First things first! Happy birthday to my lovely wife, Wendy.

Is it turkey season yet? Wendy and I are ecstatic about the 2025 season for a lot of reasons, but mostly because we have sighted several birds on our property since moving here late last spring. if I play my cards right, maybe I'll be able to get her on her first gobbler, take it down, and walk back up our hill for breakfast.

Maybe? Nothing beats hunting on your own land. Well, almost nothing. Last week my daughter, Brenn, told me she wants to go hunting with me for the first time. I took the soft approach with her since she came into my life in 2020 always hoping she'd want to come with me one day. I can't think of a more exciting and challenging hunt to introduce her to than chasing gobblers. The season hasn't even started yet here in Virginia, and I already feel like I've tagged out on the hard stuff.

Last week I shared my Arizona mountain lion hunt with Marlin's 1894 Trapper in 44 Magnum in the first installment of The Lever Gun Chronicles, sponsored by GunBroker.Com. There's plenty more coming too. Next week, we'll showcase our first personality feature in the series.

The 2025 hunting season has been fantastic. Outside of my hunting partner not scoring on his mountain lion, the trip was incredibly successful. This hunt, and my aoudad hunt last October, were worth every penny, and I'd like to thank my family for allowing me the time and the finances to successfully hunt two fantastic critters. As most know, or should know, hunting can be quite an investment not just from our wallets but of our far more valuable time here on Earth with family and friends. It sure is nice when we can combine it all, huh?

Have a great week everyone,

— Jay Pinsky
jay@theoutdoorwire.com