Turkey Gear list

[BigCountry344]

Looking at getting all new turkey gear including vest, gun, camo pieces, etc. everything is pretty old and would just like to update so what’s everyone take or have on them in the field when chasing thunder chickens?

 

[Rodéo]

Gun/Ammo: Benelli Nova 12 ga. 26 inch barrel with 3 hevi shot blend 3 inch shells and hevi shot .656 turkey choke.

Pack: SG Avail 2200. Inside pack: uncompahgre set (I choose jacket or vest depending on the weather), FL vapor light rain jacket and patagonia rain pant (depending on forecast). Sometimes I pack my vortex razor 65 spotter if i feel like spot and stalk/glassing, 50 ft paracord, lighter, zipties, water filter, FL shooting gloves and FL aerowool liner gloves, FL 3D phantom suit sometimes, glassing pad (cut down thermarest pad), 1L Nalgene, Primos magnetic box call. Kill kit (havalon, trash bag, game bag, ziploc bag, game shears). Slik tripod w manfrotto 700cr2 pan head.

Clothing on the hike in: Kuiu pro or FL Obsidian, sitka lightweight crew or FL Chama/Wick, Kuiu Pelaton 240, North Face hedgehog boots, FL gaiters, wool socks, wool underwear. Blaze orange vest and FL blaze orange brimmed beanie.

In pockets/Kuiu Bino Harness: Tract toric 8x42, lens wipes, tags/license, Primos slate call, crow call, vortex impact rangefinder, primos mouth calls, cell phone (for OnX).

Pretty sure I'm forgetting some stuff but it was good for me to list it out so I can get my kit organized for my first turkey hunt of 2019 tomorrow morning.
Good luck to all you folks this year!

 

[ezmorningrebel]

Remington 11-87 with extra full choke shooting 3", #6 Longbeard XR
camo is a mix of mossy oak patterns for the most part, bottomland and obsession
boots are either lacrosse grange or salomon quest depending on terrain or if there's water
i wear an hs strut gun rest strapped to my leg
old style 1/2 net face mask and thin gloves with fingers cut off
vest is an Alps Grand Slam in bottomland with the kickstand removed
in the vest:
locators: primos crow and hooks harrison hoot'n stick
friction: warbird slate, enticer aluminum, 3 or 4 strikers, primos hookup box
bunch of mouth calls in a primos pouch. primos, hooks, perfection, hsstrut
license, pocket knife, small aaa flashlight, repel bug spray, ziploc bag
pair of pruners for cutting lanes
small call conditioning kit with scotchbrite pad, sandpaper, chalk, etc.
delorme inreach because i don't have phone service typically
keep a beanie in there in case it's colder
thermacell with refills
in the game bag i've got a camo poncho and a montana miss purr-fect decoy
platypus big zip 1.5 in the bladder pocket

 

[howl]

It comes down to preferences. I've been using the same small call organizer for going on 20 years. I tried a vest for a while. I liked it, but I need to remove or put layers back on. Often the vest was a layer I wanted to take off to be comfortable.

The new thing people use is a short folding chair. Look up "turkey lounger".

And guns have changed. The move is to lightweight 20 gauges with small heavier than lead shot. Putting a red dot sight on the barrel helps with ultra-tight patterns. A Mossberg 505AF with a Trulock choke and Browning TSS #9s would be such a rig.

 

[Ace12]

Get a custom slate call. I prefer crystal over slate. But you definitely get what you pay for

 

[Cng]

#goals.

I use the same mouth calls I’ve had for five or six years. Just soaked them in denture cleaner to get ready for the season. Haha.

I’m with howl. Not a big fan of the vest. I’ve got a slate, some strikers, and some mouth calls. On private land where I’m not going far, I keep them in a Badlands waist back that I wear in the front. On public, I add water, a jacket, and binoculars. Maybe a hen decoy. The turkey stuff goes in a drop-leg type of thing I found on sale. It hangs from your belt at the top and straps around your thigh like a drop-leg holster at the bottom. Everything else goes in a backpack. I usually use a cut section of a Thermarest Z Rest as a seat. Light weight and comfortable.

