TURKEY HUNT PREP WITH @outdoors_allie

A. My prep for turkey season starts with going through my gear. There are some special items I use during turkey season that I don't use during any other time of the year. That includes a turkey choke and turkey loads for my shotgun (I shoot a 12 gauge), a turkey hunting vest with an attached seating pad and lots of pockets to hold other essentials like turkey calls, an owl hoot for locating birds, and turkey decoys. I also like to wear a ghillie suit type top and facemask for extra concealment (turkey can see shockingly well). I always spray down my clothes, socks, and boots with Permethrin spray prior to the season opening.

Permethrin prevents ticks, mosquitos and other biting bugs, so it's a must!

A. I hunt in Florida, and as you can imagine, I hike through a lot of water and muck to get to the spots where the birds are. Muck® Boots are an absolute must for this type of terrain. Osceolas are one of five subspecies of turkey found in the United States and they have the longest legs of the bunch, yet they're the smallest bodied. Biologists believe this is because of their wet environment; the long legs help keep their bodies out of the swampy water! I bet the Osceola's would love a pair of muck boots too. (We think so, too!)

A. The first time I called in a “gobbler” I was hunting by myself. I woke up well before sunrise, hiked into the woods, and plopped down against a tree. Just as light was starting to crack, I let out a hen call and was stunned by a monstrous gobble back. After the birds flew off the roost, I called just one or two more times, and the tom came running in.... behind me. I heard a stick crack and swung my head around, only to find the gobbler staring right back at me. Quicker than I could blink he ran and disappeared into the brush. I was elated.

Calling in a gobbler for the first time was more fun than I ever could have imagined. That was nearly a decade ago, and it definitely catapulted my love of turkey hunting.