Hopefully, you’ve already started brushing up on your turkey calling, ’cause spring gobbler season is here. Whether you prefer to use a mouth call, box call, slate or any combination, March means it’s time to talk turkey and I, for one, am in full turkey mode!

Youth hunters can benefit from the two-day, youth spring turkey hunting season the weekend prior to the opening of spring turkey season. This Youth Spring Turkey Hunt occurs on private lands and on 78 of theFlorida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s wildlife management areas.

South of State Road 70 this year, that weekend was Feb. 22-23. In the rest of the state, that weekend falls on March 8-9.

Only those under 16 years old are allowed to harvest a turkey while supervised by an adult, 18 years or older. On private land, no license or permit is required of the youth or supervising adult, unless the adult plans to help “call-in” the bird or otherwise participate in the hunt. In that case, he or she will need a hunting license and turkey permit.

Forty-nine of the 78 participating WMAs require a youth spring turkey quota permit, and if the adult supervisor is going to attempt to call in a bird on any of the 78 WMAs, he or she also will need a management area permit in addition to a hunting license and turkey permit.

But, keep in mind that adults are not allowed to do the shooting; only the kids may harvest a bird.

During spring turkey season on WMAs, firearms are restricted to shotguns and muzzleloading shotguns only, using shot no larger than No. 2. All legal bows and crossbows (on most areas) can also be used, but all rifles, pistols, buckshot and slugs are prohibited during spring turkey hunts on WMAs.

This rule does not apply, however, to private property, where any legal rifle, shotgun, muzzleloader, crossbow, bow or pistol can be used to take turkeys.

One of the most coveted and sought-after game species in Florida is the Osceola turkey, also known as the Florida turkey. This unique bird is one of five subspecies of wild turkey in North America.

The Osceola lives only on the Florida peninsula and nowhere else in the world, making it extremely popular with out-of-state hunters. They’re similar to the eastern subspecies (found in the Panhandle) but tend to be a bit smaller and typically are darker with less white barring on the primary flight feathers of their wings.

The National Wild Turkey Federation and the FWC recognize any wild turkey harvested within or south of the counties of Dixie, Gilchrist, Alachua, Union, Bradford, Clay and Duval to be the Osceola subspecies. Eastern turkeys and hybrids are found north and west of these counties and into the Panhandle.

For us adults, the highly anticipated spring turkey season comes in first south of S.R. 70 and runs March 1 – April 6. In the rest of the state (except for Holmes County), it runs March 15 – April 20. In Holmes County, the season runs March 15-30.

Hunters may take bearded turkeys and gobblers only, and the daily bag limit is one. The season and possession limit on turkeys is two, except in Holmes County, where the season limit is one.

Shooting hours on private lands are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset, but on WMAs, you must quit hunting at 1 p.m.

To participate in spring turkey hunting, you’ll need a Florida hunting license and a turkey permit. If you plan to pursue a gobbler on one of Florida’s many WMAs, you also must purchase a management area permit.

All of these licenses and permits are available at county tax collectors’ offices, most retail outlets that sell hunting and fishing supplies, by calling 888-HUNT-FLORIDA (486-8356), or online at License.MyFWC.com.

And if you didn’t put in for a special-opportunity or quota permit, don’t worry; several WMAs don’t require them. Click on “Where to spring turkey hunt without a quota permit” to see a list of WMAs where you need only a hunting license, management area permit and turkey permit to hunt spring turkeys.

Tony Young, of the Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission, and his wife, Katie, have a turkey hunting trip planned in South Florida with old friends, and they are really looking forward to going after an Osceola for their first time.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: OUTTA THE WOODS: Talkin' turkey

DESTIN — The Okaloosa Arts Alliance is celebrating its "Summer Fun" poster contest's sixth year in conjunction with the arts organization's annual arts festival.

"The OAA wants to know what you consider 'summer fun,'"  executive director Amy Baty stated in a media release. "It can be anything you can create on paper with markers, pencils, paint, pastels, charcoal or crayons."

The May 17 Spring Fest features live entertainment, arts and craft vendors, live animals, face painting, hands-on art activities, a silent auction and a display of posters from the contest.

The free, family-friendly event, formerly called the Family Fun Arts Fest Spring Fest, relocated last year from Henderson Beach State Park to Harbor Walk Village in Destin. On the Coast magazine is a sponsor.

The contest is open to all Okaloosa County School District students, with gift card prizes awarded in the elementary, middle and high school categories.

First prize in each category is a $75 gift card. Second-place winners receive a $50 gift card, while third-place winners receive a $25 card. First-place winners' art will be used on 2015 Spring Fest promotional materials.

WANT TO ENTER?

The Okaloosa Arts Alliance's "Summer Fun" poster contest is open to Okaloosa County School District students. First-, second- and third-place prizes are awarded in the elementary, middle and high school categories.

Posters must be 8.5 by 11 inches, and should include the artist's name, grade and school name. Mail entries to the Okaloosa Arts Alliance, Attention: School Poster Contest, P.O. Box 4426, Fort Walton Beach, FL 32549-4426.

