The Turkey Hunter Podcast with Andy Gagliano & Cameron Weddington | Turkey Hunting Tips, Strategies, and Stories

LIsten in to this special alligator hunting episode of The Turkey Hunter podcast where Jeff Gregg shares the story of harvesting what could turn out to be the new record alligator taken on Lake Eufala in Alabama. This gator topped the scales at 920 pounds and measured in at approximately 13' 6". The gator yielded over 200 lbs of meat for Gregg and his hunting partner, Scott Evans. Enjoy!

In this episode, outdoor writer and photographer, Steve Hickoff, shares some Fall turkey scouting strategies to help us locate turkeys before we venture into the woods with a gun this Fall. We discuss some of the turkey sign that we are looking for in the Fall, some preferred late Fall and early Winter food sources, and typical turkey habitat during that time of year.

J. Wayne Fears is a well known and well respected outdoors and shooting writer. In this episode of The Turkey Hunter, J. Wayne shares some of his knowledge of the tranformation of turkey guns over the past decade. We also talk about common reasons why we miss turkeys and what to look for when patterning your turkey shotgun before season. In addition we get to hear the story of J. Wayne's most recent successful turkey hunt.

In this episode of The Turkey Hunter podcast, I talk turkey hunting gear and being prepared at the drop of a hat. If you call me and tell me that you know where a gobbling turkey is and that you'll pick me up at the corner gas station in 15 minutes, I'm going to beat you to the gas station by ten minutes. And I won't forget anything that I need. I give a list of all the things that I have in my turkey hunting container and how I rarely am without any of the essential turkey hunting gear that I need to be successful in the spring woods.

Turkey hunting is filled with myths that instill magical powers in wild turkeys. "Turkeys have x-ray vision. Turkeys can do this. Turkeys can do that. Turkeys are better than you are. Etc, etc, etc." These myths get into our heads while we are hunting, and sometimes prevent us from pursuing a bird that we could actually kill if we made an attempt at doing so. In this episode of The Turkey Hunter Podcast I tackle three of these myths that pollute our brains while we are in the turkey woods in hopes that we can put these myths to bed and get on with slaying turkeys.

Joe Hutto is a naturalist, artist, and author who imprinted two clutches of wild turkey eggs. Joe wasn't prepared for how this experiment of gaining acceptance into the inside world of wild turkeys would change his life. For two years, Joe spent nearly every daylight hour with this flock of birds, witnessing and documenting their transformation from young hatching poults to full grown adult wild turkeys. Joe's notes of this transformation were put into book form in Illumination in the Flatwoods. Several years later, Joe's book was made into a documentary and aired on PBS. The documentary entitled, "My Life as a Turkey" won 3 Emmy's. In this episode of The Turkey Hunter Pocast, Joe shares with us more about his experience raising the turkeys as well as provides us some behind the scenes information about the book and the documentary. If you want to learn more about the behavior of wild turkeys (and if you are a turkey hunter, then you definitely should be a student of the bird), then you'll want to listen in to this week's episode, buy the book, and watch the documentary. Here's my affiliate link to the book on Amazon: Illumination in the Flatwoods: A Season With The Wild Turkey Here's a link to the documentary on PBS: My Life as a Turkey

Corey New with Combat in the Wild and The Turkeyologists is on this episode of The Turkey Hunter Podcast sharing tips on how to take better video footage of our turkey hunts. With the popularity of video on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, more and more hunters are sharing their hunts with friends and loved ones via social media so that they can enjoy the success as well. Videoing hunts is also a great way to extend your season if you live in a state with a short season or low bag limit. If you are going to take the time and put forth the effort to video a hunt and share it with your friends and family, then you should also put forth the effort to take good video. Listen in as Corey shares with us the 3 Cardinal Sins to avoid while videoing our turkey hunts, and set up tips as well.

In this episode of The Turkey Hunter Podcast, Bob Eriksen, Regional Wildlife Biologist with the National Wild Turkey Federation, shares with us some tips that we can put to use on our hunting properties to improve the habitat for our turkeys. We discuss prescribed fire, planting crops, improving brood and nesting habitat, wildlife habitat management plans, and cost sharing programs available for landowners who would like a plan for their properties. If you want to hear, see, and kill more wild turkeys, then you need to improve the habitat on your hunting property so that you'll increase the population and your opportunities for harvesting a trophy bird. Bob teaches us a great deal of what we need to know to make those improvements.

JT Byrne's passion for Fall turkey hunting with dogs is apparent in this interview. JT shares with us the history behind the famous Byrne line of Appalachian Turkey Dogs, the benefits of using dogs to turkey hunt in the Fall, and some exciting Fall turkey hunting stories as well - my favorite of which is the story of his dad's last turkey hunt. Listen in to this week's very entertaining episode about Fall Turkey Hunting with Dogs with JT Byrne. I hope you learn as much as I did and that the interview sparks an interest in trying out the sport if you get the opportunity. As promised during the interview, the links mentioned towards the end of the show are below: American Wild Turkey Hunting Dog Association Byrne Turkey Dogs Facebook Group - This is a closed group, and you'll need to apply to join. Turkey Trot Acres - Provides guided turkey dog hunts in New York.

In this week's episode of The Turkey Hunter Podcast, Sally Morgan with Morgan's Americana shares her excitement about her husband, Kenny's, new book entitled America, Wild Turkeys, and Mongrel Dogs. Kenny Morgan passed away in 2011 after finishing the manuscript of his second book. Kenny's vision for this book was for it to be a coffee table book that people would be proud to display in their homes. After Kenny's passing, Sally took up the project of completing the book in Kenny's honor, and she certainly made Kenny's vision come to life. The book is a coffee table book full of Kenny's turkey hunting stories, amazing photography of nature, wild turkeys, and photos from Kenny's childhood. Listen in to the interview, and then I'm sure you will want to pick up your copy of the book while there are still some available.

The number of women hunting and fishing is growing each year for great reasons. The same reasons why men have been hunting and fishing for years. The outdoors is an awesome place to spend the morning or afternoon, and enjoying the outdoors with a gun or rod and reel in hand makes that morning or afternoon even more awesome. More and more women are picking up on that fact each year, and they are also enjoying being part of the "Farm to Table" movement that has swept the country over the past several years. Brenda Valentine, The First Lady of Hunting, shares information with us to help us introduce women, and new hunters, to the sport of turkey hunting. If we take care to introduce others to turkey hunting the right way, we will create turkey hunters for life, and Brenda goes over some of those tips that we can use to introduce others, especially women to the sport that we love so much.

In this episode of The Turkey Hunter Podcast, Tes Randle Jolly, who is a very well known wildlife and nature photographer, shares information about photographing wild turkeys. Tes' work has been in numerous magazines, books, websites, and advertisements. Tes shares with us how photographing turkeys can teach us patience and make us better turkey hunters. She also shares with us the one thing that she has learned while turkey hunting that has made her a better turkey hunter, and she shares with us the story of her most recent successful turkey hunt. If you want to reach out to Tes to purchase her work or to ask her some additional questions, you can find her contact info on www.jollysoutdoorvisions.com. Listen in to Tes and me while we talk turkey, and I hope you enjoy the episode as much as I did putting it together.

Traveling out of state to hunt turkeys can be very exciting and a ton of fun. These out of state trips can be a way to extend your hunting season or increase your bag limit opportunities. They are also a necessity for completing a Grand Slam. They can, however, also be a lot of stress and be very expensive if the trip is not planned out properly. In this episode of The Turkey Hunter Podcast, I share 6.5 steps that you will want to follow to plan a turkey hunting trip out of state so you can be sure that you are getting the best experience possible for your investment of money and time. Click here for the blog post where I share 45 questions to ask a turkey hunting outfitter.

Even the best turkey hunters odds of success are greatly diminished when hunting in an area that has a low turkey population. In this episode I share some tips that we all can use to increase the nesting success, as well as the brood rearing success, on our hunting properties.

