Spring time in Texas! Whether your are a hunter, photographer, or just like the Texas Outdoors, I don't understand why every Turkey Guide and Lease is not 100% booked all season long.

Let's put aside the trigger pull for a second, turkey hunting is about being out on a ranch during one of the most beautiful times of the year. It is cool enough at night that camping is a pleasure and a nice fire feels great. During the day it is comfortably warm, the bugs are not out in force, and hiking around a ranch "looking for turkey" is literally stunning with the wildflowers and everything else green or blooming. Other than the rattlesnakes are moving and my allergies require a pocket full of tissue, I really enjoy Turkey Season. Actually shooting a turkey is just extra.

For the last three years, sometime in March, my father and I have driven to Lovelady, East Texas, to participate in the local National Wild Turkey Federation Banquet. On this same weekend there are a number of other similar NWTF events across the State but what makes this one special is that several family members help make this event a reality. For the record, we have never heard a turkey gobble on our land, but the NWTF promises they are releasing turkey into the neighboring National Forest every year. We have found feathers, and are just waiting to hear that first gobble.

Your regional NWTF Banquet is a great way to start the season, find some great deals on turkey related items in the auction, meet other people that share your love and support of the Texas Outdoors, and in our case at least, eat some great fried catfish. I was impressed with how the young kids participated in running the event, as demonstrated by John Lenderman selling tickets for the Jakes Program in the first photo below.

Paul Ferrell, East Texas Regional Director, was there to get the show started and gave a very kind and unexpected plug for www.TexasHuntFish.com. He is the person in Photo #10. The local TPWD Wildlife Division Region 3, District 6 Wildlife Biologist has become the local NWTF representative which is very fortunate. My notes were not that clear, but I am pretty sure his name is Michael Eason. He is in photo #8 looking out on the crowd helping identify people bidding in the auction.

My son enjoyed jumping from my lap to my father's lap, and we all enjoyed bidding on items. He was called up to pick a ticket from the bucket so felt like he played a critical role in the evenings events.

If you ever put on an auction, take a lesson from the NWTF and have an attractive, friendly, intelligent young lady selling the tickets. I think everyone bought at least one of every type of ticket offered.  The second to last photo would be an example from my father's wallet.

Finally, the young man in the last photo was very excited about winning the Youth Shotgun and I think he wore that smile for a week.

If any of you attended NWTF, DU, or other shows, please feel free to write a short story and share photos with the rest of us.

Hunt Hard. Fish Smart. Explore Texas.
Jason Parrish

Images and Files: View all 18 photos / videos here.