How to Turkey Hunt

New Video on HowToTurkeyHunt's You Tube Channel

2012-02-22T21:29:00.001-06:00

Check out our new video on seasoning your new friction(pot) call on our youtube channel. This video will teach you how to get your call ready for the season and keep it making great yelps, purrs, and cuts!

Gobbler Game Calls is Up and Running! Register and Win a New Call!

2012-02-20T19:59:00.000-06:00

Go check our our page about our new friction call series: Gobbler Game Calls. Check out The Copper Jenny, Glass Jenny, and "Double Trouble" Jenny. To celebrate the start of our call series, we will be giving away a brand new "Double Trouble" Jenny to one of our lucky followers. To enter draw, simply register by joining www.howtoturkeyhunt.com with Google Connect. You can do this by clicking the link on the right side of the page or by clicking here: Register Now! We will draw for the free call on March 15th!

The Glass Jenny

The "Double Trouble" Jenny

The Copper Jenny

Mistake #8 - Calling Too Much

2012-02-18T21:18:00.000-06:00

I am a firm believer that beginning turkey hunters spook lots of birds by calling too much. Most turkey hunters will harvest more birds if they will call less and limit their calls to very soft yelps, purrs, clucks, and cutts. Keep your calling to a minimum and you will see better results.

Check Out Chris Nischan on our ProStaff Page

2012-02-13T21:49:00.005-06:00

Chris Nischan

We have updated our ProStaff page with more information on Chris Nischan. Check out Chris's Bio!!!

Mistake #7 - Setting Up on the Wrong Sides of Barriers Like Creeks, Ponds, Ditches, Fences, Roads, etc...

2012-02-08T19:48:00.000-06:00

Turkeys typically will not cross barriers like a ditch, river, pond, fence, etc…. Many hunters don’t figure out why their hot gobbler won't close the distance til after the hunt and discover the barrier that was keeping that gobbler from getting closer. Scouting again can help you with this by giving you the knowledge you need to avoid this mistake. Google Maps and other internet based software can also help you locate potential barriers before you hunt a property. If there is a barrier between you and the bird and you can’t avoid it, try to set up close enough to the barrier so that the bird is in gun range on the other side.

Until Next Time,

Tight Lines & Struttin Toms

Bugs! Bugs! Bugs!

2012-02-06T20:56:00.005-06:00

In Tennesse, we are still experiencing one of the warmest winters in recent times and I wonder what the impact on the creepy crawly critters will be on opening day. Mosquitos, chiggers, and ticks can all make turkey hunting uncomfortable(Last year was Cicada season in TN - check out the video I shot of Bubba the Cicada!) and can also be unhealthy. Several of the properties I hunt are covered in small seed ticks in the spring and I'm always worried about Lyme's disease or Rocky Mountain Spotted fever. From a practical side, bugs make you uncomfortable and typically when one is uncomfortable one squirms. Squirming is a no no when chasing Toms.

Here are a couple of gear ideas to help combat pests while turkey hunting:

1. I have been wearing Cabela's Bug Skinz for several years . Since I started wearing it, I rarely find a tick on me. The compression under garment also wicks sweat and is very comfortable. The top, bottom, and head gear(which I never use) cost about $100 but I have used the same set for 5 years so they are durable and long lasting if you take care of them.
2. If you don't have a Thermacell, purchase one for turkey season. I think they are one of the best inventions in bug control in the past 10 years. I was hunting in Florida in a swamp a couple of years ago and the mosquitos were fierce. With my Thermacell fired up, I felt like Custer must have felt at Little BigHorn. I was surrounded by hundreds of circling mosquitos but UNLIKE Custer, none of them got in! The Thermacell is affordable and easy to use.
3. I have also started wearing a leafy bug suit made by Cabela's and have good results. I will wear my Bug Skinz as an underlayer and the leafy bug suit over the top. This is a great combination on warm days.
4. Even with protective clothing on, I alway spray the cuffs of my pants, the waistline, and the sleeves to deter ticks from trying to sneak in.

Any of these ideas will help you have a more comfortable hunt and will help you remain silent and still!

Until Next Time,

Tight Lines & Struttin Toms

Thermacell

Cabela's BugSkinz

Cabela's 3-D Leafy Suit

Mistake #6 - Know Your Setup Before You Call!