Preston Pittman with Pittman Game Calls shares his knowledge of how to best care for your turkey calls so you can get years of use out of them. Preston tells us how to condition our calls during the season so that they are ready to play while we are hunting, and he also tells us how to store our calls so that they are ready to be put into service next year as well. We also get to hear the story of Preston's most recent successful turkey hunt and the one or two keys that made that hunt successful.

One of the best ways to learn how to have more success while turkey hunting is to learn from the experiences of others, as well as your own. In this episode of The Turkey Hunter Podcast, I share 7 lessons that I feel are worth taking away from my 2015 turkey hunting season. These 7 lessons will not only help you kill more turkeys, but they will help to serve as a reminder as to why we are in the turkey woods in the first place.

Listen in to episode 33, where my Yankee buddy, John, shares the story of The Texas Decoy Massacre. A Texas Rio Grande turkey hunt goes strangely awry during an afternoon turkey hunt in the hot Texas heat. This is quite possibly one of the funniest turkey hunting stories that you will ever hear. Listen in next week as I recap my out of state trip to Ohio and Indiana as well as my 2015 turkey hunting season on episode 34 of The Turkey Hunter Podcast. In the meantime, enjoy this week's episode, and be sure to forward and share this week's episode if it makes you laugh.

In episode 032, Jay Scott with Jay Scott Outdoors is a turkey hunting outfitter who lives in Arizona but guides hunters on Gould's turkey hunts in Mexico. Jay tells us the difference in the Gould's turkeys in the other subspecies of turkeys, the difference in hunting Gould's and the other subspecies, and the challenges of hunting in a foreign country. The Gould's wild turkey is a beautiful turkey that is a great addition to any trophy room, and the Gould's hunt takes place in some of the most unique and beautiful terrain that you'll ever hunt in. If you want to complete your Royal Slam with a Gould's turkey, then you definitely will want to listen in to this episode. Be sure to tune in next week to hear the story of The Texas Decoy Massacre. This is a story that will keep you laughing for the entire episode.

In Episode 031 of The Turkey Hunter Podcast, 7 time Grand National Champion Turkey Caller Chris Parrish with Knight and Hale Game Calls shares his expertise of what specific turkey calls mean to turkeys and when to use those in your calling setups. Despite what the title of the show implies, Chris shares some 300 level turkey calling tips and information with us experienced hunters as well. Chris demonstrates clucks, purrs, yelps, cackles, and cutts, and how we hunters can use those calls to bring in more gobblers and fill more turkey tags. Listen in to Chris' tips this episode and keep practicing those turkey calls so that you'll have more success this turkey season. Next week, Jay Scott will be on the show to discuss turkey hunting the beautiful Gould's turkeys in Mexico. If you want to complete a Royal Slam of turkeys, then you'll have to harvest a Gould's turkey, and Mexico is the place to do it. Tune in next week to learn more about the Gould's subspecies of turkeys and how and where to hunt them.

A short while back on Facebook, I made mention that I was going to interview Eddie Salter for a Q & A style of episode of the show, and I asked if anyone had questions they would like to ask Eddie. Well, several people responded and I have the answers to your questions in this week's episode. Listen to Eddie share his most recent successful turkey hunt and what made that hunt successful, when he would use a gobble call to locate turkeys, and how he likes to be thorough and aggressive with the turkeys he hunts. Be sure to listen in next week as Chris Parrish shares turkey calling tips with us on Turkey Calling 101. Just a head's up that there is more to the show than beginner turkey calling tips and info. Chris shares a lot of 300 level turkey calling info with us as well.

In episode 29 of The Turkey Hunter Podcast, Cuz Strickland with Mossy Oak shares some of his thoughts about the habits and patterns of wild turkeys in the Spring. In order to have a great deal of success while turkey hunting, knowing your quarry is very important. There are not many animals in the US more "wild" than a wild turkey, so knowing what they are going to do at any given point on any given day is nearly impossible. With that being said, wild turkeys do have a few habits and patterns that we hunters can use to help fill a tag with a delicious wild turkey. Cuz shares some early, mid, and late season habits and patterns that we can use to help us have more success while turkey hunting this Spring. Also in this episode, Chris Parrish with Knight and Hale Game Calls helps to answer a question asked by Chris Morris in this week's "Ask the Turkey Hunter" segment. Be sure to tune in next week, when I have a question and answer session with The Turkey Man, Eddie Salter.

