Houston Safari Club Foundation (HSCF) and “Hunting Matters” welcomes Jeff Birmingham, President of Houston Safari Club and Houston Safari Club Foundation. He has been a member of Houston Safari Club Foundation since 2008 and is a Life Member of HSCF. Jeff has served as a past Vice President. In addition, he has served as Chairman […]
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Archives for March 2022
GPO USA Rangefinder Review For Turkey Hunting
With short-range weapons like shotguns, vertical bows, and crossbows knowing the exact distance to the target is a huge plus. It’s especially important when the target is extremely small, such as the head and/or heart/lung area of a wild turkey. With a bow, if you misjudge the range by just a yard or more, you’ll miss. Before shotgun hunting, you should have patterned your shotgun/choke tube/turkey load combination to know it’s maximum effective range. In both the shotgun or bow instances, using a laser rangefinder will give you the precise yardage needed to make a clean kill.
GPO USA has a solution for spring gobbler hunters—the Rangeguide 8×32 and 10×32 rangefinding binoculars. These small, lightweight rangefinding binoculars combine exceptional edge-to-edge clarity and precise ranging on targets from 6 yards out, to nearly 1.75 miles away in a package that’s only 5.4 inches tall, 4.9 inches wide, and weighing just over 24 ounces—perfect for the run & gun or ground blind types of wild turkey hunting.
The compact Rangeguide 32 features a magnesium frame for both lightness and strength. The eye-safe Class 1 laser produces a 0.25-second response time with true-range angle technology, that calculates the proper distance to the target after measuring the angle to the target, giving you a precise inclination/declination compensation reading.
Scan mode provides three readings per second via its orange OLED display that offers nine adjustable brightness levels and operates with manual or automatic brightness functionality. And for those who are also long-range rifle shooters, the Rangeguide even measures ambient temperature in Fahrenheit and Celsius, humidity, and air pressure to help with shot placement on long-range shots. The display provides both the line-of-sight distance and the user’s choice of adjusted distance, angle, or temperature.
Coupled with the GPObright high-transmission lens coatings, the Rangeguide’s double-HD laminated 32mm objective lenses are exceptionally beneficial for transmitting light in the twilight hours. These premium lenses maximize the brightness, sharpness, and resolution of the optical image—something not typical in a rangefinding binocular. The field of view is 405’ and 306’ (8×32 or 10×32) at 1,000 yards, and eye relief is 18mm or 16mm, respectively.
These binoculars also feature a diopter focus and orange display focus adjustments on both left and right sides of the ocular tube. GPO’s premium cut-brass-geared focus-wheel system is utilized for a tight, consistent turning radius without any play in the center focus wheel. The entire body is protected with an armor coating that makes it tough enough to use in any outdoor environment.
For more information, please visit gpo-usa.com.
Where to Place Trail Cameras in Big Woods
Trail cameras are a critical tool for hunting big woods bucks. I use them most of the year, minus springtime and early summer. They’ll give you the confidence and confirmation in your scouting to know whether you are in the right place or need to pivot. I like to adjust my cameras based on the time of year to get the most valuable information. Summer In farm country, placing your cameras on agricultural fields, food plots, and water sources can…
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Fuerza Offers World-Class Firearms Training in Northern Colorado
Fuerza Firearms Training is proud to offer world-class firearm instruction in Fort Collins, CO. Fuerza Firearms Training started out as a hobby and quickly progressed to something much more. Their founder, Colin Fitzgerald, is a certified NRA instructor and has chief range safety officer certifications. As his career progressed, he found a passion for teaching […]
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Tips For Archery Wild Turkeys
Truthfully, I was hesitant to hunt a springtime wild turkey gobbler with archery tackle. But I love the stick-and-string game, and with archery-only turkey seasons offered in many states, I thought bowhunting would give me a head start on the action and help me escape the winter doldrums a little earlier.
You can hunt springtime wild turkeys using various tactics, and you won’t have to drop too many Benjamins on new gear if you’re already a bow hunter. Let’s dive in.