Winners will be announced at the May 17 Spring Fest. Visit www.okaloosaarts.org for complete rules or contact Amy Baty, amybaty1@gmail.com or 499-8335, for more information.

Email News Bulletin Staff Arts and Entertainment Editor Brian Hughes, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: OAA student 'summer fun' poster contest enters 6th year

CRESTVIEW — The first "B" in the Triple B Festival stands for Blackwater. Area students may interpret the nearby river in "The First B" art poster contest held in conjunction with this year's festival.

The Crestview Area Chamber of Commerce Arts and Culture committee, the contest sponsor, asks student artists, "How do you see the Blackwater? History? Nature? Recreation?"

Elementary, middle or high school students at any north Okaloosa County school may enter. Prizes will be awarded in the three grade-level categories.

North county resident students who are home schooled or attend Collegiate High School or a private school are also eligible, committee chairwoman Rae Schwartz said.

"The Blackwater River component of 'Triple-B' isn't usually included in the festival," Schwartz said. "This contest is an opportunity for our great student artists to make this historic waterway part of the event."

"… Let your imagination flow like the Blackwater River!"

All entries, due March 21, will be exhibited during the March 29 Blackwater, Bluegrass and Barbecue festival on Main Street, Schwartz said. Winners will be announced during the event.

Prizes, donated by the Okaloosa County Teachers Federal Credit Union, are $100 for first place, $50 for second place and $25 for third place in each of the three categories.

Contest rules

All north Okaloosa County elementary, middle and high school students can participate in the Crestview Area Chamber of Commerce Arts and Culture Committee's "The First B" Triple B student art poster contest.

Guidelines are as follows:

• All entries must be original artwork by the student entrant and must incorporate the artist's interpretation of the Blackwater River.

• Only one entry per student is allowed

• Posters must be 8 1/2 by 11 inches and may be produced in any medium.

• The student artist's name, school, grade and teacher's name must be written on the back of the poster.

• Homeschooled students, Collegiate High School and private school students who live north of the Shoal River in Okaloosa County must write their name, grade, home address, phone and email contact information on the back of their entries.

• First-, second- and third-place winners will be chosen in each of the three categories: elementary (kindergarten through fifth grades), middle (sixth through eighth grades) and high school (ninth through 12th grades).

• Posters must be received by March 21 by mail or in person at the Crestview Area Chamber of Commerce, 1447 Commerce Drive, Crestview FL 32539-6944.

Contact Arts and Culture Committee chairwoman Rae Schwartz, bakerny@yahoo.com or 585-5672, for more details.

Email News Bulletin Staff Arts and Entertainment Editor Brian Hughes, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: North county students invited to interpret Blackwater River in art

Don’t let a lack of time or space get in the way of gardening your way to a healthy lifestyle.  Plant a container of nutritious vegetables and herbs.  Include a few planters on the front porch, back patio or right outside the kitchen door.

All that’s needed is some potting mix, fertilizer, plants and a container with drainage holes.  A fifteen to twenty-four inch diameter pot or twenty-four to thirty-six inch long window box is a good starting size.  Bigger containers hold more plants and moisture longer, so it can be watered less frequently. 

Check containers daily and water thoroughly as needed.  Self-watering pots need less frequent watering, allowing busy gardeners and travelers the opportunity to grow plants in pots with minimal care.

Fill the container with a well-drained potting mix.  Read the label on the container mix bag. Add a slow release organic nitrogen fertilizer, like Milorganite(milorganite.com), at planting for better results with less effort.  It provides small amounts of nutrients throughout most of the season and eliminates the need to mix and water in fertilizer throughout the growing season. Sprinkle a bit more on the soil surface midseason or when changing out your plantings.

Mix colorful flowers with nutritious vegetables for attractive, healthy results. Bright Lights Swiss Chard, pansies (their flowers are edible), colorful leaf lettuce, spinach, radishes, and trailing ivy make a great cool season combination.  Fresh-from-the-container-garden vegetables make the best tasting salads and the greens provide Vitamins A and C as well as calcium.  Use the pansy flowers to dress up a salad or frozen in ice cubes for an added gourmet touch to beverages.

For summer, use a tomato, pepper, eggplant or peas, beans, and cucumbers trained on a trellis.  All are packed full of nutrients and make a great vertical accent. Surround the towering vegetables with purple basil, tri-color sage, carrots, beets and a colorful trailing annual like verbena, lantana, or bidens.

Don’t forget to squeeze in a few onions or garlic.  The fragrant foliage can be decorative and these vegetables help lower blood sugar and cholesterol, while aiding in digestion.

So be creative and add a few small-scale, attractive vegetables high in nutritional value to a variety of containers this season.

Gardening expert, TV/radio host, author & columnist Melinda Myers has more than 30 years of horticulture experience and has written over 20 gardening books, including Can’t Miss Small Space Gardening. 

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Grow a nutritious garden in a pot