Just What the Doctor Ordered!

Well, if you had a strong case of cabin fever, the past week's weather sure felt like the cure!

 In just a few short days central Iowa has exploded into spring and even summer-like weather with central Iowa's first 80s and some strong storms.

This heat has brought about a lot of blossoms as we've raised the ground temps into the 50s and 60s. It's even warm enough now for my mom's asparagus to emerge.

Several flowers are blooming in the Iowa woods. I'll often find these alongside morels, but I went out this past Sunday 4/28, but I didn't find anything.

We're still "early" in the spring season as far as the woods are concerned. With the recent 80s, I'd suspect pockets of Morchella Deliciosa (little greys) are awaiting in central and southern Iowa. South facing hills would be my target area to find them. Look for Violets, Dandelions and grass at least 10" high for areas with soil temps warm enough. In some cases, there can be a 10-15 degree difference in the soil temps from one side of the hill to another. This warm up may have been just enough heat for some spotty morels in southern Iowa, so I'll still be looking this week.

The recent warmth was great for fishing too! Water temps are up into the 50s now, with the Des Moines river right around 55F as of 4/30. Bryan got a nice 13" pre-spawn Crappie out of Big Creek with this weekend's nice weather!

Congrats Crawford Hubbell!

The turkeys in my area have gone from just a few gobbles here and there to a more persistent chattering. Just last weekend Heather and I sat and listened to around 100 gobbles inside of 5 hours. We saw several hens, but only 3 timid young toms who seemed a bit decoy shy. We didn't have any luck, but congrats to one of the readers who tagged out on his first ever turkey hunt with an 18lb jake! I am still waiting for my first turkey, so hats off to him.

Like all good things, this nice weather will come to an end. And just as the trees are beginning to exchange their winter brown for an emerald green, more wintry air is moving in. Highs will plunge into the 30s and lows will dip into the 20s. Parts of the state will have a chance for snow showers later in the week and this chill will put a lid on our outdoors adventures for a bit.

I'm going to attempt to turkey hunt in the rain, wind and snow just to make the best of this crummy pattern. I'll let you know how it goes. Good luck with the cool, showery stretch!