Turkey Hunting Gear to Load Your Vest

When it comes to turkey hunting gear, some hunters can get a little carried away. Bringing nearly all their decoys, calls, and accessories that they won’t need or hardly will use when it comes to killing a turkey. This year think about taking a minimalist approach and bring only the gear you need to kill a bird. This is Waddy’s philosophy, bringing only the bare minimum of tools in his turkey hunting vest.

Turkey Hunting Gear List – What’s in the Vest?

With all that space, a hunter could load down the Strap Vest 2.0 with every piece of turkey gear they have, but Michael keeps only the items critical for success.

• Remington 11- 87
• Hornady #5 Shot 3 Inch Magnum
• Original Realtree mouth call case and lanyard
• A pen to sign tags
• Crow/owl call
• Death Valley Box Call
• Extra Striker and 1 slate call
• Decoys
• Bone Collector Mouth Calls

The Vest

The turkey hunting vest Michael is showing in this video is the new signature Series Strap Vest 2.0 from Ol’ Tom. With 10 Custom call pockets and over 20 other pockets and sleeves, the vest can carry more turkey gear than most full-size vests on the market. The vest comes loaded with

• Two call box pouches
• Two internal slate call pockets
• Four “During the hunt” mesh mouth call pockets
• Two detachable locator call cords with adjustable springs
• Four internal striker sleeves
• Magnattach™ padded rear seat cushion
• Two large expanded cargo pockets
• Elastic shotgun shell loops
• I-Beam Spine Pad™
• Side clipper pocket
• Side mesh water bottle pouch
• Removable Gun Cradle™
• Blood-proof rear game bag
• Blaze orange safety flag
• Chest size adjustability

Michael Waddell Signature Series Time & Motion™ Strap Vest 2.0

The Turkey Gun

Michael’s Remington 11-87 features a 21-inch barrel, custom leather strap, and an Indian Creek .665 turkey extended choke tube. He shoots Hornady® Heavy Magnum #5 shot, 3-inch turkey loads through the 11-87. This turkey ammo combination with the Indian Creek choke tube is a perfect combination for Michael’s setup.

The Turkey Calls

Lonesome lady and the GA peach are a staple. As well as the Knockout and Ridge Strutter.

Lonesome Lady

Lonesome Lady– Slate over glass in a beautiful, turned mahogany acoustical cup. This call is designed to give you the versatility of slate while boosting the volume with the lower glass layer. The discerning ear will also notice a raspier yelp from this design! Each call is hand tuned to get the most consistent calls possible. The Lonesome Lady is an all-around turkey slayer designed to help you get the flop.

GA Peach

GA Peach– A call as sweet as a Georgia peach! Perhaps the best all-around call Bone Collector produces, you can replicate cuts, yelps, clucks and purrs with life-like precision. It can do it all making you fluent in all of the turkey dialects.

Death Valley Box Call

Death Valley Box– This walnut and purple heart box call live up to its name as, Death Valley. Producing high pitched and loud yelps and clucks, this call is designed to cut through hills and hollers to reach that stubborn longbeard. Ergonomic grooves make this box call fit comfortably in your hand helping produce consistent sounds.

Locator Call Combo Pack

Turkey Locator Call Combo– Whether you are calling in crows or trying to locate a wary gobbler, The Detector will get the job done for you.  Weather resistant and built to withstand the harshest conditions, The Detector is able to produce the raspy crow caws that gobblers can’t resist! The Revealer is a weather resistant owl hooter that is the perfect tool to keep in your turkey calling arsenal.  Simple to use, compact and lightweight, The Revealer is sure to extract a reactionary gobble that will give up a tom’s position.

Turkey Decoys

Michael uses a homemade strutter decoy and occasionally a hen and jake decoy that he stuffs in the back pouch of the vest. When the opportunity arises the stutter decoy can let Michael work his magic, like this Florida hunt with Rhett Akins. A homemade strutter decoy or a hen/jake decoy stuffed in the back pouch of the vest.