The Turkey Hunter Podcast with Andy Gagliano & Cameron Weddington | Turkey Hunting Tips, Strategies, and Stories

August Turkey Soup

A lot of time has passed since Cameron and Andy have done a turkey soup episode where they read and discuss some recent wild turkey news articles. But wait no more. This week Cameron and Andy discuss a good bit of wild turkey news from states like Ohio and Maine. 

Cameron and Andy also discuss some encouraging turkey news about nesting success from trapping predators as well.

Listen in!

Wild Turkey Research Studies Past and Future with Will Gulsby

This week Dr. Will Gulsby with Auburn University joins Cameron and Andy on the show. Will shares some of the very surprising findings from a study regarding nest predation with us. Will shares information on how the study was set up and the data gathered.

Will also shares with us the details on a couple of interesting studies that will begin with the 2022 spring turkey hunting season. These 2 studies were funded in part by a fund raising campaign by The Hunting Public and by Turkeys for Tomorrow.

One of those two studies will need participation from turkey hunters in the state of Alabama. If you would like to help in shaping the future of our wild turkey populations in the future, then you may want to participate in this study. 

Listen in for some of the details on how you can help.

Wild Turkey Habitat Management with Dr. Grant Woods

Cameron and Andy have an incredible episode for you this week with Dr. Grant Woods from Growing Deer TV.

Despite Grant being a whitetail deer biologist, he has an incredible amount of knowledge about wild turkeys and wild turkey habitat management.

Grant, Andy and Cameron discuss how Grant took his property that he calls The Proving Grounds from having 1 gobbling turkey on it his first year of owning the property to a point where he now has one of the premier turkey properties in his state. 

They also discuss some additional things that we hunters and land managers can do to improve our turkey habitat and our turkey population as well.

I do not think there is an episode of The Turkey Hunter Podcast where so many different topics that can benefit wild turkeys has been discussed. Listen in!

The Story of Andy's First Puerto Rican Turkey of 2021

This week Cameron and Andy relive and replay the hunt where Andy killed his first wild turkey of the 2021 spring season in Puerto Rico.

This is a unique hunt for Andy because he showed a lot of patience in not busting into the woods after a gobbling turkey. He instead waited for the turkey to come to him. 

This is a pretty cool story and a pretty cool hunt. Listen in!

The Rise in Nonresident Turkey Hunting License Sales

This week, Cameron and Andy have a data nerd on the show to talk about nonresident wild turkey hunting license sales and the effect that YouTubers and social media influencers have on them.

We discuss how some states are paying social media influencers to come to their state to hunt turkeys in order to promote turkey hunting in the state and boost hunting license sales. These payments are being made to influencers at the same time these states are fighting to turnaround population declines by cutting season lengths and bag limits. 

Yes, these states are paying others to promote hunting turkeys in the state at the same time they are limiting opportunities because the population of turkeys is declining. Something is rotten in the state of Denmark!

Our guest data nerd shares actual numbers with us regarding the incredible rise in out of state license sales in states all across the country. 

What should states do to combat this increase in sales and wild turkey harvests? Are there ways that states could cut back the number of out of state license sales for wild turkeys without limiting opportunities for resident hunters to harvest turkeys?

We would love to hear your opinions and thoughts, so leave us a comment on our social media pages.

But, first, listen in!

TSS Discussion and Other Turkey Talk

Cameron and Andy discuss TSS (Tungsten Super Shot) on this week's episode and a few other topics.

There are so many disputes on social media about whether or not TSS shotgun shells should be banned for hunting wild turkeys or not. Cameron and Andy have a friendly discussion about TSS shotgun shells for turkey hunting. Cameron basically says that he would like to see some studies done where eliminating TSS, decoys, fanning, etc from the sport of turkey hunting would enable states to leave their bag limits and season lengths untouched. Andy is of the opinion that eliminating tools like TSS is too little and much too late. Cameron and Andy both are of the opinion that, at the very least, season start dates need to be pushed back later in the year to allow turkeys more time to breed undisturbed.

There is also some discussion about other turkey hunting topics as well as mention of the state of Arizona hiring a social media influencer to come to the state to showcase Coues Deer hunting in the state and then 3 to 5 years later shutting down the Coues Deer hunting season because the deer had received too much pressure. The question was brought up about whether or not this type of activity is going on in the turkey hunting world as well. Cameron and Andy are both of the opinion that if social media influencers are being paid to turkey hunt public land in a certain state while the state is reducing bag limits and shortening season lengths at the same time then this type of advertising by the states doing so need to be stopped immediately. Do you wonder if your state is doing the same?

Listen in!

Cameron's First 2021 Wild Turkey

Man, it is great to hear a turkey gobble in the dead of summer!

This week Cameron shares his first successful wild turkey hunt of the 2021 season with us.

This is another hunt that took place in Alaska (according to Cameron), and the audio from this hunt is incredible. There are several gobbling turkeys in this area he is hunting in, and the particular turkey that Cameron killed came in gobbling and drumming. 

Yes, you can actually hear this turkey drumming as he approaches Cameron's gun barrel if you listen with headphones or earbuds.

Listen in and enjoy this week's show.

More Musings with Chubbs

Kenny Mount, aka Chubbs from the Pinhoti Project, joins Cameron and Andy on this week's episode.

The conversation starts out talking about the effects of social media on turkey hunting, and it just took off from there. There are a multitude of topics covered in this interview with Kenny, and many of the thoughts and statements shared are, at times, quite contradictory.

The talk gets deep and personal in this episode, and Cameron and I think you'll find it a very interesting interview.

Listen in to this week's episode, now including the "Lost 20 minutes of Chubbs" audio.

An Intense Wild Turkey Hunt in Alaska

This week, Cameron shares an awesome turkey hunt with us with lots of gobbling from several Toms. In fact, the hunting was so good in that particular spot that Cameron is hushmouthed about the state that this hunt took place in.

Cameron says the wild turkey hunt happened in Alaska, but Andy has his doubts about that. 

Listen in to this audio from a great hunt from the 2020 turkey hunting season... in "Alaska".

Thoughts of a Competitive Turkey Caller with Hunter Lemoine

This week Cameron and Andy are joined by Hunter Lemoine. 

Hunter is a Louisiana state turkey calling champion and all around turkey hunting machine. Hunter also heads up the state calling championship competition, and Cameron gives him a little grief over that.

Cameron also gets Hunter to share his thoughts about the wild turkey population in Louisiana.

Listen in as there are lots of laughs shared in this episode.