Plan: Decoys at first light. Hen call sequence. Wood line near the creek. That old tom—the one with the split beard—he’ll be there.

April 30, 2025. The hunt was on.

Here’s a short story based on the prompt “Indiana 2025 turkey season dates.” Ray Barnett had been waiting for this moment since last spring. He sat at his worn kitchen table, the morning sun slanting through the dusty window of his farmhouse outside Bloomington. In one hand, a cold cup of coffee. In the other, his phone, open to the Indiana DNR website.