In episode 028 of The Turkey Hunter Podcast, Jimmy Primos with Primos Hunting shares tactics for using turkey decoys to improve our odds in the turkey woods this Spring. Jimmy will give us some early, mid, and late season decoy sets that will bring that big Tom running in to our set up in a fit of jealous rage. Jimmy also shares stories about using Primos newest turkey decoy to fan (or reap) turkeys this past Spring in Nebraska. Enjoy this week's episode with Jimmy Primos, COO of Primos Hunting, and be sure to tune in next week when I interview Ronnie "Cuz" Strickland with Mossy Oak to discuss the habits and patterns of wild turkeys.

Joshua Carney, Son of the South, is a remarkable young man with a remarkable story and a remarkable gift. Josh was injured in a turkey hunting accident almost 10 years ago. As a result of his accident he has been given the gift of reproducing animal sounds with his natural voice. In this episode of The Turkey Hunter Podcast, Josh shares the story of his accident, and some safety tips that we need to be mindful of while we are in the turkey woods this spring. Also, I answer the question of what to do with a flopping, but not yet dead, turkey in the new Ask the Turkey Hunter segment of the show. Enjoy listening to the interview with Josh Carney, and be sure to tune in next week for Episode 028 - Proper Decoy Setups with Jimmy Primos.

In part 3 of episode 26 of The Turkey Hunter Podcast, Introducing Kids to Turkey Hunting, Kinion Bankston and Leon Stilley with Southern Boyz Outdoors discuss whether or not we should allow the kids we are mentoring in the Spring woods to shoot a jake or not. Also, we get to hear the 13 time state turkey gobbling champion, Leon Stilley, do his wild turkey gobble. He's pretty darn good, by the way. Kinion tells us how Southern Boyz Outdoors got started and what they are working on right now. Be sure to listen in to the whole episode and to also tune in next week when I interview Josh Carney, Son of the South, about turkey hunting safety.

In part 2 of episode 26, Leon Stilley and Kinion Bankston with Southern Boyz Outdoors share some more tips on how to best introduce kids to the sport of turkey hunting and how we can keep kids interested in the sport of turkey hunting for years to come. Listen in as Leon and Kinion share what they believe is the best style of turkey hunting to introduce a young child to and what style is best to keep kids interested for years to come. They also tell us how we can keep kids interested in hunting as they are growing up, how we can tell our kids about the dangers of the turkey hunting woods without scaring them so much that they won't want to hunt. We'll learn their thoughts on what gauge gun we should start kids with, and when we should think about introducing our kids to the big bad 12 gauge with magnum 3.5" turkey loads. Be sure to tune in next week as we'll learn Kinion's and Leon's thoughts about letting a young hunter shoot a jake. We'll also get to learn more about Southern Boyz Outdoors and how we can get in touch with Kinion and Leon.

In part 1 of episode 26, Kinion Bankston and Leon Stilley with Southern Boyz Outdoors discuss the topic of introducing kids to turkey hunting. Listen in as Leon and Kinion tell us a little about themselves and how they got into turkey hunting. They also answer the question of why hunting and, more specifically, turkey hunting can be beneficial for children to learn. They share their thoughts about the best age to introduce a child to turkey hunting and a good age to let children turkey hunt on their own. Be sure to tune in to next week's episode when Leon and Kinion will share their thoughts about the best style of turkey hunting to introduce kids to and which style can keep kids interested longer. They also touch on the subject of how we can keep kids interested in the sport of hunting, and they discuss the best way to approach kids about the dangers of the spring woods.

In part 2 of Episode 025, Korby Taylor, host of the Wild Game Hunting Podcast, shares his calling strategies for gobblers who just aren't talking and giving away their location. Korby also shares the story of his most memorable turkey hunt. It is a great turkey hunting story that involves his favorite hunting buddy and three longbeards. I also share some exciting news for those of you who want to hunt turkeys out of state but may not have the funds to hire a guide or hunt private land. I've released my new ebook that will literally take you from not knowing where to start to plan a hunt out of state to sitting with your back against a tree surrounded by gobbling turkeys in North Dakota and/or South Dakota. Be sure to listen in to that part of the episode, and also be sure to check out the website where you can purchase the book that will show you how to plan a great DIY Merriam's turkey hunt. Be sure to tune in to next week's episode where Kinion Bankston and Leon Tilley from Southern Boyz Outdoors and I discuss how to get, and keep, kids interested in turkey hunting.

In part 1 of episode 025, Korby Taylor, host of the Wild Game Hunting Podcast, shares his secrets for success hunting lockjawed gobblers. Lockjawed gobblers are those turkeys that do not gobble, and they can make for a very tough hunt. A gobbling turkey makes our lives easier by giving away his location each and every time he gobbles. If a turkey is not gobbling, then he can hide from us much the same way most other game animals do and make us resort to hunting him the same way we have to hunt those other animals - sitting and waiting. Korby tells us how he got into turkey hunting, what a lockjawed gobbler is, why some turkeys get silent, strategies to help us fill a lockjawed gobbler tag, and calling strategies for those quiet birds. Be sure to listen to part 2 of episode 25 next week, when Korby shares the story of his most memorable turkey hunt with us. Korby is an excellent storyteller, and I'm sure you'll enjoy that part of the episode.

A brief summary of this episode

What could be more exciting and satisfying than calling in and killing a monster wild turkey with a turkey call that you made yourself? Jimi Lee discusses the wide range of products and supplies that Brookside Game Calls sells to its customers who want to build their own turkey calls.

Josh Carney, Son of the South, shares his turkey hunting schedule with us for this Spring as well as shows us his amazing talent. Awesome guy! Keep an eye out for him in an hour long interview on The Turkey Hunter Podcast coming soon!

Bobby Pinson with the World Turkey Hunting Championship tells us how the World Turkey Hunting Championship works. There are a lot of great turkey callers around this country, but being a great turkey caller does not necessarily put meat in your freezer. The World Turkey Hunting Championship has hunters putting their money where their mouthcall is.

In part 2 of episode 23, Jerick Henley with Chain Ranch Outfitters shares the story of his most recent successful turkey hunt, 3 things we must do before booking our next outfitted turkey hunt, and how much we should tip our guides and camp cooks. This is information you must know before you plan your next turkey hunting adventure. Also, as an added bonus for the listeners to this episode, I share how you can get my list of 45 questions that I use when interviewing outfitters for my turkey hunts. The list of questions is a great starting point when interviewing outfitters, and those questions can really help to shed light on exactly what you can expect when you arrive in camp after booking your hunt.

In episode 023, Jerick Henley with Chain Ranch Outfitters in Kansas and Oklahoma shares tips and tricks to have the most satisfaction with outfitted turkey hunts. Most of us do not have the luxury of traveling the country on all expenses paid turkey hunting adventures for the two and a half months of turkey season, but we still want to occasionally go on an out of state turkey hunt to attempt to complete our Grand Slam or just to look at some different trees and turkeys. Hunting public land is not always the best option to maximize the opportunities available with time that we can allot towards a "turkey vacation." Booking an outfitted turkey hunt can often give us the best opportunity to harvest a wild turkey on a short trip to unfamiliar lands since the hunting is typically done on private, often less pressured, lands with someone who knows the habits and patterns of the birds residing on that property. The problem that most of us have when booking outfitted turkey hunts is that we don't know the best way to book that hunt, and we sometimes end up with an unsatisfactory result from our trip. Either we have an unfilled tag, have to sleep in the back seat of our truck, or show up to hunt with an outfitter who has skipped town with our money. These issues can be avoided by doing your due diligence and following some simple steps, and Jerick helps us with that in this episode. Be sure to tune in to part 2 of episode 23 next week as Jerick will tell us the best time and best way to approach an outfitter who is not living up to your expectations, how much to tip the camp cook, and how much to tip your guide.

Click to download and subscribe to other episodes of The Turkey Hunter Podcast. In episode 022, Karen Lee, who is Vice President of Communications with the NWTF, gives us a preview of the 2015 NWTF Convention and Sports Show that will take place February 13 - 15 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort. The NWTF believes this year's show will be their biggest and best ever, and by looking at the event billing it certainly appears that it will be. Karen tells us all about the calling contests, taxidermy contests, call making competitions, the exhibitors, the seminars, autograph sessions with pros and celebrities, and tons of activities for the kids as well. Tune in to this week's episode to learn why you can't afford to miss the convention and sports show this year and also to hear Karen and I practicing our team owl hooting/gobbling competition routine. It is quite funny.

In this episode of The Turkey Hunter Podcast, Jay Scott shares a very cool story of a turkey hunting outing where he was not the only hunter who was hunting the turkeys. The turkeys' reaction to the other hunter is fascinating and completely different than I would have thought. Listen in as Jay tells the story of turkeys vs bobcat in this week's episode. Also, listen in to the very end of the show where I premiere a new segment of The Turkey Hunter Podcast called, "Fun with Editing" where I do just that. I have fun playing with some of the audio snippets from the show with my audio editing software. I hope you enjoy the show and the new segment. Thanks for listening!

In part 2 of Episode 021, Jay Scott with The Big Buck Registry's Big Buck Podcast shares with us some of his field turkey hunting stories and strategies as well. Hunting field turkeys can be quite different than hunting turkeys that are hanging out in the woods. Actually, most of the time, they are the same exact turkeys. They just have dual personalities - a woods personality and a field personality, and we have to keep those differences in mind when we are chasing turkeys this spring. Listen to Jay and Andy share stories about calling turkeys across creeks, Jay's most recent successful turkey hunt, the advantages of hunting on Wednesday's, and his thoughts about using decoys, and the importance of knowing when to move on a turkey. Sit back, relax, and enjoy part 2 of Episode 021 of The Turkey Hunter Podcast - Hunting Field Turkeys with Jay Scott

Field turkeys and woods turkeys are generally the same exact turkeys, but turkeys do not act the same when they are in fields as they do when they are in the woods. Therefore, we cannot use the same hunting strategies on turkeys that are in fields as we do with turkeys that are in the woods. Jay Scott, with the Big Buck Registry's Big Buck Podcast, shares many different field turkey tactics with us in this episode. In part 1 of the episode, Jay tells us the awesome and funny story of how he got into turkey hunting, and how patience is a must have virtue while we are hunting fields. Be sure to listen to this week's episode of The Turkey Hunter Podcast and become a better field turkey hunter this spring.

In this episode of The Turkey Hunter Podcast, Bob Eriksen, who is a wildlife biologist with the NWTF, shares his knowledge of the breeding cycle of wild turkey hens and gobblers. Bob tells us what activities that we need to avoid on our properties while hens are nesting. Many times, land owners and managers can destroy nests and even kill hens who are sitting on those nests by doing certain things when hens are nesting. Oftentimes, hens that have their nests destroyed will renest, but that is not always successful for them. He also shares the actions that we can take on our properties to improve nesting success. Hens can nest almost anywhere; however, some habitats are better for nesting than others. We, as land managers and owners, can perform certain management techniques that can actually enhance the nesting habitat. Logging, burning, and other techniques can help improve the numbers of turkeys on our properties. Bob shares his knowledge of what makes certain habitats more suitable for brood rearing success. Bunch grasses and native warm season grasses are wonderful areas for hens to ensure that her hens have enough food to eat and cover for protection from predators. Listen in to all of the very informative details of my interview with Bob Eriksen with the NWTF, and learn more about the breeding cycle of wild turkeys so you can be the best turkey hunter you can be.

