Essential Spring Turkey Gear

Essential Spring Turkey Gear

By Nick Martin

Whether you are just getting into turkey hunting or you have been at it for a long time, you will find that the sky is the limit for as how deep do you want to dive into purchasing gear for the hunt. Although all the bells and whistles are not completely necessary, you will find some basic necessities below to put yourself in a successful direction this turkey season.

Blinds
Depending on your style of turkey hunting, there are a variety of different blinds you could utilize. Growing up, building ground blinds was one of my favorite parts of the hunt. Dad and I would collect grass, sticks, and any other debris we could find to build these ground blinds. A good ground blind space starts by clearing any noisy debris, such as sticks and loose leaves, or anything that may get in your way while sitting. The next step is to find some decent size, rotted branches or limbs to create a half circle arch in front of where the hunter plans to sit. Usually, you are resting up against the tree with the half circle of debris in front of you as cover. Once you have gotten some large sticks in place, fill in the cracks/ gaps with smaller sticks and grass to blend yourself in. It is helpful if you have somebody with you that can look at your blind from a distance to give you advice and pointers on areas where you may be easily seen by a turkey. From my personal experience, turkey hunting out of these homemade ground blinds can be a very successful option as they are more natural looking.

Pop-up blinds can also be utilized. One pop-up style blind is a smaller tent style, similar to a camping tent. An Ameristep doghouse blind is a great entry level blind. These types of blinds spring open, and with a little practice, you can fold them down again. The main purpose of this style of tent is to be set up and taken down daily while hunting. Because of this, they tend to be on the lighter side. If left out for an extended period of time, snowfall and rain can cause the tent to become heavy and collapse, or blow away.

Another common style of pop-up blind is a hub-style blind, which usually has walls and ceilings with hubs you pull/push out and into place. These are a little more rigid and designed to be set up and left for an extended period of time. Because of the rigidity and design, these tend to be on the heavier side. They are also are bigger, usually over five feet in diameter, which will comfortably accommodate a couple of hunters and equipment. The starting cost on these blinds is around $100.

Additional blinds that could be purchased include hard, composite premade blinds that look like Haybales or composite hard-sided blind that sits on the ground with shooting windows on each side. These are more of a permanent set up and are usually only utilized by landowners on private ground.

Camo
Opinions vary greatly on camouflage and patterns of tops and bottoms. From the old-school Mossy Oak Bottom Land print, to the new digital designs by modern companies, it is hard to go wrong no matter what you choose. In our opinion, the key to a good camouflage is to keep whatever pattern you decide to use consistent with the area you are hunting. Although this may seem like common sense, patterns and styles can become generic across the United States. Because of this, you’ll have to do some research on the proper pattern that is sufficient for the areas you would like to hunt. Finish your outfit off with a quality pair of waterproof boots and depending on the season, a proper camo hat or stocking hat. Lastly, it is encouraged that you use some sort of facemask or face paint to blend your face into the outfit/ landscape as well. In Iowa, we will get an occasional snowfall during turkey season. If you find yourself in a pinch and do not have snow camouflage, a white bedsheet or painters sheet can work fantastic in a bind, and is very cost-effective without having to invest into snow camouflage.

Turkey Calls
If you are just getting into turkey hunting, one of the easier calls to learn is a slate pot call. These are round calls usually made out of synthetic plastics or wood with a slate or glass calling pad. They also have a striker which is used to make different sounds on the calling pot. These calls can be used in almost every scenario from locating a turkey to sitting and calling a turkey. If the slate becomes wet, they can become problematic and might not function until dried out properly.

Turkey mouth calls are the go-to with most veteran turkey hunters. You can simulate a variety of sounds with one or two mouth calls. The advantage to a mouth call is you can make sounds without making much movement, especially if the turkey is within line of sight of yourself. Other style calls require more movement and would make you easier to be seen by the turkey. Out of all the turkey calls, these can be the most difficult to master. However, through a lot of practice and watching online videos, you can become successful. YouTube is a fantastic resource to learn about any style of turkey call with a variety of tips and tricks on each kind.

If turkey mouth calls are not for you, consider at a minimum learning how to do a cluck in case you have a turkey within range of shot but you need it to turn or lift its head. Using a mouth call in this situation can be done without much movement, allowing for more success.

Box calls are another style of call that tend to be used more for locating turkeys. Box calls can be used to call turkeys in, but can are bulkier in your turkey vest or pouch. Additionally, if they’re not stored securely or properly, they could squeak inside your bag or vest potentially scaring off a turkey.

Decoys
Depending on how much you would like to invest in a decoy will dictate which style of decoys you choose. The entry-level, budget friendly foam roll up decoys can be very successful and are great if you’re just getting into hunting. These range from $10-$20.

The next step up in decoys would be a synthetic plastic/rubber type decoy which has a more realistic look and is much more detailed. These can range from $60-$100.

A third option, which is not as common but is available, is a real stuffed hen taxidermy decoy. These can range anywhere from $600 plus. As you can imagine, this is the ultimate decoy and most realistic looking. These taxidermy decoys typically cause havoc and make toms come sprinting in for heart pounding action!

The “run and gun” hunters usually forgo blinds, and instead may try and “reap” turkeys. There is a variety of styles that you can get to help you reap. The main concept is for you to have an attachment, which goes on the barrel of your gun, usually simulating a turkey fan. These can be as simple as a synthetic printed on umbrella style material with a turkey fan on it or some hunters like to utilize a real turkey tail that they have dried out and pinned in a fan shape then mount it to their barrel for a more realistic vibe. This provides the hunter with a diversion to hide behind the turkey fan mounted on their gun, which can give them the opportunity to crawl or squat, and move aggressively towards a tom. The idea is the turkey believes you are an additional tom coming into the area. At times, this can cause the tom you are hunting to become more aggressive and charge at the hunter, creating an exciting up-close adrenaline filled hunt.

At the end of the day, you can make great investments into your gear for turkey hunting. But, with a good pair of waterproof boots, simple camouflage that matches your terrain and a little luck you can go a long way in getting your next turkey in the bag.