When I was a kid, I was obsessed with turkey hunting. I used to dream about it, plan for it, and look forward to the coming of opening day with almost as much as enthusiasm as I did Christmas morning. Now, this wasn’t because I liked shooting turkeys any more than I liked shooting anything
Turkey hunters love it when a plan comes together, when the stars align and that perfect scenario we all dream about goes exactly like it’s supposed to. On those hunts, we step into the woods at first light and have a tom blast us with a tremendous gobble in response to our first call, coming
Nothing welcomes the reawakening of spring and generates a more convivial preamble to the upcoming hunting season better than the thundering rumble of a spring gobbler sounding off through the newly budding trees. It’s a time of year hunters wait for with almost drooling anticipation. The first chance to get into the woods. The first
Few things in the natural world will get your blood pumping and adrenaline running like the gobble of a big tom turkey responding to your call. And few things will make your blood run cold like watching him approach and realizing you’re not totally certain where your shotgun shoots. Don’t get caught unprepared this spring
One of the worst things about early spring is suffering through the interminable gap between the late winter hunting season and chasing spring turkeys. Most hunters simply grit their teeth and push through it, spending their time cleaning shotguns, practicing calling, and looking longingly at their hunting gear in the garage. But it doesn’t have
When most of us hear the words “game bird” we automatically think of the ring-necked pheasant. These redheaded, long-tailed little whirlwinds seem to dominate the upland world, evoking images of tweed cap-wearing aristocrats holding downed roosters and petting pedigreed dogs. Yet there is another, more common, populous, and widespread upland game bird out there that
