Turkey hunting may not have the appeal of 100-plus pounds of meat in the freezer and a set of antlers on your wall that mule deer hunting does. Still, the spring season makes it an essential time of year to better prepare yourself for success in the fall. If you found success filing last year’s mule deer tag in the early days of the season, It’s been almost six months since you went on a hunting trip. I don’t mean a day hunt or driving around forest roads to fill a B tag. I mean a real hunting camp out in the wilderness. Turkey season can be a great time to break out all the gear that I’m sure you put away in an organized fashion last fall and make sure everything is still in good working order.

Mushrooms are at once familiar and mysterious. Anyone who spends time outdoors is sooner or later going to run into these fruiting bodies of fungi. For many, mushrooms need no introduction. Childhood storybooks with pictures of toadstools colored bright red with flecks of white are familiar to all. Perhaps equally common are the experiences of a hiker or hunter coming across a mushroom in the woods. Most folks, without any special training, can tell with a reasonably high degree of accuracy if they are looking at a mushroom rather than a plant, and yet I’d venture to guess that many would be hard-pressed to name more than a handful of species.

A promise made by Rachel’s boyfriend to get her the biggest buck she had ever seen. The boyfriend talked a good game and spoke like he knew mule deer. They had gone out enough times that he was considered the boyfriend. The title lacked substance. The man held the position mainly because, he expected to see her every Friday night and because he had a way of showing up and taking over her plans whenever it suited him, but most importantly because he promised her a big buck. Beyond that, he never actually asked her to be a steady thing.

For many of us who call the Eastern United States home, hunting often means heading out to familiar spots each fall. Whether to deer woods, duck blinds, or locations passed down through generations. We’ve honed our techniques, know the right time to be there, and have the right gear for the job. But occasionally, while scrolling through photos of impressive animals tagged out west, you may wonder, “Why don’t I do that?”

So, what’s holding you back? Is it the distance or the fear that you won’t have the technical expertise to succeed? In truth, these aren’t great reasons to miss out on an entirely different hunting experience that could provide lifelong memories. Here are some reasons to load up the truck and head out west.

As part of our ongoing efforts to protect wildlife and ensure the survival of mule deer, we ask for your cooperation in respecting the winter range closures and restrictions that are in place during their critical winter survival period.  Shed hunting is becoming a larger recreational pastime and it can be tempting to go out early especially as the weather gets better. However, the Mule Deer Foundation urges you to wait because now is an important time for mule deer and other wildlife trying to survive the last bits of winter. Late spring is when they are in the worst shape they will be in all year and any extra energy expenditure can be life threatening.

You have just finished a grueling day in the backcountry looking for Muleys. To the west, you see the sun setting. It’s time to make your way back to the truck, so you grab your GPS.  You instantly know something is wrong as your thumb goes across the screen. It’s smashed!