Steve Hickoff is the Realtree Turkey Hunting Editor and Blogger. He’s been beaten by more birds than he can remember. Still he kills enough to eat well, and fool with beards, spurs and fans until the next season. Pennsylvania born and raised, Maine is his home base now. A full-time outdoor communicator with a couple university writing degrees, he chases spring gobblers and fall flocks around the country. It's "all turkeys, all the time" on the Realtree Turkey Blog.
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Meet Eddie Salter!

Want to meet Eddie Salter, Hunter's Specialties' Pro Staffer, and star of the Realtree "Beards or Bust" competition (as seen on the 2011 DVD "All-Stars of Spring XVIII")?
Salter will appear at Woods and Water in Tuscaloosa, Alabama on March 4-6, 2011, from 1-3 p.m., and present a "Seminar on Turkey."
Contact information:
Woods and Water
5101 Summit Ridge
Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35405
205-342-4868
(Source and courtesy photo: Howard Communications, Inc.)
Realtree All-Stars of Spring XVIII

Realtree's All-Stars of Spring XVIII turkey hunting DVD brings an exciting new twist to wild turkey hunting footage with the new and extremely popular "Beards or Bust" competition. Two turkey hunting teams hit the road with a handful of rules and a road map. The goal? Take all four subspecies of North American wild turkey within set time limits, budgets and laws. Everyone involved had a blast, and you'll have almost as much fun watching the turkey hunting clips and learning unique hunting tips...without putting all the miles on your truck!
This new spring turkey hunting video also features an inspiring story revolving around Jeremy Williams, a fine man stricken with Lou Gehrig's Disease. Watch his hunt with Bill and Tyler Jordan, and see how so many people, including those with Extreme Makeover; Home Edition, came together to help Jeremy and his family. This remarkable story will leave you proud to be a turkey hunter.
Of course, this All-Stars DVD offers much more - an incredible 36 hunts from 10 states: Georgia, Alabama, South Dakota, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, Wyoming, Florida, Colorado and Oklahoma. You'll no doubt leave your couch a better turkey hunter after watching Realtree All Stars of Spring XVIII.
Available at your local sporting goods retailer, 800.474.8733 or www.realtree.com/store
Click here for the video trailer:
Spooked Turkeys Come Back
February 21, 2011 | By Steve Hickoff
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Bump a turkey, and your day’s hunt is finished. Maybe not mine though.
This particular lesson came in the Show-Me-State. All morning my hunting buddy and I watched a Missouri strutter and his hen do their thing far across a wide field. At one point, frustrated by the sight of the Dynamic Duo, my friend said: “Let’s see if we can reposition on those turkeys.” We made plans to crash their party.
Problem is, we bumped the lovebirds as our white truck approached. Yeah, we wanted to move on them, but not run them out of there.
“What do you want to do now?” he hissed.
“Let’s go sit tight exactly where they were.” We did.
We called softly, waited. Waited some more. And then . . .
“Strutter to our left,” I whispered, easing the shotgun toward the longbeard. My bud didn’t answer. The hen crunched dry leaves on the approach behind him.
The strutting gobbler minced steps in and I shot him.
You ever have any luck with setting up on second-chance spring turkeys? Let us know in the comments section below.
(Steve Hickoff photo)
New Florida Spring Turkey Rules

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) reminds hunters that there are changes this spring turkey season.
Because of safety concerns among Florida's turkey hunters, the FWC passed a rule that limits the methods of take allowed during spring turkey hunts on wildlife management areas (WMAs). The new rule restricts guns to shotguns and muzzleloading shotguns (using shot no larger than No. 2) and allows bows and crossbows. All rifles, pistols, buckshot and slugs are prohibited during spring turkey hunts on WMAs.
The exceptions are on Joe Budd, Raiford and Santa Fe Swamp, where muzzleloading rifles are still allowed because spring turkey hunting on these areas is restricted to primitive guns only.
This rule does not apply to turkey hunting on private lands.
The second new rule established a special two-day youth turkey hunt on private lands the weekend prior to the opening of spring turkey season in each hunting zone. In Zone A (the southern portion of Florida, south of State Road 70), this youth turkey hunting weekend is Feb. 26-27. In the remainder of the state, this special youth hunt is March 12-13.
Only those under 16 years old may harvest a turkey while supervised by an adult, 18 years or older. And as long as the adult supervisor doesn't actively participate in the hunt, no license or permit is required for either youth or adult.
If the adult wants to help "call in" a turkey, set out decoys or participate otherwise, he or she needs a hunting license ($17 for residents, $46 for a 10-day nonresident license) and turkey permit ($10 for residents, $125 for nonresidents). Nevertheless, only the youth can pull the trigger. And any turkey harvested counts toward the youth hunter's spring season limit of two.
This spring, the youth turkey hunt applies only to private property, the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes Area, the Kissimmee River Public Use Area and Lake Monroe WMA.
Contact: Tony Young, 850-488-7867
(Steve Hickoff photo)
NWTF Convention & Sport Show!

You'll hear more turkey calling on Feb. 16-20, 2011 than you might all season.
Assuming you travel to Nashville, Tennessee then for the annual National Wild Turkey Federation's Convention & Sport Show, that is.
You can sample some of the new line of turkey products. You can rub elbows with well-known personalities, and other hunters like you. You'll find seminars, auctions, musical entertainment, youth events, and calling contests where the best in the turkey world compete.
We'll keep you posted on news from the big event. Stay tuned as we all wait for the spring turkey seasons to come.
Click here for more information: http://www.nwtf.org/special_events/convention.html
Sponsored by DataSport
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