Turkey Blog with Steve Hickoff

Steve Hickoff is Realtree.com'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.

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5 Ways to Share a Turkey Hunting Blind

March 12, 2019  |  Turkey Blog with Steve Hickoff

Even the most hardcore run-and-gun wild turkey hunter might spend some quality time in a pop-up blind. Weather factors often make it necessary. Wind. Rain. Sleet. Snow. Sub-freezing spring temperatures. One season in Nebraska it was so cold – 17 degrees if I remember, with a gusty wind – the...

The New Remington V3 Turkey Pro in Realtree Timber Camo

March 12, 2019  |  Turkey Blog with Steve Hickoff

Check out this video to learn more about the Remington V3 Turkey Pro in Realtree Timber camo. Learn More : The Remington V3 Turkey Pro in Realtree Timber (Josh Honeycutt video)

The H.S. Strut UnderTaker Chest Pack in Realtree Camo

March 11, 2019  |  Turkey Blog with Steve Hickoff

Hunters Specialties produces a lot of great gear for turkey hunters. The H.S. Strut UnderTaker Chest Pack in Realtree camo is just one of them. Watch this video to see all of the useful features it includes. MSRP: $44.99 (Josh Honeycutt video) More on the H.S. Strut UnderTaker Chest Pack...

3 Ways to Tag an Opening Day Gobbler

March 11, 2019  |  Turkey Blog with Steve Hickoff

Let’s face it. These are busy times for most everyone; especially us turkey hunters. Try these strategies to maximize your time and effort – and you might even put your tag on a gobbler opening day. Fly-Down Time Fly-down time involves an early rising, the drive to your spot, the...

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New Strut Commander Box Calls for Turkey Hunting

March 11, 2019  |  Turkey Blog with Steve Hickoff

Word on the new Strut Commander box calls for turkey hunting.

2019 NWTF Convention & Sport Show Highlight Video

March 8, 2019  |  Turkey Blog with Steve Hickoff

The National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) is the greatest conservation group working on behalf of the wild turkey in the history of modern wildlife management. If you're a longtime member as I am, you've seen wild turkey numbers grow since the organization's beginnings in 1973. And you've seen our hunting...

Watch a Gobbler Breed a Hen

March 8, 2019  |  Turkey Blog with Steve Hickoff

Some wild turkey breeding facts . . . In spring, a male turkey gobbles to call hens for mating. A gobbler’s strutting is a spring mating display. When willing, a hen squats on the ground before a gobbler. The gobbler, twice her size, climbs on her back and they breed...

10 Things to Say After Your Turkey Bud Misses

March 5, 2019  |  Turkey Blog with Steve Hickoff

The gobbler, amazing thing that he is, stands in range and we whiff. The sight of a longbeard running away will sicken most of us far worse than any tilt-a-whirl ride at the country fair. Been there? Most times, right after, we don't want to hear anything from the person...

10 Tips for Turkey Hunting Henned-Up Gobblers

March 5, 2019  |  Turkey Blog with Steve Hickoff

Every year we hear the whining in turkey camp: “They’re all henned up!” Here are some tricks to getting that gobbler all to yourself. 1 . You've found a gobbler but that turkey is with a lot of hens. In this kind of situation, you need to rise earlier than...

Realtree Video: Turkey Hunting in the Wind

March 5, 2019  |  Turkey Blog with Steve Hickoff

Treetops shake. Branches fall. Strong gusts whip past your head. Turkey hunting in the wind takes your ears away. Same goes for the big birds you're chasing. Still, there are some tactics for adjusting to this challenge. Check out these Realtree video tips for turkey hunting in the wind. Go...

3 Turkey Hunting Decoy Tricks for Tough Birds

February 26, 2019  |  Turkey Blog with Steve Hickoff

I learned something about turkey decoys in each of the three following situations. You can too. Situation 1 Time of Year : Opening Day. Challenge : Heavy hunting pressure. Decoy Trick : I’d been working these hung-up Maine gobblers all morning. They just wouldn’t budge. For hours, we both made...

9 Things You Should Do After Killing a Turkey

February 26, 2019  |  Turkey Blog with Steve Hickoff

The longbeard you want gobbles on the roost. Gobbles on the ground. Gobbles in range. And you make a clean, ethical shot. In the rush of sweet moments after killing a wild turkey, it's sometimes hard to catch your breath. Of course, a lot of folks first check the spurs...

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