Archery Turkey Gear
Your whitetail or Western big-game rig will work fine for turkey. One hint: consider dropping your bow’s poundage. There’s no reason to test the limits of your shoulders when hunting gobblers. As for arrows, I wouldn’t spend a dime on any “for turkey” carbon or aluminum shafts. You may, however, want to consider a new broadhead. Fixed-blade broadheads are terrible for turkeys. They have a kill zone (in and around the wing-butt) smaller than the size of a softball. Heavy feathers make penetration an issue at times, but you need about 5 inches to get the job done. For this reason, I shoot a reliable 2-inch cut expandable.
If you’re already a turkey junkie, you have all the decoys you need. As long as they don’t look like uninflated footballs, they will work fine for archery forays. One decoy addition that’s a must-have in my book is the bow-mounted Stalker turkey from Ultimate Predator Gear. If you’re a run-and-gun lover, this cloth fake—which resembles a full-strut longbeard—attaches to your riser and has a shoot-through window. With this piece of gear mounted to your bow, you become the decoy.
If you don’t already own one, pick up a quality ground blind. For me, it doesn’t get much better than a Primos Double Bull or ALPS Deception Blind. Sit-and-wait hunting is one of the best tactics you can use when trying to arrow a springtime prize, and if you’re going to wait, you might as well do so in a ground fort that offers ample shooting room and comfort.
Top Tactics
Don’t get too close to the roost. If you’re planning a field-edge set, which can be deadly early in the season when wild turkeys are still in wintertime flocks, spend more time scouting and less time hunting.
Set a trail camera or two and also spend a few mornings watching them fly off the roost. Unless pressured, early-season birds are relatively predictable. The hens will scratch around in the timber, pop out on the field edge, and the toms will be in tow. Note the flock’s direction of travel and set up a ground blind 150 or 200 yards off from the roost. Farther is fine if you know you’re on their travel pattern. Blend the blind in, but you don’t need to make it disappear. Set your decoys close, no farther than 12 yards. Remember, turkeys are small targets—the closer you can bring them, the better. As for decoy type and number, I like a full-strut tom over a laydown hen and a single feeding hen early in the season. Dave Smith decoys are tough to beat. If turkeys are grouped up, don’t call too much. Morning toms will follow the hens. Let them come to you.
For early season, one of my favorite times is between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Most turkey hunters will have called it quits, and you will probably have the woods to yourself. Look for strut zones where Toms go to drag their wings to show off for the hens, and areas in the timber where scratching is evident. If you can get where the gobblers want to be and let out soft, one- and two-note yelps now and then, you may fire up a lone Tom or bring a group to you.
Those who roam the woods to hunt should attach a bow-mounted decoy and get after it. (These decoys are very lifelike, and as they are basically mounted to the hunter, but yhey should not be used on public-land tracts if shotgun seasons are open.)
The tactic is simple: Attach the Ultimate Predator Gear turkey decoy to your bow and go looking for a fight. I get my best results when I locate gobblers running together, or a longbeard or three guarding hens. When they run together 2-year-old gobblers are bullies. Use cover to get within 150 yards of turkey groups, and if possible, try to show only bits and pieces of the decoy. If the turkeys halt their approach or wander off course, move your bow’s riser to create movement. When it’s time to draw, do so in one fluid motion. I’ve shot three gobblers with this decoy at less than 10 yards away when the bow went off. It’s a serious rush.
All you need to do now is grab your bow and hit the woods.
LINKS: American Hunter | Bowhunting.net | Wild Turkey Hunting | Wild Turkey Videos | 14 Wild Turkey Recipes |
Roofnest’s Slim Falcon 2 Rooftop Tent Is More Comfortable, Gear Savvy
Despite new design and additional standard features, Falcon 2 carries the same price as before.
BOULDER — Roofnest reveals Falcon 2, the second generation of the versatile Falcon aluminum clamshell rooftop tent that put Roofnest on the map. For the second generation, the Falcon 2 is all new and offers exclusive features campers can only get with Roofnest.
