It's Finally March in the Great Outdoors

The month of March has arrived at last and we can bid farewell to February. No offense to those of you who love February for whatever reason, but it has never ranked high on my list when it comes to my favorite times of the year. Maybe it's just because I hail from dark and cold Ohio, or maybe it's just because February stinks. Let's be honest, it's a bit of both.

February isn't much fun for outdoorsmen and women anywhere. Most deer hunting seasons end in February, daylight hours are short, and the weather is generally garbage. March probably won't be exponentially better for those of us in the northern half of the U.S. or Canada, but it sure feels nice being one step closer to spring outdoor activities.

If you live in the southern half of the U.S., it has to feel ten times better. Southern turkey seasons will begin kicking off with regularity as we cross off the days in the month of March. Our Floridian friends in the far southern portions of the Sunshine State will be kicking off their spring turkey season tomorrow morning, March 2nd. That's pretty awesome if you're asking me. Something like seeing those first tulips or daffodils popping out of the ground for normal, non-hunting folks.

It's a positive sign, and we have to take all of the positive signs we can get at this point in the year.

In all seriousness, March can be a pretty awesome month to be an outdoorsman. So long as Mother Nature takes it mildly easy on you. Even with cold temps and an occasional snow storm, you can enjoy a lot of great outdoor activities this month.

Chief on my list of March activities is always going to be shed antler hunting. You can probably figure that out if you have been following our February shed hunting installments on AOTV. If not, you definitely should by clicking right here! Nonetheless, March is an awesome time to shed hunt. You can just about rest assured that any whitetail that is going to drop its antlers will do so by the middle or end of this month.

That means it's time to cut loose and really put on the miles if you enjoy finding some bone. Beyond the fact that a pile of March sheds is just plain cool, deer hunters can learn a ton from finding shed antlers. It's never too early to put a pin on that map when you're trying to track down a trophy buck in about 7 months or so. Whether you're a trophy hunter with thousands of acres or a meat hunter on public land, shed hunting is for everyone. Don't neglect the opportunity to shed hunt this month!

Not as many hunters practice food plotting and serious land management, but more are doing it each and every year. If you're in that crowd, March can be the first step in growing big bucks on your property. Not only is it a great time to prep ground by brush-hogging or clearing out new plots, but March can be a great time to throw some seed. Yes, even on frozen northern tundra. If you hang around here for long, you will learn that I am a huge proponent of frost-seeding. Something I will be doing this month for sure.

It probably goes without saying that March is a beautiful sign for those of us with a spring turkey hunting addiction. You guys down south will want to put in your final preparations within the next few weeks or even days. It's still a tad early to scout birds up north, but it never hurts. Spring turkey season will be running wild here at Mass Pursuit TV and Affiliated Outdoors in no time.

Those of you who enjoy your time on the water with rod and reel in hand can definitely get in on the action in March. I know that our buddy Cody Dalton will be hitting the muskie trail hard whenever the conditions are even slightly favorable. Southern bass fishing will definitely start cooking before long, and the Great Lakes won't be far behind with spring walleye runs.

I guess the moral of my little story here is that March is kind of the stepping stone for the outdoor year that lies ahead of us. I look at February as the official end of a given year in the outdoors because that's when my deer season that started in the previous fall concludes. March feels like the official start of a fresh year for me, and it feels pretty darn good.

You begin putting the pieces in place for next deer season by prepping ground or gaining some intel from shed antlers. You kick off your spring turkey prep by scouting or even opening your hunting season. You can even wet a line if Mother Nature is feeling kind.

March definitely isn't my favorite month of the year, but it sure feels better than February. We're collectively one step closer to a lot of great things. Spring turkey hunting, fishing, food plotting, and even a month closer to that distant glimmer of deer hunting season.

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