Bob Eriksen has been a wildlife biologist with the NWTF for the past 13 years. Bob has participated in many studies on wild turkeys over those years, and he has gained a tremendous amount of knowledge of the bird that he now spends his days studying. In part 1of Episode 020, Bob helps us understand the breeding cycle of hens so we can learn more about the Spring habits of the wild turkey. Here are some of the things you'll learn when you tune in to this episode of The Turkey Hunter Podcast: 1. How many eggs the average hen lays each day and each season. 2. How much the peak season varies from north to south. 3. What factor gets hens in the mood to mate. 4. Why jakes tend to group up with other jakes at the end of the season. 5. How much more likely a mature hen is to nest successfully than a juvenile. 6. Ideal nesting habitat. 7. When hens will start sitting on nests full time. 8. Why a hen only needs to be bred once to lay a clutch of 10 - 12 eggs. 9. How long it takes a hen to start laying eggs after she is bred. 10. What a "determinate nester" is. Be sure to tune in to part 2 of Episode 020 next week when Bob will share more great information about the breeding cycle of wild turkey hens with us.

Turkey hunter, John Rowell, recounts the story of killing a once in a lifetime wild turkey in Missouri. John tells the story of what starts out to be a tough hunt because of retaliation against his hunting party by the outfitter that John paid to hunt in Missouri. The owner mistakenly associated John with a hunter who had been to his operation in previous years and had killed more turkeys than he was allotted on the unguided hunts. After that unethical "hunter" cleared the situation up with the outfitter and let him know that John and his group should not be punished because of his actions in years past, the outfitter opened up more ranches to John and his group, but time was against John at that point who had one day remaining on his out of state hunt. On the last morning of the hunt, John heard shots from all around the ranch he was hunting as his hunting partners were filling their tags, but John was not having any luck. It looked like John was going to go home empty handed until a gobbling bird entered John's radar screen. The hunt was on, but the bird was not playing fair. John took control of the situation and made the most of the opportunity he was given. Listen in as John describes what happened next and take a look at the picture to see how John's patience was rewarded by the Turkey gods.

I venture to say that 80% of whether you are going to be successful on your next turkey hunt depends on where you sit down to call that turkey to you. You would never charge through the woods at a gobbling turkey in an attempt to kill him, and setting up in the wrong location can have the exact same end result... a light walk back to the pickup truck. Several factors need to be considered before your hunting spot is selected. Sometimes we have plenty of time to choose where we want to sit and other times we have mere seconds to make that decision. The sun, ants, water, the openness of the woods, creeks, valleys, roads, etc are all factors that we turkey hunters have to give thought to before we sit down to call to a turkey. In this episode of The Turkey Hunter Podcast, I share with you 8 keys to a proper turkey hunting set up. You'll also hear short stories about how fire ants darn near ruined a hunt for me and how the sun did ruin a hunt for a friend of mine. Sit back and enjoy this short episode of The Turkey Hunter Podcast and hopefully you'll think about these 8 keys to a proper turkey hunting set up the next time you are in the turkey woods trying to fill your tag and your freezer.

This is the story of the Whiskey Turkey, who was a turkey that absolutely haunted my good friend Eric for an entire season. This turkey was a wise old bird, and always seemed to out maneuver and out think Eric. Eric was possessed by this bird to the point where he was skipping work to go after him. Finally, one day, Eric devised a plan to kill the Whiskey Turkey. The plan was executed on a weekend when I happened to be hunting with Eric, and the plan was executed perfectly... well, almost perfectly. There was one kink in the plan that neither Eric, or I, accounted for prior to venturing out into the woods that morning. That was a kink in our armor, not the Whiskey Turkey's armor. Listen in and laugh along as Eric tells the story of the Whiskey Turkey.

In Episode 016c: 3 Strategies for Afternoon Turkey Hunting, I discuss the sit and wait method of afternoon turkey hunting. For many diehard turkey hunters sitting still in one spot waiting on a longbeard to happen by can be shear torture. I know this to be true because I'm one of those hunters who hates to sit still for a turkey. Setting up in the right spot can increase your odds of success tenfold. In this episode, I share some likely places where turkeys hang out in the afternoons as well as some tips on what to do when you find that spot where the turkeys like to loaf around. I hope you enjoy the episode.

