by Brian Lovett, T&TH editor
See the picture above? That’s poison ivy. Before every turkey season, I remind myself what it looks like and where it grows. And after every season, I kick myself for having somehow coated myself with urushiol, the oily allergen in poison ivy. I’ve done so, to varying degrees, 13 straight springs.
My Spring 2011 case was world-class. It started on my left wrist, spread up my left arm, and then found its way to my right arm and both thighs. At one point, it looked like I had severe burns on my left arm.
People ask me where I got it. My response, of course, is that if I knew where I’d picked it up, I wouldn’t have gotten it at all. I think it was Wisconsin or Kansas, and probably resulted from some low-level relocation on a gobbler.
Before next turkey season, learn to identify and avoid poison ivy. And then do me a favor: Send me an e-mail with a link to this blog so I can attempt to avoid getting poison ivy for the 14th consecutive turkey season.