Turkey

The second week of April I was guiding an older gentlemen and novice turkey hunter and decided I would hunt him from a pop-up blind at a location where I worked several birds earlier in the season. As daylight broke, there were multiple gobblers that gobbled several times a hundred yards in front of the blind. I did one series of tree calls. When the gobblers cut me off, I knew they had heard me.

As a former U.S. Open & World Calling Champion, so often I’m asked, what’s my favorite call…my answer is, “The one the turkey likes on that given day.”

On the South Carolina Youth Turkey day, I took a little buddy that I’ve called turkeys to in past years. He and his dad met me before daylight on that Saturday morning and my young friend was excited to show me his new Ghillie Suit he bought at Bass Pro Shops. For those of you who might not know what a Ghillie Suit is, it’s a suit that typically includes jacket, facemask, pants, and gun wrap and storage bag.

Before season, Heather my daughter, who has taken the Royal Slam and scores of turkeys, sat at the patterning bench and had trouble with being consistent on shot placement. She wasn’t flinching, she wasn’t hurrying and after the tenth round fired, she became frustrated on her inconsistency.

Before each turkey season every hunter needs to pattern and understand their shotgun. It’s commonly misunderstood that with a single or double bead and limits of ducks and ring-necks taken with that shotgun makes it “Turkey Ready”. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Over the last three decades I have conducted a dozen or more youth turkey hunting camps, most through the JAKES (Juniors Acquiring Knowledge, Ethics and Sportsmanship) program of the National Wild Turkey Federation. Additionally, I have enjoyed taking individual children on one-on-one youth season turkey hunts.

The first week of turkey season has passed in my neck of the woods

The turkey hunting action was fast and furious for this episode from hunts over at The Kentucky Proving as we lay out 4 Kentucky Long Beards. Join the GrowingDeer Team as we take down several trophy toms with long spurs and long  beards!

It's the Missouri Turkey Opener!  Adam and I captured some of the most unique and natural turkey action I've ever seen.  Plus, we have Heath Martin taking two Kansas Rios with his new Prime Impact bow!  You'll get to see how the G5 T3 broadhead works on a pair

Birds can be flocked-up during the earliest phase of spring turkey season, and our turkeys were. Jim Martin and I had a plan in the early season to hunt a little old school going after dominant birds, without turkey decoys, while documenting it on video in the Florida panhandle.