What to Wear When Hunting Turkeys, Ducks, Geese, Pheasants, and Quail

The 35 Best Photos From Field & Stream's 2012 Spring Trail Cam Contest: Round II

Dave_Maccar — Tue, 15 May 2012 12:15:02 -0400

Who says trail cams are only fun in the fall? Set yours out this spring, then send us your best photos. You could win a new Bushnell Trophy Cam HD (MSRP $323.95).

Here's how it works. This contest will have three rounds. The first, Round I, began, March 12, and closed on April 12. Round II ran from April 12 to May 12, and Round III from May 14 to June 14. We're giving away three Bushnell Trophy Cam HDs (MSRP: $323.95) in each round, one cam each to the top three entries, as chosen by our editors.

Congrats to users luna, mod70 and Semibald, who each have won a Trophy Cam for their shots in Round II.

So go set your trail cams up already. And have fun! --The Editors

Click here for more info on the prizes.

Click here to enter ROUND III of the 2012 SPRING TRAIL CAM CONTEST

Turkey Tip: Tagging Late-Season Toms That Travel in Pairs

Sarah Smith — Wed, 09 May 2012 08:55:20 -0400

YOUR QUARRY: Dos Amigos

Psychological Profile: Neither of these buddy birds does anything without the other; they are a pair, for sure, and maybe a couple. It’s not entirely clear why they pal around. Such an alliance clearly has practical advantages, including strength of numbers in a fight (or avoiding one) and two sets of eyes and ears to detect danger. The fact that they seem to show little romantic interest in hens, however, may suggest a different kind of partnership. In any case, neither knows who is in charge from minute to minute, which makes them maddening to hunt. 

Modus Operandi: These guys will quickly respond to your hen and locator calls from sunup to sundown—but they’ll rarely take a step toward you. Weird around aggressive hens and skittish about other gobblers, they’ve got their own agenda, which seems to be about covering as much ground as possible in a day, and gobbling as they go.

The Plan: Conventional tactics won’t fool Tom or Tommy, but they’re still turkeys: They roost, eat, travel, and socialize with other birds within a fairly predictable home range. The trick is to pattern them. Listen to their frequent gobbling to learn their favorite hangouts and the routes they follow between them. Then plan an ambush. It’s not a glamorous tactic, but it’s the best way to tag a buddy bird. 

The Setup: Place two or three feeding hen decoys—no gobblers or jakes—in one of the Boyz’ favorite feeding -areas or loafing spots, or in a funnel along a travel route. Then erect a pop-up ground blind nearby, get comfortable, and settle in for a potentially long wait.

Best Calls: Don’t let your boredom lead to overcalling. Aggressive yelps or cutting can freak these birds out, and gobbling could flat ruin your hunt. Instead, take a softwood striker to a mellow slate to make contented clucks and purrs. You’re not trying to call them in so much as trying to convince them the world is O.K.

For More Late Season Turkey Tips, Click Below:

Tips for Tagging Tough Late-Season Toms: The Alpha Male

Late Season Turkey Tip: Tag The Tom That's All Show and No Fight

From the April 2012 issue of Field & Stream Magazine.

Turkey Tip: Tagging Late-Season Toms That Travel in Pairs

Sarah Smith — Wed, 09 May 2012 08:55:20 -0400

For More Late Season Turkey Tips, Click Below:

Tips for Tagging Tough Late-Season Toms: The Alpha Male

Late Season Turkey Tip: Tag The Tom That's All Show and No Fight

From the April 2012 issue of Field & Stream Magazine.

Wild Chef's Best: Fish and Turkey Recipes

Online Editors — Wed, 02 May 2012 15:16:11 -0400

The 50 Best Field & Stream Reader Photos from April 2012

Dave_Maccar — Wed, 02 May 2012 09:25:49 -0400

Each month, Field & Stream editors review the hundreds of photos submitted by readers to our Trophy Room. If your photo is chosen to be printed in the Game Faces section of the magazine, you’ll win a Rapala Fish ‘N Fillet knife!

Submit your photos here!

Here are the other best reader photo collections from this year:

January 2012

February 2012

March 2012

Turkey Tip: How to Tag Late-Season Toms That Don't Want to Fight

Sarah Smith — Tue, 01 May 2012 13:28:19 -0400

YOUR QUARRY: Tommy the Weasel

Aliases: Limb Talker, Pee Wee

Psychological Profile: In any group, certain individuals will be weaker than others. In Tommy the Weasel’s flock, he is the weakest adult male—a fact that has been exploited by other gobblers at every opportunity, reinforcing his submissiveness. Whenever Tommy has taken a step toward a hen yelp while in sight of other toms, he’s gotten his clock cleaned. So he doesn’t do it anymore. He has learned, above all else, to avoid a fight. He sneaks around. He meets hens on the sly. He gets by on guile. And that makes him one tough bird to tag.

Modus Operandi: Tommy gobbles like mad from the roost (where no one can hurt him), but he shuts up the second his toes hit the dirt. He only occasionally answers a hen call, and when he does, you can bet he isn’t going to come running. Far more often, he hangs up out of gun range and then slowly fades away from your setup.

