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

Early Summer Turkey Soup This week I try to catch us all up on some turkey hunting news - after what, in retrospect, sounds like a little bit of a rant. In this week's news is Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Rhode Island, Ohio, Arkansas, Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, Nebraska, and Wisconsin turkey hunting harvest results and announcements of brood surveys being conducted. I also make mention of truly custom turkey calls made by Primos and turkey socks designed by yours truly - yep, turkey socks. Listen in!

Apple Orchard Turkey This week I tell the story, and share the audio of, my first New York state turkey. This was a rather odd hunt - at least the first 1/2 of the hunt anyway - but it turned out to be an exceptional hunt when all of the dust settled. In our first setup we were skirted by 3 toms and several hens who did not come into view for me, but were standing about 5 feet from my buddy Chip. In our second setup, some hen and jake calling brought this 2 year old turkey close enough for a shot, and my New York tag was filled. Listen in for some great hunt audio and a pretty entertaining turkey hunting story as well.

The Cow Manure Turkey with Preston Pittman This week, Preston Pittman joins me to share the unbelievable story of a turkey hunt that took place in a 60 acre cow pasture. This story will make you stop and ask yourself if you could do what it takes to kill a wild turkey the way that Preston did this one. Preston and I also discuss TSS, whether he thinks turkey hunting will cycle and we will lose some turkey hunters due to poor quality of turkey hunting, and more. Listen in!

A Turkey Hunting Trip for the Ages with Hunt Audio This week I highlight my recent annual out of state turkey hunt with my buddies from college where we wreaked havoc on the wild turkeys in New England. I also play audio from one of the hunts that we had on that trip. On this trip, we visited New York, Vermont, Maine, and New Hampshire. We had an amazing experience traveling and hunting the beautiful countryside in the northeast. The wild turkeys were plentiful in the areas we hunted, and we were fortunate enough to have had several exciting hunts. Listen in and enjoy the experience with us.

Turkey Hunting Trip Planning Time This week, I have a replay for you where I talk about planning a budget out of state turkey hunting trip. Now is the time to start planning your trips - at least the bare minimums of what state(s) and dates. From there it is a matter of really nailing down the details of where you are going within those states, where you will stay while hunting, and what you may do with any downtime - like lobster in Maine. Listen in, and get started planning your 2020 turkey hunting trips.

Hen Fight!!! A West Virginia Turkey Hunt This week, my buddy Zach Lucas shares with us the story of and audio from an awesome turkey hunt that we were on in West Virginia this past Saturday. The hunt had a little bit of everything that we turkey hunters love. There was lots of hen talk, gobbling, strutting, fighting, shooting, and fun all wrapped up into one hunt. Listen in as I check off one more state in my quest for 49!

Turkey Science vs Turkey Fiction with Mike Chamberlain In this week's episode, I have Mike Chamberlain on the show to pick apart some of the propaganda floating around social media about a few of the reasons that turkey hunters attribute the decline to in turkey populations. We discuss prescribed fire (more specifically, growing season burns), predators, hogs, nest parasites and hosts, the human factor, season lengths, bag limits. Mike also shares the story of his most recent successful turkey hunt with us. This is an episode that I'm pretty sure we can all learn a little something about our favorite game bird, the wild turkey. Listen in!

A Good Ending to a Weird Season Today, I'm sharing my final hunt of Alabama's 2019 turkey season with you. As Colonel Tom Kelly so accurately and eloquently stated in his book, Better on a Rising Tide, “Turkey hunting is a magical, intellectual, tactical exercise conducted out of doors. It is a personal, contemplative sport, and does not require the production of a dead turkey to be classified as a success.” I sometimes wonder if we turkey hunters use that line or thought to justify our blunders or lack of success in the woods. But the truth always comes back to my mind soon after having those thoughts. The truth is a successful turkey hunt is what we want it to be. For me, I crave the interaction with the bird. Knowing that I can cause him to respond with a gobble or drumming or maybe even change his course, even if only briefly. When I get that interaction with a wild turkey, for me, that is a successful turkey hunt. Listen in to today's show. It was a very exciting hunt, if only for a very brief period of time. But, it was a hunt that I learned a few things from as well - mainly about the turkeys on my hunting property.

