Turkey Season … It’s Finally Here

By Chris Berens, Senior Editor, Turkey & Turkey Hunting

We’re back to our favorite time of year. Seems like just yesterday I was typing out this same column in last year’s Turkey & Turkey Hunting.

Maybe it has something to do with this extremely odd, extremely mild winter we’ve been experiencing in Wisconsin, but some days it honestly has felt like early turkey season around here and it wouldn’t have surprised me one bit to see a tom strutting through a roadside field on my drive to the office some morning.

Turkey & Turkey Hunting 2024

Working on this latest edition of the magazine has been the perfect therapy to get through the dull winter, and all of us here at Turkey & Turkey Hunting are just as pumped as you are to get this magazine into your hands — and for the best season of the year to kick off soon.

Our aim was to include something for just about every turkey hunter in the following pages. Since we only have a limited amount of pages, we corralled some outstanding writers, callers and hunters to cram as many nuggets of wisdom as possible onto the pages. One of the best things about chasing toms is that no two scenarios are the same, and no two birds do the exact same thing, so there’s always room to improve our skills and adapt.

Whether it’s calling, decoys, setups or gear, it’s covered here. When working a gobbler should you stay or move? We jump right into that age-old dilemma for some real answers. Learn how to call birds from the next property, or farther, right into your lap. Figure out the best decoy plans to fool a tom or two. Looking for some new gear and guns to take your game to the next level? Good, because we have details on the best new stuff on the market.

Maybe you’re planning a bucket-list out-of-state hunt — there are excellent tips in here from a well-traveled turkey guru about what to do, and what not to do, when working with an outfitter.

And finally, with recent concern about declining numbers of both wild turkeys and future generations of passionate turkey hunters, we have two articles that offer excellent insights into what is being done to save turkeys, and how we can pass along a sense of stewardship toward turkeys and turkey hunting, to the next generation. Just like we have been so fortunate that the previous generation has done for us. So that there will always be wild turkeys, and turkey hunters, to carry on long into the future.

Enjoy Turkey & Turkey Hunting 2024, the magazine, and the season.

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Look for Turkey & Turkey Hunting 2024 on your local newsstands, or order copies directly from our online store at shop.deeranddeerhunting.com.

The magazine’s roots date back to a magazine called The Turkey Hunter, which was started more than 40 years ago. The title was merged with Turkey & Turkey Hunting in 1992 and has been published under that name ever since.