It's tough to beat the sheer beauty of October sunlight falling through the red and yellow leaves of hardwood timber – unless, of course, you add to it a dose of kee-keeing and soft yelping from a scattered flock of turkeys. Then you have the recipe for something unrivaled in...
September 17, 2019 | Turkey Blog with Steve Hickoff
You’ve been after him since daylight. He flew down the wrong direction, avoided you on the next two sets, and finally committed the fourth time you got in front of him. Trouble is, you are now a mile or more from the truck. And this old gobbler is big. Really...
In spring, you make hen yelps to fool gobblers. When you're fall turkey hunting, it pays to do the opposite. You should call like the turkey you want to pull into range. Want a young fall gobbler? Call like one. Targeting autumn longbeards? Gobbler cluck, yelp and gobble. Let’s break...
Every turkey hunter loves a long, sharp spur. And we love to show those spurs off on necklaces, key chains, hatbands and meter-long assemblies of hooks. But what about turning the leg of your trophy tom into a useful hunting tool? This knife, crafted with a turkey leg handle, is...
From simply pinning the fan to the wall of your hunting camp to elaborate plaques designed to show off the fan in all its glory, there are countless ways to hang a turkey fan. But what if you want to display your fan on your desk, or on a table...
Some hunters get aggravated by jakes. Their immature antics smack of teenage boys stumbling their way toward manhood. They can be both funny and endearing, yet frustrating and overbearing as they come of age. Check out the gallery for a light-hearted look at how jakes live the “teens” all in...
Turkey season is over in many states and will be soon in others. Memories of strutting longbeards are still fresh in your mind, and hopefully there’s some fresh turkey breast in the freezer. But before putting your gear away, take a few minutes to clean your shotgun and ensure it’s...
Wild turkeys have big appetites. From large-bodied adults to broods of rapidly growing poults, they require considerable amounts of food. Their diets are varied, not only by region but by the season. Think of them as foodies of the bird world, with about a hundred different dietary items on the...
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...
Eastern hunters sometimes view terrorized turkeys as a net positive. Egos are inflated by the belief that “my gobbler is smarter than yours.” Truth is, turkeys are turkeys, and whether or not they’re “call-shy” is influenced more heavily by repeated conditioning than genetics. But I’m not too proud to admit...
There was a time when I thought I’d never kill a turkey with a bow. They hung up out of range, or caught me tugging into full-draw when they got close. When I did get a shot, they all too often escaped, even when hit well. Those were different times...
There was a time when having an old longbeard thumb his nose at you from 50 yards meant you got to chase him the next day. But modern guns, custom choke tubes, and advanced loads have made turkey guns deadly even farther. But tell the truth: Doesn’t a small part...
Outwardly, the gun was nothing special. An old single-shot .410 with a loose action and decades of wear generates little interest from hunters or collectors. But the gun belonged to my grandfather, the man who taught me to shoot, walked with me through the dense woods bordering our farm, and...
It’s the gobble that pulls us out there, but it’s the adrenaline rush that keeps us there. And it’s the sight of that magnificent bird, just before we set him to flopping, that makes the whole thing worthwhile. But after it’s all over with, we have things left over. What...
I like change. I realize many people don’t. But being that I do, I like trying different methods of hunting. Over the years, enjoyment for trying different tactics has opened up doors to new ways of killing turkeys . And some of them might sound weird . All of that...
The taxidermy displays at the National Wild Turkey Federation Convention draw a crowd every year, for a reason. It’s a really safe bet that most turkey hunters appreciate a quality turkey mount, and some of the most detailed and lifelike turkey taxidermy ever produced can be found at that show...
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...