An End Around Turkey Story This is the story of another catch and release turkey hunt from my 2019 turkey season. Listen in as my buddy, Drew, and I chase after a hard gobbling Eastern on our home turf in Alabama. You probably will be amazed about the story of the crazy hen that we dealt with for the better part of the morning as well. It was a great hunt and a pile of fun. I hope you enjoy it.

A Catch and Release Turkey Hunt This week I share the story and audio of a hunt with no shots fired. This is a very exciting hunt with 2 new turkey hunters with good gobbling and a pretty interesting twist to it. There is also a challenge issued to you guys listening. After hearing the audio of the hunt, can you tell me what I did wrong during this hunt? If you think you know what I did wrong during the hunt, then shoot me an email. The first person to submit the correct error will receive a Strut Commander maintenance free box call. Listen in.

A Mississippi Turkey Hunting Story This week I have my buddy Evan Murphy on the show to talk about our successful turkey hunt in Mississippi. Thanks to Evan for helping me to mark Mississippi off of my list of states that I need to kill a turkey in. We had a great and unique hunt together. Listen in!

Back on the Board in Bama This week, I have Scott McDonald on the show to share the details of our successful Alabama turkey hunt and to play the audio of that file. Scott also briefly shares his story of his successful hunt on public land in Georgia and which states he plans to hunt this spring to move closer to completing his Super Slam. Listen in!

Mississippi Public Land Turkey This week, I replay a hunt from opening weekend in Mississippi on public land with Cameron Weddington, the former Turkey Hunter podcast intern. Cameron and I tackled public land in Mississippi on opening weekend of their 2019 turkey season, and we had some very good luck. In this episode, Cameron and I share the story of the hunt and talk about some things that happened that really stuck out to us as some reasons why the hunt was a success. Listen in!

Soft Calling with Scott Ellis This week, Scott Ellis joins me to talk about soft calling turkeys. Soft calling is a form of calling we all need to master in order to work turkeys into close range effectively. In the interview, we talk about calls that are not turkey vocalizations, how to change the mood of a Tom, and different scenarios when we can use soft calling techniques. For the icing on the cake, Scott shares the story of his most recent turkey hunt with us. Listen in!

Competition Turkey Calling with Steve Stoltz This week, Steve Stoltz with Woodhaven Custom Calls joins me on the show to talk about competition turkey calling. We discuss how someone who is interested in competition calling can get into the sport, and we also discuss the differences in competition calling and calling while hunting. I ask Steve in the interview who is the tougher judge a 4 year old public land turkey or the human judges on the panel of any given contest. Steve demonstrates some calling for us and shows us the difference between calling and calling with emotions. Listen in!

All About Turkey Chokes with Mike Ponder with Indian Creek Shooting Systems This week, I have Mike Ponder, one of the founders of Indian Creek Shooting Systems, on the show to chat about shotgun chokes for turkey hunting. We talk about shotgun chokes in their simplest form, the advantages of an extended choke and a ported choke. We also discuss how chokes help to separate the wad from the shot when a shell is fired which helps to result in a more consistent pattern from the gun. We cover TSS and how it is revolutionizing the hunting industry in allowing hunters to use lighter sub gauges for turkey hunting compared to the guns we were shooting to achieve the same results 10 years ago. Listen in and give some thought as to whether or not you are shooting the choke that best suits your hunting style.

226 - 2019 NWTF Convention One Question Interviews with the Pros What would your approach be for hunting a henned up Tom if you could not make the boss hen angry enough to want to fight you and bring that Tom with her and right to your gun barrel? That is our 1 question that we asked many pros while we were at the NWTF Convention and Sport Show in Nashville this month. We got some great answers, and I've picked up a new strategy or two to try out myself in the process of interviewing these guys. This episode has tons of great tips and information from turkey killers like Billy Yargus, Preston Pittman, Steve Stoltz, Jimmy Primos, Eddie Salter, Ernie Calandrelli, Cuz Strickland, Phillip Vanderpool, and Chris Parrish. Listen in and take some notes because I know you are going to love the information in this episode.

2019 NWTF Convention and Sport Show Recap This week I recap my entire weekend at the NWTF Convention and Sport Show in Nashville, TN. I have highlights of seminars that I recorded as well as interviews with some of the exhibitors who were at the show with their new turkey hunting products. Jimmy Primos, Cuz Strickland, Matt Morrett, Eddie Salter, Brenda Valentine, Scott Ellis, Michael Waddell, T-Bone, Nick Mundt, and Jeff Budz are just some of the many turkey hunting celebs who are on this week's episode. This week's show is chocked full of information that you will find entertaining and useful as well. Listen in!

A Trumpet Caller Playing Lesson with Mark Sharpe So, I'm still trying to be more consistent with my playing of the trumpet caller, and I knew that I needed some help and some pointers about how to improve my calling with it. So, I knew I would be in pretty good hands if I could trick Mark Sharpe into giving me a lesson on running a trumpet caller. Mark agreed to help me, and we thought that he could also help all of you guys as well. Listen in as Mark gives me some tips that have helped me become more consistent with the trumpet, but I really believe can help us all be better at calling wild turkeys.

Setting Up on a Wild Turkey with Will Primos This week, I have Will Primos on the show to talk about the very important topic of properly setting up on a wild turkey hunt. We discuss distance, approach, picking a spot to sit, standing, setting up on a field's edge, decoys, setting up in unfamiliar woods, and many more topics. Listen in to one of the nicest guys in the hunting industry and see if he knows a thing or two about setting up on a wild turkey hunt that will benefit you this coming spring season.

222 - Dear Turkey Killer - A Rough Draft So, I recently started putting together a list of actions and items that I need to do before, during, and after turkey season - a turkey hunting to do list. This season, I don't want my usual screw ups to mess up a hunt or two the early part of season like normally happens. So, I put together a list of items and actions that I need to take in order to correct those issues before they ever happen. The letter is full of turkey hunting tips and reminders of don't do this, do that, don't do this, etc. I read that letter - my turkey hunting To Do and action list - in this week's episode. Listen in!

Another Turpin Interview from Unicoi Turkey Call Makers Show This week I am playing the interview from the 2019 Unicoi Turkey Call Makers Show in Helen, GA with Doug Morgan and Richard Hudson. Doug and Richard are two custom call makers who make the Turpin style box calls. I ask Doug and Richard what makes their calls different, how they got started making these calls, and if they make any other style turkey calls. Listen in to Doug, Richard, and me talking turkeys, turkey hunting, and Turpin style box calls.

2019 Unicoi Turkey Call Makers Show Recap and Interviews This week I recap the 2019 Unicoi Turkey Call Makers Show at the Unicoi State Park near Helen, Georgia. The show lasted 2 days and featured some of the premiere custom turkey call makers in the country. Most of the turkey calls on display and for purchase were not only works of art, but pure turkey as well. In this episode, I speak a little about the show and I play some of the interviews conducted with some of the call makers and others who had booths at the show, including Mike Giles, Dan Harris, and Russell Beard. In next week's episode, I'll bring the interview that I conducted with Doug Martin and Richard Hudson. I also share a little turkey soup in this week's episode. Listen in and learn more about the 2019 Unicoi Turkey Call Makers Show and some phenomenal turkey call makers.

Unicoi Turkey Call Maker and NWTF Convention and Sports Shows Previews This week, I speak with Mark Sharpe and Pete Muller on the show. Turkey call maker, Mark Sharpe joins us to talk about the upcoming Unicoi Turkey Call Maker Show in Helen, GA on January 11 and 12, 2019. This show features some of the best turkey call makers in the country and attendees can speak with the call makers, attend seminars, enjoy a buffet dinner, and submerge themselves in their love for the wild turkeys with many like minded folks. Pete Muller with the NWTF joins us to talk about the upcoming 2019 NWTF Convention and Sports Show to be held in Nashville, TN from February 13 - February 17, 2019. This show is the main attraction for turkey hunters as there will be hundreds of exhibitors selling and showcasing products ranging from turkey hunts to turkey hunting totes and everything in between. This show also features seminars, parties, auctions, dinners, concerts, and much more. Listen in to learn more about each of these 2 shows and make plans to be there.

