a lull in hunting seasons. Sure, the light goose conservation order runs into April. But man can’t live on goose alone.

There’s only one hunting season open right now. If you want to hunt, you’ll have to be content with light goose hunting. Either that or predator hunting, but the furs are past their prime now. But there’s plenty of other stuff to do in Wyoming between hunting seasons.

There’s always fishing. Fishing season runs all year around, so you can go fishing anytime you have a few free hours. If it’s cold enough, you can do a little ice fishing. If there’s open water, you can cast a fly, fling a spinner, drop a jig or drown a worm. There are as many ways to fish as there are fishermen. Just get out to the lake, crick or river and do what you like to do.

If you just can’t bear the thought of spending more than a couple of weeks without a shotgun or rifle in your hands, get out to the shooting range. If you’re planning to go turkey hunting, you should probably pattern your turkey shotgun, anyway. Or sight in your rifle, if you hunt turkeys with it.

While you’re there, practice with your other guns, too. Take your deer or elk rifle with you when you go, and send a couple dozen rounds down the barrel. Practice from different ranges and from different stances. The more familiar you are with your hunting rifles, the better you’ll shoot when fall comes along. Shoot a few clay pigeons with your shotgun, too. Not only is it good practice, it’s also good fun.

But there’s more to do than fish or shoot. Wyoming’s outdoors have plenty to offer. It’s a little early in the season, and the nights will be pretty cold, but you can take a trip to a new area. Despite the cooler temperatures, now’s a good time to scout out a new place to hunt. If your favorite hunting area is hard to draw, you can check out the demand index and find an area that’s easier to draw. Then get out and stomp around in that area now. If it looks like a good place to hunt, you can put in for it as a second or third choice when you apply.