May is a great month for sportsmen

Anglers, hunters have great opportunities in May.

Is May the best month for outdoorsmen in the Carolinas? If squirrels were still in season, it would be for me. One of my earliest memories of the year’s fifth month involves me fishing for bluegills and shellcrackers with my dad and uncle, and I’m not even sure which lake or river we were on, but we were in a big string of beds and catching them like mad.

Some other anglers pulled their boat over to see how we were doing, and my uncle didn’t like having that kind of company. He told us to drop our bare hooks in the water so that we wouldn’t catch fish while the encroachers were present.

We did that, and, you guessed it, the fish bit just as hot. I’ve never caught fish so easily while trying so hard to NOT catch fish. Of course, it’s not that easy all the time, but if it’s going to happen, this is one month when it wouldn’t surprise me.

Another, more recent May memory that sticks with me is catching rainbow trout in South Carolina’s upstate one morning, then frying those fish that same evening while watching the sun set in the lowcountry, ready to chase redfish the next morning.

I have many other fond memories of May, and I’m sure most of you do as well. It’s a great time of year, and the first month when we can realistically leave the house in the mornings in nothing but shorts, sandals and a shirt, and never need anything more, at least on most days. The heat of summer is coming, but not quite here yet, so it’s a great month to spend as much time outdoors as possible.

And May isn’t about just fishing. For turkey hunters that haven’t filled their tags yet, you’ve still got part of this month to get that butterball flopping.

Speaking of turkey hunting, our Tag-A-Turkey Contest is going strong, and we continue to add prizes as manufacturers come on board with sponsorships.

Check out the Tag-A-Turkey Gallery on our website, and see some of the entrants in this issue.