My calendar says today’s the first day of spring. I can’t remember if that means spring actually started late last night, or if it doesn’t start until midnight tonight. I can never get that straight. I know spring officially starts at midnight, but I’ll be danged if I could tell you which midnight that is.
Not that it really matters in Wyoming. Last year, we got hammered with a snowstorm on the first official day of spring. Heck, we got pounded with snow a few days before the first day of fall this year. If it can snow in summer, there’s nothing keeping it from turning frigid in spring.
I’m actually hoping for a few more good snowstorms this spring. We can always use the moisture, and the wildlife would benefit from it, as long as it doesn’t get too cold for too long. I won’t be picky, though. I’d take rain, too.
Snow, rain or sunny skies, I plan to get outside and do some fishing this spring. I’d also like to bring home a spring turkey, and if all goes according to plan, I’ll take a few days and try to get a bear, too.
This is a great time of the year to get outside. You’ll probably have to weather a few storms, but when it’s nice out, dang is it nice. And between the hunting and the fishing, there’s more than enough to do.
As an added benefit, it might get you out of some spring cleaning. This is the time of year for rebirth and regeneration, and for some reason, that seems to trigger the nesting impulse in humans. We feel a need to get everything shined up, dusted off, and cleaned. At least, about half of us do. The other half feel a need to go outside, wallow around in the mud for a couple of days, then track it back in across a freshly mopped and waxed kitchen floor.
If your better half lets you get outside this spring and doesn’t make you do the spring cleaning, have a little respect. Clean the fish and the turkey in the field, and strip off those muddy, bloody clothes before you go inside. It’s the least you can do, and it might just save your life.
