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

Today, we are dissecting a diaphragm turkey call with Mitchell Johnston from Dead End Game Calls. Mitchell shares with us what goes into a diaphragm, or mouth, call.

Diaphragm turkey calls are a great method for calling turkeys while keeping your hands free. Diaphragm calls do have a couple of downfalls though. Diaphragm turkey calls can be difficult for the beginning user to master, and some users just can't operate a call because the calls in their mouths make them gag.

Despite these downfalls, diaphragm calls are outstanding hunting calls if you purchase the right one and practice with it often.

Mitchell will teach us the difference in sound between a 2, 3, and 4 reed call as well as the different cuts that go into the top reed of a diaphragm turkey call.

In this episode, Keith Beam, the co-founder of Double Bull Blinds and current owner of Drake's Adventures, shares some tips for turkey hunting from a ground blind.

Keith shares some tips on how to choose the perfect ground blind for our turkey hunting needs. Choosing a blind that is too big for our needs can be an added unnecessary expense, but choosing a blind that is too small can be a hindrance in being able to draw a bow or in accommodating hunting partners.

Keith also shares some tips for setting up a ground blind to make sure that we do not spook an approaching Tom because our blind fabric is too shiny or because the fabric is flapping in the wind.

Keith also shares with us info on how to choose the best location to put a blind so that we can maximize our odds of success.

Lastly, Keith shares the exciting news of his new venture that he calls Drake's Adventures. If you want more information on Drake's Adventures, you can visit www.drakesadventures.com.

Scott Davis with Urban Hunting TV joins us in this episode to discuss urban turkey hunting.

As development encroaches on wild turkey habitat and wild turkeys expand their range, urban encounters with wild turkeys have become more and more common. It seems that almost daily a new video wild turkey attack video is being posted on YouTube. These attacks are more common because encounters between wild turkeys and humans are more common and the turkeys have lost their fear of humans.

One way to humanely control any wild game population is through hunting. Many municipalities have laws against firing a weapon (gun or bow) within the city limits, and this law prevents many of us from being able to hunt these overgrown populations of wild game.

Some states have laws which override the local laws preventing discharge of a weapon within city limits as long as the person firing the weapon is doing so in an ethical and responsible manner while hunting. The states that have such a law open the opportunity for us to hunt within the boundaries of a municipality in that state and, of course, open the doors for urban turkey hunting.

Scott shares with us how he first got into urban turkey hunting, how he approaches land owners about hunting on their urban properties, and his approach for hunting those properties once he receives permission to hunt.

When urban turkey hunting, care must be taken to prevent a confrontation with neighbors and/or anti-hunters. Scott also shares with us a few tips he has learned over the years to prevent those confrontations from arising. He also shares a few ways he maintains a strong relationship between himself and the property owner so that he has a place to hunt in the future as well.

Listen in to this week's episode to learn everything you can about urban turkey hunting.

Blake Morris talks turkey hunting and gun safety when he shares the story of his hunting accident.

Blake was upland bird hunting in Kansas when he inadvertently loaded the wrong shotgun shell in his shotgun. The ensuing shot at a flying bird caused the gun barrel to split open and Blake lost his thumb in the accident.

Blake shares the story and some gun safety tips that we all need to keep in mind whether we are hunting wild turkeys or at the range sighting in our firearms.  Most of these tips are things that we have been taught before, but it never hurts to have a reminder in gun safety.

Listen in to this episode to hear the story of Blake's hunting accident, some gun safety tips, and the story of Blake's first turkey hunt after his accident where he tagged a very nice Eastern wild turkey.

There are several things we can do to improve our odds of success in the turkey woods this spring. We can practice our calling, buy new camo, do some extra scouting, pattern our shotguns and shells, etc. 

There is probably one thing that you haven't thought about that you can do to give you a better chance at success.  Exercising is one facet of preparation for turkey season that is often overlooked.  Being in better shape to hold your shotgun and walk mile after mile with a heavy vest on your shoulders and heavy boots on your feet can often make the difference on filling a tag or not.