Scouting and CyberScouting Public Land In this episode, I discuss the topic suggestions presented by Matt Wood about knowing where to start to scout large pieces of public land for wild turkeys and also cyber-scouting large pieces of public land for wild turkeys. I talk about using Google Earth, GIS, and the OnX app to locate areas that may hold wild turkeys and what to look for using Google Earth and OnX on public lands in a variety of habitats across the country. I also share my personal experiences using OnX on a couple of out of state hunts on public land during the spring of 2018. Listen in!

2019 Turkey Season Goals and Turkey Soup Appetizer This week I discuss my goals for my 2019 spring turkey season and for The Turkey Hunter podcast. Some of these goals carry over from previous years, and I feel like this is the year they get marked off the list. I also share a little turkey news for you guys as the time for us to apply for permits and limited opportunity hunts is approaching and closing. Listen in!

Interviews with NWTF Board of Directors Candidates Today, I have the final 2 interviews for the NWTF Board of Directors Candidates for you. In this episode is my interview with Don Erbert from Kansas. Don tells us why he is running for the NWTF Board of Directors and why he deserves one of our 3 votes. I also interview Kent Danjanovich from Utah in this episode. Kent also tells us why he is running for the NTWF Board and why he deserves one of our 3 votes. Listen in, and use this opportunity to decide which 3 candidates you will vote for. Oh, and by the way, if you are not currently a member of the NWTF, then what are you waiting for? The NWTF is THE organization working to preserve our hunting heritage.

Interview with NWTF Board of Directors Candidate and Some Turkey Soup This week, I have Shane Alexander who is running for the NWTF Board of Directors on the show to talk about his candidacy. This is a great opportunity to meet Shane and get to know him a little. We also talk about his reason for wanting to be on the Board of Directors for the NWTF, and I ask him why we should cast one of our 3 votes for him. After our business talk, I get Shane to share a turkey hunting story with us. I also serve up a heaping helping of turkey soup as well. We talk about turkey news in Missouri, South Dakota, Oregon, West Virginia, Ohio, Massachusetts, Utah, Illinois, Mississippi, Tennessee, and New Brunswick. Listen in!

2018 NWTF Board of Directors Candidates Interviews Part 1 This week, I have interviews with 2 of the 6 candidates who are running for the NWTF Board of Directors. Board members serve 3 year terms, and their role is crucial to the mission of the NWTF. We, as members of the NWTF, owe it to ourselves and the organization to vote for the 3 candidates that we feel are most qualified. My plan is to bring you interviews with each of the candidates who are running for the board this year. Listen in and learn more about Sherry Crumley and Robert "Doc" Dettmer and hear a couple of good turkey hunting stories as well.

3 Random Turkey Hunting Topics This week, I have another episode of Turkey Mulligan Stew for you. This is just a hodge podge of random turkey hunting topics taken from suggestions from you, the listeners. This week, I talk about turkey shotguns. More specifically, I talk about black shotguns vs camo shotguns, barrel length, and 3" chambers vs 3.5" chambers. I also discuss modifications and customizations we can make to our turkey hunting decoys. From painting or repainting them to butchering them and making our own modified version of what we want a turkey decoy to look like. In addition to these topics, I also discuss portable ground blinds for running and gunning turkey hunting. I mention several different manufacturers of these blinds and talk about the pros and cons of them as well. Listen in!