2012-02-06T20:18:00.000-06:00

O.K. How many of you have had this happen? Your strolling through the woods and it has been a slow morning. Your concentration is waning and you’re probably hungry or tired. All of a sudden, you remember why you are in the woods and you decide to prospect with a cut or yelp on your pot or box call. A gobbler answers and he is near! You frantically look around trying to find a place to set up. You pick the nearest tree and hunker down. After “hunkering”, you realize that you are not looking the right way and try to move. The alarm putt of a tom is the last thing you hear as your gobbler departs for safety. We’ve all done this as we have learned to turkey hunt and the solution is simple. If I am running and gunning or “strolling and gunning”, I always determine where I am going to set up before I call.. I visualize what I am going to do in the event I hear that gobbler. I may even move a tree limb or other debris before I call. This process mentally gets me ready for my move and makes the move quick and silent.

Until Next Time,

Tight Lines & Struttin Toms!

Mistake #5 - Don't get in a hurry on your shot!

2012-02-05T19:49:00.001-06:00

Everybody gets excited when that Tom is close and it is very easy to hurry your shot. One time I was hunting a really hot Tom in Tennessee. I had set up a decoy about 100 yards away from his roost and broke a twig as I was setting up the decoy. The gobbler sounded off to the branch breaking. I than “scratched” my way back to my seat. Every time, I scratched he gobbled. Once I was seated and still, I quietly tree yelped about 3 times and flapped a turkey wing trying to duplicate a hen flying down. That was all it took as I heard him fly off of the roost and head I my direction. I quickly got my gun to my shoulder and aimed at my decoy. Surprisingly, nothing appeared where I expected. Puzzled about where my Tom was, something innately told me to look up. About 5 yards away and above me was the gobbler about to land on me like a Mallard coming into the decoys. He saw me about the time I saw him and the minute he hit the ground, he began running the other way. I slowly raised my gun and shot him at about 25 yards. He was a beautiful 21 lb. bird with an 11” beard. I’m convinced I killed this bird because I took my time. Turkeys can run at about 20 mph but they cannot out run a load of #5 shot if it is properly placed. Lets be sure we put the emphasis on “properly placed”. So next time you have to take a running shot or flying shot on a gobbler in range, take an extra split second and aim. You’ll find yourself taking better shots and harvesting more birds!

Until Next Time,

Tight Lines & Struttin Toms!

Favorite Turkey Destinations

2012-02-03T06:46:00.002-06:00

As many of you know, I am fortunate enough to be a trip planner for Outdoor Connection. Outdoor Connection is The Worldwide Authority when it comes to outdoor destinations. We represent about 300 outstanding destinations around the world known for outstanding hunting and fishing. With the turkey season upon us, some of you may be wanting to try the various species or complete your Grand Slam. Here are some our outstanding outfitters that I have personally visited and experienced for you to consider:

Eastern Wild Turkeys

- Buffalo Springs Outfitters(Location MOH5) is located in Gallatin Missouri which is about 1.5 hours North/Northwest of the Kansas City International airport. I have been turkey hunting 3 times at Buffalo Springs with Jud Whitfield and crew and they are an outstanding destination for your trophy tom. Missouri is know as one of the premier destination states for Eastern Wild Turkeys. Jud and head guide, Bob Peetom, are outstanding callers and tacticians. Their properties hold large flocks of mature toms. Their accomodations are comfortable and the food is great. You can't go wrong with a 3 day or 4 day hunt with these guys. (P.S. - These guys have awesome whitetails also!)

Rio Grande Turkeys

- Ranger Creek Ranch(Location TXH2) is located in Seymour TX which is a couple of hours north/northwest of Ft. Worth TX. Hunting over 60,000 acres, they have a huge population of Rio Grande Turkeys and some really diverse terrain to hunt them on. When my crew went to Ranger Creek Ranch, we chased toms in deep canyons filled with cactus and mesquite and also along the edges of river bottoms surrounded by lush wheat fields. You can also throw some outstanding hog hunting in with your hunt to add some diversity. Their food is truly Texas style and their lodge is one of the more unique lodges I have ever stayed in.