I can think of several turkeys that I killed that I would not have killed if I was not in decent physical condition.  I can honestly say that exercising during the offseason has made me a better turkey hunter, and I know you can benefit as well.

Listen in to this week's episode as Jon Vogel, personal trainer with Iron Tribe fitness, shares some things that we can do to get in better physical condition to handle those long days of hunting and sitting in those awkward positions while we wait for that gobbling turkey to come into shotgun range.

Rob Keck, the current Director of Conservation with Bass Pro and former CEO of the NWTF, is on today's episode to discuss winter turkey hunting.

Winter turkey hunting is a new concept to me, and from some of the stories that Rob shares with us in this episode it is something that I will be getting more familiar with over the coming months.

Rob shares stories of encountering flocks of turkeys with 400 - 500 turkeys in it with "sub flocks" of up to 150 longbeards in them. Rob challenges these groups of mature Toms in them by making challenge purrs and gobbling. The rest of the story is something you'll just have to hear for yourself.

Rob shares with us some of the states that have winter turkey seasons and how winter turkey hunting can compliment our spring turkey hunting as well.

In this episode, Lynne Frady with Team Frady and Mathews bows pro staff shares information with us about bowhunting wild turkeys.

Lynne talks about minimizing movement while drawing the bow, using decoys, the effective bow range for a turkey, broadheads, minimal draw weights, and shot placement.

She shares her thoughts about how crucial shot placement is when bowhunting wild turkeys because the vitals in a turkey are so small. A well placed arrow means the difference between a dead turkey and a wounded turkey that a hunter may not recover.

This is a great episode that I really learned a lot from.  Listen in and let us know your thoughts in the comments section after you hear the show.

Listen in to this week's episode of The Turkey Hunter podcast as Eddie Salter explains how he would approach 6 different turkey hunting scenarios.

I describe 6 different turkey hunting scenarios that most of us have encountered over the years or we will encounter, and Eddie tells us how he would approach each hunt.  Eddie covers decoy setup, calling strategies, setup, and hunting strategies.  Basically, you'll be taken on 6 different turkey hunts across the country, and you'll learn how someone with over 40 years turkey hunting experience would approach these hunting scenarios.

This episode of the show along with my 101 Turkey Hunting Tips list will help you to have more success this coming spring.  To get my list of tips, just text "101tips" to 44222 and follow the instructions from there.  I'll be sure my list of tips gets to you quickly.

Pete Muller, Public Relations Specialist with the NWTF, joins us this week to preview the upcoming NWTF Convention and Sport Show in Nashville, TN.

Pete shares with us many of the exciting things we can find at the show including the turkey hunting seminars, turkey calling and owl hooting competitions, hundreds of thousands of square feet of turkey hunting gear and apparel, and some of the featured entertainers who will be performing this year.

Listen in to today's episode, then book your hotel room, and come to Nashville and submerge yourself in everything turkey hunting for a couple of days.

In part 2 of this episode covering the 2016 ATA Trade Show in Louisville, KY, I interview 6 more company representatives about new turkey hunting products.

I interview Chris Parrish with Knight and Hale Game Calls, and we discuss a new striker and double sided call they have introduced this year.

Eddie Salter with FlexTone tells us about and demonstrates a new call they are rolling out this season.

Matt Morrett chats by with me for a bit about a new turkey decoy that Avian X is offering this year.

I speak with Jimmy Ray Parish with Pennington Seed about plantings that we can do to improve the turkey habitat on our hunting properties. We talk about both annual and perennial plantings that will benefit wild turkeys.

Aaron Keller discusses a new product called the Swagger Bipod that his company is rolling out to market later this year. This is the little bipod that could.  This bipod will revolutionize shooting sports for many of us hunters and shooters.

I also speak with Will Downard and Rick Franco with Turkey Fan about their turkey decoying/reaping product that dominated the NWTF Convention at last year's show in Nashville.

Listen in to this episode to learn about some products that can help you to have more success in the turkey woods this spring.