March 27, 2015
By Paul Rackley
With turkey season stampeding this direction, it's time to take a look and see if a few of the multitude of gun and gear companies actually created something for use against North America's largest game bird that will do more than just lighten the wallet. This year features a few items that are only improvements of classic gear, but some can be considered almost revolutionary.
Every year in Las Vegas, firearm, hunting and sporting goods companies gather to showcase products at the Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show, especially new products for the upcoming year. While SHOT is actually for distributors and store owners to learn what will be available to sell, the show also offers media, which translates down to consumers, a first look at gear and guns that just might jump on the "have-to-have" list.
As such, it's a good thing that SHOT is held in January, as it is just a few short months until turkey season.
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Benelli | Performance Shop SBE II Turkey Edition
While the days of toting an all-around shotgun for most game aren't quite over, more companies are introducing species-specific shotguns like the
Performance Shop Benelli SBE II Turkey Edition. Built on the Super Black Eagle frame, this 3 1/2-inch, semi-auto shotgun features Benelli's Inertia Driven action, the ComforTech recoil reduction system and a 24-inch ported Crio barrel. It also comes with both a standard and a pistol-grip stock and a Burris FastFire II sight that has been mounted and sighted.
However, some of the best features are ones that seem to have come straight from the 3-gun world — polished action, paddle release and large bolt handle. All put together, SBE II Turkey Edition should make a devastating gobbler getter that is easy to use and manipulate, even with camo-covered hands.
Price: $2,949
Federal | 3rd Degree
Whether a gobbler locks ups at 50 to 60 yards, quietly sneaks into point blank range or walks in somewhere in between,
Federal's 3rd Degree, with its three-stage payload, is designed to take him out.
The first stage is nickel-plated FLIGHTSTOPPER lead, which spreads quickly for short-range birds. Next, comes copper-plated No. 5 lead for hard-hitting devastation at medium ranges. The third stage consists of No. 7 HEAVYWEIGH pellets for taking birds at longer-than-normal ranges. Each stage is layered in a FLIGHTCONTROL wad, which helps each stage disperse at the correct time, regardless of the range at which a bird is standing. The load is available in 12 gauge in 3- and 3 1/2-inch, and Federal even recommends using a standard full choke, rather than a turkey choke.
Price: $17.99-
$20.99
Haydel | Turkey Flute
Turkeys hear a lot of hunters pounding away on box, pot and peg, and diaphragm calls throughout the hunting season. Because of this some hunters prefer to try less-popular calls that sound different than what everyone else is singing to the birds.
The
Haydel's Turkey Flute is quite different, as it uses a reed to make yelps, cutts, clucks and even gobbles, rather than latex. It looks almost like a flute goose call, and it comes with baffles for controlling volume. Once mastered, turkeys shouldn't know what hit them.
Price: $29.95
Hunter's Specialties | H.S. Strut Silencer Plus Field Campion Box Call
By combining old with new,
H.S. Strut is bringing back some favorite old calls containing some modern updates. First up are diaphragms in the ole Split V and the original white tape of years ago. However, the calls also feature Flex frames and Infinity latex for better fit and longer lasting sounds. Also from HS, is a neat twist on an early model box call.
The Retro Series
Strut Silencer Field Champion Box Call features a moisture-resistant green camo finish and something the company calls the Silencer Plus, which locks the lid during transport to prevent unwanted sounds. All of the calls of HS Strut's Retro Series are technology updates on some great classics.
Price: $29.99
Mojo | Fatal Shot
While best known for decoys, especially waterfowl decoys with motion, Mojo has also entered the choke tube market with its
Fatal Shot chokes through a partnership with Rob Roberts Custom Gunworks.
These chokes are designed and tested via computers for optimal performance. They are also made in the U.S.A., come with a lifetime warranty and provide dense, uniform patterns for a variety of popular shotguns.
Price: N/A
Marble Arms | Bullseye Peep Sights
The 535 and 835 pump-action shotguns are considered workhorses that function regardless of conditions, with great features like ambidextrous safety, steel lockup and dual ejectors. As such, both would be hard to improve, but
Mossberg did just that with the turkey models by attaching
Marble Arms Bullseye Peep Sights.
The rear, dual-ring peep is built of steel and pairs nicely with the fiber-optic front sight. The combination makes it obvious when the sights are not aligned, helping to prevent misses due to inattention. And while the guns come sighted, adjustments can be made using shims that come with the gun.
Price: $16.99
Mossy Oak | Break-Up Country
Sure,
Mossy Oak's new Break-Up Country pattern is more for fall than spring, with its muted tones and darker images, but it does contain some green and many turkey hunters prefer a darker pattern on the legs to better match the forest floor.
Also, this pattern is an amazing breakthrough in camouflage technology, as the image is an actually photography that can be printed onto almost anything and look the same, whether used on cotton, nylon or even plastic and wood.
Primos | Bamboozled
Bamboo is probably not the first materiel one thinks of when planning to make a turkey call, especially since bamboo is considered a grass, but Primo's has introduced both a
box call and a
pot and peg call built from the fast-growing grass. The box call comes with a paddle made from the materiel with a higher compression strength than wood, brick and concrete, while the pot and peg call features a crystal striking surface surrounded by bamboo.
The density of the wood helps the call make loud, crisp sounds for really getting the attention of gobblers. And the bamboo adds an amazing look to a turkey call.
Price: $26.45
Weatherby | SA-459 Turkey
Capitalizing on features from its popular self-defense shotguns, the new
Weatherby SA-459 Turkey features a 22-inch barrel with vented top rib, removable Picatinny rail, oversize bolt handle and rubberized pistol grip. The shotgun is also dipped in Realtree Xtra Green camo and comes with an extended extra-full choke.
And in addition to the semi-auto, has introduced the PA-459 and PA-08 for turkeys as well. The PA-459 comes with many of the same features as its semi-auto cousin, while the PA-08 is a lighter, more-affordable entry into 3-inch magnum Weatherby shotguns.
Price: $799
Flambeau | MAD Smokey Baby
Considering how rare grey phase turkeys truly are, a grey phase decoy doesn't typically come to mind. In fact, MAD has just produced the very first with its
Smokey Baby. According to
Flambeau, the company chose the design because the color comes through as a shade of grey to turkeys and mimics a bird in transitional plumage.
While definitely not traditional, the Smokey Baby could add additional realism to a set up, especially since the decoy features the same UV paint technology that Flambeau uses on its waterfowl decoys.
Price: $49