Merriams Turkeys

Allen, Lou, & Brad at Nebraska Trophy Bucks & Birds

- Nebraska Trophy Buck and Birds(Location NEH4) is located in the famous Sand Hills near Halsey Nebraska. In 2010, I joined a group of 5 that harvested 11 birds in 2.5 days. Hunting over 100,000 acres, NTB&B has unrivaled access to these beautiful birds with their snowy tipped fans. Their accomdations and food are outstanding. They have been featured on Mossy Oak's Hunting the Country for several years now. Merriams are probably my favorite bird to hunt and Jim Kuhn and Scott Fink know how to do it right!(P.S. - These guys also have awesome Whitetails & Muleys)

Osceola Turkeys

- I think everyone knows the fabled swamp bird, The Osceola, is probably the most difficult of the 4 grand slam birds to obtain. Capt. Billy Henderson's Deep South Outfitter(Location FLH5/FLH8) operates out of Homasassa Florida(about an hour North of Tampa FL) and has produced a 100% opportunity rate and an almost 100% success rate(My miss/choke in 2009 being the "almost") of these tough birds. Billy has outstanding properties and the Homasassa area is know for its seafood and fishing also. Bring your Thermacell! Billy can also arrange hog hunting and has outstanding gator hunts!

If you are interested in paying a visit to any of these properties or any of our other fine destinations, drop me an e-mail at huntfishlive@gmail.com or call me at 615-944-6252 and I'll check on availability and answer your questions!

Until Next Time,

Tight Lines & Struttin Toms!

Lou Hoop

Spring is Near!

2012-01-31T07:25:00.000-06:00

O.K. I know we have had a really warm winter here in Tennessee and also around most of the country but this is ridiculous. Driving down Interstate 65 on my way to a meeting for the day job, I saw strutting Toms in 4 different fields. It makes me wonder if their biological time clocks are screwed up along with the trees that are budding and the bulbs that are sprouting.

Without a doubt turkey season is not that far off and with it comes other signs. The 2012 National Wild Turkey Federation Convention reconvenes in Nashville TN at the Opryland Hotel for its annual extravaganza. If you have never been, you should go. Nashville is a great town and the convention is worth the trip. Everybody who is anybody in turkey hunting will be there and the exhibit hall is the best of any sports show I have ever seen. For more information, you can go to the National Wild Turkey Federation site at www.nwtf.org.

While Stuttgart AR is known more as the Mecca for southern waterfowl hunters, Mack's Prairie Wings and the Arkansas State Chapter of the NWTF are hosting the Mossy Oak All American Turkey Calling Championship and Expo on February 24 thru February 26. There will be great calling, an expo center, and great celebrities like Michael Waddell, Preston Pittman, Brenda Valentine and more. For more information, you can go to Mack's Prairie Wing's website at: http://www.mackspw.com.

Finally, The Spring Turkey Catalogs are rolling in also!!! Today, my Cabela's catalog rolled in and my Mack's Prairie Wings spring catalog also arrived. For those of you who may not be a familiar with Mack's Prairie Wings, Mack's is a wonderful outdoor store in Stuttgart Arkansas that also has an excellent online store. Mack's often gets the reputation of being a waterfowl only retailer but that is not the case. They have excellent turkey and whitetail hunting departments also.

I'll blog more in the coming days on what products for 2012 I think are worthwhile.

Until Next Time,

Tight Lines & Struttin Toms!!

Top 10 Mistakes #4 - Don't forget to Scout!

2012-01-30T06:44:00.001-06:00

What screws many turkey hunts is getting busted. I define getting busted as being seen by turkeys or heard by turkeys before you ever get close to them. What is really frustrating is a lot of times you get busted without knowing you have been busted! How many times have you had that hot gobbler all of a sudden shut up? I have and have sat wondering what went wrong. As previously noted, turkeys have wide set eyes, telescopic sight, and a 270° field of vision BEFORE they even move their head. If their eyesight was not the only problem a hunter has to deal with, add their very acute hearing to the equation. Turkeys can hear sounds up to a mile away in the right conditions. You are chasing a game animal that can hear or see you it seems before you even get in the county! You can drastically minimize the times you are busted by SCOUTING your properties before you hunt. Before I hunt a property, I want to know the following:

A. Where can I use the terrain to move without being seen? For example, a Tom on the roost on a full moon night can see for over 300 yards. If there are no leaves on the trees(as is often in the early season), he can see even farther. The best way to prevent being seen is to be able to use the land to hide your movements. Is their a ridge between me and the birds or sunken road I can sneak down?

B. Where can I move and not make noise? How do I avoid high noise areas like dry leaves?

C. Where are the Tom’s likely to roost in case I don’t get them put to bed the evening before or they have lockjaw the next morning? Knowing this keeps me moving too close to roosted birds about to fly down.

Scouting can also help you pin point funnels, strutting zones, and potential travel barriers like creeks, fences, etc…. Start you scouting on your computer with a program like Google Earth or some other map software. A lot of the areas you are looking for can be seen easily before you ever enter the woods. I also use my Tasco 3 MP Trail Camerato help pattern the turkeys and their movement(I like inexpensive cameras!). Scouting Turkeys in the late winter/early spring is also a great time to take walks in the woods and look for sheds.

P.S. There are lots of cameras on sale in the Cabela's Bargain Cave also!

Until Next Time,

Tight Lines & Struttin Toms!

Top 10 Mistakes #3 - Don't Move!

2012-01-22T20:33:00.001-06:00

Don’t Move! Sounds simple right? Well, for some of us it isn't. I for one am a chronic "fidgeter" and a certified medicated member of the Adult Attention Deficit Disorder tribe. Often, it is COLD during the early season and the colder it is, the harder it is to sit still. Conversely, it can be very WARM in the late season and this can be equally uncomfortable. Bugs and creepy crawly things can make you squirm. There are also some things during your hunt that require movement. Things like moving your hands to work your turkey call or aiming your gun. Turkeys have telescopic sight and and a field of vision of up to 270 degrees. In a nutshell, They can see a long way, see very small things, see very small movements, and appear to have eyes almost in the back of their head. If being still is a problem, try hunting out of ground blind. There are all kinds of very portable ground blinds that be set up quietly in a matter of seconds. They are comfortable, warm, dry, and allow some movement inside the blind. Take me for example: I like to use pot or box calls and typically film my hunts. I like to use an Ameristep DogHouse Ground Blind as it gives me plenty of room to set up my camera and use my calls. If you don’t like ground blinds, try using a chair like the Ameristep's Turkey Chair or some other low profile chair. Being comfortable and off of the ground will help you be sit "still" for longer periods of time. Add a small camo blind in front of your chair and you will have room to get your business done! If mosquitoes or other critters are an issue, think about investing in a Thermacell or a pair of Cabela's BugSkinz. I hope these tips help you stay still!

Until Next Time,

Tight Lines & Struttin' Toms!

Ameristep 3-D Spur Blind

Ameristep Turkey Chair

AmeriStep DogHouse Blind

Top 10 Mistakes #2 - Pattern Your Shotgun!!!

2012-01-18T07:25:00.001-06:00

After my last post, I realized it would be appropriate to move my mistake about patterning your shotgun up to #2. Here you go:

In today’s world of shotguns, turkey chokes, and specialized turkey loads, it is very easy to assume that the newest, greatest turkey choke combined with the latest, greatest turkey load guarantees a lethal pattern up to 60 yards(please don’t shoot gobblers at 60 yards!). I, like everyone else at one time or another, has fallen victim to the technology hype and I have paid the price. A few years ago, I had added a very expensive, high tech turkey choke and a very expensive turkey load to my tried and true Remington 870. I confidently took my new set up to Florida and proceeded to miss a ridiculously simple 25 yard shot on an Osceola gobbler that guide Billy Henderson(Deep South Outfitters) had coming in on a rope. While I admit that I got in a hurry and just choked, I was still perplexed why the bird didn’t drop and took the time to shoot a turkey target at 20, 25, and 30 yards. I was blown away to see how few pellets I was actually getting on the neck of the bird. Billy(who by now has only partially forgiven me for messing up his 100% success rate during the 2008 season) suggested that I just stick my original Remington full choke back in my barrel and try a more traditional lead load. The results were astonishing. My 870 shot better with its normal full choke and a normal turkey load than it did with the fancy stuff. The moral to this story is that every gun is different and will respond differently to various chokes and shot patterns. Take the time to purchase some turkey targets and pattern your gun. You maybe surprised at the results. Search the internet and read about what gun manufacturers and other hunters recommend. There is a very good chance that someone else has done the research for your gun and has shared their results online. Also, spend a little extra money and buy a turkey target for your testing. The visual image of the turkey neck will really help your patterning process!

