Well another turkey season has come and gone and I have to admit I’m tired. The cumulative affect of alot of 4:30 wake up calls takes its toll after awhile. After that, I find myself facing the unenviable and sad task of putting my gear up for the offseason. It is important to store all of your calls in a dry, cool place. I find a useful tool in doing this is a vacuum sealer. Vacuum sealers have become a popular item for hunting and fishing in the storage of game but they’re also great for other things also. I seal my diaphragm calls, my box calls, my pot calls, and my strikers. In fact, I seal just about everything else in my vest. It makes for neat and compact storage. I’ve attached a picture of my work. Until next time,

Gobble and Strut!

There is nothing worse than being sick during turkey season and I have been cursed with the worse case of bronchitis a person could ever want. Besides just feeling rotten, it is hard to turkey hunt when you are coughing up enough stuff to clog 3 Cough Silencers. Since I have not been able to hunt, I thought I would share some information on some of the gear I use when I turkey hunt. I am a self proclaimed gear freak and if it’s new, I’ll buy it. The folks at Bass Pro Shops start chuckling and drooling when they see me walking through the parking lot because corporate profits are going to rise!

Having said all that, hear are most of the items that I have been known to carry into the field with me.

Vest: Every person needs a good turkey vest and I own five or six. I’m a little portly around the middle and I like a vest with lots of room, a good seat, and pleaty of pockets. I typically carry two or three pot calls and I want the vest to hold several strikers.

Calls:
1. Pot Calls: I like to carry two pot calls. Why two? I typically like one for loud calling and one for softer calling. My loud pot is the Primos Power Crystal™. For the money, this is one of the best buys out there. It really reaches out and touches those Toms on a windy day. My soft pot is a Roberts Brothers 2-1 Pro Hunter 100 dual-sided call. One side is glass while the other side is a small slate. The small slate is perfect for tree yelps and seductive yelping. By flipping from side to side, I can create multiple turkeys talking.
2. Mouth Calls: I’m not the greatest mouth caller and I have a very small mouth frame. My favorite small frame call is a Preston Pittman’s Black Diamond. It is really soft and it cuts well.
3. Box Calls: I love the Primos The Heart Breaker™. Its great on windy days or when that Tom wants to hear something different.

Call Accessories

1. Chalk
2. Primos The Slick Stick™ – this handy little device allows me to quickly scratch up and season my pot calls. Its also carries chalk for my box call.

Blinds – I use 2 different kind of blinds depending upon how I am going to be hunting?

1. If I am going to be moving a lot, I use a collapsible blind. This blind folds up very compact and fits in the back of my hunting vest. I can set it up in about 30 seconds.
2. If I am going to be in one spot for an extended period of time. I’ll use my Scentite Chair/Blind. I could kiss the person who invented this. Imagine one of those nice comfortable camp chairs complete with cup holders surrounded by a water proof cover. It is a little more expensive but a great blind. It is also great for still hunting during deer season. It is also great for naps and reading.

Decoys:

1. A good lightweight movable hen decoy
2. My gobbler decoy is the Primos B-Mobile™. I have hunted with several full size gobbler decoys and this one is the daddy rabbit.

Other items:
1. My 2 way communiation radios that I use when hunting with somebody else. These can be the secret weapon for silent communication.
2. Pruning Shears
3. Toilet Paper
4. Water Bottle
5. A good paperback
6. Bug Spray
7. Camo face mask
8. Camo gloves
9. Energy Bar
10. The Ellington and Rush Cough Silencer. – they do work!

I hope you’re healthier than me and having lots of good hunts.

Until next time,

GOBBLE AND STRUT!