When one season ends another is already started. A tribute to 2020.

Some people say “When one door closes another one opens” everytime something negative happens. Personally if one door opens as another is closing you’re probably in jail. As a year round outdoorsman I have found my seasons are like the proverbial doors. One ends as another is beginning. I finished processing the last deer of the 2020 season this afternoon, put some pheasants on the smoker, and tied a couple dozen flies for an upcoming trout fishing trip. See we have refused to let the election,covid, or a bit of civil unrest interrupt life. Our life revolves around a calendar of seasons, not the kind that make the leaves change either. This is a year in review of sorts and after reading this maybe 2020 was not so bad afterall.

January 1st found me knee deep in a trout stream, as it has for more years than i care to admit. This is all thanks to my dear friend Jim Mauries and his fly shop Fly South. Many moons ago we all would catch the first fish of the year on New Year’s Day. Coldest year was over a decade ago on the Caney Fork RIver with a couple other fly shop bums. It was about 19 that day and was a brutal day to be outside, let alone standing in a river. We had to wait for the sun to get on the water to get it warm enough for the fish to even feed. We caught our fish and that was that. It’s not a contest its a way of saluting the previous season and welcoming the new ones. 2020 found me in the Duck River tailwater alone, I seem to the the only one left who does not have the family issues that plague some of my friends. I caught my fish, had coffee on the river alone, and left the river gloriously happy.

February was a transition month. We spent time cleaning gear, removing treestands, and blinds. To some this probably sounds a lot like work but to us its as a part of hunting season as the hunting itself. At least once a week we chased some trout on the local rivers and maybe a bass or two if the sun stayed out long enough. A rabbit hunt or two this month as well. Deer hunting is done and small game hunters now own the woods. Besides the 20 gauge needed a good workout before the season closed.

March brought me to the shallows of my local lakes with a fly rod. The warmer shallows and mudflats bring the largemouth bass out to feed. My mind says we were in shorts but normally it’s still cool enough that we were wearing jackets. March is consumed with small ponds, lakes, and certain rivers. March also brought numerous dinners of fresh crappie because, anyone can catch a crappie in March, according to the old timers. Then one day it happened and we heard a turkey gobble…

April found me chasing bass in the duck river and redfishing in South Carolina. There were long nights tying flies for the much anticipated smallmouth bite on our local rivers. April is pretty much dedicated to catching bass with a 7wt Sage Fly Rod for me. My boy likes to chase those thunder chickens and float the river a lot. I guess I can’t complain he could be setting on his ass waiting for a stimulus check!

May has always found me hunting squirrels as I am fortunate enough to live where we have a spring season. It’s hard to beat fried young squirrels and gravy! That old 16 gauge has put a bunch of them on the plate for sure.

June is always a prep month for deer season. Mineral licks, Protein feeders, and trimming all potential treestand shooting lanes. We throw out cameras this month as well. As bad as I want to dislike technology I must say that I do enjoy watching our deer as they grow antlers and shed velvet. This year we used Trophy Rock 465 and we very pleased with the results. After years of being careful what we shoot these are a great examples, of what some elbow grease and trigger control can do for small properties. That’s right I said shoot not harvest as we dont harvest deer around here. We hunt them, shoot them, process them, and eat them.

July is all about Fly fishing the rivers around the southeast. That could be because it hot as blue blazes here in Tennessee in that month. We are also shooting sporting clays at the Nashville Gun Club & Limestone Hunting Preserve during this month as well because… aw hell who needs a reason to drag out the shotguns and have fun anyway.

August is the start of small game season here in the great state of Tennessee. In my house we all learned to hunt small game before hunting deer. I think this a missed crucial step for kids nowadays. Early August is food plot maintenance and the setting up of treestands for Archery season. In addition to the Normal sporting Clays every other weekend we now shoot 3D archery a couple time a week. We really put our Bear Bows to the test shooting through the heat of the summer. I might try to squeeze in an early morning or three on the river catching bass or trout. Wait who am I kidding there is no might I will be standing in a river a dozen times this month.

September is the most glorious month of year, except for the other 11. Small game season is in full swing and we are allowing a lot of squirrels to meet their maker. Dove season, the first wingshooting opportunity of the year, opens on September 1st. The last couple seasons I have opened the season up with a Dove/Wild Hog hunting in texas at MANX Outfitters. Plus the last weekend in the month is when deer season begins! If you don’t have a thermacell Tennessee archery season might not be for you!

October is all about Bowhunting and Fly fishing. The deer are moving and this fish are biting at about any moment. Dove season is open as is squirrel season add in hungry smallmouth bass and you have a blueprint for a great month. I don’t leave home without a survival kit including a bow, Shotgun, .22 rifle, two fly rods and enough flies to stock a small fly shop. Wing shooting may, or may not be good depending on the heat.

November brings conflict to our house in that deer,waterfowl,small game, and wingshooting seasons are all in full swing. So we do the best we can and just do all three plus fish a time or two as well. This year was no different. A little deer hunting, a little fly fishing, a lot of small game hunting.

December is all deer hunting and bird hunting for me. Now my son is one of those weird kids who wants to be cold and wet while shooting 3.5 inch shells at some ducks that may or may not show up. This season I took a week break from Tennessee and went to Prairie Wildlife in Mississippi for for some upland hunting, The trip was so amazing that I will be headed back on February of 2021 just to scratch the proverbial upland itch.

I typed all that to say this to you all. There is no doubt 2020 brought us challenges like we never could have imagined. It pushed us all to the brink of disaster and not everyone came out of the other side of this. There has never been a year I could point to and say it was horrible until 2020. Yet after reading this I realize that I was, and always will be living the dream, because I CHOOSE TO BE BLESSED. I hope we can all count our blessings and let the door close, or as I prefer let the seasons change.