OC Online - Hunting - Let's Talk Turkey

by: Jim Lawrence, photos: Dave Starrett
illustrations: Stephen MacEachern

Let's Talk Turkey - The Spring Collection

Clothing and accessories that won't get you noticed

Wild turkeys have eyesight rivalling that of hawks and eagles. They can see a full spectrum of colour, and are easily spooked. So the name of the game in turkey hunting is concealment.

The keys to hiding yourself are wearing the right clothes, sitting still and breaking your silhouette. You break your silhouette by keeping your back to trees and hiding behind bushes. Keep to the shadows where you'll be harder to see, and make certain you won't have the rising sun in your eyes when it comes time to pull the trigger.
Although it's not always necessary, the use of camo outerwear has proven itself over the years. I wear a warm, camo baseball-style cap with a stiff brim to keep spring showers out of my eyes, and a camo mask hides the reflection of my skin. Masks are designed to fit under a hat and most will fit around eyes and cover cheeks and neck. Some hunters choose green and brown face paint, but I prefer a mask because it's easily removed.


Matching your camo headgear to the changing spring woods is one way to keep the birds fooled

I also wear a two-piece, shell-style coat and pants that allow me to match my underwear to the weather. Selecting a two-piece suit also lets me mix-and-match camo colours and patterns. The pants—a standard brown and green pattern—stay the same throughout the season, but my top changes. In the early season, I wear grey patterns that match the dead leaves and bare wood. As spring advances, I change to a darker green camo top. A camo insulated cushion keeps your bottom warm and comfortable during the long hours of sitting.

Make sure you wear boots with soft soles because thick leather soles are noisy; it's already easy enough to sound like a troop of mounted cavalry when entering the woods in the pitch black without wearing clunky heavy-soled boots. Expensive camo boots are the best choice for durability and comfort, but a pair of green, rubber, felt-lined pac boots will do. Make sure your boots don't have a shiny orange sole that will spoil your camouflage efforts.
And now for the accessories. When I head into the woods at 5:30 a.m., I take everything I need to make my stay last until noon. A camo-coloured Thermos bottle (not a shiny stainless steel model) of coffee, tea or hot soup, and a sandwich or two will make a stay in the woods more pleasant. After all, part of turkey hunting is enjoying the spring woods.

Read more on spring turkey hunting: