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

Lets take a break from all the Eastern Wild Turkey action from the past weeks and head down to Texas as Cameron attempts to knock off the Lone Star State with a desperate Rio Grande. After an unsuccessful day 1 in the Hill Country of Texas, Cameron finds a bird that is willing to play off the roost on Day 2. Listen In!

Cameron's Second Tennessee Turkey This week, Cameron and I share the audio of the hunt from his second turkey in Tennessee. This hunt took some maneuvering and woodsmanship skills to be successful. With a good bit of gobbling and some vocal hens, Cameron was able to keep tabs on these turkeys and reposition on them for 3 different hunt setups before he sealed the deal on a nice tom. Listen in to all of the excitement!

A Textbook Opening Day Tennessee Turkey This week Cameron and I bring you the audio from Cameron's first Tennessee turkey hunt - his opening day turkey hunt. Cameron is joined on this small piece of property by his new turkey hunting buddy who has a bit of a surprise calling strategy planned for his own hunt. Cameron did not despair, and he got in tight with this Tom and made something happen. Listen in to this hunt and a great story as well.

The Bad Luck Streak Is Broken This week while Cameron is on turkey hunting vacation, I take over the show and share with you one of my turkey hunts from this season. This was a great hunt with a lot of gobbling by two Alabama turkeys. This hunt includes 4 moves, 5 different setup spots, 2 busted heads, a shotgun blast, and a lot of reflection and gratitude. It was a very fun hunt. Listen in!

Another Georgia Public Land Turkey Hunt This week, Cameron and I share an early season hunt on public land in Georgia where we try to get my friend and fellow Super Slam chaser, Chip, a Georgia turkey. After being all around a flock of turkeys for the majority of the morning, the hunt got pretty hairy right around midday. There was a missed opportunity, some whisper yelling, and some frustration in this hunt. It really is a good one, and I'm sure you don't want to miss it. Listen in!

How COVID-19 May Affect Our Wild Turkeys This week, Cameron and I have Drs. Bret Collier and Mike Chamberlain on the show to talk about the possible impact of COVID-19 on our wild turkey population across the country. Hunter numbers and wild turkey harvest numbers are increasing dramatically as millions of Americans are sheltering at home. Will this increase in hunting pressure and harvest of wild turkeys have a negative affect on wild turkey populations for years to come? What effect will shutting down license sales to out of staters have on turkey populations in those states? Will our public hunting ground pay the biggest price for COVID-19 government mandated shelter at home orders? Listen in as Mike and Bret discuss these topics and many others with us this week!

This week Scott McDonald joins us to talk about and share his first successful hunt in Mississippi of 2020. We will discuss the story of the hunt and share in the LIVE audio from his day in the woods of Mississippi. We hope you enjoy sitting right there with Scott as he takes on an old monarch gobbler that he has dueled with in days past.

A Georgia Turkey Hunt and COVID-19 Update This week, Cameron shares his Georgia turkey hunt with us as he marks off another state from his list of states needed to complete his super slam. This is a really good story of a good hunt, despite Cameron forgetting to turn his recorder on so we could hear the audio of his hunt. Also, Cameron and I share some news regarding COVID-19 and traveling for turkey hunting this spring. This is an episode you do not want to miss, especially if you travel to hunt wild turkeys each season. Listen in!

A Mississippi Opening Weekend Turkey Hunt This week, Cameron and I share his opening weekend hunt in Mississippi from this season. Cameron went to Mississippi to hunt with his friend Andrew LoCicero, and they had a heckuva hunt. Cameron was able to capture some amazing audio from this hunt that I think all of us turkey hunters will really enjoy. Listen in closely. I think you'll like this one, and there could be some thunder at the end of this hunt.

A Successful Mississippi Youth Turkey Hunt This week, Cameron and I have Scott McDonald on the show with us to share with us the audio and story of a successful Mississippi youth turkey hunt. Scott, one of his friends, and his friend's children went out in pursuit of a first turkey for the young hunters on the opening day of Mississippi's youth turkey season. After setting up the blind, practicing aiming the gun, and some other coaching, Scott was able to get a youngster his first wild turkey. Listen in to the story and the audio of this awesome turkey hunt.

Cameron's Second Osceola Turkey Hunt This week, Cameron and I bring you some amazing audio from Cameron's second Osceola turkey hunt on opening day of turkey season in Florida. We have John Kellum on the phone with us as well so John and Cameron can share their story and experience of their first Osceola hunting trip with us. John was running the turkey callers and Cameron was manning the shotgun for this week's hunt. Listen in for a bunch of calling, a bunch of gobbling, and a shotgun blast near the end of the audio. This is a good one!