Budget Friendly Out of State Turkey Hunts This week, I'm discussing budget friendly out of state turkey hunts. This topic was suggested by Matt Wood some time back, and I hate that I haven't talked about it until now. We are talking about budget friendly out of state turkey hunts. Mainly, the travel, license, lodging, and food part of those hunts. Listen in as I offer some suggestions on ways that we can save money when traveling out of state in pursuit of extended turkey hunting seasons, Grand Slams, or Super Slams.

Box Call Magic Seminar with Will Primos from 2018 NWTF Convention In this week's episode I have the Box Call Magic seminar from the 2018 NWTF Convention and Sports Show in Nashville. This is a very informative seminar put on by Will Primos where he discusses many different box call calling tips and how to care for calls as well. Listen in!

Turkey Mulligan Stew This week, I discuss a couple of show topic suggestions made by longtime listener to the show, Joe Kosalko. These topics are, by themselves, not long enough to make an entire episode on their own. But, by combining more than one of the topics into one episode, there is plenty to cover in a weekly episode. So, this week, I'm talking about how to safely and practically circle a Tom that is uncooperative. I also am talking about things that we can do to minimize our presence on the turkeys that we hunt while in the woods. This is a turkey mulligan stew. Listen in! I hope you enjoy it!

Healthy Heaping of Turkey Soup This week I have for you another healthy sized helping of turkey soup. I talk about Pennsylvania's Wild Turkey plan, rifle hunting wild turkeys in South Dakota, a hunting accident that is not really a hunting accident (but it is), Vermont being overrun with wild turkeys, Arkansas' new wild turkey coordinator, turkey season updates, and wild turkeys riding motorcycles. Listen in!

Dissecting a Wingbone Caller with Mark Sharpe In this week's episode, I interview Mark Sharpe about wingbone turkey callers. Wingbone callers have been around for hundreds of years, and making a wingbone caller is quite easy. Making a great sounding and very realistic wingbone caller is much more difficult. Mark Sharpe has mastered the art of wingbone turkey caller making. Not only do his callers sound great and realistic, but they are beautiful as well. In this interview, we talk about what makes a wingbone turkey caller such a great tool to have in our turkey hunting vests, 2 bone and 3 bone callers, hen bones vs gobbler bones, and how to choose good bones to use for making wingbone callers. Listen in!

Primos Seminar from 2018 NWTF Convention This week, I am playing the pot call magic seminar with Will Primos from the 2018 NWTF Convention in Nashville. There is some good information in this seminar for most of us turkey hunters. Will talks about pot calls, pot call maintenance, and calling tips using pot calls as well as some box call talk. Listen in!

A Hot Bowl of Turkey Soup In this week's episode, I share the story of my recent fishing trip to Guatemala. I also have some turkey soup for you. In the turkey soup this week, I talk about Zinke, OK, VT, NY, NH, IN, MA, WA, MS, OH, and KY. If you live in or nearby one of those states or you hunt public land, then you will want to listen to this week's episode. Listen in!

Turkey Dogging Seminar from 2018 NWTF Convention This week, I have the recording from the turkey dogging seminar from the 2018 NWTF Convention and Sports Show in Nashville. The seminar is really a panel of turkey doggers talking of their experiences in the woods with their turkey dogs hunting fall turkeys. Those who are new to the sport of turkey hunting will enjoy learning more about turkey dogging, and those of us who are a little more experienced will enjoy many of the stories from the seminar. Listen in!

Planning a Single Season Grand Slam with Jeff Budz In this week's episode I talk to Jeff Budz, the King of Grand Slams, about taking on the challenge of a single season grand slam. We talk about the challenges, the rewards, the cost, and how to go about accomplishing the goal ourselves without an outfitter, as well as with an outfitter. Listen in to learn more about the challenge of a single season grand slam.

A Conversation with a New Turkey Dogger with Darrell Hall This week, I have listener Darrell Hall on the show to talk to us about little known sport of turkey dogging. Darrell is new to the sport, so I get to pick his brain about the why, when, and how's of how he got into the sport of turkey dogging. The interview is a great one because it is informative, interesting, and entertaining. Listen in!

