Spring is for food plots, stand setting, gear testing and the list goes on, right? We agree. However, we highly recommend you take a break from your fall deer prep and hit the turkey woods. Few things in nature are as electrifying as a booming gobble, and many of our best deer locales have been found while combing dirt in search of a hard-gobbling tom.
The following gear items will help you draw birds in close, and once you do, have them flopping in no time.
Avian-X HDR Jake
Have toms come running with the all-new HDR Jake from Avian-X. The HDR (Heavy-Duty Realism) perfectly marries a blow-molded design with hand-crafted detail that ensures season after season of detail and durability. The HDR Jake is sized slightly smaller than a live bird, but just big enough to make him a target that big toms will want to abuse. The fake features a quarter-strut posture and subdominant feathers that signal the bird is content, but ready to scrap if need be. The decoy comes with a pair of removable head designs.
MSRP: $159.99
Info: www.Avian-X.com
Federal MeatEater 3rd Degree
Sure to be hell on gobblers, Federal’s all-new MeatEater 3rd Degree uses a three-stage payload that features No. 5 copper-plated lead, No. 6 FLITESTOPPER lead and No. 7 HEAVYWEIGHT TSS. That’s right, three of Federal’s most potent shot blends stuffed into a single shotshell. With the MeatEater 3rd Degree, you’re covered at ranges near and far, and the FLITECONTROL FLEX wad works with both ported and standard turkey chokes to help deliver a lethal pattern. A portion of the proceeds from each sale are donated by Federal to the National Wild Turkey Federation. Gauges available in the MeatEater 3rd Degree are 20 and 12.
MSRP: $24.99-$28.99/per box of five.
Info: www.FederalPremium.com
Hunters Specialties Cookie Cutt’R Tracer Lid Pot Call
Simplifying the pot-and-peg calling game is the Cookie Cutt’R Tracer from HS. A lid placed over the pot features labeled sounds with arrows and lines showing the direction the peg needs to move to create the labeled sounds. Genius. This conventional HS pot call was produced with the manufacturer’s best injection-molded pot and is paired with a slate striking surface. Of course, the lid can be removed for full access to the slate surface.
MSRP: $19.99
Info: www.HunterSpec.com
Primos Photoform Jake & Hen Turkey Decoys
According to Primos, the new-for-2020 Photoform Jake and Hen were three years in the making, and are designed with a proprietary process that allowed engineers to take actual turkey imagery and print that imagery on 3-D molded lightweight foam. The decoy’s lightweight nature means it can be carried or toted in the vest with ease, and when placed on stakes and stuck in the ground, lifelike movement is achieved with even the slightest breeze.
MSRP: $83.99-$94.99
Info: www.Primos.com
Dryshod ViperStop Snake Boots
Dressed in Veil Alpine camo, the new ViperStop Snake Boot is ideal for warm-weather hunting conditions. With an adjustable gusset, the ViperStop features a hand-laid, penetration-resistant rubber lower and upper, and is 2 inches taller than other Dryshod models to deliver maximum protection from snake bites, brush and debris. Its Veil Alpine camo offers the absolute best concealment for those who demand more, and combines the mathematical concepts of fractal and chaos theory, with vision and perception data compiled by wildlife researchers to deliver disruptive patterns, to provide exceptional depth and blend almost seamlessly into natural backgrounds.
MSRP: Not yet available.
Info: DryshodUSA.com
BOSS Tom Tungsten
Loaded with 13g/cc American Made Tungsten alloyed shot and buffered with ground walnut shells, Tom Tungsten promises incredible pattern density and devastating results. Available in 3-inch, 1¾-ounce and 3-inch, 2-ounce 12-gauge payloads, these are loaded with No. 6.5 tungsten shotshells and boast a velocity of 1,150 fps. Plus, they can be choked as tight or open as the hunter deems necessary. A full-length wad with superior gas sealing characteristics works in concert with the clean, slow-burning powder to better build velocity over a longer period of time. The Tom Tungsten is also available in a 3-inch, 1½-ounce 20-gauge offering.
MSRP: $25-$30/per box of five.
Info: BossShotshells.com
Rocky Mountain Game Calls #220 ATOMIC 13 Dirty Trick Aluminum Turkey Pot Call
This aluminum-surface pot call was designed to produce high-pitched yelps, purrs and clucks. Aluminum-faced calls are renowned for their volume and ability to reach out and tickle a tom’s ears. Engineered to slice through the wind and carry over ridges and the like, the ATOMIC 13 Dirty Trick comes with a one-piece striker and is said by Rocky Mountain to be extremely easy to operate.
