When Kim Bailey snagged what he considers the most photo-worthy turkey he has ever tagged, it was the second day of a spring hunt he enjoyed from the scenic pastures of the Kentucky horse farm near his home. The first day, the scenery was the only entertainment as the morning stood quiet and still without so much as a gobble.  

It happens every year. We hear tales of the new guy who stumbles into the woods for the first time, scratches out a few calls and nails a big gobbler before the sun clears the horizon. But what you don’t hear are stories about the film crew and hunting pro who spend a full week in prime turkey country but fail to fill a tag or footage. We also don’t hear about the well-seasoned hunter who ends the season empty handed. For every beginner’s success there are dozens of other hard-luck stories in which hunters spend day after day in the woods without connecting. No doubt wild turkeys can humble anyone.

A turkey gobbling his head off on the roost can excite a hunter like few other sights or sounds. The excitement can be short lived though if the old Tom has already made up his mind to fly down away from you. A fired up a gobbler in the midday is different. He’s likely without hens and looking for love. There’s a good chance he’ll aggressively close the distance to your calls.

As we progress later and later into turkey season, hunters should remember things grow a little more dangerous as undergrowth does likewise. Turkey hunting safety should be at the front of your mind when taking to the late-season woods.

As most turkey hunters know, a successful hunt is dependent largely on stealthy movement and realistic concealment. Designed for run-and-gun turkey hunting, the Nomad Leafy ¼ Zip pullover and Leafy Pants offer the lightweight coverage needed for those early spring hunts. 

It’s funny the things that sometimes remain in our minds. They don’t have to be life altering events or items of historical significance. Each year during our wild turkey hunting season I recall a seemingly insignificant incident that happened years back.

The first time I heard the phrase “I sat down wrong” was decades ago when my wild turkey hunting career was still young. Back then my attitude still brimmed with the brashness of youth. I was mired deeply with that know-it-all arrogance that comes from already having a half dozen kills under my belt.

Germany’s oldest manufacturer of hunting firearms introduced a series of new high performance SL5 Turkey Shotguns featuring a durable Inertia-Driven System that requires fewer parts, minimal cleaning and smooth cycling while continuing to be accurate and reliable.

Run-and-gun turkey hunting demands a pack system that is light, adaptable to changing conditions and delivers the key features needed for a successful hunt.

If you are gearing up for spring turkey season then you are also gearing up to sit—a lot. But the sitting part of your spring pastime doesn’t have to be uncomfortable, with the Millennium TU03 Filed Pro Turkey Seat now available in Mossy Oak, you can keep your backside up off the ground which is often cold and unpleasant on those frigid spring mornings.

Few things are so closely associated with a single holiday as the turkey is with Thanksgiving.