Caleb Chen

Turkey hunting gear continues to advance. We have better calls, waterproof jackets and boots, decoys that move and have actual feathers, and comfortable seats and blinds that make waiting out a gobbler much easier. Turkey guns, chokes, and ballistics have also evolved. When I first started turkey hunting, 35 yards was the maximum effective range for … Read more

Using diaphragm calls, also called mouth calls, for turkey hunting can be one of the most challenging things for aspiring turkey hunters to learn. Many just give up and decide to use a different type of call. Box calls, slate calls, and even the push button calls are capable of fooling even the wariest of … Read more

Dad and I met Durwood at a T-intersection to the north of Pantego. We pulled off the road and parked our Accord. Durwood rumbled up in his F-250. It was white and had camo seats and you basically had to run and jump up into it to get in. We needed four-wheel drive for where we … Read more

It seems like every time someone is lucky enough to get a turkey they try to age the bird right away. I’ve seen hunters at registration numbers come up with some pretty funny formulas for declaring the age of their bird. One thing is for sure. It is not an exact science. However, there are … Read more

The Eastern wild turkey subspecies is by far the most prolific. Most turkey hunting articles are aimed at Easterns and those who hunt them. However, the Rio Grande subspecies is the second most populous turkey with over one million birds living throughout it’s range. Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas make up the heart of their range. … Read more

Turkeys prefer foraging on the edge of small clearings in wooded areas. SO, when choosing a location for a food plot for turkeys, you want to be near a wooded area.  Turkeys require water every day and a water source should be no more than a mile away. If there is not a dependable water … Read more

“In the world of the do it yourself hunting clubs it is not so much deer management, but member management.” When timber companies in Louisiana began renting out to hunting clubs, there was an outcry from many grass roots hunters that now there was no place to hunt. Frankly I don’t see it. I’ve been a … Read more

Getting access to private land for deer hunting is pretty rare without a lease or some connection to the land owner. These days you certainly can’t blame someone for turning hunters down. Land owners are frequently holding the property for friends or relatives to hunt and don’t want a complete stranger to walk off with … Read more

“Quote the Raven, Never More” If ever there was a terrorist in the bird world it has got to be a crow. He is not a dirty bird like a buzzard. Nor is he the sleek speed demon like a morning dove on a windy day. He may be one of the smartest and wary of … Read more

We all want to help wildlife, but not everyone owns a large tract of land. Are there certain things that a landowner on a smaller plot of land, say 10 to 20 acres, can do? “Absolutely,” said Bryan Burhans, director of land management programs for the National Wild Turkey Federation. “At the NWTF, we understand that … Read more

I’m going to share with you one of the most valuable tools you can add to your hunting arsenal this year, and it’s FREE! Biggamelogic.com (BGL) is best described as a mapping program, hunting journal, data organizer, and social network all rolled into one package. Though it sounds complex, the website is actually pretty “user friendly.” … Read more

Turkey hunting is a tough game. Many states have hunter success rates as low as ten percent. In the best states, hunter success rates hover around twenty percent. More often than not, turkey hunters are going to come home empty handed. Still, turkey hunting is more popular than it has ever been. Why? Most hunters are … Read more

When getting ready for the spring turkey hunt, patterning your shotgun should be the first thing on your mind. Patterning is a commonly overlooked part of spring preparation. However, it should be the most important thing on your to do list. Remember, hunting without patterning your gun, is like heading into the whitetail woods without … Read more

The first thing that ever had a viable trigger was not a gun at all, but a crossbow. The mechanism was known as a “tickler.” The touch hole type hand cannons of the day were not that advanced and did not get a stock similar to that of a crossbow until the French came up … Read more

Let’s face it, most of us don’t have as much money as we did a few years ago. People have lost jobs, homes, and businesses. Gas and food prices are rising. The cost of guns and ammunition are also on the rise. While problematic, most hunters overcome these setbacks and continue to hunt. It’s in our … Read more

Ask 100 land owners if they will let you hunt deer on their property and you will probably get 99 no’s.  Ask 100 land owners to turkey hunt on their land and your odds improve to about 50/50.  Finding Land To Hunt TurkeysFor some reason farmers and land owners are much more willing to let … Read more

As the rut approaches, many deer hunters have visions of monster bucks dancing in their heads. Everyone wants a chance at the buck of a lifetime, but there is a reason those big boys become giant bucks. They don’t act like other deer. They don’t hang out with other deer. They know how to avoid … Read more

So you have finally saved up enough money for the hunting trip of a life time and you need to choose an outfitter. How do you do it? Looking through a list of hunting guides and outfitters can be an overwhelming experience. Most of them have impressive websites and great pictures of trophy animals and … Read more

Waterfowl hunters are obsessed with getting ducks close to the decoys. We worry about the realism of our decoy spread, keeping our face hidden from ducks overhead, and whether or not we are on the “X”. Getting ducks within range is vital to our success but it’s only half of the equation. Once ducks and geese … Read more

Sitting over a water hole and waiting for antelope to show up doesn’t seem like it would be that hard. But it is not as easy as it sounds. In fact, statistics show spot and stalk bowhunters have almost the same season success rates as water source hunters when it comes to speed goats. There … Read more

For many years I was content to hunt the few pieces of private land that I had access to through friends and family and I supplemented this with trips to our local public hunting spaces. Then I started getting serious about goose hunting and quickly realized that in order to take the pressure off of the … Read more

As the war to fully legalize the crossbow in Louisiana comes to a final close, hunters get a special new challenge with “Uncle John’s Law”…. Kade insisted on using his High Country compound bow which he had practiced diligently with for months. I had my misgivings because turkeys were difficult enough and this was his first … Read more

When prepared properly, rabbit is delicious. But, for the best results, there are some specific “rules” that you should follow. Of course everyone has their own set of recipes, but here are some basic, generic cooking methods that we have found successful and easy, and result in a wonderful meal.How to Prepare and Cook RabbitFirst, … Read more

Every bow hunter would love to pick up the latest and greatest bow to hit the shelves of their favorite pro shop. Unfortunately, it’s not in the budget for many hunters. Bow hunting and archery are two of the fastest growing sports in America. There are lots of new people getting involved everyday. For the … Read more

With petroleum costs continuing to rise, landowners are feeling the pinch in the form of more expensive fertilizer, diesel fuel and everything in between related to managing wildlife. However, this doesn’t mean that you have to do less for wildlife; in fact, with proper planning and the right techniques, one can still create attractive food … Read more