Birchwood Casey Targets!

P.S. I'm not totally immune to the technology hype so here is a link to the Birchwood targets I like to use for my patterning!

Until Next Time,

Tight Lines & Strutting Toms!

Shooting the Right Turkey Load!

2012-01-16T19:44:00.002-06:00

Today my most recent subscription to Outdoor Life showed up in the mail. One of the sections I enjoy the most in the modern hunting magazines are the sections on Gear. Outdoor Life and other magazines go to considerable effort to test gear including lots of Turkey gear. These tests can save you lots of time and money. This months Gear Field Test involved turkey loads. Outdoor Life compares 4 popular loads and their results using various shotguns. While the results are interesting, what I found to be really interesting was the data on the number of pellets that were in the target at distances of 25 and 50 yards. At 25 yards, all of the loads in all of the shotguns placed between 15% to 38% of their pellets in the target. At 50 yards, the most number of pellets in the target was 9%. 9%! What this tells me is what a crap shoot it is shooting at a Gobbler at 50 yards. At 50 yards, you are most likely to:

1. Wound a bird
2. Really educate him to your calling and than BOOM!
3. Miss

I think this proves that the optimum shot at a turkey is probably 25 to 35 yards and no farther. So take your time, aim carefully, and only shoot when the bird is in range.

P.S. Don't forget to pattern you shotgun so you know how many pellets from your load and your shotgun are hitting the target!

Top 10 Mistakes - Mistake #1 - Leaving the Woods Too Soon!

2012-01-15T07:34:00.001-06:00

If I had to guess, a lot of turkey hunters became hooked on turkey hunting the first time they experience the incredible rush of a gobbling Tom flying down off of the roost and marching in to their setup performing one of nature’s most incredible shows. I will never forget my first Tom as he spit, drummed, fanned and dragged his wingtips showing off for his expected mate. It would be great if every hunt ended that way but a lot of times it does not. Many time, gobblers fly off of the roost and are immediately attracted to hens they can see or one jealous jenny will drag the big boy away from your seductive calling. When this happens, a lot of turkey hunters give up and head home convinced the day is done and this is a mistake. After the Tom departs with his hens, he will spend time breeding them before they move mid-morning off to their nests. At that time, Mr. Gobbler becomes very lonely, very vulnerable, and very callable. I have killed just as many turkeys from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. as I have at daylight. Here is a suggestion. Hunt the fly down. If your Tom does not cooperate with your setup and departs with his hens, do one of the following: go get some breakfast, take a nap, check your e-mail, call the office, or read a book. The chances are that Mr. Tom will be looking for more girlfriends in a couple of hours. Often, I will use this time to set up in a likely area where I know Toms strut later in the morning. I’ll beat them to their strutting grounds. So don’t forget that early morning’s "henned up" gobbler will often become late morning’s lonely gobbler!

Until Next Time,

Tight Lines & Struttin Toms!

The Season is 2 Months Away - Lets Get Rolling!

2012-01-14T21:04:00.000-06:00

Greetings everyone. Well the first turkey seasons of the new year are only a couple of months away so lets start getting ready for the season! I am having a lot of fun trying new calls, scouting my properties, watching videos, and just getting excited! HowToTurkeyHunt.Com is going to be adding several new features this year including:

1. Articles from our pro-staff

2. Videos on how to effectively use your calls

3. More hunt videos

4. Product Reviews

5. Our famous Top 10 Mistakes and their solutions

We will start the new year with our Top 10 Mistakes posts. Be on the look out for our daily posts on common turkey hunting mistakes and how you can fix them!

I would love to hear your comments and suggestions.

Until Next Time,

Tight Lines & Struttin Toms!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T21:20:00.000-06:00

I hope everyone had a safe and happy new year. I've been taking a break from posting to enjoy some waterfowl hunting down at Top Gun the past few weeks. The ducks have been slow to arrive in the Mississippi Delta due to the warm weather we have been experiencing; however, we did have a couple of good hunts this past week. The week after Christmas, Top Gun was invaded by the "Dickson Mafia". The Dickson Mafia consists of Chuck "2 Buck Chuck" Bean, Mike "4 Toes" Huffine, and David "Little Jerry" Thoni: my hunting compadres from Hurricane Creek Hunting Club. Also joining the hunt were Jay and Will Joiner and Chris "Smiley" Hoop. On Tuesday the 27th, Jay, Will, Smiley, and I took 24 Gadwalls in an hour and 15 minutes. We followed up on Thursday with the rest of the Mafia and took 42 Gadwalls, 1 Widgeon, and 7 Speckle Bellied Geese. There still are not many Mallards in my neck of the woods. Despite the absence of Greenheads, it was great hunting and great fellowship.

