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Since I filled my turkey tag yesterday, today was my day to pull the boat out and give it the once over. New air in the tires, check. Motor turned over just like always, check. No signs of critters. Hookup the batteries to top-up the charge. Bit of tidying up and check the trailer lights and the one side won't light (Insert Grinch joke here). Looks like it is just the bulbs so off to CT to get new ones. Fourteen bucks later and we're road legal again. This now brings the total money I've spent on replacing broken items on this used boat I bought from a member here 10 years ago to..... $27. But if we figure I bought 2 pairs of bulbs when I only needed one, we can round down to $20. The trailer winch strap busted (in may driveway) about 5-6 years ago. Nothing on this boat has given me a moment's grief and while I'd love to upsize a bit I don't think I could give this one up. Tight lines... after we get my brother a turkey.

You did really well with that boat Rob. I will be getting the green machine prepred for next weeks opener. New 50 ah battery is already on charge,new motor just needs ft extension on the wires to reach the battery to balance out the craft. Finder chip swapped from the ice machine to the large tv screen one. Might need some new air in the tires as well. Maybe hit the car wash and give it a shine. LOL

I put led lights on about 15y ago and I don’t unplug them when launching and never a problem.

So my very first season trying my hand at Turkey's. I've read a ton, watched a few tons of videos, bought myself a pot call and a few of those mouth calls.....more on those later, and some super duper special turkey load 12G shells, purchased 1 tag & away I go. I've been scoping out areas everywhere in my spare time because hunters are some very tight lipped folks, if you though Brook Trout guy's were bad...nothing on hunters. So putting in the leg work I've found quite a few places where at least a few turkey roam on huntable public land. Gained access to some private land too, which was easier than I thought it'd be. Travelled a huge distanced on Monday as I was out chasing Steel in the morning/afternoon then slept in my car overnight for opener in the morning. Got to my spot around 5:30am and played the wait game. (just noticed I didn't even take the tag off the chair) Started calling around 6am, rain and snow started not to long after that. Now being a newbie I never gave it a second thought but you know what doesn't work all to well in wet conditions, the pot call. That stick gets wet or the surface....nope! Either or I just don't know how to get it going. Tucked it away till it dried out then zero problems. I didn't hear a single gobble that day. Now I didn't call often, maybe once every 15 or so minutes & I varied up the chirps and purr's but I am new so maybe I screwed up somehow but around 7:30 or so a Hen & 2 Jakes appear out of nowhere about 50-60 yards from me. They were responding to my chirps 100%. It was raining so it was hard to hear them move across the leave litter but once I spied them my breathing changed, heart started pumping! The hen walked past but the Jakes kept coming closer. I could clearly see a bread on one and he looked to be older than the other. Was the younger one a male....not 100% sure so didn't pay too much attention to "him". The young male got into good range, about 25 yards or so & I.... let him go. Was it foolish, perhaps but I was there for a big Tom and on this day, that wasn't happening. I didn't spook them so I spent the next hour or so just watching them, studying them, fascinating creatures. Anyway I'll be back at it before closer for sure (sorry about the crappy photo, I had it zoomed in on my phone, the male I gave a pass to, guesstimate 10-15lbs) Edit, I forgot about those mouth calls, they are not for me. I have a serious gag reflex and where those things need to go....nope!!!!!