“Since its launch in 2019, Falcon became one of Roofnest’s best-selling tents, thanks to its slim styling, durability, versatility, and unmatched standard features. Falcon 2 continues that legacy with more standard features and higher quality materials than any other hard-shell rooftop tent on the market,” said Roofnest Founder Tim Nickles. “What’s more, members of the Roofnest Flock owners group enjoy a more positive tent-owning experience than any other rooftop tent company.”
Falcon 2 is a totally new design from top to bottom shell. Falcon 2’s new top shell is smooth and aerodynamic. It features a double accessory channel that accommodates Roofnest’s available accessory crossbars. With the crossbars attached, Falcon 2 can carry up to 150 pounds of gear when closed and up to 75 pounds when open.
The bottom shell, based upon the range-topping Falcon Pro, is formed from honeycomb aluminum and includes twice as many accessory channels as it predecessor. doubling the number of accessories campers and overlanders can attach to their Roofnest. Each accessory channel holds up to 75 pounds with a standard M8 hex bolt, ideal for mounting lights, shovels, or axes, or recovery boards.
Additional standard features include:
- 2.5-inch thick memory-foam mattress (an upgrade over industry standard density foam).
- Newly designed rainfly zips on and off quickly and covers all three entrances.
- Standard 8-foot telescoping aluminum ladder with angled rungs for more comfortable and sure-footed entry and exit.
- Thicker, quieter, and darker 320-gram poly-cotton tent material with blackout coating that extends snooze time.
- Interior-mounted six-pocket Gear Grid with a clear pocket ideal for smartphones and tablets.
- Two USB battery-powered dimmable LED light strips.
Like most Roofnest tents, Falcon 2 comes in two sizes: standard Falcon 2 and Falcon 2 XL. Falcon 2 can comfortably sleep two people and measures 88 inches long, 50 inches wide, and an incredibly slim 6.5 inches tall. Equally slim and long, Falcon 2 XL can sleep two to three people, as it is a bit wider at 88” x 60” x 6.5”.
Despite their new design and additional standard features, Falcon 2 and Falcon 2 XL carry the same price as their predecessors. Falcon 2 is priced at $ 3,595 and available for order now with shipping soon. Falcon 2 XL is priced at $ 3,795 and shipping now. Customers can learn more about the new Falcon 2 tents at: roofnest.com/product/falcon/ and roofnest.com/product/falcon-xl/
About Roofnest
Founded in 2016, Roofnest is the largest rooftop tent brand in the U.S. and provides customers easy-to-use hardshell rooftop tents that are cool-looking, weatherproof, and aerodynamic — all at an affordable price. More informational and additional Roofnest models can be found at www.roofnest.com.
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14 Wild Turkey Recipes
Cooking With SusieQ: 14 Turkey Recipes
This recipe was sent by James and Susan Brannan
Turkey Legs with Gravy over Egg Noodles
Boil turkey legs till the meat can be pulled off the bone. Make the turkey gravy either from scratch or out of a can. Mix in the turkey meat that was pulled off the bones, mix in the gravy and let simmer. Cook a bag of egg noodles then pour turkey and gravy over noodles and serve.
This recipe was sent by John Maynard (COJO)
CAJUN DEEP-FRIED WILD TURKEY
(Courtesy of NWTF)
1 (10-15 lb.) unstuffed wild turkey
5 gallons peanut oil
2 tbsp. Cajun seasoning
1 stick butter or margarine
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)
Pour peanut oil into a 10 gallon pot. Put pot on propane cooker and heat oil to 375 degrees. Have turkey completely thawed and dry turkey thoroughly. Tie two cotton strings around the carcass so bird can be easily lifted out of oil. Carefully submerge turkey in oil. Deep fry for 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 minutes per pound and cook until turkey floats to the top. Remove bird from oil, and immediately dust heavily with cajun seasoning. Melt butter or margarine, and add to it garlic powder and cayenne, if desired. Brush turkey with butter mixture. Allow to cool 20 to 30 minutes before carving. Yield 12 to 16 servings.
