Turkey Vest EDC

Turkey Vest EDC

            What turkey hunters deem as being a necessity will vary drastically from hunter to hunter. My turkey vest is heavier than most because I carry gear for specific situations that I may find myself in throughout the season. My philosophy has always been that I would rather carry it and not need than to not have it and need it. What exactly do I mean by that? I will typically carry multiple calls of the same style of call (box, pot call, mouth, tube, etc). Each call has a varying pitch, tone and frequency that could be the sound he wants to hear on any given day. We all know that sometimes a soggy mouth call doesn’t sound quite right if you have had it in your mouth all morning long. By carrying back-ups, you can ensure you are using a fresh call.

I remember one hunt in particular where an old, hard headed gobbler would ignore every call in my vest but my tube call. Often times changing the pitch and/or tone of the call your working a gobbler with can get him to finish. We just never know if that gobbler had previously been called in using one kind of call and was spooked or shot at. He may be very leery of that sound again and really take his time working in, if he ever does finish.

Water is an absolute necessity on a turkey hunt, especially if you are covering a lot of ground. I will carry a hydration bladder full of water or multiple Nalgene style bottles full of water on every hunt. If I run out, I carry a small lightweight water filter that allows me to fill-up a hydration bladder in a steam without worry of contracting Girardi or other ailments.

Regardless of how long I am going to be planning on hunting I carry food of some kind. How long I plan on being out will dictate how much I carry. If I have a day off of work or plan to be hunting on a Saturday, I’ll typically bring a sandwich (or jerky/slim jims), fruit and a granola or protein bar. Typically, I will carry a little extra food than I think that I will need. This allows hunters to be prepared in the event you’re out longer than anticipated. If you hunt long enough you will end up being in a position when you are on a turkey longer than you expect, or you take a wrong turn and end up having a longer hike back to the truck than planned. Carrying extra food will help you to be prepared and have a more enjoyable hunt.

Duplicate items of critical pieces of equipment such as gloves and facemasks. It never fails, at least once a spring either myself or someone I am hunting with forgets a facemask and/or gloves. To me these are critical pieces to keep hidden. One could argue that an ungloved hand or a bright, shiny uncovered face is the first thing a turkey could spot as they make their approach.

First Aid/Survival Items/Other Essentials – Nobody plans to get hurt or get turned around when hunting but having a few essential items can help. A few items I always keep on me regardless of how far I am going or how long I plan on hunting are a knife, lighter (or other fire-starting method), basic first aid kit (Large Band-Aids, medical/duct tape, antiseptic wipes, ace bandage, and paracord, baby aspirin and blood stopper), emergency blanket and a whistle. All of these items can help you should you find yourself in a tricky situation. While hunting we never know when someone may sprain an ankle and need to wrap it up in order to get back to the truck. Last but certainly least is toilet paper and/or wet wipes for obvious reasons.

 

We hope that by sharing what we carry in our turkey vest it will help you be more comfortable during your next hunt. Hunt hard, hunt safe and share the experience with a kid.

 

Check out our new Purple Heart and Mahogany box call if you are looking for a versatile box call that has two distinctly different sounds. One side is raspy, the other is higher pitched. Carry fewer items in your turkey vest and bring two hens to the hunt.