 

[norcal7.3]

My clothing typically depends on the weather. The spring in northern California can be super wet to super hot. I like to wear first lite obsidians with rain pants over them if rain is in the forecast or if I'm hunting somewhere with tall wet grass. On top it depends on the temp, usually a hooded sweatshirt, or kuiu kenai jacket. My favorite camo item is a leafy suite top from cabelas. It allows me to blend in a hell of a lot better and get away with a little more movement. For gloves I use mossy oak camo mechanics gloves. Facemask is an old net I believe HS strut made. Then whatever camo hat is in my truck that morning goes on last. I use the newer cabelas turkey vest full of calls from Jake Teal.
For a gun I use a benelli SBE2 with a .665 choke and I reload my own shells. 3 inch, 2.25 oz's of tungsten super shot. (I would highly recommend everyone give reloading turkey rounds a try. Pretty cost effective too. Lee load all loader and components from ballistics products)
Breeder hen decoy from avian-x and a half jake decoy with a real fan when I decide to use them.
My bino harness with rangefinder always tags along too.

 

[ShortMountain91]

I keep it simple but hunt in the southeast so no long hike ins. Cheap vest which I'm not a huge fan of cause I can't carry extra layers out rain gear in it easily. Want to upgrade to something with more compartments and have considered using my Metcalf to hold decoys layers rain gear etc. I use one shotgun for everything and that's my Browning A5. Love that thing. Pair it with some longbeard xrs and the factory full choke and your good to go. I usually bring my vortex binos. As far as calls I have a cheap super old mass produced slate call and acrylic striker that my dad gave me years ago that has led a ton of birds to their demise. Here's the latest one from last Saturday

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[ShortMountain91]

Oh and camo just some base layers with mossy oak obsession on the outside. Imo nothing blends better here in the southeast

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[hobbes]

I try to make it fairly simple and don't care for some of the gadgets that are available. My equipment and opinions:

Shotgun - I'm still shooting a 12 guage and haven't jumped on the small bore shotgun bandwagon as of yet. I don't feel a huge weight advantage from an 870 12 to a 20. I've got two 20s available, so may rethink that sometime. I added a shureshot stock and forearm to my old 870 along with a Vortex Venom sight last year.

Ammo - I have jumped onto the TSS bandwagon and started handloading last season. I'm loading a relatively light payload (for a 12) of #8.5s in 2 3/4" shells with very light recoil as compared to other turkey loads. If I wanted to stay with cheaper lead ammo, I'd probably shoot Winchester Longbeards in #6s.

Decoy: I rarely carry and don't particularly like them.

Blind:. I never use them. If I ever swap to bowhunting, I still don't plan to use one. I don't care to be locked down that way.

Camo: I'm not terribly picky, but most of the time I have my back to a tree while calling. I prefer camo from the waist up to be a similar pattern. Pants can be whatever camo. I'm not stalking turkeys so not looking for an open pattern.

Vest:. I prefer a vest with a seat pad. Maybe because I've been wearing one for a long time. I've been using a Cabela's for several years now. I wore my previous for 20ish years. Most of my hunts are a cooler climate, so I don't mind the extra layer. I wore back in my Midwest days also.

Turkey Calls: I run mouth (diaphragm) calls 99% of the time. I'll occasionally run a box and on rare occasions run a pot call, so I often don't carry either. My brother sent me a glass over glass for my birthday, so I'll have to run it some this year.

Locator calls: I carry a Hooks owl call, some brand of crow call, and a coyote howler. I didn't use the coyote back east, but use it a lot in big open Western terrain early in the morning or late in the evening. I use a turkey call to locate during the day on most occasions.

After that I carry my phone for photos and OnX, extra gloves and 3/4 face mask, and a few snacks with water bottle. I carry slugs, a slug choke, and orange vest in bear season.

 

[jmez]

Similar to Hobbes in gear. Gun is Winchester SX2. 3 inch 6's of whatever is on sale. Not picky on Ammo. Factory improved cylinder choke. I like to call them in close.

The longer I've hunted turkeys the less I take along. Gun, ammo, a vest with seat, and Woodhaven mouth calls. Have an owl hooter for early am and late pm locating. Box call for locating during the day. Few snacks and bottle of water.

Not picky on camp, whatever I grab. No longer wear a face mask or gloves.

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[Gearqueer]

I think about changing up my setup almost every year, but rarely do. There are two types of hunts for me when it comes to gear; hunts with a ground blind, and hunts without. I hunt western Illinois farm country that sometimes requires a half mile walk-in across fields and timber.

