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Turkey
Mule-Riding Hillbilly Wins MeatEater 2025 Turkey Calling Contest
It was a hard-fought battle, but in the end, Clay Newcomb beat out Brent Reaves to become MeatEater's best turkey caller (at least, until next year's competition).
In this championship round, the contestants were asked to deliver their best turkey gobble. Brent gave it his best shot, but Clay's...
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Turkey
Turkey Calling Contest 2025: Brent vs. Clay
Turkey season is here, folks, and it’s time for the MeatEater Crew to strut their stuff and see who is the best turkey-talker of the bunch. Over the next week, crew members will be facing off head-to-head in three rounds: best turkey call sequence, crow call and owl hoot, and turkey gobble—and you...
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Turkey
Turkey Calling Contest 2025: Tony vs. Clay
Turkey season is here, folks, and it’s time for the MeatEater Crew to strut their stuff and see who is the best turkey-talker of the bunch. Over the next week, crew members will be facing off head-to-head in three rounds: best turkey call sequence, owl hoot, and turkey gobble—and you get to pick who...
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Turkey Hunting Tactics
Turkey
How to Kill a Silent Tom
One of the most frustrating parts of chasing longbeards is having them go silent. We've all been there—and we've all failed to kill these birds. When this happens, start by asking yourself "why?"
What part of the breeding cycle is it? If it’s late season, toms are likely cruising the landscape...
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Turkey
When to Get Aggressive Calling Turkeys
Back in the early '90s when I drew my first Minnesota gobbler tag, turkey hunting advice was all the same: Yelp three times and shut up. Give the toms time to commit and, whatever you do, don’t over-call.
This advice was mostly bullshit. You can call in toms by yelping three times every hour, but...
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Turkey
How to Create the Perfect Turkey Setup
First light has come and gone and you find yourself on the move, covering ground and looking for birds. You rip a crow call and it happens—a tom cuts loose. He’s close, maybe a little too close.
The moments after you locate a bird can be some of the most chaotic a hunter will ever experience, but...
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Turkey
3 Common Mistakes Turkey Hunters Make
Sunrises, ticks, and mistakes are all parts of turkey hunting. Some days the planets align and we can sling a dead turkey over our shoulder regardless of how many errors we made. But most other days we leave the woods frustrated and empty-handed.
Sometimes it’s because the turkeys simply didn’t want...
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Turkey
How to Reap a Turkey
The beauty of spring turkey hunting is that success can be achieved through multiple hunting styles. You can run-and-gun with a shotgun or set up shop in a hub-style blind with your bow. You can crawl around and bushwhack them, or put out a whole spread of decoys and only take the safety off when a...
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Turkey
How to Hunt Urban Turkeys
It is no secret that urbanization is progressing rapidly across the nation—often at the expense of wildlife habitat. While development can be bad news for many species that depend on undisrupted habitat, some animals flourish in urban settings, especially wild turkeys. Calling on the edge of town...
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Turkey Hunting Gear
Gear
The Best Turkey Vests
Turkey hunting requires minimal gear. Most of the time, you can get away with just a call or two and your shotgun. Yet, the turkey vest remains an integral piece of turkey hunting gear. The vest style, pocket holders, and turkey seat are unmistakable. Some are more tailored for run and gun tactics...
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Firearms
4 Best Turkey Shotguns for Beginners
Dedicated turkey shotguns did not become popular until the early 2000s. At the time, turkey populations were booming—there were an estimated 7 million birds inhabiting the U.S. and Canada—which ushered in a new era of optics-ready, short-barreled shotguns that catered to turkey hunters.
Truthfully...
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Firearms
Video: Red Dot Turkey Sights in Jani’s Gear Shed
Hunting turkeys is my number-one favorite pursuit in the woods. While elk or bighorn sheep hunts obviously represent some pinnacle of the hunting experience, they also involve a ton of effort and stress. Not so much with gobblers. In the spring season, the weather is nice, the country gentle...
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Turkey
How to Pattern a Shotgun for Turkey Hunting
When it comes to turkey shotguns, modern choke-and-load combinations are capable of throwing ultra-tight patterns out to 40 yards or more. At the same time, turkey hunters should remember that a properly outfitted scattergun’s pattern is likely no larger than a baseball at 10 to 15 yards.
I learned...
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Turkey
Roosted Birds and Favorite Decoy Setups: An Interview with Turkey Expert Will Primos
If you like turkeys, you’ve probably heard the name Will Primos. This man has helped generations of hardcore hunters speak to toms. Primos is a legendary turkey killer who built a game call and decoy business around his name.
Lucky for me, when I reached out to Will, a big storm was headed toward...
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Turkey Hunting Videos
18:16
Cal In the Field S04 E01 Apr 11, 2023
Florida Turkey Hunting
Cal heads to Tall Timbers in the Florida Panhandle to hunt Eastern’s and learn more about the benefits of fire. Fire has been a tool used by hunters for thousands of years, and only recently have people begun to fear the flame. But in Northern Florida, land managers along with annual lightning...
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27:05
MeatEater S11 E04 Nov 16, 2022
New Mexico Turkey
Steve and Karl Malcolm explore the Gila Wilderness while hunting for wild turkeys.
Want to Watch MeatEater on your TV?
We support casting to your smart TVs via Apple Airplay and Google Chromecast. Please use these links if you experience any issues casting from your device.
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27:17
On The Hunt S01 E06 Jun 7, 2022
California Turkey Hunting with Rue Mapp
On this episode, Janis is joined by his friend Rue Mapp, Founder and CEO of Outdoor Afro, for an early season turkey hunt in California. Rue takes Janis to her old childhood stomping grounds for an opportunity to see where it all began and what inspired her to live a life of outdoor adventures.
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23:00
On The Hunt S01 E02 May 10, 2022
Spring Turkey Hunting in Wisconsin
Janis heads to his family’s place in search of spring gobblers with his good friend and hunting mentor Jimmy Miller. The warmer temperatures make calling in turkeys difficult, but Janis and Jimmy adjust their strategy and are able to get a couple of Jakes and Toms back to the cooler.
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21:17
MeatEater S04 E09 Mar 6, 2014
Spring Break: Florida Osceola Turkey
Steven Rinella and his friend and wild turkey specialist, Robert Abernathy, head to southern Florida to hunt Osceola gobblers. Steve hopes to finish off his Royal Turkey Slam, achieved by bagging all five subspecies of the American wild turkey—a quest that’s been a decade in the making. These two...
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Turkey Recipes
Recipes
Turkey Schnitzel
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I discovered turkey schnitzel while filming a backcountry turkey hunt in Montana. Our cameraman and director, Mo Fallon, took a look at our supplies, which included a dead turkey, salt, panko breadcrumbs, oil, and a lemon. He hatched a plan. We sliced the turkey breasts into thick slabs and then...
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Recipes
Turkey Stock
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Stock is an essential ingredient in any good home cook’s kitchen. This liquid gold can make soup, stews, braises, and sauces into something special. Nothing you buy at the store will compare to the homemade version, especially when you use wild game.
This spring, be sure to save the carcass, wings...
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Recipes
Turkey Hot and Sour Soup
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After a long, chilly morning hunt, nothing beats a bowl of hot soup—especially one that’s spicy, tangy, and filling. This version of the Chinese delivery classic makes use of one of the toughest wild game cuts out there—turkey legs.
The legs provide both the base for the broth and a richly flavored...
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