L_S_2015_04_

20 Louisiana Sportsman^ | April 2015

field notes

I

can remember when I was in my mid-20s and decided I’d

be a turkey hunter. I packed up that spring, headed off to

my nearest public tract of land, set up before daylight and

began some beautiful (at least to my ears) purring as the

sun broke over the horizon.

And, believe it or not, I had a bird gobbling at me. Every time

I’d hit the call, that tom would blow the woods up.

I never saw the danged bird.

Over the years, I’ve been fortunate enough to hunt with a few

died-in-the-wool turkey killers. But I’m now in my mid-40s and

still haven’t killed a turkey.

Why? Obviously, I’m just not that good of a caller — a fact that

my wife tried to hammer home when I’d pull out a call.

There’s also the fact that I pretty much gave up. Turkeys are

apparently way smarter than deer.

And that latter point, I think, is what many newbie turkey

killers fail to understand. Sure, they hear the old timers say it,

but the bird has the brain the size of a pea — so how smart can

they be, right?

So that’s one problem with beginners to the sport.

The other? Failing to understand that more is required than

any old call and a shotgun.

To help turkey-hunting novices, we turned to the folks at

Bowie Outfitters in Baton Rouge, La., to find out what should

be on the list of every hunter.

Here’s a rundown:

1) Calls — Joe Loupe, Bowie’s turkey hunting expert, said this

is an obvious item that is critically important.

“Everyone needs a good call or two that he or she can use

comfortably and well,” Loupe said.

What you need to

kill a turkey

By Andy Crawford

Make sure you check these items

off before heading to the woods

Getting that old tom to move that

crucial 10 yards closer is a challenge.