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Brenda Valentine NWTF Spokeswoman |
Everything but the kitchen sink
Brenda shares her spring turkey hunting checklist
Turkey season may be well under way in many states by the time this issue hits mailboxes. But as I write, my turkey hunting vest is laying on the floor with all of the necessities scattered about. Packing and repacking is what I do when suffering from opening day anxiety. It's about having the necessary stuff to help me bag a tom while staying safe and moderately comfortable. My husband rolls his eyes and shakes his head when he sees my personal arsenal. He usually follows with a remark like, "Don't forget the jumper cables and Crock-pot."
It is so hard not to remind him of who kills the most turkeys and has everything she needs when she needs it!
A few items change as the season wears on, temperatures rise or as I travel to different parts of the country, but the basic staples remain the same year after year.
My 10-year-old vest is a Bass Pro Shops RedHead Bucklick Creek Turkey Lounger. Its built-in stadium-style seat makes all the difference in the world because of the back support. There are a lot of pockets, which is good considering the cargo I carry:
- two facemasks, just in case I lose one
- two pairs of gloves with the fingertips cut off
- two knives — one fixed-blade for cutting big stuff and one folding for punching turkey tags and cutting the fingers out of gloves
- two flashlights, including a small one that clips on the bill of my cap
- hunting license/tags (of course), a pen and two Band-Aids in a plastic bag. (I've found Band-Aids are great for attaching tags to turkey legs, as well as their intended use when necessary.)
- two big black trash bags in the game pouch — one to slide my gobbler in headfirst to prevent drips, the other will protect my entire loaded vest from getting wet in the bed of the pickup truck.
- a can of Permanone to use as necessary according to the current tick population.
- The vest has a small, deep pocket designed for a water bladder but I find it perfect to hold my Vanguard monopod shooting stick.
- Coleman has a tiny spray bottle of SkinSmart insect repellent that keeps mosquitoes from feasting on my ears.
- I also pack a small tube of AfterBite in case a chigger finds a way into my skin.
- a tube of Chapstick, a small package of wet wipes and a box of matches in a Zip-loc bag tucked in a pocket
- I know shotgun shells are heavy and usually it only takes one, but I believe in going well armed, so I pack six Winchester No. 5s.
- I use a variety of decoys for whatever the situation demands, however I struggle with poking the stakes in hard ground. Now I carry an old T-handle 5⁄16-inch Allen wrench that I can stick in the decoy stake and stomp in hard dirt.
- a pair of compact binoculars and sometimes a rangefinder in one of the larger pockets, right alongside the pruning nippers
The other side of my vest is devoted to carrying calls:
- a box call
- a two-sided Commando Sweet Talk pot call
- an Altoids tin full of assorted mouth calls
- three strikers
- a Bald's tube call
- a crow call
- I carry chalk, a sanding stone, sandpaper and a scouring pad in a zippered bag
Pitch in a compact rain suit, a water bottle, protein bar, Strut & Rut energy drink, chewing gum and my Blackberry, then look out turkeys — I'm loaded for bear! — Brenda Valentine
Keep up with Brenda and her adventures at www.brendavalentine.com