Fall Turkey Hunting with Bob Fulcher In this week's episode, I interview Bob Fulcher regarding fall turkey hunting. Bob is a wealth of knowledge about hunting fall turkeys. In this interview I ask him about using decoys in the fall, busting flocks, and hunting turkeys with dogs. We also talk about preferred fall food sources and scouting and identifying turkey sign. Listen in and up your fall turkey hunting success.

Grand National Turkey Calling Champions Panel In this week's episode, I am playing the Grand National Turkey Calling Champions Panel from the 2018 NWTF Convention and Sports Show in Nashville. This is a panel of 7 or 8 of the former Grand National Turkey Calling Champions sharing their knowledge of turkey callers, turkey calling, and turkey hunting. There are some great tips about turkey hunting to be picked up from the end of this week's episode. Imagine getting to pick the brain of a 300+ year old turkey hunter who had traveled all over the country chasing turkeys in the springs and falls. That is basically what you get from these 7 or 8 hunters. Listen in!

A First Turkey Story with Joey and Brody Toone This week I interview Joey Toone and his 10 year old son, Brody. Joey shares the story of the turkey he killed this past spring while hunting with Brody. This was no ordinary turkey! This was Joey's first turkey, and this second year hunter harvested his bird without the help of anyone else (other than his good luck charm, Brody, of course). Listen in to the story of Joey's first turkey!

Replay of One of My Favorite Episodes This week, I have a replay of one of my favorite episodes of 2018 for you guys as I'm on vacation with my family at the beach. Listen in to the replay of one of my hunts from this year that has some great audio clips from a wild turkey gobbler in it.

Alps Outdoorz Long Spur Turkey Vest Review This week I review the Alps Outdoorz Long Spur Turkey Vest that I purchased a couple of months ago. I rate several aspects like comfort, fit, function, quality of construction, etc on a 10 scale, and I also give my overall rating on this interesting turkey hunting vest. Could this be the best turkey hunting vest for you? Listen in to hear more about the Alps Outdoorz Long Spur Turkey Vest.

My Most Memorable Misses In this week's episode, I relive the hunts of some of my most memorable misses. I tell the story of the Green Mile turkey miss, where I watched the turkey come 200 yards straight down a road to me. I tell the story of my first miss - that one still breaks my heart! And, I share the story of my miss of one of my mentors - one of the two turkeys that taught me tons of turkey hunting and behavior lessons. Listen in!

More Turkey Soup and an Editorial This week, I found out that the state of Alabama's Conservation Advisory Board made a change to the opening day of the Alabama turkey hunting season for 2019 (and beyond). I'm not very happy about the change and the lack of information available about the change. Listen in as I share my opinions of the Board's decision and as I offer a few suggestions myself that I feel like would be much more effective management of my favorite natural resource - the wild turkey.

Engaging with Anti Hunters with Blake Alma This week, I have Blake Alma on the show to chat with us about engaging anti hunters in person and on social media. Most of the time, hunters are not the ones who are on social media stalking anti hunters. It usually is the other way around. So, what do you do when an anti hunter finds and comments on that social media post that you've made or confronts you face to face? That is exactly what Blake Alma and I discuss on this week's episode. Listen in and hear about some of the ways you can deal with anti hunters who verbally attack you.

Eddie Salter Seminar from 2018 NWTF Convention This week, I have some good and some bad for you in this week's episode. The good first... I have the replay from Eddie Salter's 2018 NWTF convention and sports show seminar cueued up for you this week. Eddie is always entertaining and informative, and I feel like there are some great nuggets to be picked up on during the seminar for even the most experienced turkey hunter. Now, for the bad... I also have some fairly depressing turkey news for you as well. Turkey populations are down in many parts of the country and some states are cutting the lengths of their hunting seasons in response. Listen in!

A Little Summertime Turkey Soup This week I have some turkey soup for you. Here are some topics that are covered in this week's episode... college football (I'm going to apologize in advance for this), wild turkey recipe, turkey harvest numbers for spring of 2018, poult recruitment and wild turkey population surveys, fall 2018 turkey permit application dates, and turkey's gone wild. Listen in!