The word of the day for spring gobbler hunters is “stuff.”
Just when one thinks they are set for another season of trying to outsmart a bird with a pea-size brain, some new “stuff” comes along that simply must find its way into their turkey vest. When adding “stuff” it is important to avoid items simply because of hype and paid endorsements and select products that will stand the test of time.
With that in mind, here is some “stuff” that will perform in the 2015 spring gobbler season and for years to come.
• The Hammock Seat: Manufactured by Dead Ringer, the company best known for its brand of round fiber-optic open sights for shotguns and rifles, The Hammock Seat may well be the single-best hunting accessory to debut in years. While it certainly is adaptable for all woods hunting from squirrels to black bear, its many features makes it the perfect seat for turkey hunters.
With a weight of just 1 pound, 11 ounces, The Hammock Seat comes in a camouflage carrying bag for easy transportation on a belt or in the game pocket of a turkey vest. In less than 20 seconds the seat can be strapped to a tree as near or far from the ground as needed for comfortable shooting with or without a shotgun support.
Perhaps the best feature of The Hammock Seat is that it swivels, making swinging on a gobbler that comes in the “wrong” way easy, while still maintaining contact with the tree. This one-size-fits-all seat is ideal for adults and youngsters.
For information on The Hammock Seat, access the Dead Ringer website at www.deadringerhunting.com/product/hammock.
• Federal Premium 3rd Degree Turkey Loads: Turkey loads engineered to pattern more tightly and reach farther have made ethical shots on gobblers at distances once considered unreachable. Unfortunately, these loads have become less forgiving at close range, leading to misses on birds almost within reach.
Hunters can now concentrate on their shot in complete confidence with the new Federal Premium 3rd Degree Turkey Loads because of the multi-shot, three-stage payload that delivers lethal patterns at any range. This is achieved by the leading 20 percent section of the payload being comprised of No. 6 nickel-plated FLITESTOPPER lead; next is a 40 percent payload of copper-plated No. 5 lead shot; and a final 40 percent payload of No. 7 HEAVYWEIGHT tungsten pellets.
The leading portion of the payload is released from the wad upon firing and has a cutting ring that creates a larger effective pattern inside of 20 yards. As the load moves downrange, the copper-plated lead creates a dense, even pattern at moderate ranges. The final portion of the tungsten-iron payload has a higher density to provide more energy at 40 yards and beyond. These shells have an increased pellet count to provide more hits on target at long range, and the FLITECONTROL wad opens from the rear and provides full, consistent patterns.
For complete ballistic information on 3rd Degree Turkey Loads, visit the Federal Premium website at www.federalpremium.com.
• Hornberger Custom Calls Pot Calls and Diaphragm Mouth Calls: Austin Hornberger of Ringtown is steadily making inroads as one of Pennsylvania’s premier makers of custom box calls. Now he has expanded his line of calls with the addition of a first-quality line of pot calls and handmade diaphragm mouth calls in a variety of cuts and number of reeds.
“Slate and glass are traditional surfaces for pot calls, but oxidized aluminum surfaces are becoming more and more popular with hunters who have traditionally used slate because they are so effective in the rain and those hot, humid days of late spring,” Hornberger said. “These calls and the glass calls come with a two-piece laminate striker and two-piece waterproof striker.”
Hornberger’s new line of mouth calls is built one at a time by stretching the latex on each frame to the exact specifications needed to produce realistic turkey sounds. These calls require practice, but once mastered are extremely deadly and widely used by hunters and competition callers alike.
For information on custom turkey calls by Austin Hornberger, visit the Hornberger Custom Calls website at
www.hornbergercustomcalls.com.
• Everyday Hunter Northern Scratchbox Call: Award-winning outdoors writer and celebrated lecturer Steve Sorensen of Russell embraces the tradition of hunting spring gobblers, which had been a right of passage in the Deep South decades before it began gaining popularity “up North” almost 40 years ago. In the spring of 2009 a friend in South Carolina showed him a type of call he had never seen before, which the “Good Ol’ Boys” called a “scratchbox.”
When Sorensen returned home, he went to his workshop and began making a modified version of the scratchbox that he had seen in Dixie. Wanting to stay true to the original, he experimented with seven different designs before hitting upon one that sounded as good as it looked.
Sorensen named his new call the “Northern Scratchbox” and began sharing the call with some friends to help it gain exposure. Now, because of his website, he gets orders for the call from all areas of the country — even from hunters in Dixie.
For information about the “Everyday Hunter Scratchbox,” visit the website at
www.everydayhunter.com.