-turkey vest (old reliable Alps Impact vest)
-weapon (Browning Silver Camo or Hoyt Trykon) w/ sling
-DSD decoy bags or sometimes foam dekes in vest
-Calls (diaphragm, slate, box, and hooter tube).
-call finishing kit (sandpaper, chalk)
-bug spray
-T.P.
-4 or 5 Winchester longbeard 3” shotgun shells (3 go in the gun, and 1 or 2 spares in case I drop and lose some).
-Nalgene water bottle in vest’s game bag
-gardening sheers/clipper
-mesh bag containing HS specialties Camo face mask, very light mesh Camo gloves, black baclava, & black neoprene gloves. If it gets chilly on a long sit i wear the black mask and gloves while putting the Camo stuff over it. Of course the black stuff is used for black-out ground blind setup.
-iPhone


For a ground blind hunt (Primos Double-bull) I have still brought everything listed above, but have tried a coyote colored Kelty daypack worm on my chest while the blind is on my back. I have tried this last year instead of the vest. I’m leaning on going back to the vest though so I don’t have to transfer equipment when I switch to run-and-gun.

The DSD decoys are cumbersome to carry even in their bags (especially when carrying ground blind and chairs) and I sometimes question their real advantage over folding foam or folding rubber decoys. When I’m hunting solo with a gun I always use foam decoys unless it’s windy. I realize that many may disagree.

All this being said, I’m always lurking threads like this for new ideas.



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[dr.mooseknuckles]

Vest: Cabela's Tactical Tatr 2: Can keep so much stuff in this and the seat is muy comfortable and flips out of the way in a second. Keeps a 22 oz Swell bottle nicely in the side pouch, carries 2 pot calls, 3 strikers, a box call (keep an extra one in a different pocket), owl, crow, and goose calls (YES GOOSE WORKS), holds numerous shells, 2 face masks, gloves, Swisher Sweets/lighter for when I get bored, two of the 2d Montana Decoys with stakes, Combat wipes for when nature calls. knife, and a partridge in a pear tree. LOVE THIS VEST. Lots of utility, light weight, and comfortable

Gun: Franchi Affinity 20 gauge in Realtree APG. Started shooting the Federal TSS #7.5. with Carlson's Turkey Choke. Can't remember the constriction specs. This set up is mainly for hunting public due to super light weight. Killed a nice bird on family land in AL at 35 steps with this set up. Bird was door-nail dead. Sometimes will take either Franchi Intensity 12 gauge with 3.5 in chamber #5s if hunting private fields. Dropped a bird at 70 steps with that set up. Believe they were Long Bird XRs

Calls: Cheap Hunter Specialties calls (diaphragm and pot), Primos Box call, Custom box call that I can't remember the name of.

Camo: Mixture of realtree, mossy oak. This season started wearing the Cabelas Stalker pants due to light weight, have some stretch, dry very easily.

Boots: Cabelas Meindels. Was wearing my Lacrosse Snake boots, but discovered a leak right at the seam of the toe.

Decoys: Apart from the above which don't see much action, I really the Avian X 1/4 strut Jake and the Feeder Hen. Don't always carry them with me however. They are very realistic.

 

[FHPTROOPER]

Toilet paper m, but I always seem to forget it

 

[Cng]

I’m posting this for anyone that doesn’t like vests. Had it out the other day and thought I’d take a photo for anyone interested.

The thing about vests is they don’t work very well with packs. I don’t know anything about the brand of this thing, but it works perfectly for my needs. It came with a crappy padded belt that I took off and tossed. I just thread it on my belt, and there’s a small strap that goes around your leg to keep it from flopping around. It rides just under the hip belt of my pack and keeps everything within reach. I suppose you could do the same thing with belt pouches on your pack waistbelt, but I found it on sale and it does the trick.

 

[Sccritterkiller]

I hunt SC and our state bird is the mosquito so I always run a thermocell and a small splash of dettol to keep the gnats away. It was 85 here yesterday and the skeeters r thick. I have ended hunts early because I have ran out fuel.

 

[FlyGuy]

I’m leaving in 2 days for my 1st turkey hunt in of the year.

I’m giving the Sitka Ascent vest a try. https://www.sitkagear.com/products/ascent-vest/optifade-subalpine


Since it’s also a hog and (possibly) Aoudad hunt, I’m bringing all the glass, tripod, and the 300WSM.






You can’t cheat the mountain

 

[MaxHenderson]

I’m leaving in 2 days for my 1st turkey hunt in of the year.

I’m giving the Sitka Ascent vest a try. https://www.sitkagear.com/products/ascent-vest/optifade-subalpine


Since it’s also a hog and (possibly) Aoudad hunt, I’m bringing all the glass, tripod, and the 300WSM.






You can’t cheat the mountain

How did you like the vest for turkeys?


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