The Traveling Turkey Hunter

Joe Slaton
by: Joe Slaton

+++Turkey season is coming on fast and the preparation for a traveling turkey hunter is in full swing. Setting up places to hunt out of state usually starts 6-8 months earlier and sometimes even longer. If you are going to be hunting out of state you need to take several things into consideration. First is to get your license and tags prior to the season. Most DNR’s have online purchases now so you can buy your licenses before you go. Get your hotels booked and your vehicle rented. I always like to rent an SUV because it will haul more stuff. The next task is getting your gear prepared. Whether you are going to hunt in the swamps and need rubber boots or the mountains and you need climbing boots, the right gear can make all the difference in comfort. I teach several turkey hunting seminars every year and one of the things I never forget to mention is a Thermacell. Where I live there is seldom an outbreak of mosquitos but if you head down south to Florida or one of the other southern states you better have it with you. The first time I hunted Florida, I was almost carried off one night by a black cloud of mosquitos big enough to carry off a small dog. These days, my Thermacell has a spot in my vest every spring no matter where I hunt. That brings me to the turkey vest. I carry enough stuff in my vest that would fill up a wheelbarrow. So make sure you have enough pockets and gear to make your trip enjoyable.

+++The biggest hurdle in a traveling hunter is the airplane. If you are unable to drive to your destination the plane is your next option. There are a couple things you want to remember. Check the airlines policy on carrying guns. Most airlines want your gun in a hard case that is lockable. Your ammo has to be separated from the weapon and usually has to be in the original packaging. I forgot once to put my shells, that I carry in my vest, back into the package and they took my bag completely apart and pulled them out. Luckily I stayed until it was checked and was able to put it back in its original package. Also, don’t forget that each piece of luggage is going to cost between $25-$35 per bag unless you are flying Southwest (the first 2 bags fly free) which can be an extra expense that is often forgotten. Checking the gun/s is fairly easy if you follow these steps. First, they want you to open the case, and check to see if the gun is unloaded. Most don’t even look inside but they should. Next, they will have you sign a red card that says it’s unloaded and you’re not a terrorist, I think. I really don’t remember ever reading that card. Then they want you to close the case and, depending on the TSA agent, may or may not have you lock it until it goes through the x-ray machine. Give yourself a few extra minutes when you are checking in so that you can stay around until it’s all checked and locked then you can go through the x-ray machine with your pants falling off and being barefoot. As long as you jump through their hoops it can go smooth. I’ve only had one gun that never made it to my destination and I don’t want it to happen again. One thing I always do is carry on my turkey calls. Some of my calls are very important to me and some are very expensive. I always carry them on the plane with me so they won’t get lost. If nothing else shows up at my destination at least I can call the turkeys in for other people.

+++I always have a problem getting everything I need to fit into my bag that is going to be checked and I am always pushing the 50 pound, weight limit. When you are trying to put a turkey vest, camo clothes, regular clothes, extra boots, extra hunting gear, underwear, socks, thermals, a jacket, and a ditty bag, there is not much room for a decoy. Make sure to take out all your knives and sharp objects when flying. I have forgotten to take out my pocket knife before but was able to put it in my checked luggage before it was actually checked. Don’t forget about bringing your trophy home. If you are going to have it mounted you might be able to freeze the turkey and ship it before you come home. Check with your taxidermist as to how he would like you to send it. If you are going to bring the meat home that’s a different story. I have bought a small Styrofoam container to carry my meat in. If you can freeze the meat before you put it in the container it will probably stay frozen until you get home. I just carry those containers on the plane with me. I also put my tail, beard, and spurs in my checked bag. They don’t take up much room but again I am fighting the 50 pound, weight limit.

+++So keep these things in mind when you are traveling to your next turkey hunting destination. As long as you jump through the hoops you should be OK. Good luck and hunt safe.

Gobblin Forever, Joe Slaton

Copyright 2012 www.TurkeyHuntPublicLand.com

Turkeys From A Tent

Gary Meinke
by: Gary Meinke

+++I love the smell of Ponderosa Pine, wood smoke, and canvas. Camping adds a whole other element to turkey hunting. Living in the outdoors for several days helps me become more in tune with the woods. I can forget about the “real world” and just concentrate on my hunting and enjoying the entire experience. The ability to just walk out the door and go hunting is more than a convenience, it is an engagement with in nature.…

+++When I first started traveling for my turkey hunting I slept in the back of my pickup truck fitted with a topper. Then I towed a camper trailer for several years. Now I finally have settled on a canvas wall tent as my main camp lodge. I’ve been hunting with one for 7 years now. The wall tent is roomy enough to easily stand up in and it has a woodstove for a source of heat. That heat is what makes the difference between just staying in a tent and having a comfortable abode. I can fit my whole camping outfit in my truck without having to tow a trailer. Not having to tow anything improves gas mileage and also allows me to get into areas I might not be able to get to otherwise. Over the years there have been a number of hunting areas I could not have reached due to muddy and snowy roads, had I been towing a trailer. Another advantage I like about a tent is when the weather gets hot a well ventilated tent set up in the shade can be cooler than a camper.

