OUTDOORS: Set up on field edges when turkey season arrives next month

I know it feels great outside the last several weeks but spring is here at least two to three weeks too early thanks to not much winter and a whole lot of rain. Grass and weeds are shooting up around my place nearly as fast as the gas prices.

Photo furnished

Anderson County native Bobby Ware, who now lives in northern Idaho, shows off a 105-pound mountain lion he trapped.

Photo furnished

Josh Smith poses with a deer he harvested during a late youth hunt, sponsored by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Photo furnished

Caitlin Mehs poses with a photo she harvested during a late-season youth hunt, sponsored by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife. With her is her guide, William Morber.

I say “too early” because of all the tree buds that are coming out and could fall prey to a still possible freeze or at least sustain damage from a really hard frost. Flowers and most landscaping can be covered up and protected to a point but not those 75 and 100 feet red and white oaks that produce the bulk of our wildlife’s mast crops for food each year. Let’s just pray that the temperatures stay at least above the 32-degree mark until next fall’s deer season.

The warm weather has gotten us on the water already for a little fishing. Dad and I took his bass boat to Taylorsville for a test run a couple weeks ago. After some tinkering and pecking on the carburetors to free up the float valves the old blue bomb ran like a charm.

Due to the muddy and trashy water we ventured up the lake to try and find a little clearer water but didn’t have much luck. Although the lake is still several feet low and still at its winter pool we didn’t manage to find ideal fishing waters to try the crappie. We were only able to fish an hour or two, drown a dozen minnows and actually caught and boated a rock.

Yes, a rock off the bottom of Taylorsville Lake is my only “catch” of the year so far. It’s the first and only rock I have actually hooked, reeled in and laid in the bottom of the boat and never touched.

I landed the rock into the bottom of the boat and it actually just came unhooked and laid there so I brought it home and made it a part of my landscaping. It obviously didn’t want to be under water any longer so I rewarded it with a trip to higher ground. 

Guess we all should take the higher road in life to higher ground when we get the opportunity. Although we only caught a rock and felt kind of like Charlie Brown at Halloween, I really enjoyed the time on the water with Dad in his old boat.

Now that he’s finally retired hopefully we can spend a lot more time on the water and in the woods enjoying God’s creations.

Spring turkey season

Kentucky’s spring turkey season is almost here again.  The youth only turkey season is scheduled for April 7-8 so get outside and pattern that shotgun and get the kid’s gear together and take them hunting.

The statewide spring turkey season opens Saturday, April 14 and runs through May 6.The birds are already gobbling and strutting around my place so I’m hoping for a great season.

The early greening up of the understory may make for some tough bird hunting in most of Kentucky’s woods, but field edges where birds can strut and chase bugs should work well for setups.  

Always check the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Resources rules and regulations before going afield. Also, March 1 was the beginning of a new license year in Kentucky so be sure you have purchased new hunting and fishing licenses as well as required permits before hitting the woods and waters of our great state.

Right to carry issues at the forefront

I would be very interested to see what local readers here in Anderson County have to say about this with it being a hot button issue right now.

It’s all over the news as a result of a Florida incident back in February. I won’t go into the details as most of you have heard about the event on the news of the teenage boy that was shot by the leader of a neighborhood watch program.

It seems to be growing by the minute and the federal government has even gotten involved as of this writing. Heaven help us all. Send your opinions and thoughts to news@theandersonnews.com and let’s see what Anderson County is thinking.

Bobby Ware (a cat in a hat?)

Bob and Pam Ware’s son, Bobby, is at it again. I recently received a picture of Bobby holding a mountain lion he snared while actually trapping wolves near his home in northern Idaho.

The cougar, as it is more commonly called, appears to be quite an arm full for the not so small trapper. The female cougar weighed in at 105 pounds. 

His dog appears to be taking quite an interest in it also in the picture.

I know it’s cold in northern Idaho because I’ve never seen a picture of Bobby without his trusty toboggan hat.  According to Bob, Bobby plans to tan the hide, head and paws and make a nice rug.

Congratulations to him on a nice trophy for the cabin.

Quick shots

Don’t forget to donate your $10 for next fall’s elk hunt. I have for another year and still hope to one day get drawn.

Check with Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife and get those kids into a Hunter Education Course before it’s too late. Youth turkey season is almost here, you know.

Take a kid huntin’ or fishin’ soon.

See ya outside.

Jeff Lilly is an outdoors columnist for The Anderson News.