Turkey

Spring turkey hunting can be a hit-or-miss proposition. The jubilant Merriam's gobbler chortled in response each time the gentle purr in the distance carried on the faint mountain breeze. The attentive bird was all ears as he strutted in a clearing near a stand of sinewy Ponderosa pines, carefully keeping a...

If you've checked in with the news media recently, you've seen that this year's Thanksgiving Day spread is projected to be the most expensive in the history of the get-together. The highest cost is set to be your bird ... but it doesn't have to be if you can...

Ahead of this weekend's youth-only dates for spring Rio Grande turkey hunting in South Texas, the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department is offering its annual forecast. Long story short, biologists and turkey hunting experts from the state agency urge that "conditions are shaping up for a productive nesting season, which could also make...

Before we get to the real story, close your eyes and imagine the most serene setting that comes to mind. Need some help? Allow me to paint a picture for you. The eastern glow slowly stalks the sloping horizon, tenderly illuminating the landscape’s dew-draped veil and signaling the start of a crisp...

The Pineywoods region of Texas has long been a bastion of wildlife, harboring some of the best deer hunting and duck hunting in the state. However, one outdoors pursuit that seemingly lags somewhat behind is turkey hunting, specifically for the eastern subspecies of the bird that calls the pine thickets...

I’ve hunted across Texas – from Panhandle shelter belts and Rolling Plains oak mottes to South Texas mesquite thickets and Pineywoods forest cover – and one quarry in particular calls each of them home, providing some of the toughest hunting around: the wild turkey. Jason Hardin, turkey program leader for...

After months of waiting, it’s finally turkey time for 2014. The spring Rio Grande turkey season kicked off Saturday in South Texas and begins March 29 in northern counties. Putting in scouting time is the most important thing you can do before going afield in search of filling even one...

Two years after the worst spring turkey hunting season in Texas in three decades, things are looking up for gobbler fanatics. The spring Rio Grande turkey season is now open across the state, and by all accounts 2013 has shaped up as a rebound year for production, carryover and harvest...

When it comes to spring turkey hunting in Texas, there is plenty of trial and error. While man has leveled the playing field in almost every pursuit, turkeys can make the most seasoned hunter look foolish with their uncanny ability to foil even the best-laid plans. Though you should be skeptical...

The pleasant smell of wildflowers lingered in a muggy Bee County breeze. So too did the pleasant echo of turkey talk not long after daybreak in this South Texas turkey hunting hot spot. The pair of gobblers had given away their position with a raucous retort only minutes earlier and slowly...