MSRP: $24.95
Info: BuglingBull.com
Knight & Hale Run-N-Gun 100 Turkey Chest Rig
New from the minds at Knight & Hale is the Run-N-Gun 100 Turkey Chest Rig. Designed for those that love to wander the spring woods in hopes of striking a distant gobble, the vest is ultra-compact and lightweight. With gear centrally located on the chest, scramble-for-this-or-that time is reduced. The rig sports fully adjustable straps with quick-release buckles, and the rigid front hatch utilizes magnetic snaps that allow for easy open/close.
MSRP: $59.99
Info: www.KnightandHale.com
Winchester Long Beard XR
Offered in an array of shot sizes, Winchester’s Long Beard XR was engineered to reach out and touch hung-up toms. Said by Winchester to create 10% better penetration over standard lead loads beyond 50 yards, and put twice the number of pellets in a 10-inch circle at 60 yards, this shotshell is sure to make a great spring companion. New Shot-Lok Technology ensures ultra-tight patterns, and the Long Beard XR is available in 12-gauge lengths of 3 inches and 3½ inches, as well as a 3-inch 20-gauge offering. Shot sizes and ounce offerings are many.
MSRP: $16-$20/per box of 10.
Info: Winchester.com
Browning TSS Tungsten Turkey
Offered in 12, 20 and .410 gauge, Browning’s TSS Tungsten Turkey is nearly 60% more dense than lead and promises exceptional downrange destruction. Tested by Browning on live birds out to a range of 70 yards, TSS Tungsten Turkey will reach out and crush the domes of unwilling-to-commit toms. The TSS family is offered in an array of lengths and payloads so that hunters can pick and choose what’s right for them.
MSRP: $29-$55/per box of five.
Info: BrowningAmmo.com
HEVI-SHOT HEVI-18 TSS Turkey
Capable of incredibly tight patterns via a friction-free, sealed-in-the-shell spherical buffer, HEVI-18 TSS shotshells provide boosted pellet counts and long-range flop-creating lethality. Available in shot sizes of No. 7 and No. 9 in 12-, 20- and .410-gauge offerings, the shotshells feature a unique crimp-seal resin that resists damage and holds the buffer in the shell. Another hat-tipper is the thicker base-wad, hotter primer and clean-burning propellants that ensure reliability no matter how nasty Mother Nature gets.
MSRP: $27.99-$62.99
Info: www.HEVIShot.com
ALPS OutdoorZ Deception Blind Mossy Oak® Bottomland™
The Deception Blind has a smaller footprint than most standard blinds, measuring 48W x 44D x 46H inches. Combined with its 56-inch shooting width, the blind delivers mobility and fast set-up for on-the-go turkey hunting. The four-hub design is constructed of aluminum with engineered tips and pins, while the frame employs strong, yet flexible fiberglass poles for multi-season durability. Included stakes and tie-downs keep the blind secure during inclement weather. After the hunt, the blind can be broken down and stored in its easy-to-carry shoulder strap bag.
To maximize concealment, the blind’s durable polyester fabric has a blacked-out interior. Custom viewing and shooting portals come courtesy of the 270° SILENT-TRAC window system, which allows for limitless window positions. Offered in both Mossy Oak® Bottomland™ and Obsession™ camo patterns.
MSRP: $179.99
Info: www.ALPSOutdoorz.com
MOJO® Outdoors SCOOT-N-SHOOT
MOJO’s revolutionary new turkey decoy allows hunters to participate in the most exciting way to hunt turkeys. It’s a Boss Gobbler Decoy with a built-in handle and ground stake designed to be used in the very effective turkey reaping method of hunting. Once a mature gobbler detects what it instantly recognizes as a strange gobbler entering its space, it will often charge the decoy, allowing very close and extremely exciting shots. The decoy has flared wings to offer more area to cover the hunter’s body and is equipped with hunter orange strips for safety. This model doubles as a stationary gobbler decoy. Complete with realistic silk removable tail fan and includes easily attachable hub that accommodates a real fan for ultimate realism.
MSRP: $69.99
Info: www.MojoOutdoors.com
Gamehide Elimitick Ultra-Light Hooded Shirt
Gamehide’s new ElimiTick Ultra-Light Hooded Shirt is made with lightweight, breathable fabric that is just right for warm-weather hunts, or as a base layer for cooler days. It dries quickly and offers a loose, comfortable fit. Plus, it provides the added protection of a hood that can be worn under or over your hat. Insect Shield protection is built right in and lasts the expected life of the garment. The shirt will give you great protection against ticks, chiggers, mosquitoes and flies. Perfect for turkey hunts, scouting, camping or fishing.
MSRP: Mossy Oak Obsession, $59.95; Loden Green, $49.95
Info: Gamehide.com