46 Outdoors Prepare and Pursue Hunting Checklist for April

April is a beautiful month in Texas!  Temperatures are still relatively cool.  The wildflowers are in bloom and nature is alive.  Abundant wildlife roam the mountains, hills, plains, canyons, plateaus, and coastal regions of our great state. There are many things for the sportsman to do this month.

Here is your April edition of the Prepare & Pursue Hunting Checklist...

Clean that shotgun. There is one sound in the woods this time of year that a hunter desperately wants to hear; and that is the gobble of old Mr. Longbeard.  Turkey season is upon us, and all we can think about is calling in a big ol' Tom.  Clean that shotgun and go huntin'!

Photo: Chris Carson

Feeders.  Keep those feeders filled. Does are pregnant and will be dropping fawns soon.  Ample food supply is key to their survival.  Don't for get that big buck either.  I once heard that deer antlers are the fastest growing tissue on the planet.  Pack some veins on that velvet popping out with a protein supplement.  Come December, you'll be glad you did!  Check the batteries an solar panels in motorized feeders and finish any unfinished maintenance issues you need to from March.

Blinds.  Finish up those lingering blind improvements.  You don't want to get caught up dealing with those last minute issues in early Fall because you procrastinated now.  If you are switching stands or scouting new areas, finalize those decisions soon.

Food Plots.  Plant those food plots if you didn't get them in last month.  Those pregnant and soon to be nursing does and their fawns will be grateful.  So will you when you shoot a healthy, mature deer.

Practice.  Never stop practicing.  Mix it up.  Shoot some long distances for fun.  Going above and beyond the shot you will make in the field will keep you sharp for the hunt.  Practice, practice, practice!

Photo: TPWD

Hunt turkeys.  Look for those turkeys roosting in the evening and set up on them before first light. Don't go back to the cabin too early, look and listen for those gobblers in the late morning hours when the hens go off to lay eggs and tend to their nest.  Gobblers will be looking for other hens at this time... Wait them out!

Hunt hogs.  Your local farmers and ranchers will thank you for depredation hunting these pesky, ever-reproducing, menacing swine.  Hogs are a damaging to crops, kill small livestock and fawns, and tear up the land, fences, and more.

Hunt more turkeys.  This is the fun stuff we like to do as hunters.  Don't make it all work! spend some time enjoying what we do in the outdoors!

Hunt predators and varmints.  Pregnant does need your help! Keep those predators under control.  It is a great idea to do this before the fawns hit the ground.  Fawns are an easy meal for a coyote or a bobcat.

Hunt more turkeys... You get the idea!

We all have our favorite animals to hunt.  If you can't tell, I'm a big fan of turkey hunting.  The interactive process of the hunt and knowing I called a gobbler in to dance with the decoy is one of the most exciting things I can think of doing.  There are plenty of things to hunt this month, so get busy!  But, don't forget the chores too.

One last thing to add to the list... Go FISHING!