This recipe was sent by Doug Moore (D4hunting)
Chicken Fried Turkey
One skinned, cleaned (without the innards) and de-boned turkey.
Seasoned Salt 1 1/2 teasp.
Black Pepper 1/8 teasp.
Flour 1 cup
Eggs l ea.
Milk 3/4 cup
And oh yea! Honey!
Cut up skinned and de-boned turkey into strips suitable for frying.
Batter: Combine flour, Seasoned salt, and pepper.
Stir in mixture of egg and milk until well mixed.
Cooking: In large skillet, heat enough oil to cover the bottom to a level of approx. 1/2″. Heat oil to 375 F. Dip turkey pieces into batter (coating evenly). Put a few pieces at a time in hot oil, and fry until brown. Place on towel and allow to drain. Now the best part! Serve lightly coated with honey!!!
Venison may also be substituted for wild turkey.
These recipes were sent by COJO
CHICKEN FRIED WILD TURKEY BREAST
1 (five pound) turkey breast deboned and cut into strips
1 (16-ounce) bottle Italian dressing
1/2 tsp. Lemon Pepper Dash or two of Liquid Smoke
2 eggs beaten
2 cups of milk
Salt as needed
Pepper as needed
2 cups flour
Peanut or vegatable oil as needed
Marinate turkey strips in Italian dressing, lemon pepper, and Liquid Smoke 8 hours or overnight. In small bowl, beat eggs into milk. In second bowl, mix salt, pepper, and flour. Dip turkey strips in egg wash, then into batter. Deep fry in oil until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve with gravy made with 2 tablespoons flour combined in skillet with 2 tablespoons melted butter, salt and pepper. Slowly add 1 cup milk; stir until thickened. Yield: 8 to 10 servings
WILD TURKEY CHILI
3 pounds ground wild turkey
2 cups chopped celery
6 medium onions chopped
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. marjoram
1 tsp. cumin
3 tsp. salt
2 (16-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
1/2 cup chili powder
1 tablespoon paprika
4 cups tomato juice
2 (20-ounce) cans pinto beans undrained
In a large pot, brown turkey. Add celery, and next 10 ingredients in order listed, Simmer for 60 minutes. Add pinto beans, and simmer an additional 60 minutes. Yield 8 to 10 serving
TURKEY ENCHILADAS
2 (10 3/4-ounce cans of cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup diced green chilies
12 tortillas, flour or corn
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cups cooked, cubed wild turkey
Nonstick cooking spray
Combine soup, sour cream, and chilies. Heat throughly. Warm tortillas in damp paper towl in microwave. Coat a 13x9x2-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Mix cheeses, onion, turkey, and 1 cup soup mixture. Put 2 tablespoons of cheese-turkey mixture in center of each tortilla. Roll tortillas and place in baking pan. Pour remaining soup mixture over top. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover and top with sliced ripe oilves and additional cheese if desired. Yield: 4 to 5 servings
This recipe was sent by Roger Ammons aka OOBUCK
GRILLED TURKEY
Simply fire up the old charcoal or gas grill in the back yard.
Cut 2 inch slabs of turkey breast and dip in your favorite BBQ sauce and grill till done.
Serve with your favorite fixins.
I guarantee you will love it.
HONEY BBQ SAUCE is my favorite.
This recipe was sent by Jerry M. of South Dakota
Wild Turkey Hors d’oeuvres
One de-boned wild turkey skinned and cleaned.
3 eggs
1/8 cup of milk (or less)
One 10 oz. of seasoned bread crumbs.
Mix eggs until well beaten. Add just enough milk to slightly thin the egg mix. Add dash of salt and pepper if desired. add peanut oil to a large skillet to cover bottom of pan to approx. 1/4 inch and heat to 375. Cut turkey into strips, dip in egg mix until well coated roll into seasoned bread crumbs, fry until browned drain and serve. Note: this is a quick and easy hors d’oeuvres after the hunt when everyone is sitting around telling lies and old war stories.
