It had been a long three hours. We had slipped in well before daylight and popped out a blind along the ridgetop pasture. Our quiet yelps had gone unanswered since sunrise. We knew there were toms in the area; we’d watched them fly up while scouting the evening before, and...
Alabama turkeys are paranoid, unpredictable and unforgiving. They’re not like the Easterns that live in, say, Missouri or Ohio or New York. The birds that lived on my friend Ken Buce’s farm in Alabama were no exception. If one gobbled, he usually got a response from a hunter. And if...
We’ve been asked to practice social distancing in an effort to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus. That means no school, no parties, no public transportation and no hanging out in restaurants. The “don’t list” is long, but we can turkey hunt, and that’s a good thing. In fact,...
Yep, most of the time, it’s best to get a wild turkey into range, and squeeze off a shot dialed-in on the standing bird’s head and neck. Most of the time we do that. Some of the time we don't. This is for those times. You shot. The bird flopped...
There’s something special about watching a young turkey hunter catch the fever when a big ol’ longbeard comes strutting into range. Seeing their eyes go wide and hearing their breath catch when that gobbler spits and drums so close that they can feel it in their chest – that’s when...
Some folks have private honey holes. Filling spring gobbler tags without too much outside hunting pressure is pretty much assured. And then there are the rest of us, the guys who hunt public land turkeys with everyone else. It’s busy. It’s crowded. Some special strategies are in order — and...
One spring turkey season ends and another will begin soon enough. Deer. Duck. Fall turkeys. You name it. In these COVID-19 days of "social distancing," you might need to make some accommodations to the following advice on getting permission to hunt private property. Then again, ever hopeful, an e-mail or...
A look at the most popular mouth-call cuts for turkey hunting. Make Mine a Mouth Call Some guys enjoy turkey call history and trivia. They follow the custom call circuit. They make their own wingbone yelpers. They display calls under glass. That's not me. I love to turkey hunt, and...
The Spring Thunder crew will be hunting Georgia March 25 and 26, and you can follow along on the Realtree Outdoors Facebook page . Watch a live turkey hunt with Tyler Jordan and Riley Green unfold this Wednesday and Thursday morning on the Realtree Outdoors Facebook page. These live episodes...
Not every spring day is clear, calm and warm. In fact, those days are the exceptions. But never fear. Here's your guide to turkey hunting in any weather. Even in the worst weather conditions, turkeys are out there somewhere. But finding them requires thinking like those birds. Paying close attention...
Turkeys aren’t difficult to call. People keep telling you that. Yet, you know they don’t gobble at you much. Even when they do, they don’t come to you. You’ve never had any luck “blind calling,” and truth be told, you watched a group of jakes, supposedly the dumbest creatures in...
Some wild turkey gobblers just don't play fair. The most paranoid game bird on the planet might like your expensive fakes one day ... then run from a hen, jake and strutter setup the next. Henned-up longbeards can seem content as college kids on spring break. Hung-up toms strut through...
A hardcore deer guy, a father of three kids and a turkey hunter who couldn’t care less share their perspectives on finding antlers during turkey season Green Hides the Gold Settlers went West in search of precious metal. But there’s a gold rush of another sort every spring, by the...
February 28, 2020 | Brought to you by Irish Setter
As any seasoned hunter knows, turkey hunting involves a lot more than simply sitting down against a tree. Selecting the right boot shouldn’t be taken lightly. Next to your firearm and your camo pattern, there is no gear decision that is more consequential. Picture this: it’s 5:30 a.m. on a...
When a gobbler is very close, you hear things that are indistinguishable when he’s farther away. In this particular gobble, I heard the deep rumble that provides the floor upon which the gobble itself is built. I heard the metallic rattle that starts near the end of the gobble and...
While turkey hunting always seems to be on my mind, it weighs particularly heavy this time of year. With the season still a month and a half away in my home state of Kentucky, the thought of leaving winter behind and traveling to somewhere with an early turkey season is...
You try to play fair. You float some soft, sweet yelps hoping to pull that gobbler to you, right off the roost. He flies down, gets fired up, and then the boss hen strides in out of nowhere and intercepts your bearded bird of future bragging rights. Roosted ain’t roasted,...
The mountain had an official name, which I can no longer remember. But it doesn’t really matter. “Heart Attack” tells you everything you need to know. The spacious flat top was, and no doubt still is, a good place for a gobbler, but it’s not a friendly place for a...
Have you ever been on an airplane, seen a camo-capped stranger board, and thought to yourself, “I bet that dude's alright”? Us too. Thankful as you might be for good camouflage when a longbeard is staring you down at 10 yards, its meaning is unmistakable outside of the woods, too...
Watch this video from the recent spring turkey season as Phillip Culpepper reviews the OtterBox Trooper LT 30 Soft-Sided Cooler in Realtree EDGE . It features the same OtterBox quality, reliability and smart design features that made its phone cases so popular. The Trooper LT 30 features a largemouth opening...
