What’s In Your Turkey Vest?

Hunting wild turkeys is one of my favorite hunting activities. I love listening, chasing and watching wild turkeys do their thing in the spring. I am a turkey addict and I have so much turkey paraphernalia that something is either clinking or squawking when I walk. It’s time to cull the gear into a more manageable arsenal. Also, it’s time to trim down the weight of my vest so I don’t have to buy a new one every two years. Here are some of the items in my vest.

First off, I have a special pocket where I keep a heavy duty waterproof zip-bag for my licenses and tags. That does not weigh too much and I have to have it anyway, but I could just use a simple Ziploc baggie if I wanted to. Next pocket is my box call pocket. I love that most turkey vests still maintain a custom shaped pocket for these old-school calls. I use mine every other day as a locator call or to shake things up.

However, I also have my chalk and multiple rubber bands attached to it. My MVP call is an old slate call made by Lohman. This specific call has tricked dozens of turkeys into committing suicide. I like the call because Brad Harris designed it. I also have an old Lohman shaker call that I love to have for making hung up gobblers change their minds. Along with that is a custom plastic striker that is as old as the call. It is amazing how I can lose wallets and keys but I have never lost my favorite turkey call and favorite turkey call striker; funny how that works.

After that, I have a pouch of mouth calls, a crow call, and a squirrel call just in case. I carry a handkerchief in case I get a runny nose. I fill one pocket with snacks, extra shells, surveyor’s ribbon, a plastic grocery bag for mushrooms, sandpaper for my slates, and I always have lip balm and sunscreen. Thank goodness turkeys can’t smell. Sometimes I carry a book, and although I used to hate hunting with people who had their phones, I now pack my phone along, ‘just in case.’ 

Finally, I have my hat that I occasionally use to simulate a turkey wing flapping, my camo gloves, and a camo face net. When the season begins, my pockets are always bulging. When it ends, my pockets are not so bulging and I am always trying to figure out what tree I left something at. Man do I love turkey hunting, though.