This recipe was sent by Jim Jones
Recipe for Wild Turkey
Marinade turkey breast 24 hours in 24oz. zesty Italian
8oz. mojo criollo (Cuban Marinade Sauce)
2oz. Dale’s Steak Seasoning
Smoke over mesquite wood, basting meat while cooking. Cook for about 1 hour.
This recipe was sent by Gil Stacy
No Brainer Smoked Turkey
Use a Brinkman style waterpan cooker. Mine is the two shelf model.
Brine turkey overnight in refrigerator. Use half cup of Kosher salt per quart. (Brining is optional) Remove from solution, dry with paper towels and rub turkey with olive oil In coffee grinder, grind fresh 2 tablespoons of peppercorns and coat turkey with the pepper
Place 10 lb. bag of charcoal (don’t use self-lighting kind) in fire pan. Dowse charcoal with fluid and light. When flames die out, add hickory and mesquite chunks on top of charcoal. ( Do not wait until the coals are fully red. You want to start cooking before all of the coals are glowing and covered; just make sure the edges of the coals are lit and the flames have died. This keeps the bird from getting too hot.) Fill water pan to top with water.
Place turkey on grill. I usually use the top grill unless I have more than one bird. Cover with lid and resist all temptation to look inside. Never open the lid, side door or add water or more chips. It’s not necessary after cooking begins.
I usually start the bird when I get home from work and let cook all night. I usually take it off in the morning before work and refrigerate, usually 10-12 hours in the smoker. The temperature by then is not cooking the bird.
I’ve never figured out what to do with the legs. Sometimes I breast out the bird, leaving the ribs and wings (large bone only)intact. I don’t bother cooking a bird any other way as this is the most painless, fool proof way I know. I’ve yet to overcook a bird with this technique (except the legs they’re usually goners no matter how I cook a bird.) Gil Stacy of Savannah, Georgia
This recipe was sent by Linda Metz
Smoked Wild Turkey
Clean and trim turkey and stuff inside with celery stalks and quartered onions.
Mix:
1/2 c. Olive Oil
1-2 Tblsp. Rosemary
1-2 Tblsp Thyme Leaves
3-4 Cloves Garlic Minced
Rub turkey inside and out with mixture.
2 Large Vidalia Onion cut in quarters.
1 pound Thick Sliced Smoked Bacon
Separate onions into single layers and cover entire turkey with single layers of onion and secure with toothpicks. Place bacon over entire turkey hooking it over the toothpicks. Place turkey in smoker, using charcoal and whatever chunks of wood you prefer…we like hickory…and smoke for at least 6-8 hours. Enjoy!
Recipe submitted by “Bugs” of Jackson, TN
Wild Turkey Breakfast Nuggets
Wild Turkey Breast
Small Bowl of Buttermilk
Baggie of flour
Salt (to taste)
Black Pepper (to taste)
Oil
Butter
Best if prepared outdoors in the turkey camp. 🙂
Cut breast into strips about 1 inch thick and 1 inch wide.
Dip the strips in the buttermilk and drop them into the baggie containing the flour, salt and black pepper mixture.
Shake to coat the pieces with the flour mix.
Heat oil and butter, ( 1/2 oil and 1/2 butter mix) in a well “seasoned” cast iron skillet. Slowly fry the strips in the oil until golden brown.
Remove and place on paper towels.
Serve with Saw Mill Gravy, Cat Head Biscuits, Eggs, Sorghum Molasses, fresh sliced tomatoes and a big cup of coffee around the campfire just before “gobblin time”.
This recipe was sent in by Thomas Owens
Potter County Turkey
Par boil turkey:
1. put turkey in roaster pan and fill half way to breast with water.
2. sprinkle seasoned salt and pepper to cover breast.
3. boil until breast meat pulls away from bone.
