Very nice, congrats!!
It's been hot in Virginia. Opening day saw 90 degrees. Pretty much unheard of for mid April. I've hunted opening day in the past when there was frost on the ground. Foliage was almost full on opening day. Right now, it is full, and the woods are dark, even in bright sun, and seeing past 15 yards is darned near impossible. I've hunted 6 days so far. Every day I've hunted has ended up being at least 80 degrees, and two days hiting 90+. Called in one that busted me when I looked over my left shoulder at "a noise" I thought was another hunter coming up a trail. Also got beat to my area twice by another hunter. Two days, someone's hound was running loose barking it's head off, and Thursday, the farmer on the other side of the swamp I hunt set up a diesel-powered pump to pump water out of his pond near the swamp to water his newly planted corn. Never heard a bird on opening day, and never heard one Thursday. I think the heat and the noise shut them down. Heard several the other four days, but they went silent when they hit the ground, as they tend to do here, and never got one to come in except the one that busted me. And I have not heard a shot all season, which is unsusual.
On the other hand, one of the cicada broods we've been hearing about has started to emerge and they are all over the place. It is a sight to behold. Even the squirrels are eating them. I hunted a saddle where several ravines converge on Thursday. It's cooler down in the ravines, there's water, and now a metric ton of cicadas everywhere. But you can't see very far. I'm going to try one more time this season, which ends on May 18. If no luck, then looking forward to fall.
