Chip Davis hit the road in 1992 with the goal of bagging a mature tom in each of the 49 states that have a huntable turkey population. After 30 years of windshield time and a lot of patience, over Easter weekend this year, he punched a tag in West ...
Birds
Why Hunters Pattern Their Shotguns: Dialing-In Your Turkey Killer
Many hunters go their entire lives taking the just let ‘er eat approach to shotgunning. And they never truly know where their shot is flying. These are the hunters who routinely whiff on gobblers that go scuttling off to roost another night. Then ...
Modern Turkey Loads: Worth The Money, Maybe
Turkey hunting can be described in one of two ways: awesome or brutal. Sometimes you get a tom to commit, and the deal goes down just like you planned. No matter how great your hide or calls are, birds will come in and get hung up in thick ...
Hunting the Mountain-Dwelling Merriam Turkey
A nomadic wanderer with a beefy body and tail feathers with tips painted white, the Merriam turkey inhabits some of the most awe-inspiring places on earth and is a must-hunt wild turkey species. You’ve probably read or heard tales spun about ...
The Many Sounds of the North American Wild Turkey
While giving a seminar on public-land turkey hunting, a gentleman asked me, "What's so great about hunting a big, black-feathered bird? He'd never hunted turkeys before. The ivory on his necklace, ring, and belt buckle, along with a hat branded with ...
Getting Gobblers: Hunting the Rio Grande Turkey
The Rio Grande turkey is a hard-gobbling aggressive subspecies of wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) that inhabits a wide range of habitats. If I had to choose one wild turkey subspecies to hunt for the rest of my days, the Rio Grande would top my ...
What Do Wild Turkeys Eat? Find the Food, Find the Birds
Every subspecies of wild turkey has different behaviors. They all populate a variety of landscapes, live in different weather, and are hunted by different predators — all of which shape their overall behavior. One thing every wild turkey has in ...
The Osceola Turkey: Only in Florida!
The Osceola turkey, also known as the Florida turkey, is unique, and that uniqueness isn’t due to coloration, build, or vocal nature. What makes the Osceola a super-special bird is its location. There are many go-to states for Merriam, Rio Grande, ...
Oklahoma Joins Other States in Tightening Spring Gobbler Regs
Spring gobbler seasons are right around the corner; the turkey hunting faithful are poring over their gear for the umpteenth time, torturing the family dog with clucks, purrs, and kee-kee runs in the garage and selling their plasma to buy a fresh box ...
Eastern Turkeys: The Loudest and Most Paranoid Birds of All
Other than the deep, guttural bugle of a bull elk, nothing rattles my bones and sends chills running up and down my spine like the gobble of Eastern turkeys. God gave these birds remarkable voice boxes, and they know how to use them. If you've been ...
Where The Light Shines In: A US Marine’s First Turkey Hunt in Montana
“Should we take the bird to the truck and start cleaning it; maybe get ready for the guys to return?” Andy asked me. “How about we just sit here and look at Montana,” I said. The thought of it being okay to be in the moment caused half a ...
Turkey Hunting Gear: New Stuff You Just Have to Have for the Spring
Turkey hunting is a gear-heavy habit, and I love it. Over the years, I’ve amassed more than enough turkey tackle to take on birds anywhere in North America. Each spring, however, I seem to find an item or three — new gear releases or old ones I ...
New SITKA Turkey Hunting Gear for 2022
SITKA Gear just released a long-awaited clothing system for turkey hunters: the brand new Equinox Turkey Collection. The new product line includes a minimalist vest for run-and-gun turkey hunters, plus a hoodie, pants, and gloves with built-in insect ...
Is There Still a Reason for the 10-Gauge Shotgun to Exist?
Everyone should get a 10-gauge shotgun before they’re gone. Well, not everyone. Let me qualify that a little bit. The following people should grab a 10-gauge: Waterfowl hunters should get one if they want to go after geese and swans at ...
The ‘Freakin’ 12-Gauge’: The Only Gauge You Really Need
Don: “Hey, Napoleon. What did you do last summer again?” Napoleon Dynamite: “I told you! I spent it with my uncle in Alaska hunting wolverines!” Don: “What kind of gun did you use?” Napoleon: “A freakin’ 12-gauge! What do you ...