+++Camping in the area I hunt is an advantage because there is no driving time. Some motels can be a half hour or even an hour drive from a hunting area. This saves time at both ends of the day, not to mention money. During turkey season the more sleep I can get, the better. I also don’t have to fight sloppy difficult to navigate roads if the weather happens to be bad or turn bad while I’m out hunting. I might not have to “quit early” in order to “get out”.

+++I have refined my tent camping over the years and thought there may be some ideas that could be useful should you decide to try a tent camp for turkey hunting. My wall tent is 10’x12’ and has a frame made from conduit. The canvas is waterproof, mildew resistant and has a fire retardant on it. This type of canvas can be stored wet for a few days, but does need to be dried out before long term storage. There is no other maintenance involved other than storing the tent in a dry place. I keep my tent canvas in a large plastic container to prevent mice or other pests from accessing it. I also have a waterproof tarp specially fitted from the manufacturer to go over the tent. The tarp helps shed a hard rain or snow and also insulates the tent during cold weather. There is no floor in my tent; the woodstove quickly dries out any wet ground. If I happen to expect snow on the ground when I arrive, I bring a scoop shovel to clear the area where the tent will be set up.

+++The woodstove is sized to the tent. Having a stove too large can easily overheat your living space, and too small of a stove may not provide enough heat if the weather turns cold and windy. Most of the wood I use to burn I bring with me, but in some areas you may be able to cut or collect your wood right there. Just be sure it is legal beforehand. Kindling is also brought along to ease the starting or restarting of a fire. Wood ash must be dealt with so I have a small ash shovel and I use a metal bucket to hold the ashes until they are cooled enough for disposal. The ash bucket also carries the tent stakes during transport. A spark arrester on top of the stovepipe is needed to keep sparks from flying out and landing on the ground, nearby trees or the roof of the tent. The woodstove is also used to do a lot of cooking.

+++I have a couple of Roll-A-Cots® for beds. They get you off the ground for a good nights rest, are light, and pack up fairly small. A pad for the cot will help insulate you from cool air underneath and provide additional padding for comfort. My tent is designed for two hunters, but three hunters can be accommodated. I made a cloth and conduit shelf to go across the back of the tent to keep cloths and other clutter out of the way and off the ground. The shelf is supported by the tent frame and folds up for transport.

+++I built food and kitchen boxes to organize the food and cooking utensils. Most of the items in these boxes are never unpacked. I use the items directly from the storage boxes. To get ready for a trip I just have to resupply some food. A hinged board that stores inside one box goes across the top and locks the two boxes together to make a handy countertop. For transport, the boxes each have a lid and they can be hauled in a horizontal position without disturbing things inside (Fig. 5). Most of the food in the grub box is kept in sealed plastic containers to keep any critters from helping themselves. I also built a box that holds all the woodstove parts (stovepipe, fire grate, etc), except the stove body itself. This box then converts into a table for use inside the tent.

+++Above are the grub and kitchen boxes with lids on and ready to transport. The woodstove is on top of the stove parts box/table. A water jug with a spigot is a handy source of running water. I usually carry two of these 7-gallon water containers with me. A Coleman® lantern is used to supply the light at night. The lantern is hung form the center support in the tent and I always have an extra set of mantles on hand. A two burner Coleman® stove is used for cooking if the weather is too hot to have a fire going. A single burner stove can replace the bigger two burner if I don’t expect to do much cooking on it.

+++Camp slippers are very convenient. Mine are just a pair of rubber overshoes with some felt boot liners in them. The liners are cut short so they don’t stick up to far. It’s always nice to get out of the hunting boots, and these slippers are warm, comfy, and easy to get on and off. The rubber allows you to walk around outside if the ground is wet or there is some snow. An axe is always a handy item around camp. The scoop shovel is brought along to clear the ground of snow where the tent will be set up if that is necessary.

