With their position in the food chain, wild turkeys haven’t survived for millennia being careless and predictable. What makes turkey hunting fun and downright addictive is there are few hard and fast rules about wild turkey behavior. Regarding such, a veteran turkey hunting friend once commented, “Turkeys roost in trees...
Action is nonstop in the turkey woods from late winter through early summer. Gobbler and hen flocks converge to settle their respective pecking orders, defend territories, court, breed, nest and just be turkeys. Learn every phase of the wild turkey’s spring breeding season on your hunting grounds. Use good ol’...
Few game animals are tougher than a wild turkey that’s been pressured . They can give even the most seasoned longbeard killers fits. It’s just how things are. But one thing is for sure: Pressured turkeys are still killable turkeys. You just have to adapt your tactical approach to fit...
Southern turkey hunters get an early start on the rest of the country, often beginning their spring season in March. Up North, chances are some snow still covers the ground. Gobbler chasing often doesn't begin until late April or early May. In other parts of the country, it starts early...
This past weekend I got to spend time with my bride and really close friends at the Star B Ranch in Texas. It has quickly become one of my favorite places on this side of Heaven. There is something so beautiful about that slice of Hill Country to me that...
Terry Rohm, a Pennsylvania native now living in Georgia, is a turkey hunting legend. And good friend. He won the first two National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) Grand National Calling Championships (GNCC). His outdoor industry career has been steadily influential over the years, including plenty of work with Realtree back...
Corky Pugh is the former director of Alabama’s Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division. He is also a certified turkey hunting nut. I have been fortunate enough to hunt with Corky on many occasions. As you can imagine, a large part of our friendship revolves around wild turkeys and hunting them...
You don’t need a ground blind to arrow a spring gobbler. With the right approach, run-'n'-arrow ploys produce results. Editor's note: In the interest of safety, take precautions when repositioning while bowhunting turkeys. Always make sure your arrows are safely contained when on the move.
In the past two years, Federal has completely overhauled its lineup of high-performance turkey loads in three different, distinct product families. In 2018, the company revamped its turkey shotshell lineup with a long list of new products that offer performance benefits beyond any hunter had ever seen. That meant all...
At Realtree's Turkey Hunting Nation , we've worked hard to include information to help you hunt states better. We've also tried to be honest with our comments, as a turkey hunter might in camp. In many cases, there are other great things about those states, even if turkey hunting isn't...
Not just for deer, a good food plot will draw in turkeys and hold them in your area, vastly increasing your odds at tagging a longbeard this spring. While food plots are most often associated with fall deer hunting, a green spring plot can be absolutely deadly on spring gobblers...
I get a chuckle listening to 300-pound dudes with tobacco-juice-spattered chins drawling on about how smart their local turkeys are. Because, you know, they’re the only ones with talent enough to tag them. Chat up most turkey hunters and they’ll insist their turkeys are considerably smarter than yours. Now, I’ve...
The Wild Turkey (John Hafner photo) I’m primarily a “ deer guy .” But I’ve long been a turkey hunter, too. It’s my second greatest passion — behind whitetails — in the outdoors. And I feed that desire to hunt every spring. There’s one thing I love most about turkey...
Imagine you’re a wild turkey. Imagine what it’s like to be the main course on every predator’s menu from the time your egg cracked until the day you are the meal. Imagine your only defenses are your eyes, ears, feet, wings – and wings don’t apply until you’ve survived several...
We love wild turkey. The tender breast meat on a big gobbler has way more flavor than you find in his barnyard cousins. Unfortunately, the breast meat is often all that gets saved from wild turkey. Believe it or not, there is a lot more to a turkey than fried...
In a perfect world, every turkey that gobbled would be near a large oak tree. One with a nice, smooth spot to rest your butt, no poison ivy, no sharp rocks, and just enough cover out in front to break up your outline without getting in the way of a...
Ever watch a wild turkey gobbler showing off for a hen? Did he stand in one spot, not moving, for hours at a time? Did he spin in circles? Probably not. Now look at your turkey gobbler decoy. Unless the wind is really howling, it probably remains in a more...
Today’s turkey decoys are more realistic than ever; often so lifelike that you have to look twice to make sure it’s a decoy in front of you and not a live bird. But that degree of realism usually comes with a hefty price. Ultra-realistic decoys can often total nearly as...
Missing turkeys is part of the game. All veteran turkey hunters have been there, and if you haven't yet, brace yourself. It hurts. Memories of that strutter stepping up into range – and the 10 inches of swinging beard running off after you pull your shotgun's trigger – will haunt...
I'm just in from Florida, after chasing Osceolas with friends, longtime and new. There's really nothing like a great turkey camp, and this was one of the best. Please check out our longform gallery on the hunt.