4. remove bird, cool, strip meat. melt butter in pan, place turkey strips in pan and brown.
5. ENJOY!!!
This recipe was sent in by Kevin Stern
Smoked Turkey
Smoked turkey out of the oven or off of the grill
For the juiciest, best tasting turkey ever.
In a clean, plastic 5 gallon bucket Combine and mix:
1 cup of Tender Quick
1 cup of Table Salt
10 1/2 TBLS of liquid smoke
2 gallons of water
Submerge cleaned turkey in solution and cover bucket for 24 hours. Remove turkey and pat dry. Place bird in roasting pan in the oven at 350 degrees or put on a hot grill that can be covered, I use a Weber, until bird is done. (When a leg will almost pull off with little effort,
the bird is done). ENJOY!
| How To Clean And Prepare Your Wild Turkey | Cooking With SusieQ | Bowhunting.net |
AlphaTech, A Contract Firearms Component Manufacturer, Supports Walk The Talk America
The North Carolina-based machine shop producing high-quality firearms components for some of the top names in the firearms industry proudly steps up to support WTTA efforts.
Walk The Talk America (WTTA), a non-profit organization designed to bridge the gap between the firearms industry and owners and the mental health industry, welcomes AlphaTech as its newest supporter.
“AlphaTech is a contract manufacturer producing firearm components for some well-known names within the industry. As such, we are committed to the promotion of responsible gun ownership. We are excited to lock arms with Walk the Talk America, as we value the work Mike, and his team are doing,“ Joe Worley, president of AlphaTech, commented.
“I am thrilled to have Joe and his team at AlphaTech join us in our efforts to inform and educate both sides of the suicide and gun violence issues,” Michael Sodini, WTTA founder, added. “Our partnerships are not specific to one kind of company and having a manufacturer within the firearms industry step up to the plate means a great deal to our ongoing efforts.”
WTTA, the brainchild of Mike Sodini, a firearms industry veteran, spearheaded a movement within the firearms industry to bridge the gap between mental health and responsible firearm ownership to reduce suicide by firearm and gun violence. Through educational programs, podcasts, and training programs, WTTA is paving the way of educating mental health professionals about the gun culture and breaking down the negative stigmas around mental health for gun owners. Through their various programs and offerings, such as instructional flyers and slides for firearms instructors, classes in Cultural Competence, and the Introductory Courses in The Intersection of Guns and Mental Health, WTTA is leading the conversation and opening doors throughout the firearms industry and mental health industry.
AlphaTech provides contract services from prototyping to custom machine builds and design for a variety of industries including instrumentation, automotive, gas analytics, electrical, and firearms. AlphaTech produces products for some of the most well-known brands in the shooting sports industry and is capable of working with start-ups through large volume production runs.
For more information on how to become involved, visit WalkTheTalkAmerica.org. Take the WTTA Mental Health Screening Test. Following the screening, you will be provided with information, resources, and tools to help you understand and improve your mental health.
About Walk the Talk America:
Our mission is to fund research and development for the outreach and promotion of mental health to reduce the misconceptions and prejudices that exist when it comes to mental illness and firearms. We believe we can be a catalyst for change by working with experts in the mental health industry. www.walkthetalkamerica.org
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How to Make Your Camping Setup More Efficient
Days are long, nights are short, and the stakes are high. As you head out of town for a highly anticipated adventure hunt, creating efficiencies in your camp setup equates to less time at camp, more time in the field, and more sleep at night. As they say in the business world, time is money. If you’re looking for ways to make your camping setup more efficient this fall, here are a few starting points. Camp in a Central Location When choosing…
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AlphaTech, A Contract Firearms Component Manufacturer, Supports Walk The Talk America
The North Carolina-based machine shop producing high-quality firearms components for some of the top names in the firearms industry proudly steps up to support WTTA efforts. Walk The Talk America (WTTA), a non-profit organization designed to bridge the gap between the firearms industry and owners and the mental health industry, welcomes AlphaTech as its newest supporter. “AlphaTech is […]
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