+++I use an Igloo® 5-day cooler to store any perishable food. Most of my hunts are about five days and there is usually still some ice left in the cooler on the fifth day, even in hot weather. Since I would rather hunt than cook, I make up three or four days worth of sandwiches already wrapped in cellophane. These are nice to just throw in your vest in the early morning, or have ready to eat when you get back to camp after a hunt. I also freeze some home-cooked dinners (e.g. lasagna, turkey and stuffing) in a vacuum -seal bag and drop them into boiling water to heat them up before unsealing.. The sealed bag dinners really cut down on dirty dishes since I can place the bag in a bowl or pan and cut the top open and eat directly from the open bag.

+++If you think you might want to consider tent camping for turkeys, and happen by a wall tent in your travels…well come on in! It’s warm inside and there is a fresh pot of coffee on the woodstove.

Copyright 2012 www.TurkeyHuntPublicLand.com

Setting Up A Turkey Gun

Gary Meinke
by: Gary Meinke

+++ It was late morning and I was trolling for a gobbler. I set up and called for fifteen minutes about every 200 yards hoping to get a response. I finally got a gobbler to answer back after the fifth set up. A few minutes later another call from me brought a much closer gobble. He was coming! I slinked down against the tree and got my gun up. The gobbler came in perfectly and stopped with his head up about 25 yards away. I shot and the gobbler jumped up and came right back down where he had stood before. I had missed him clean. A shot of panic went through me, and in an instant I sat up a little straighter and shot him in the head as if I was wing shooting a straight away quail. He dropped like a rock. That hunt happened in my second year as a turkey hunter and I just could not believe I could miss a turkey like that. I was prepared with a clear line of vision and had adequate time to take the shot. I was shooting an over & under with only beads as a sight. Unfortunately, I had not bothered to pattern it prior to the hunt. The incident convinced me to pattern my gun and I found it shooting about 16 inches high at 35 yards. No wonder I missed the bird. I now take setting up my turkey gun in advance much more seriously. Calling up a gobbler only to miss it is disheartening to say the least. Opportunities usually don’t come easy or very often. A properly tuned gun, along with the confidence that goes with it, can make the difference in a hit or miss, or possibly crippling a turkey. I have tested several combinations of chokes and shells to get a dense and evenly distributed pattern out of my gun. A red dot sight now sits atop my gun, and I know with confidence where the center of my pattern will hit. I also know just how small, in terms of diameter, the pattern is at close range and at what range the pattern is no longer lethal to a turkey.

The Target and A Lethal Pattern

+++ Body shot turkeys just do not drop in their tracks readily. The big birds can absorb a lot of shot only to run or fly off and die later. Turkeys are shot in the head and neck. However the vitals in the head and neck region are the brain and spine, and that is essentially what must be hit by the pellets in a shotgun’s pattern. The brain and spine do not occupy a very big area, so a fairly dense pattern is required for a clean kill. As the shot column travels downrange, it becomes thinner. Eventually the pellets will spread too far apart to hit the brain or spine with any consistency. To test if my pattern is still lethal at increasing distances, I print a life size picture of a turkey’s brain and spine and count the pellet hits in those vital areas. I like to see at least 4 or 5 hits in the vitals as a minimum because shotgun patterns are generally random and you can never be assured of exactly how the pellets will be distributed. I don’t think just one or two pellet hits are sufficient because the next shot may pattern without any hits in the vitals. Click here for an image of the life size brain & spine target to print on your computer.

Testing Choke/Shell Combinations and Patterning

+++ If you are interested in testing a new turkey shell or choke in your gun, a good place to start is to get on and participate in some of the online turkey hunting forums. Such as those found on the National Wild Turkey Federation and Turkey and Turkey Hunting magazine web sites. There should already be some advice posted about the particular gun you intend to use and what combination of choke and shell has had good results for other turkey hunters. A different choke or type/brand of shell in a gun can sometimes shift the point of impact. Whenever I change one or both of those elements, I re-pattern my gun, For patterning, I like to shoot from a good rest, much like a rifle bench shooter does, because at this point I am testing the gun, choke and shell, not my ability to hold on target. My paper targets are large, at least 30” high by 30”wide. Such a background allows me to see the whole pattern even if the shot is off a few inches one way or the other. This allows me to better determine how far off I might be and in what direction. I won’t waste another shot because the gun’s point of impact (POI) is different from its point of aim (POA), or if I happen to pull the shot. I tape the skull and vertebrae target to the center of the big paper and use it as an aiming point.When I am testing a new choke or shell to see if the pattern will work for hunting, I always start at the 40 yard range. Forty yards is about the maximum distance I intend to shoot a turkey. If the pattern isn’t good enough to be lethal at that range, then I know the particular choke and shell combination isn’t going to enable me to cleanly kill a turkey. Even if the pattern doesn’t look very good I still may shoot more than one shell at 40 yards to be sure there wasn’t an anomaly for that single shot. There is no sense in wasting expensive turkey shells and punishing my shoulder to see what a 20 or 30 yard pattern will look like if the shell or choke isn’t going to be sufficient at 40 yards. As mentioned previously, in order for a pattern to be acceptable to me, I want to see 4 or 5 hits in those turkey vitals with a nice even distribution of pellet hits around the center of the pattern. I personally prefer to shoot about 3 shells at the 40 yard range with a particular combination that I think will work. This provides confidence that I will be able to consistently get good results from that particular gun, choke and shell combination in the field.

