Turkey Blog with Steve Hickoff

Steve Hickoff is Realtree's Editorial Director and Turkey Hunting Editor. 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.

  • 5 Ways to Call the Whole Flock in While Fall Turkey Hunting

    September 19, 2017  |  Turkey Blog with Steve Hickoff

    Yes, you can call the whole fall turkey flock to your position and pick out the bird you want. I'm a longtime practitioner of hunting fall turkeys with dogs trained to find flocks, scatter them, then sit quitely at the setup as you call separated birds back. It's a legal...

  • How to Kill a Longbeard While Fall Turkey Hunting

    September 19, 2017  |  Turkey Blog with Steve Hickoff

    Pattern fall longbeards? Scatter them for the calling advantage? Either way, you wait. Check out these tips to get one by the feet. Big gobblers flush far. Sometimes they take their time regrouping, but other instances prove otherwise. Can’t call them in? Can’t wait that long? You can wait for...

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How to Kill a Fall Turkey While Deer Hunting

September 12, 2017  |  Turkey Blog with Steve Hickoff

Turkeys and deer often like to share the same habitats, we all know that. And sometimes, both archery and firearms seasons coincide for both game species. Before you draw your bow or pull that trigger, are you hunting legally? Are you willing to take a wild turkey when deer are...

3 Reasons You Shouldn't Use a Decoy for Fall Turkey Hunting

September 5, 2017  |  Turkey Blog with Steve Hickoff

The use of turkey hunting decoys in the fall is smart or stupid, depending. First, some reasons why you shouldn't use decoys when fall turkey hunting. 1. Either-Sex Turkey Hunts In many of the 42 states permitting fall turkey hunting, either-sex birds are legal to take.This means it's important to...

5 Dumb Things People Who Don't Fall Turkey Hunt Say About It

September 5, 2017  |  Turkey Blog with Steve Hickoff

All due respect, and I’m not one to judge, but some things people say about fall turkey hunting are just wrong-headed. Maybe it’s social media chest-thumping – or maybe not. What seems to me though is a lot of opinion isn’t necessarily based on fact. Ask any serious fall turkey...

How to Trap Raccoons Video

August 15, 2017  |  Turkey Blog with Steve Hickoff

Why trap raccoons? As Roger Culpepper says in the video, "The turkeys appreciate it . . ." Raccoons are among the many egg-eating predators out there. Wildlife management on your property can help wild turkeys thrive better. As the late great Lovett E. Williams, Jr. wrote in his classic book...

Vermont Spring Turkey Hunting Record Set

August 1, 2017  |  Turkey Blog with Steve Hickoff

According to a preliminary report from Vermont Fish & Wildlife, registration data shows hunters tagged a record number of birds this past spring, with the highest turkey kill ever recorded in the Green Mountain State. Want details? Hunters brought home 6,570 wild turkeys during the spring hunting season, including 743...

Video: Turkey Hunting Grand Slam with Special Meaning

July 25, 2017  |  Turkey Blog with Steve Hickoff

Realtree pro staffer Anthony Virga 's completion of his turkey hunting Grand Slam was unlike many others. He did it for a close friend, his late buddy Joey. Watch the video here and comment below. Bonus Photo Blog : Turkey Hunting Grand Slam for a Friend Go here for more...

5 Tips to Help Travel with Hunting Dogs

July 18, 2017  |  Turkey Blog with Steve Hickoff

If you travel with hunting dogs as I do – any canine pet really – portable, cushioned beds are essential. Good food and fresh water, including a collapsible dish, are also mainstays. Over the past 20 years my English setters have put on many road miles with me. They’ve been...

5 Tips to Keep Your Hunting Dog Happy

July 4, 2017  |  Turkey Blog with Steve Hickoff

Between early September and late December, I'm on the road, most often in my pickup truck, hunting multiple states for fall turkey flocks. And ducks. And geese. And all those smaller upland birds. We get out plenty here at home as well. My English setter Luna, like my canine hunting...

Iowa Turkey Hunters Killed Fewer Birds Than Last Spring

June 27, 2017  |  Turkey Blog with Steve Hickoff

According to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, hunters killed nearly 11,800 Iowa birds this spring, roughly 400 birds fewer than 2016. Iowa's five spring turkey seasons kicked off April 8 with the youth season. The regular spring turkey season ended on May 21. On the upside, Iowa hunters purchased...

Maryland Turkey Hunters Set a Record This Spring

June 20, 2017  |  Turkey Blog with Steve Hickoff

Maryland rarely comes up in conversations about turkey hunting, but hunters there set a record for the state this past spring season. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) has announced that hunters reported taking a record 4,175 wild turkeys during the 2017 regular spring and junior hunt turkey seasons...

Ohio Spring Turkey Season Kill Tops 21,000 Birds

June 13, 2017  |  Turkey Blog with Steve Hickoff

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) shared some great news about this past spring turkey season: Ohio hunters checked a total of 21,015 wild turkeys during the combined 2017 spring wild turkey south zone hunting season; northeast zone hunting season; and the youth wild turkey hunting season, April 22-May...

5 Things to Do Since Turkey Hunting Season is Over

June 6, 2017  |  Turkey Blog with Steve Hickoff

It's official. Turkey hunting season is over. Part of you feels a little sad it all ended, and part of you is probably relieved . You've been running for weeks, working hard to cover the monthly bills, trying to locate birds for the morning fly-down, roosting turkeys and surely getting...

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