Escarole and Beans With Smoked Wild Turkey Wings
Italian greens and beans is a dish that feels like home. This hearty Italian dish is a soup of bitter greens, aka escarole or endive (think swiss chard), and white beans, mopped up with a good piece of bread, is exactly what I want in the ...
What’s Behind the Supposed ‘Magic’ of the 28-Gauge
Within the limitations of its light payload, the 28-gauge shotshell drops small game birds and crushes clay targets with authority and minimal recoil. You can shoot the 28-gauge out of dainty, scaled-down guns that are a pleasure to carry. Grouse, ...
Duck Boats You Should Totally Buy, From Functional to Fully Tricked Out
Duck hunting presents three big problems to overcome: getting to your duck spot, retrieving the ducks you shot, and hiding from the ducks still circling overhead. Duck boats typically solve the first two problems, but some badass boats solve all ...
Goose Hunting: How to Kill Late-Season Canada Geese on Public Land
I cut my hunting teeth decoying Canada geese in the ag fields that surrounded my Colorado home. Not including the frostbite, and not having the right gear (which always sucks), I can't think of any better way to have spent my high school and college ...
Dozens of Duck Hunting Deaths and Near Misses Reported This Season
It’s been a rough season for duck hunters. During another year of changing migrations, extreme weather conditions have led to lots of close calls and even a few fatalities for duck hunters trying to tag out. It’s also led to some tight spots and ...
Ohio Turkey Hunters May See Major Cuts to 2022 Fall Season
Ohio turkey hunters could see a major cut to their 2022 fall season. At an Ohio Wildlife Council meeting on Jan. 12, wildlife biologists with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources recommended shortening the Buckeye State’s fall turkey ...
6 Simple Steps for Duck Hunting Creeks: Guns, Gear, and Tactics
Waterfowl hunting is some of the most fun that a guy or gal can have in the outdoors, and puddle ducks are some of the tastiest critters on the planet. Yet the barrier to entry to waterfowl hunting seems huge if you don’t have big water flowing ...
Underdogs: 4 Hunting Dogs That Beat Death and Got Back in the Field
Americans love their underdogs. The comeback story is an age-old reminder that you can’t count someone out till the final whistle, bell, buzzer, or fat lady dropping the mic. Of course, some of the best comeback stories aren’t about people. In ...
The 8 Greatest Hunting Dog Breeds of All Time
When it comes to flushing birds, retrieving waterfowl, treeing big cats, or tracking wild game, every hunter has a dog in the fight. Many hunting dog breeds are absolute killers when it comes to the chase that’s coursed through their veins for ...
Banded Birds: Why Leg Bands are More Than Mere Hunting Trophies
For serious waterfowlers, few things are more exhilarating than your retriever returning to the blind with a bird bearing bling on its landing gear. Taking banded birds is a rare thing; it’s the waterfowler’s equivalent of dropping a 150-class ...
Ducks and Coffee: Three Days in Oklahoma With FowlCo Outfitters
Watching the horizon turn from darkness to a mixture of piercing pinks and oranges reminds me of sunrises over the Carolinas’ intercoastal waterway. The way the nearly-neon colors push the night’s cloud coverage away to reveal a sky so brilliantly ...
Cold Weather Duck Hunting Gear That Will Keep You Warm and Shooting
After a long, cold boat ride, we broke ice in the hole. Then, my host dropped me, outfitted in waders, by an oak tree in waist-deep water. “Don’t fall in,” he said as I was halfway out of the boat. “It’s 45 minutes to the ramp. You’ll be dead ...
Mississippi Duck Hunting Victory: Public Land Buffer Zone Rejected
Public land hunters scored a victory last week when the Mississippi Wildlife Commission withdrew a proposal that would have eliminated 40 acres of prime waterfowl country. Partially located in the Malmaison Wildlife Management Area of ...
Blood & Feathers: Wildlife Conservation and Fashion’s Lust for Birds
The stench of death loomed. Bombs exploded. Shots echoed along the street. Last words were forced from blood-stained lips, “Sophie dear! Don’t die! Stay alive for our children!” War dawned on the horizon. Gavrilo Princip steered Europe into conflict. ...
A Thanksgiving Duck Hunt Miracle
The Thanksgiving hunt, a red-letter event for so many hunters who look forward to the field before a day of food and family bonding, is a touchy subject at my house. I don’t hunt on Thanksgiving, nor on the day or two before. My wife, raised in ...
