Hunting Archives - Page 388 of 526

86ee5538-bc4d-4b6b-84b8-3c4bf28a7020

September 18, 2026

The low-lying land on either side of the Roanoke River are full of turkeys; it’s excellent habitat.

Avoid being seen, bugged while hunting

Equipment needed when hunting wild turkeys remains the same, with only a few exceptions, in northeastern North Carolina. […]

Stick with soft purrs when calling a gobbler headed your way; they can be made with a variety of calls.

How much to call, which sounds to use

Craig Holt

Guide Clark Purvis, who called 16 gobblers to hunters during the 2012 spring season, said he prefers a Don Carter double-reed mouth call, but the frequency and loudness of calls depends upon what a hunter hears before he makes the first sound. […]

A 12-gauge shotgun is a common choice for turkey hunters, but use an extra-tight choke and pattern your gun and favorite load until you know exactly how it shoots.

Tight chokes, 12 gauges and No. 5 shot effective

Craig Holt

Although wild turkeys have been killed with many gauges of shotguns and pellet sizes, guide Clark Purvis said hunters can maximize their chances with a firearm specifically set up for gobblers. […]

A ‘stuffer’ gobbler decoy (left) can be the most-effective all turkey decoys under the right circumstances. It’s hard for a store-bought to beat the real thing.

Nothing like the real thing

Jeff Burleson

Over the past 20 years, turkey fever has set in across North Carolina, and every decoy manufacturer has amped up its styles and attention to detail. […]

If you use a gobbler decoy, include gobbler calls in your repertoire.

Pair gobbler calls with gobbler decoys

Jeff Burleson

Decoys can help hunters tremendously when trying to bag that early or late-season bird. […]

Put a decoy in the open, but along the edge — of a road, field or food plot — to bring a gobbler closer to your set-up.

Put them in the best place possible

Jeff Burleson

Where to set up around decoys can also make or break your turkey hunt. […]

Habitat Improvement Initiative Series

Jeff Burleson

Stillwater Hunt Club is a private hunting club in Halifax County, N.C., in the heart of one of the highest deer-production areas in the state. Over the past 37 years, Stillwater has grown from a small lease to over 2,300 contiguous acres. […]

Deer Hunting

Pre-planting herbicide treatments are crucial for spring plots

Jeff Burleson

Any unwanted competition should be nipped in the bud on warm-season food-plot sites before planting the first seed. Early chemical treatment to soils will promote a full and lush food plot. […]

Find an open ridge and take advantage of the terrain to get a gobbler within range before he sees you.

Terrain, terrain, terrain

Pete Rogers

Hunters who pursue turkeys in the mountains have one thing in their favor that’s not available to those in other areas of South Carolina: the terrain. […]

Trumpets like these that Charles Hudson makes produce some of the best sounds of any turkey call — once you learn to master them.

Play that trumpet

Pete Rogers

Trumpet calls are often overlooked by turkey hunters. Also known as “artificial wing bones”, these calls are a bit more difficult to master than a box, slate or diaphragm call, but they produce the pure sounds that are difficult to mimic with other calls. […]