Spring Is Talking Back

There’s a electricity that comes with the opener of California spring turkey season. It’s  the first real signal that the hills are waking up again, that long mornings and dirt under your boots are back in play. Turkey season is  different. You’re not just hunting, you’re having a conversation.

Before the sun even clears the ridgeline, the woods start to come alive. A distant gobble and you answer back. A soft yelp and just like that, the game is on. It’s a back-and-forth, a test of patience and timing. You’re pulling them in, step by step, call by call.

That’s what makes it addictive.

Hearing him drum, watching that fan start to open, that never gets old. It’s interactive in a way most hunts aren’t. You’re part of the moment, not just observing it. Out here in California, it’s the perfect stage. Rolling oak hills, cool morning air, it sets the tone for everything that comes next. Turkey season, it’s a prelude.

Every step, every setup, every early alarm is a reminder that deer season isn’t far behind. It sharpens you back up. Gets your instincts tuned again. You start noticing sign, reading terrain, paying attention to wind without even thinking about it. It all carries forward.

It’s about that first gobble breaking the silence,  and the feeling that for a few minutes, you’re speaking the same language as the wild.

This weekend, it starts again.