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An Osceola Turkey Hunt This week, Cameron and I have the audio from the first turkey hunt of the year for you guys. Cameron is in Florida hunting Osceola turkeys with his friend John, and the two of them have one awesome hunt right off of the roost. This hunt takes place on public land, and after quite a bit of scouting and map studying the two of them find some turkeys on their first day of scouting. The morning of the first day of hunting Cameron's and John's scouting and hard work payoff with a bird that flies down and comes right on into their setup. Listen in as Cameron marks off another state on his way to 49.

Turkey Calling Lessons from a Legend with Preston Pittman This week Cameron and I have Preston Pittman with Pittman Game Calls on the show to talk all about diaphragm callers. We discuss the different cuts and which ones are better for certain types of turkey calls. We also get some lessons to go with our education about diaphragm callers from someone who has been making callers for decades. Listen in for a very entertaining and informative episode from the legend himself, Preston Pittman.

2020 NWTF Convention and Sport Show Recap This week, Cameron and I have lots of clips from interviews and seminars from the 2020 NWTF Convention and Sport Show in Nashville. We have interviews and seminars from a bunch of turkey hunting pros, like Will Primos, Jimmy Primos, Eddie Salter, Harold Knight, Jeff Budz, and representatives from outdoors companies, like OnX, LaCrosse, GoWild, Federal Premium, Apex, and many others. This a content filled episode that I think you will enjoy. Listen in!

Grand National Calling Champions Panel from 2019 NWTF Convention This week, I have a little Throwback Thursday for you guys. No, this is not a repeat episode, but it is the final seminar recorded at the 2019 NWTF Convention and Sport Show. This is a great seminar where 7 Grand National calling champions share their insights on callers, calling turkeys, and turkey call strategies. This week, you will get to hear from Steve Stoltz, Pat Strawser, Mark Prudhomme, Matt Morrett, Billy Yargus, Chris Parrish, and Mitchell Johnston. The amazing turkey call competitors share lots of great information and a few stories as well. This is an episode that will have you reaching for your turkey callers to try to imitate the masters of turkey talk. Listen in!

Turkey Hunting Book & Filming Turkeys With Ron & Tes Jolly In this week's episode we talk to soon-to-be NWTF Hall of Fame inductee Ron Jolly and his wife Tes about his new book release.We also discuss many topics about photographing and videoing wild turkeys. In this episode you will learn many tips and tactics on capturing your interaction with turkeys as well as getting the perfect picture of your harvested bird. Listen in!

Hunting Runners with Scott Ellis In this episode we discuss a situation that happens to many of us while turkey hunting. We all have experienced a bird that gobbles good on the roost, but when he hits the ground, he is always on the move. We call those birds by many names - runners, vagabonds, nomads, circuit riders, etc. These can be some of the most frustrating turkeys to fall in behind, but can also be the most rewarding if you are able to outwit him. Three-Time Grand National Turkey Calling Champion Scott Ellis joins us this week to give us several tactics and strategies to overcome the "running" gobbler. Also in this episode, Scott shares the subtle art of soft calling, jake/gobbler yelps, and using the kee kee run. Listen In!

Introducing the New Turkey Hunter Podcast Co-Host This week, the new Turkey Hunter Podcast co-host is introduced and interviewed. We get to know the new co-host a little better and talk about where he is headed this coming spring on his quest for the US Super Slam as well as a little about some of the turkey hunting books that he has read in the recent past. Oh yeah, and you get to hear the story of how I heard my first gobbles of 2020 and saw my first strutting Toms of the year as well. Listen in!

The First Turkey Soup Episode of the New Year Listen in as I share turkey and turkey hunting news that you need to know this week. In the news this week is Missouri, Iowa, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Pennsylvania, New York, New Hampshire, Maryland, Louisiana, Arkansas, Kansas, Nebraska, Idaho, Wyoming, Minnesota, Tennessee, and probably one or two states that I can't remember right now. This is the time of year when permit applications open, quota hunt application periods open, and states release their turkey season dates and bag limits. There really is too much information in this episode to skip it, especially if you plan on a turkey hunting trip out of state.

2020 Unicoi Custom Turkey Call Makers Show Interviews This week is all about the 2020 Unicoi Custom Turkey Call Makers Show in Helen, GA. I walk you through my weekend at the show, and I run some of the turkey calls that I got while at Unicoi. I also have several interviews for you from some of the vendors at the show like Mark Prudhomme and Larry Proffitt, just to name a couple. Mark Sharpe and Russell Beard do a phenomenal job putting this show together, and I am pleased to bring a little piece of the show back home to play for you guys on this week's episode. Listen in!

2020 NWTF Convention and Sport Show Preview with Pete Muller This week I have Pete Muller with the NWTF on the show to speak about the upcoming NWTF Convention and Sport Show happening February 13 - February 15, 2020 in Nashville, TN. Pete shares with us the huge change the NWTF has for this year's show regarding the dates of the show. He also lets us know about the details of the calling contests, the auctions, the dinners, the parties, and much more. If you plan on attending the 2020 NWTF Convention and Sport Show in Nashville in the next month or so, then you'll want to listen in.

2020 Goals and Listener Survey This week I reflect back on my 2019 turkey hunting goals and share my 2020 goals with you. I also share my goals about the podcast with you as well. My favor this week is to ask for your help giving me feedback on the show by taking the listener survey. Listen in!

Final 3 Interviews with Nominees for NWTF National Board of Directors This week I am bringing you the final 3 interviews with the nominees for the NWTF National Board of Directors. I interview Mike Evans from Oklahoma, Bryan Perry from North Carolina, and Parks Shackleford from Virginia on the show this week to find out more about them and why they are running for the national board of directors for the NWTF. Listen in and get your votes in before the January 3, 2020 deadline.

Interviews with 3 NWTF National Board of Directors Nominees This week I interview 3 of the nominees for the NWTF National Board of Directors. These 3 gentlemen have the opportunity to help plan out the course for the National Wild Turkey Federation for the next several years. For those of us who are members of the NWTF, choosing the best board members is crucial to the mission, and success of, the NWTF. My first interview is with Joe Judd who is from Shelburne, Massachusetts. My second interview is with Joe Foster from McCammon, Idaho. And, my last interview is with Nelson Estess from Magnolia, Mississippi. Not only do I ask these guys why they are running for the board of directors, but I twist their arms into sharing a turkey hunting story with us as well. Listen in!

Bone Collectors Seminar from 2019 NWTF Convention This week I am playing the Bone Collectors seminar from the 2019 NWTF Convention and Sport Show in Nashville. Listen in!

Post Thanksgiving Turkey Soup This week, I have another turkey soup episode for you guys. This is the time of year when spring turkey tag application periods open in some states, and knowing the dates of those application periods is important. So, this week we talk about a couple of those states where the period has opened, or will be opening soon. This is also the time of year when some states ask for input from hunters about proposed regulation changes regarding season dates and bag limits. If your state government is asking for your input, then by all means you should give it to them. Some states have already released their harvest statistics for their fall 2019 turkey seasons, and we will talk about the results of some of those seasons. Listen in!

Jeff Budz Traveling Seminar from 2019 NWTF Convention This week I am playing Jeff Budz seminar on traveling and turkey hunting from the 2019 NWTF Convention in Nashville this past February. There is lots of great information in this seminar that anyone who travels to turkey hunt or wants to start traveling to turkey hunt can use. Listen in!

2020 Unicoi Turkey Call Makers Show Preview This week, I have Mark Sharpe on the show to talk about the upcoming 2020 Unicoi Turkey Call Makers Show at the Unicoi State Park in Helen, GA. The show will be held January 10 - 11, 2020. Mark gives us a preview of the show so we will know what to expect when we get there. I can tell you that if the 2020 show is anything like the 2019 show, then it will be one you will not want to miss. Not only are there custom turkey calls everywhere in the room that you can pick up, run, and purchase to take home with you, but there are hundreds of like-minded turkey hunting fools in the group as well. This is a show that any die hard turkey hunter needs to attend at least once, and a trip to Unicoi will certainly be worth the time and effort to get there. Listen in to this week's show, and then come see me in Helen, GA in January of 2020.

More Shotgun Choke Talk with Mike Ponder This week I have Mike Ponder with Indian Creek Shooting Systems on the show so I can share with him the results of my time at the range before turkey season started this past spring. I switched over to an Indian Creek choke for my 12 gauge "Black Death" with TSS shells and improved not only my pattern but my point of impact as well. My pattern density improved by a whopping 50% with the Indian Creek choke. In my Remington 870 20 gauge with TSS shells, my pattern improved by 15%. Listen in as I share my results with Mike and get his input on my results.

PreThanksgiving Turkey Soup This week, I have some wild turkey news for you. I have a bunch of news from Pennsylvania, and I have some news from Tennessee, Missouri, Maryland, and West Virginia. I also share part of an interesting article published on thespokesman.com website about the history of the wild turkey/human relationship, and I let you know how to find the entire article. It is a pretty fascinating read. I also tell the story about getting my new favorite turkey call in the mail a couple of weeks ago, and I give a shout out to our veterans. Listen in!

Replay of Winter Turkey Hunting with Rob Keck This week, I am replaying the interview I did several years ago with Rob Keck about winter turkey hunting. When I ran into Rob at the ATA show in Louisville, KY, I asked him to come on the show, and I told him I would email him a few topics to choose from for our call. He said he didn't need any topics that he already knew what he wanted to talk about. That topic he wanted to talk about is late winter turkey hunting, and Rob has some amazing stories about his trips to Kansas for some winter turkey hunts. Listen in and see if you can pickup some tips that may help you to plan a successful trip for a winter turkey hunt.

Why We Hunt Seminar with Brenda Valentine This week, I'm playing the Why We Hunt seminar with Brenda Valentine from the 2019 NWTF Convention in Nashville. During the seminar Brenda recommends we hunters come up with a one word answer to offer people who ask why we hunt. If you think about it, the question is much harder to answer than it seems to be on the surface. I also read an article that covers the results of a recent studies about the acceptability of hunting for people. The study sheds some light on answers we can give that more people can relate to when we are asked the question why we hunt. Listen in!

The Story of a Successful Fall Turkey Hunt This week, I have Cameron Weddington back on the show with us to share the story of his second fall turkey hunt and first fall harvest. Cameron killed a very beautiful and very huge gobbler with inch and five-eighths spurs and a ten and a quarter inch beard. In addition to the fact that the turkey he harvested is a monster, Cameron was almost surrounded by 14 different gobblers during this hunt. Listen in to hear the story of Cameron's first fall turkey and monster wild turkey gobbler.

A Conversation with a First Time Fall Turkey Hunter This week, Cameron Weddington joins us to share a story of his recent fall turkey hunt - his first fall turkey hunt. Cameron describes the action that took place during his hunt along with his first experience with coyote backstraps. Listen in as we discuss Trichinosis, wild turkeys, coyotes, shotguns, and crossbows.

A Textbook New Hampshire Turkey Hunt This week I'm bringing you my final spring turkey hunt of 2019. This hunt was a very exciting hunt and really played out just like we play out hunts in our heads over and over before turkey season starts. These turkeys came in to some soft calling not long after flydown, and the flock ran off minus one turkey. Listen in and enjoy the final spring 2019 turkey hunt.

A Backup Pot of Turkey Soup This week a little technical difficulty prevented me from bringing you the final turkey hunt from my big spring trip. So, I had to cook something up for you guys, and that something this week is turkey soup. States we cover this week include New Hampshire, Missouri, Maine, Iowa, Kansas, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Connecticut, Virginia, Arizona, and North Carolina. We talk about upcoming fall seasons, fall seasons currently open, applying for permits and tags for spring and fall seasons, record book 5 spurred turkeys, hunting approval ratings, and outlaws. Listen in!

An Awesome New Hampshire Turkey Hunt This week I have some really incredible audio from a hunt from this past spring in New Hampshire. This hunt took place on the same piece of property that Chip killed his turkey on earlier, and it is really fun to listen to. This hunt has lots of hen talk, lots of gobbler talk, and will make you wish you were sitting against a big oak tree right now with a shotgun in your hands. Listen in and enjoy!

A New Hampshire Turkey Story This week I have another turkey hunting story for you. This time from New Hampshire as my long time friend Chip tags an odd looking NH turkey our first day there. Chip's hunt was a strange one, and we turkey hunters just have to take what we can get sometimes. Listen in as I describe the property we are hunting and the early morning of our first day in the New Hampshire turkey woods.

Matt Morrett's Decoy Seminar from 2019 NWTF Convention This week I have the decoy seminar from the 2019 NWTF Convention in Nashville that was presented by Matt Morrett. Matt covers a multitude of topics including decoys (of course), calling, scouting, patterning guns, henned up gobblers, and much more during his hour and 20 plus minute seminar. Listen in to Matt and learn and laugh a little.

End of Summer Turkey Soup This week we are talking wild turkey news from New Hampshire, Vermont, Virginia, Florida, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Idaho, and Massachusetts. I share stories of record spring turkey harvests, upcoming fall turkey season openers, hunter input on proposed turkey hunting regulation changes, and there's even a little news of the weird. Our news of the weird this week includes a proposed 6 month long fall/winter season in southern Idaho and a story of wild turkeys terrorizing a senior community in Florida. Listen in!

A Vermont Turkey Hunt This week, I'm sharing my Vermont turkey hunt with you. This hunt was a great deal tougher than my hunt in Maine. These Vermont turkeys had been pressured a fair amount, and they acted a good bit like an Alabama wild turkey. This ended up being a great hunt with plenty of highs and lows and turkey encounters. Listen in and learn about one new tool that I've added to my turkey hunting gear that helped make a difference with my Vermont turkey.

A Timely Replay of the Habitat Management Interview with Grant Woods This week I have a replay of the Habitat Management Interview with Grant Woods just in time as many of you guys prepare to plant food plots to get ready for deer and fall turkey seasons. This interview has quite a few food plot tips in it as well as general tips on how to manage our hunting properties for wild turkeys. Listen in as Grant shares his knowledge and experience with us in hopes that we can make our properties be wild turkey meccas.

An Interview with a New Turkey Hunter with Judy Camuso This week, I have an awesome interview with Judy Camuso who is the Commissioner of the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife for the state of Maine. Judy is actually new to the sport of hunting, and her reason for participating in the sport came from her want to include more organic sources of animal protein in her diet. I speak with her about her first successful turkey hunt, her entry into the sport of hunting, her previous vegetarian lifestyle, and of course her work. Listen in to this week's interview with Judy to learn a few more talking points that can help us convince those who may be curious about hunting to venture out into the woods with us this coming fall, winter, and spring.

The Future of Hunting Seminar from 2019 NWTF Convention This week I'm playing the recording of The Future of Hunting Seminar put on by Cuz Strickland, Jimmy Primos, Matt Morrett, Fred Zink, and Jeremiah Dowdy from the 2019 NWTF Convention and Sport Show in Nashville. There is much discussion of the decrease in the number of licensed hunters in this country and ways that we hunters can bring more people into the sport so that it will continue to thrive. Listen in, put on your thinking caps to find a way that we can get new hunters involved, and take action.

Mainely Turkeys This week, I'm sharing my hunt from Maine with you guys. This is a pretty strange hunt in regards to where it took place and how it went down. Listen in as Chip and I mark another state off of our list of states needed to complete our Super Slams.

Scott Ellis Seminar from 2019 NWTF Convention This week, I am sharing the seminar from the Scott Ellis Seminar called "Setting the Mood" from the 2019 NWTF Convention in Nashville, TN. In this seminar, Scott discusses how he approaches calling scenarios from starting off soft and subtle to moving towards a more vocal, aggressive, and demanding calling style. Scott also discusses an alternative to how we call to henned up toms. We also get to hear some calling examples during Scott's presentation, and a lengthy question and answer session. Listen in.

A Giant New York Wild Turkey This week, I share the story of my 2nd New York wild turkey hunt. We spotted this turkey with some hens and jakes in a hay field on a hillside. After relocating we found ourselves set up about 75 yards from the turkey with the guide float calling behind us using jake and hen calling. This was an interesting hunt with a huge double bearded turkey on the ground after the shot. Listen in and enjoy!

Happy Birthday Merica Turkey Soup This week, I bring us all up to date on turkey and turkey hunting news, and I chat with Steve Stoltz about his 2019 spring turkey hunting season. Mississippi, Alabama, Idaho, Michigan, Wisconsin, and North Carolina are some of the states in this week's turkey soup. Listen in!

Phillip Vanderpool Q&A Seminar from 2019 NWTF Convention This week I have the Phillip Vanderpool seminar from the 2019 NWTF Convention in Nashville, TN. Phillip filled in on very short notice for Ray Eye during the convention due to Ray's leaving the show to tend to an emergency at home. Due to the short notice that Phillip had to fill in, he did not have his usual video presentation so he hosted a Q&A seminar with questions coming from the audience. Listen in as Phillip covers hunting from blinds, bowhunting turkeys, fall turkey hunting, decoys, mid day hunting, and many other topics.