Sighting In and Pattern Performance

+++ Once I have identified a choke and shell combination that is acceptable at 40 yards, I then want to become familiar with what the pattern is doing at various ranges. I do this, by shooting at both greater and lesser distances and checking to see if POI is the same as POA at each distance. I may make adjustments to my sights if necessary as I work through the process. My approach is to first shoot at ranges farther than 40 yards in 5 yard increments. This allows me to determine at what range the pattern is no longer lethal to a turkey. Ideally, the lethal pattern will still be good to 45 yards and hopefully further. This gives me at least a 5 yard cushion in case I make an error in range estimation while hunting. If the pattern breaks up before 45 yards I may continue searching for a better choke and shell combination if possible. Then I continue to shoot at further targets in 5 yard increments. The pattern will eventually spread too much to be lethal anymore. At this distance, I will have found the maximum range for taking a shot in the field. The maximum range is determined by the distance before I find the pattern to be too sparse and non-lethal. It is important to note here that weather can affect shotgun patterns. Both cold temperatures and wind can have an adverse influence on a pattern. If possible, pattern your gun on calm days and when the temperature is moderate. When hunting in very windy or cold conditions it is wise reduce the maximum range of the gun so a turkey is not wounded.Once I find the range where the pattern is no longer lethal, I start to shoot at closer ranges to see “how big”, or more importantly, how small the diameter of the pattern becomes. Since the shot pattern is smaller and a lot more defined at closer ranges, the sight on the gun can be zeroed in more accurately. I try to fine tune the gun sight when shooting at these closer distances. Shooting at ranges of 10, 20 and 30 yards gives me an idea of just how accurate my aiming must be in those situations. When I am done shooting close and the sight is zeroed in, I like to fire one more shot at 40 yards. To do this I shoot from a hunting position, just to make sure nothing changes in my set up under more realistic conditions. This short vs. long range patterning process is modified if I have just installed a new scope or sighting system on my gun. In this case I need to get those sights somewhat close to zero so that the shot will hit the paper target at 40 yards. I start out at a range of about 15 yards using light target loads and aim at a large dot on the big paper. The pattern of a target load will be well defined at such a close range and I can typically adjust the sight using target loads to be close enough to translate to the whole pattern when using a more expensive turkey load on the larger paper target at 40 yards.In subsequent years if I have not changed my choke, shell, or sight, I will shoot my gun at 40 yards once or twice from a shooting rest and then once more from a hunting position a few weeks before a new season starts. This annual procedure lets me know if the sight has been knocked off zero and reassures my confidence in the gun for the coming season. Setting up a turkey gun so thoroughly is time consuming and has some financial cost in terms of shell and perhaps choke expenses. However, once the process is done, there is not a lot of maintenance and your gun will be ready to go for many seasons to come. You will have the assurance of knowing that when you pull the trigger, the gobbler doesn’t stand a chance.

Copyright 2012 www.TurkeyHuntPublicLand.com

A Caller’s Journal – Entry 6

Mike Longnecker
What Happens Next?
by: Mike Longnecker

+++As the contest season nears, I am struck with a few new difficulties that were not expected as of just a few months ago. To start with, the PA State Championship at Bloomsburg has been canceled and moved to the Claysburg contest on March 3, 2012. That is actually a blessing though, as it gives me one extra week to get ready for my first calling contest, which is one month from today. WOW!! That is a shocker! I can’t believe that it is already that time of year again. But the main difficulty that I have encountered is that I am having shoulder surgery for a torn labrum on January 18th and will be in a sling for six weeks. According to my doctor, I should still be able to run a pot call. It is on my right shoulder and that will definitely take some getting used to, as that’s my striker hand! Because of this, I will not be able to participate in the owl hooting divisions at Harrisburg or Claysburg this year, an untimely turn of events. But God has a plan for everything, and there has to be a reason for this.