The spot and stalk method of turkey hunting can be a very effective method for filling a turkey tag while hunting in the afternoon. In the afternoons, turkeys can often be spotted in crop or fallow fields, food plots, and openings in the timber from hilltops, roads, or just slipping up to the edge of a field. Once spotted, the next step is to put together a plan of approach for that turkey. There are certain tips that can help you to be successful in these situations, like using the wind to your advantage, getting ahead of the turkeys, and adjusting your calling strategies to the situation, that can help you to be more successful. I cover these tips in this episode so that you can have more success in the turkey woods this Spring. I hope you enjoy part 2 of Episode 016. Please tune in next week for part 3 of Episode 016, where I will discuss another effective method of killing a turkey in the afternoon which is to sit and wait.

In Episode 016a, I share the first of 3 strategies for filling a turkey tag while hunting in the afternoons. Hunting turkeys in the afternoon can often provide an exciting, productive hunt. Many times, a gobbler is alone and looking for company during the latter part of the day before he heads back to roost. If you can find that lonely, normally quiet, gobbler and get him interested, you'll have a pretty decent chance of eating turkey for dinner instead of the tag soup that you had for lunch that day. Of course, all of this depends on whether or not afternoon hunting in your state is legal as there are still several states that do not allow turkey hunting in the afternoons. The first strategy that I'm going to share with you is the Run n Gun. The Run n Gun strategy for an afternoon hunt is slightly different than it is for a morning hunt where you can afford to be a bit more aggressive since gobblers are more responsive in the mornings. Afternoon Run n Gun hunting typically involves covering a lot of ground in order to find a responsive bird. If you don't have a lot of ground available to cover for an afternoon Run n Gun, then you'll want to slow down and do a good deal more looking and listening and walking and calling than running and gunning. Listen in for some great turkey hunting tips to help you have a little more success with your afternoon Run n Gun hunt. Thanks for listening and be sure to tune in next week when I share with you strategies #2 and #3.

Here is a simple tip to help you sight in your turkey shotgun before turkey season starts in your neck of the woods so you can be sure not to wound a bird due to a poor shooting gun.

Steve Hickoff is an author of several books and too many magazine articles to count. Steve hunts turkeys 8 to 9 months out of each year, and he particularly enjoys taking his turkey dogs out into the Fall turkey woods in pursuit of a great hunt after a successful turkey flock bust. In this episode, Steve Hickoff, shares Fall turkey hunting tips with us so that we can have more successful turkey hunts. Steve shares his thoughts on using decoys in the Fall, what to do if you get a bad bust on a flock of Fall wild turkeys, and his most recent successful turkey hunt and the one or two keys for success to that hunt. If you want more Fall turkey hunting tips, then please purchase a copy of Steve's book titled, Fall and Winter Turkey Hunter's Handbook. The book can be found on Amazon.

In this part of the episode, outdoor writer and author, Steve Hickoff, shares his passion for Fall turkey hunting. Steve also shares how he was introduced to the sport, information about turkey dogging, his thoughts as to why Fall turkey hunting is not as popular as Spring turkey hunting, and some tips for having more success in the Fall turkey woods. Steve is an excellent turkey hunter who spends months each year traveling the country hunting wild turkeys. Be sure to listen in and use some of these Fall turkey hunting tips to help put that fresh wild turkey on your Thanksgiving table.

A very good friend of mine, Todd, shares a hilarious turkey hunting story of a hunt he took his nephew, Ethan, on this past spring. Ethan was fortunate enough to have taken a bird on this particular day. The events leading up to the hunt are just as exciting as most other turkey hunts we have all been on, but the events after the trigger was squeezed make this story quite entertaining. For those of you who have young children or grandchildren who hunt, fish, and enjoy the outdoors with you, you will thoroughly enjoy this turkey hunting story. Hunts like this one are the ones that hook kids on our favorite sport forever. Listen along as Todd takes you on another hilarious turkey hunting trip with the story of Ethan's 2014 turkey.