The Plan: A tom that won’t answer a challenge and rarely comes to a call may seem nearly impossible to kill, but there’s a chink in Tommy’s armor: all that gobbling he does on the limb. He’ll start yodeling as soon as he flies up in the evening. Be there to put him to bed and pinpoint his roost. Then return early the next morning to convince him he can nab a hen before any other gobblers are wise to him.

The Setup: Well before dawn, wiggle in as tight to his roost as you can, and set up one hen decoy. Use an owl or crow call to pull an early gobble from Tommy. If you’re within 100 yards, great. If not, slip closer and quietly set up again.

Best Calls: Let Tommy talk his head off from the limb. If you don’t hear any other turkeys nearby, give him a few soft tree yelps just to let him know where you are. Otherwise, stay quiet until Tommy’s feet hit the ground. Then start sweet-talking him with contented clucks and purrs. Tommy is going to sneak in silently. So sit still, keep your eyes peeled, and be ready to shoot.

Turkey Tip: How to Tag Late-Season Toms That Don't Want to Fight

Sarah Smith — Tue, 01 May 2012 13:28:19 -0400

How the Public Sees Hunters

Dave_Maccar — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 10:43:16 -0400

by Phil Bourjaily

There is a small percentage of the U.S. population that hunts, and a small percentage that hates hunting. While many of us believe the general public looks on at hunters with disapproval, the truth is, most of them rarely think about hunting at all.

When they do think about it, the non-hunters I encounter believe two things:

- We are crazy for keeping the hours we do and going out in the cold.

- Hunting is okay if you eat what you shoot.

More often than not the reaction I get from the non-hunters I encounter is polite curiosity. For instance, after I shot my turkey the other day I stopped to treat myself to more caffeine at a coffee place in a strip mall on the edge of town. The shop was full of housewives, professionals, college students and people working on their novels.

I was in full camo, headnet still pulled down around my neck, with the bloody turkey head stain you get on the seat of your pants when you carry a gobbler over your shoulder. I felt conspicuous, but no one screamed “murderer!” or shielded their children’s eyes from the sight of me. Instead, the 20-something barrista kid poured my coffee, then we had the following conversation. It was far from scintillating but it sums up the many people’s understanding of, and attitude toward, hunting:

Him: “Been hunting?”

Me: “Yes, for turkeys.”

Him: “Did you get any?”

Me: “Yes, I got one.”

Him: “How many can you get?”

Me: “Two.”

Him: “A day?”

Me: “No, a year.”

Him: “Cool. Congratulations.”

I put a dollar in the tip jar to help win his heart and mind all the way over to our side and went home.

Gear List: 13 Essentials for Turkey Hunting

Dave_Maccar — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 15:15:33 -0400

by M.D. Johnson

The turkey hunter’s mantra, and the reason behind the creation of the turkey vest, is simple: It’s better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. Given that there are approximately 1,001 items of gear available to hunters, it can be daunting  to figure out exactly what’s necessary for a trip into the woods. Here’s what I carry. Oh yeah,  I also bring my shotgun and some shells.

1. Cellphone My iPhone is always fully charged and ready for emergencies…and for when I need help passing the time between in-the-field naps. It also takes great photos.

2. Decoys and Stakes I have two Avian-X LCD decoys, with an extra stake, as I’m prone to losing things.

3. Pot & Peg Call I have two pots: a crystal over glass surrounded by purpleheart wood from the now-defunct Backwoods Game Calls and a crystal pot from Freddie Zink. Both play in any weather, sound fantastic, and offer great versatility. I keep two Woodhaven Custom Calls Purple Heart strikers at hand, and a full acrylic striker from Hunter’s Specialties for those rainy mornings.

4. Camo Headnet Mesh is cooler, so that’s what I wear. I like to keep an extra in my vest in case I lose one.

5. Camo Gloves I prefer fingerless or split-finger gloves because I like my bare skin to touch the calls and the gun. As with the headnets, I always carry an extra set.

6. ThermaCell This is the absolute best invention for keeping biting bugs at bay when you’re in the turkey woods all day. The camo holster for the unit includes an extra butane cartridge and three additional repellent pads (thermacell.com).

7. Locator Calls I carry a crow call  and a Palmer Hoot Tube from Hunter’s Specialties.

8. Catchall Bag I always bring a zip-seal bag with the following: safety pins, tweezers, dental floss, Q-tips, Visine, bandages, 24 inches of parachute cord, aspirin, Rolaids, a pencil, wet wipes, Carmex, and a small pair of nail clippers.

9. Pocketknife or Multitool I usually have both. I keep a folding blade in one of the shell loops and a sheathed Gerber Suspension Multi-Plier (gerbergear.com) in an inside pocket.

10. Pot Call Conditioners A conditioning stone from Hunter’s Specialties makes touching up the crystal easy. I also like to carry a small square of Scotch-Brite pad, which I use to keep my striker tips clean.

11. Water A 16-ounce bottle of water, because turkey hunting’s thirsty work.

12. Toilet Paper I store the better part of a roll in a zip-seal bag; finding suitable leaves in the dark can be tough.

13. Diaphragm  Call The only diaphragm I use is a Primos A-frame Triple Bat Cut. The call is versatile and, despite being a triple-reed, easy to use

Click here for Phil Bourjaily's list of the 25 Best Turkey Guns Ever Made