If I were the NewGuy at Turkey Camp Part 2

This is a continuation of the thread I started in the last post. Now that I’ve done a dump on the firearm-related stuff, here is what I think about calls, clothes and the rest of the gear

The Calls
If you’re a new guy to the sport, you’re going to think calls and calling are the keys. They’re are not. You need to be able to call somewhat, but I call fairly conservatively and I do not count myself as a master caller. I get by. I also make my own calls.

What you need starting out is at least a good box call. I started out with a Quaker Boy Grand Old Master box call. Dick Kirby himself put one in my hands. They’ve changed the design, but they’re still a good box call. I can still recommend it.

The second call I would get is a push-pin call like a Quaker Boy Easy Yelper. If you’re flagging on your box the first year, and still coming up to speed on all the others, you can still pull out a push-pin call and call in a turkey. I keep my Easy Yelper at my right side. If I’m looking to pull a rabbit out of my hat, I’ll drop my trigger hand down and do a few calls with the Easy Yelper and often get a gobbler to come in. I also do an angry purr with it if I’ve got a hen that’s getting too close, and I’m afraid she’s going to bust me. That purr tells her there’s a crazy mad hen and she’s about to get flogged.

The next call I’d get is a slate pot call. You do not need to spend more than $25 on it. This is a learning tool. You will make good turkey sounds and between it and the box call, you can bag your first turkey.

I would also buy a few mouth calls. Some people can use one right away. Some people start gagging and never stop. It took me 2 years to actually get the hang of using one. I remember vividly coming out from a hunt in Hocking Hills at noon. It was just past the last moment of hunting. I was done for the season, and all the heat was off. I was relaxed. I chucked in a mouth call, and started to yelp. Even if all you can get are a few clucks and yelps off of one, it will be another tool.

The most important thing I can tell you about calling is that
a) You need to get with a good turkey hunter and have him show you the ropes
b) You’ve got to get out as much of you can and let the turkeys themselves teach you the language.
c) If you’re stuck in the city all week, start listening to my podcasts and get yourself calling CD’s and start listening to them in your car. The cadences need to be learned bone-deep.

You need to learn just a few basic calls. I am not going to go into details right now. Calling is a near-essential part of of turkey calling, but its importance is overblown. I am not all that good a caller. I don’t try to be. However, I do call and I’ve called in a lot of gobblers. My son Angus was a child prodigy caller.

The Clothes

Start with the kit I recommended here:

If I were the NewGuy at Camp

. . and drop the hunter orange stuff. You’ll be most of the way there.

On an average hunt, I go out in a polypro shirt, and uninsulated camo overalls. I carry a commando sweater and a camo jacket. If its colder, I may add the polypro bottoms. If its hotter, I may wear a long-sleeved camo T-shirt. I normally wear a long-sleeved camo shirt If its really cold, I wear camo bibs and a parka.

The Camo

One of the most overblown parts of turkey hunting beyond calls is camo. Look, I wear camo. I wear as much camo as I can. On the other hand, I have called in turkeys wearing jeans and a golf shirt, or my brown barn coat. It is an edge, but it is not as big as folks make it out to be.

20 years ago, I would have told you that turkeys prefer brown-camo bottoms and green camo above the waist. It made sense. You sit a lot, so having dirt-colored camo on the bottom half of your body sounds logical. Nowadays? Look, a little camo goes a long ways.

Patterns? Don’t worry if its 3D 4D or 5D, or if it sponsors a car at Daytona. Honestly, the best camo patterns I’ve found are military surplus US Woodland, British DPM and German Flecktarn are all good camo patterns for turkey. Forget Digital. Turkeys do not wear infrared goggles.

The Hat:
Nowadays, everyone seems to pick a baseball cap with a mesh mask. It did not used to be that way. Back when I started, there were no purpose-built turkey duds. You had to improvise and make your own.

After a few years, I settled on a fairly wide-brimmed boonie hat with camo mesh tied to it. I used it like a veil. It’s been 40 years, and it’s still my favorite method.

When I’m out walking, the veil lays back over the hat and down the back of my neck. In late season, it acts as a sunshade. When I’m settled, I pull the mesh down over my face and there’s enough slack in it that I can peer out under the brim. I also have the option of leaving it piled up on top of my head. All I have to do is tilt my head down and the veil falls over my face.

If you venture onto public land, I suggest keeping a hunter orange hat in the bottom of your bag. Be careful with it. Orange really honks off turkeys. I’ve seen them run from it at 400 yards. They probably see it better than we do. The point is to keep other hunters from shooting you. A little goes a long way. It probably makes sense to wear if you are toting a dead gobble.

The Feet:
I finally settled a few years ago on cheap rubber-bottom “Duck Boots” They are what suburbanites use when shoveling snow. They stay dry because of the rubber bottoms. They stay warm from the insulation. I’ve got a pair that I scored for $35 that has lasted me 5 years. If I was doing any serious hiking at all, I’d use hiking boots.

You should worry about your socks for one reason. They did a study years ago and a lot of the fatal shooting in turkey hunting were due to seasoned, experienced hunters seeing a flash of red, white, or blue and somehow their brains were manufacturing a whole turkey out of the deal. I recommend removing all red, white, and blue from your kit. That includes the flashes they knit into socks. Remember to keep that white T-Shirt at home as well.

The Rest of the Kit

A lot of guys use a vest. I always found that it weighed me down. Twenty years ago I switched to a messenger bag and lightened the load. It is big enough for the essentials: calls, license, ammo, etc. I also carry a large camo musette bag on the other shoulder that holds my extra layers of clothing, and my coffee thermos. The trick is that both the call bag and the musette bag can come off just by undoing a buckle. If I have to his the ground in a hurry, that is a very handy feature.

Here’s an article I wrote years ago on the subject of what to carry turkey hunting

From the Quaker Boy Forum

From the Quaker Boy Forum

You will need camo gloves. Well, I should not say that. I’ve taken turkeys without them. However, they do seem to help. Make sure you can work your calls while wearing them.

I carry a spare shoelace in my bag. The first reason is pretty obvious. The second reason is that I take an old shoelace and double it, knot it, and use it as a turkey tote. One end goes around the turkey’s legs, the other goes over a stick for a handle and that is how I carry out my turkeys.

The bottom line in all this is that I try to travel as light as I can and still be comfortable. By weight, most of my gear is there to keep me warm.

Never go out without a butt pad. I pre-position camo boat cushions around the farm and use them as needed. I also carry a couple of light foam cushions. Not only do they keep you dry and warm, but they keep you from moving around.

Here is the next installment: