Winter Workouts – Snowshoeing, Try it!

Snowshoeing, a great Winter workout!

Tired of having to workout indoors in this cold, wintery weather? February is a tough month for those that live in the snow states; by now even the most avid snow lovers are wishing for warmer days and itching to get back to their favorite outdoor workouts.  For me, snowshoeing is my saving grace.  As long as it’s not blizzard conditions, there is nothing like the peace and solitude of the woods on a crisp winter day.  Never tried snowshoeing before? The workout you get is phenomenal for your core, legs and gluts.  The best part is: you hardly notice it!

For those that may be new to snowshoeing, you are basically strapping on what look to be new-fangled tennis rackets to your feet, as you shuffle along the snow.  Many people I’ve spoken to about it seem to think you either a) have to pick up your feet and trudge through the snow, or b) stay on top of the snow totally.  Neither of these notions are really accurate; I’d describe it as a shuffle through the snow, ideal for those that want low impact to the knees and joints but a great cardio workout.

What do you need to snowshoe? Not much really.. the only real requirement is the snowshoes themselves. I choose to use a pair of well-insulated hiking boots (I love my Merrells..) that work really well with my bindings.  Since I’ve been doing it for a while now, I don’t always need the trekking poles, but if you are thinking of anything other than flat terrain, you will want some poles. Telescoping poles can be found at sporting good shops and even some of the catch-all stores like Big Lots.

As is the case any time you head into the woods, make sure you have a compass if you are in an unfamiliar area and certainly let someone else know where you will be going if you will be snowshoeing alone.  Lastly, you won’t want to forget your camera; snowshoes allow you to explore areas that would be difficult to access in the warm weather months and allow you a whole new vantage point.

So don’t just sit inside dreading the snow and cold weather; it will gone soon enough.  For now, make the most of it and get some good aerobic exercise while nurturing your soul out in the beauty of the winter woods.

Wild Turkey Hunting – Pursuit of the Elusive Osceola

The Elusive Osceola Turkey

I have written many articles on equipment, techniques and how to’s, so know I am going to put a lot of this valuable information to the test and spend this Wild Turkey hunting season in pursuit of one of the most elusive of the Grand Slam Turkeys, the Osceola.

If you have no clue what an Osceola Turkey is, or where it is found, this isn’t really the article for you as I will go into those details in another piece. This article is for those individuals who are established Turkey hunters who are preparing for the upcoming season and pretty much know where and how they plan to proceed. It’s meant to just tweak their realm of possibilities and tell my ongoing quest as well.

So here we go. For the past two years I have not been able to secure private land to hunt so I was forced to endure the large number of crazies that head out to the public land such as JW Corbett and Three Lakes, in South Florida to try and take a bird. Now don’t get me wrong, there are quite a few established and excellent hunters who consistently take birds off these wildlife management areas, I unfortunately am not one of them. But, I have learned some techniques that may help those who know the routines, but are still coming up a bit short.  I remember sitting against a cypress tree at an ungodly early hour, at what I thought was the perfect set up, only to have three rather large men carrying an aluminum ladder through the woods making enough noise to drown out a marching band. Not fun!

Notice the Osceola Turkey tail in left corner

OK, so here is a great tip I learned, please comment on this if you think it makes sense as I have thought about this possibility and feel it is one of the reasons some consistently harvest birds while others do not. First, as usual you must not only know that birds are in the area, but also prior scouting should also give you some indication of their patterns. They quite often follow a predictable pattern after flying down from the roost, and on private land or lightly hunted land you can put yourself in an interceptor position to take advantage of them. Or, you can run and gun with out being cursed or shot at for interrupting another’s hunt. This is pretty much on par with some guy walking through the woods and blowing your favorite decoy to bits.

So here’s my plan for this year, if I am hunting on public land.  Having already scouted the area and knowing the possible patterns of the birds and where a vast majority of other hunters will be moving through, I am planning on hunting the birds, not so much on where they usually will want to go, but where the other hunters might possibly push them! So this weekend I will start looking at angles and trails and paths of least resistance that the elusive Osceola Turkey would consider moving through to give a wide berth to the throngs of hunters that will be in the woods this season. So what do ya think? Or am I merely putting myself in the crosshairs of someone’s scope? Last tidbit of info although most know this already; do not practice your calling where you will be hunting! If you are as bad with a mouth call as I am, you are merely telling a Wild Turkey that you are there and conditioning him to run at that sound.

By the way, this year I have been able to get hunting rights on a 250 acre piece of land that is used for cattle. The edge of which is adjoining a popular WMA. I will keep you informed of my progress in hopes of bagging the elusive Osceola Turkey!