+++I have been turning out some strikers recently, and selling them almost as quickly as I turn them. Turning them has rekindled my fire for friction calling and the result is that I am getting better and shaking off the rust that had accumulated on my skill. I even had one corian tipped striker that broke while on the lathe, and while it was only over five inches long, I decided to round off the tip and play it. To my surprise it gives great kee kees and fantastic yelps on my Kee Disc from Woodhaven, an exciting turn of events! Let’s look at what is coming up for me in the future.

+++January 18th is my shoulder surgery, and hopefully I will find out that I will be able to run a pot call. The next big thing for me is the Harrisburg Professional Open and Friction on February 5th . This is held at the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show, which excites me in itself! The calls for this contest have already been posted online and they contain several of my weakest calls. I have been practicing them, hoping it pays off. I have the most trouble with controlling my cutting of the excited hen and that is included in both contests. I don’t know of any contest between February 5th and March 3rd, when I will compete in the Friction, Open, and Intermediate divisions at Claysburg. The Friction and Open divisions are both for PA State Championships. That means big money and heavy competition, two things that definitely make me nervous!!

+++All in all, the next couple of months should be exciting and we will see what happens! I will be posting updates as I go, some short, some long. Hopefully I will be able to put together a video highlight reel at the end of the contest season. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful week. God Bless!

“A Caller’s Journal” chronicles competitive caller, Mike Longnecker’s journey from the beginnings of contest calling and hopefully to a future, NWTF GNCC win.

Copyright 2012 www.TurkeyHuntPublicLand.com

Turkeys In The Snow

Gary Meinke
by: Gary Meinke

+++The wind was blowing the snow completely horizontal as my friend Les and I put on our hip boots. That April afternoon we were in the midst of a full fledged blizzard, getting ready to cross the river to go to a turkey roost I knew about. I carried a Double Bull blind and my seat, Les had his gun and seat. As we started our mile long trek Les said “I bet we are the only dedicated turkey hunters on the river right now”. I said “Les…I don’t think dedicated is the best word to describe us”.

+++The roost was in an old river channel and we found the slight drop in elevation protected us from the wind. In the blind it was really quite pleasant as we watched big flakes of snow float softly to the ground. We called periodically, and a little before sunset I looked out my side of the blind. Just 25 feet away there was some movement at the top of some weeds that I couldn’t figure out. Finally I realized I was looking at the head and neck of a hen turkey. I didn’t recognize what I saw at first, because she was covered with a half inch of snow from the base of her neck to her tail. Her body just blended in with the white background. The hen fed around the blind for a while and eventually shook off all the snow that had accumulated on her. Les commented how cold, wet, and miserable she looked. The hen soon moved off and flew up to roost about 70 yards away. We managed to slip out of the area without flushing her. Les and I never saw or heard a gobbler that evening, but I will never forget that hunt. Hunting turkeys in the snow can produce some special memories.

+++I do most of my turkey hunting out west and spring snowstorms are not uncommon during the turkey season. I have experienced spring snows as late as the third week in May. Our spring snows usually come with a good dose of wind, and many fall into the blizzard category. It seems I hunt turkeys in the snow at least once every other spring, and two or three times in some of the more volatile springs. I have put together some observations on how a spring snow affects turkeys and hunting them. However, my experience with hunting turkeys in snow is limited to the Rio Grande and Merriam’s turkey. I have yet to hunt Easterns in the snow. If you are hunting out west for a Rio or Merriam’s and find yourself hunting in snow, then perhaps you may find some of the following information useful.

Behavior

+++Both Rios and Merriam’s tend to gather in pretty large flocks in the winter. In many years these flocks don’t break up until just before the spring hunting season opens. An early spring snowstorm can delay flock break up. Once breakup occurs, a snow may cause the birds to regroup into flocks of 10-25 birds. For Rios this means the flocks may be fewer and farther in between, but more birds in each flock. In the case of Merriam’s in the mountains, the birds may migrate vertically downhill in a spring snow after flocking back together. If you are hunting public lands, which are usually at higher elevations, the birds may just move to lower elevations which are usually private lands. Since these spring snows are not uncommon, some turkeys do take them in stride and stay up high. When hunting higher elevation public lands during a storm, I have found a few birds still weathering the storm.