Smiley & Dad

Smiley & Will Joiner

Lou with a Mess of Specks!

Little Jerry with Geese!

A Mess of Ducks & Geese!

Congrats ProStaffer Brad Dickens - Big Buck Down!

2011-12-13T08:44:00.000-06:00

This past weekend, Brad "Big Buck" Dickens connected on a beautiful Illinois 160" stud. Congrats Brad! More to follow!

Help for those nasty Hunting Club Smells - Another Christmas Gift Idea for your hunter

2011-12-08T06:24:00.002-06:00

Everybody knows the experience. The formula is familiar.   Start with one small house, shack, trailer, camper, tent, etc..... Add normal hunting camp culinary delights like chili, spaghetti, salsa, hot sauce, pizza, cookies, Twinkies, Honey Buns, chips, etc...... Add various types of liquid refreshment.   Garnish the concoction with typically 1 bathroom and lousy ventilation What do you get? Large quantities of gastric, noxious odors that even Scent Blocker does not have the guts to warranty their outstanding product around.   Some of these smells would melt the insides of an Ozonicss.   The U.S. military should bottle it and use it as a torture threat. One whiff and any insurgent would immediately agree to become a Southern Baptist.

There is a solution however! Last year, I was digging through my Christmas stocking and found a small camoflage spray bottle called Trap A Crap by Poo-Pourri.   Now Cathy thought it was just a cute stocking stuffer because I don't suffer any of the aforementioned problems(thats my story and I'm sticking too it) but I decided I would try it.   All one does is spray about 2 pumps into the "Loo" before one does their business.   Trap A Crap magically catches the odors and leaves a nice citrus smell! This stuff really works.

Now I realize some of you hardcore hunting club cynics are probably saying: "What fun is that? I love crop dusting my hunting club bruthas!" However, we take scent control at Top Gun serious and nobody wants to have the deer of a lifetime catch wind of you and say "They had chili last night - hope it wasn't Fred they ate!".    All kidding aside, this stuff really works and its cheap. A little goes a long way.   I am attaching a link if any of you are interested.

Headed to Top Gun this weekend to chase whitetails and shoot a few ducks. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season!

P.S. - I thought about shooting a YouTube video on how to use Trap A Crap but I decided not to go there. Probably not a good idea.

My Favorite Read - Just in time for Christmas

2011-12-07T18:13:00.000-06:00

Happy holidays to all of you! By now, you have probably deduced that I am an avid reader of both fiction and military history. I spend many hours in the woods curled up with a book, my Kindle, or my Ipad. I love to hunt and its also a great time to catch up on my reading. I had someone ask me the other day what my favorite hunting and fishing book of all time would be? It has to be Robert Ruark's "The Old Man and the Boy". "The Old Man and the Boy" is a wonderful collection of hunting and fishing stories about Ruark's upbringing in Wilmington NC. I actually taught my sons how to shoot ducks with his story about ballistics.

I bet you my boys have read it a 100 times but even now they still take it in the woods with them. You can find it on Amazon either in hardback(very expensive- collectors item) or paperback(new or used). Unfortunately, it is not in electronic version. If you want to pick up a copy, here is a link to get you there:

Effective Pot Calling Techniques

2011-12-05T20:58:00.000-06:00

I hope all is well. It is rainy and cold in Middle Tennessee. It appears the Whitetail rut is about 2 to 3 weeks late in Tennessee. Typically starting the first week of November, Mike "4 toes" Huffines told me today that bucks were chasing does everywhere at Hurricane Creek Hunt Club. I hope opening day of turkey season is not 3 weeks late. Here's to a warm March to get the gobblers fired up.

Its hard to believe but the Mississippi Turkey opener is only about 3 months away! What does that mean? Its time to practice. Time to put the mouth calls in the car and to start tuning up your pot calls. As most of you know, I'm a pot call addicted fool and I spend lots of time playing with my favorite pot calls and practicing. To help you, here is a diagram I developed that shows the basic motions you have to master to make a pot call sing.

