Turkey Blog with Steve Hickoff

Realtree turkey hunting editor Steve Hickoff has chased gobblers all over the United States and Mexico. He was born and raised in northcentral Pennsylvania, and now makes his home in Maine. Hickoff was named the NWTF Tom Kelly Communicator of the Year for 2019, a prestigious award reflecting his longtime work promoting hunting and conservation as a turkey hunting writer, editor and book author.

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There's Another Turkey Hunter in Your Spot. Now What?

February 16, 2021   |  Turkey Blog with Steve Hickoff

Every day was a Saturday last spring turkey season. Travel restrictions kept some folks close to home. Permit and license sales jumped for many states, as did kill numbers. Turkeys — and hunters chasing those birds — felt more pressure. And at least some of that increased pressure is likely...

Ride Your Bike to Turkey Hunt

February 9, 2021   |  Turkey Blog with Steve Hickoff

You silently move along a skinny game trail through the woods toward birds you roosted last night on the same bike. You hide your rig inside a natural blind. Confidently you sit, take a breath, raise your camo facemask, and settle in — certain you’ll feel no pressure from other...

How Can These Turkey Hunting Laws Be Legal?

February 5, 2021   |  Turkey Blog with Steve Hickoff

Game laws are intended to limit certain equipment and hunting tactics to ensure a certain degree of fair chase. Unfortunately, some hunting gear and strategies, while legal, stray over the line of sporting ethics. As the saying goes, “Legal ain’t always right.” Take the following examples, for instance. In Maine,...

Turkey Hunting Nation Northeast Update

February 4, 2021   |  Turkey Blog with Steve Hickoff

Pennsylvania, known for its strong turkey hunting tradition, is also home to many award-winning call makers. Both New York and New Jersey hunters also enjoy some decent spring gobbler opportunities annually. Maryland and Delaware, fringe states on a turkey hunter’s radar — and known more for their coastal waterfowling traditions...

Turkey Hunting Nation Midwest Update

February 2, 2021   |  Turkey Blog with Steve Hickoff

Want to know where to go in the Midwest, get some insider intel along the way, plus details on the current state populations of turkeys and last season’s spring kill? Sure you do. Get your read on with our turkey hunting forecast for these dozen Midwestern states. Ohio The Buckeye...

Turkey Hunting Nation West Update

January 26, 2021   |  Turkey Blog with Steve Hickoff

Want to know where to go out West, get some insider intel along the way, plus details on the current state populations of turkeys and last season’s spring kill? Sure you do. Get your read on with our Turkey Hunting Nation updates for the dozen Western states, including available public...

Turkey Hunting Nation Southwest Update

January 21, 2021   |  Turkey Blog with Steve Hickoff

The Southwest region of the United States not only includes Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Arizona but also California, Nevada, Utah and Colorado. Each state has its own unique character, and four subspecies can be hunted across the entire region. The news is good regarding hatches and low hunting pressure...

Turkey Hunting Nation Southeast Update

January 19, 2021   |  Turkey Blog with Steve Hickoff

In the Southeast, as with some other regions of turkey country, flock populations are trending downward. Disease, habitat challenges, management variables and predator influences are all factors, including sadly, poaching. That said, there are some bright spots. Want to know where to go in the Southeast, get some insider intel...

Best States for Winter Turkey Hunting

December 17, 2020   |  Turkey Blog with Steve Hickoff

Winter turkey seasons are a sweet tease toward the more traditional spring hunts. State depending, the weather might be bug-dope balmy. Or downright neck-gaiter bitter. Filling tags can be incidental to hunting whitetail deer, a byproduct of it — or may be road-trip intentional for the year-round hardcore turkey hunter...

Alabama Turkey Hunting Regulation Changes Proposed

November 19, 2020   |  Turkey Blog with Steve Hickoff

Alabama’s 2020 spring turkey kill on opening weekend was 43% higher than in 2019. This no doubt made for a bunch of happy hunters. Increased success and overall participation is also good news for wildlife agencies and regional economies. But with it comes a challenge: Can existing turkey populations sustain...

Patience Kills Fall Gobblers

November 5, 2020   |  Turkey Blog with Steve Hickoff

We had scattered the gobbler gang with dogs trained to the task. It was a group of red-headed birds, coal-black with swinging beards sailing off in five different directions. They’d make us pay that sunny but bitter cold, early November day. Yep, we’d have to put in our time. After...

3 Offbeat Tactics for Fall Turkey Hunting

October 22, 2020   |  Turkey Blog with Steve Hickoff

Maybe you're in a bit of a rut. Sitting on the edge of a field day after day, waiting for a flock of turkeys to walk by, gets pretty old. These three tactics are more exciting, and they just might help you put a tag on your fall bird. 1...

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