+++Turkeys may just choose to hole up in sheltered areas during the intense part of a storm. The birds are out there 24/7 and will have to feed and move about sooner or later. When a storm finally does break the toms are pretty anxious to get back to the task of breeding. If the snow quits and the wind dies down some gobblers may start sounding off even in the middle of the day. And if the temps are rising with some snow melting, things will be getting back to normal relatively quickly. However, if the snow is very deep (close to a foot or more) it may take several days for the turkeys to resume their normal routine.

+++Prolonged cold and several storms during the spring may delay nesting in hens for a week or more. This could affect how the breeding flock structure progresses later in the season. The hens may not be leaving the gobblers as readily to lay their eggs.

Advantages of Snow

+++There are really not many advantages of hunting in snow. The competition of other hunters certainly is reduced. About the only other hunters out there are ones that pre-planned a hunt for that particular time and ended up hunting in the snow by chance, or the few turkey hunting nuts, like me, that think its fun to chase gobblers in the snow. Local hunters normally just wait for the weather to improve.

+++Tracks will certainly be more easily revealed wherever turkeys roam. In snow it is easy to tell fresh tracks from those even a few hours old. You may even be able to track a flock and anticipate the direction they are going and have an opportunity to head them off. Tracks that end suddenly or start from nowhere indicate the location where turkeys have flown up or down from a tree. Find this subtle clue and you have probably just found a roost site.

+++Turkeys are much easier to see in the snow. Out west where the country is open, it is very likely that you could spot a flock from a good distance just by doing some glassing with binoculars. Spotting turkeys is also simpler because the size of the area to search may be reduced if some portions of it are clear of snow. Wind can blow areas clear or the sun will melt the south facing slopes, so check those spots first. Even though turkeys could easily scratch through shallow snow, they seem to prefer clear ground or where the snow is almost gone.

Disadvantages of Snow

+++The biggest disadvantage of a spring snowstorm may be the inability to get to the hunting area. Backcountry roads can be difficult to navigate at best. Many are just not plowed. Even when the storm is over and the snow is melting the roads can be very slippery. However if you happen to be camping in your hunting area when the storm hits, those same difficult roads could keep others from getting in, this turns a disadvantage into an advantage. Just make sure you are always prepared for the unexpected and have plenty of food, water and warmth.

+++Crunchy snow can be another major problem. Spring snows are almost always a wet snow. The daytime temperature may be close to, or above the freezing mark, but nighttime temps usually go below the freezing mark. This means that slushy wet snow becomes a hard and results in very noisy, crunchy snow by morning. Consequently, it can be extremely difficult if not impossible to move in on a roosted gobbler. Not only can turkeys hear you moving from a great distance, they can see shadows against the snow in very low light. You lose the cover of darkness.

+++Although, you can see turkeys better in the snow, they can also see you better. For a turkey, their eyes are its greatest asset. It is especially challenging for a hunter to try to remain hidden on a carpet of white. A white sheet over your legs and partially up your waist can help you blend in while sitting up against a dark tree. The sheet can easily be carried in the back pouch of a turkey vest when moving.

+++As I mentioned previously, turkeys may flock up a bit and that means more areas without turkeys. This can mean a lot of leg work before you make any contact with birds. For Merriam’s this is especially the case because their density is less concentrated. The inclement weather may also tone down the frequency of gobbling.

+++The cold and wet can make for some uncomfortable hunting. Waterproof outerwear is a must. Since I travel for most of my turkey hunting, I always pack extra clothes and even an old turkey vest as a spare. This allows me to hunt in very wet weather and not have to worry too much if something ends up totally soaked. I can go back out hunting with a spare item while the soaked one is drying. I also like to wear LaCrosse rubber, knee high boots in wet weather and I have an insulated pair if it is very cold. With the LaCrosse felt insoles, the boots are very comfortable and I can walk all day in them. A good seat or pad that keeps you dry can mean the difference between a good hunt and a miserable hunt. Calls and other gear should also be protected or waterproofed.

+++During snowfall, gun sights may become clogged or covered with snow. Even after it has stopped snowing this may occur as you move about and inadvertently brush snow off branches. This becomes a greater concern if you hunt with a scope or dot-type sight on your gun. I always check my sight frequently to be sure it is clear. A scope or dot sight can also fog up in cold wet weather.

+++If you find yourself in turkey country that is carpeted in white, get after them if you can. There are some added challenges, but some special memories can be made…and you might even end up with a “snowbird”.

Copyright 2011 www.TurkeyHuntPublicLand.com

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