The sun rises in Sanilac County, Mich., on the final day of the 2012 spring turkey season. It would set without me filling my spring tag.
MAHFS photo by Mac Arnold






By Mac Arnold
MAHFS Editor

With spring gobbler now officially over, and no new bird to proudly display, I'm left with staring back at "Harry" over the bench in the man cave for another year or at least until fall. (Harry is a turkey I took a few years back and had done in a strutting wall mount.)

And it's OK. I'm at grips with it.

As a friend of mine on Facebook said, "It wasn't for a lack of trying."  I went 15 days out of the 25 allotted in Michigan's second season.

I gave it all but the birds just didn't seem to cooperate.

Well, one did, but he putted his butt away with HEVI-Shot whistling through the air on May 15.

Tough to accept it was a "one and done" situation but that's exactly what it was. I know from past experiences that is how a season can go, so you best make the shots count.


So what to do now?

There will definitely be some fishing gigs with the canoe -- a full summer's worth no less -- and bow shoots this summer as usual. I see the one at the Silver Trails Boy Scout Camp in Jeddo is scheduled for June 16-17.

It's about 15 minutes from the house and I appreciate the low-key approach of the fun course there.

But what really needs to happen in the upcoming three months is a serious rehabbing on the right shoulder. I took the compound out one day for turkey season and realized when in the tree that it took all I could muster just to pull it back to full draw. This can't happen in October when the king of seasons -- deer archery -- comes a callin' in October.

For all those wondering why I just don't go with a crossbow, I can't get to where I want to with a crossbow. Regardless of whether it is the stigma that is still attached to crossbows vs. compounds, the goals I have set for myself are with either a compound or a recurve. Just the way it is,

And if there was anybody who was a truer candidate for a crossbow tag -- two shoulder surgeries -- it would be me. I guess I'm just me and a little stubborn.

So the weight room awaits and it's time to get down to business.