For beginners, mastering a good yelp, cluck, and purr is really all you need to be an effective turkey caller. Once you have these mastered, focus on not overcalling and you'll be fine. I hope this helps!

Until Next Time,

Tight Lines & Struttin Toms!

Cull Buck Down - A Good Case for Genetic Clensing

2011-11-30T07:31:00.000-06:00

I was down at Top Gun this past weekend supervising some duck hunting with Smiley and some of his fraternity brothers. I was joined by Mike "4 toes" Huffine and Tony Hale. Saturday afternoon, between rain showers, I sat on the Northwest food plot thinking that something had to move considering the large cold front moving in later that night. After 3 hours of fighting mosquitos - nada - no deer, hogs, armadillos, birds, nothing! I got down with about 15 minutes of light left as my desire to check on football overcame my desire to be eaten alive. Walking back to the 4 wheeler, I noticed this big body that looked like a cow standing in the pasture in the dimming light. I raised my binoculars - Oh yeah - I had forgot them. I raised the 4 X 12 Burris scope on my Remington 700 and saw big horns on one side and not sure what I saw on the other side. God does take care of drunks and fools and I would add lousy shots occasionally as I dropped this joker in his tracks at 165 yards shooting free handed. He had a beautiful 22.5 inch main beam with points on one side and a really NASTY huge palmated fork on the other. He appeared to be about 6 years old and weighed 223 lbs. which for my part of Mississippi is a heavy buck. A good case of getting bad genetics out of the herd. This was also another deer that I had never gotten on trail camera despite having 7 cameras in the area. It just goes to show you never know what you're going to see and you should never stop hunting all the way back to your ride.

Until Next Time,

Tight Lines & Struttin Toms!

Welcome Pro Staff

2011-11-28T15:13:00.001-06:00

Please check out our new Pro Staff page. I'm really excited about having the input and expertise these guys and gals will bring to all of us. Welcome Pro Staff!

Happy Thanksgiving & Black Friday!

2011-11-24T11:26:00.000-06:00

I hope everyone has a happy Thanksgiving and a wonderful holiday. The Hoop household is home in full force with 3 sons, mom, aunt, grandmother, uncle(and aunt), 4 cousins and 5 DOGS. Bedlam is an understatement. Today we will be dining on wild turkey that I harvested during the fall season. I am going to cook them on my new birthday present: The Cobb Premier Portable Stainless Steel Grill & Smoker.
This grill is from South Africa and was designed for bush cooking. It looks pretty cool and has awesome reviews. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Has anyone noticed that the Black Friday hysteria seems to get larger each year? My sons informed me that the local electronics store had people in tents lined up on WEDNESDAY. Give me a break. Who in the world wants to get up at 12:00 a.m. to go shopping or stand in line for a couple of days? Well......... unless there is that special thing in the sporting goods department. I decided to see if there was any Black Friday types of deals on the internet and Voila! there are. Both Amazon and Cabelas run Black Friday sales on hunting gear and they have some good stuff. I bought a pair of binoculars at 50% off and Amazon also has the Primos Strap Turkey Vest for about 30 to 50% off at 10:00 A.M. in the morning!. Cabelas has free shipping on orders over $100 until Tuesday Nov. 29th. So lets see, I can stand in line either freezing, tired, or bored OR I can shop online in my pajamas, get in bed, and be in the treestand the next morning. Not a tough decision. I've put links at the bottom of the page if you want to check out their stuff. Also, don't ever forget the Cabelas Bargain Cave.

Smiley and I are headed to Mississippi tomorrow early to open up the Mississippi duck season and also spend time in the tree stand. I'll let you know how we do.

Until Next Time,

Tight Lines & Struttin Toms,

Lou

Amazon - Black Friday

Scouting Pays Off

2011-11-20T21:43:00.002-06:00

I talk a great deal about the proper usage of trail cameras. Attached are pictures of my son Chris's first big buck. Chris took this Mississippi 10 pt. on opening day from one of our favorite stands. We had gotten several pictures of this buck over the past week so we knew he was in the area. We also got pictures of him in velvet so we had identified him as a potential shooter for Chris. Trail cameras are great tools whether turkey hunting or deer hunting!

Deer in Velvet