Most hunting packs
these days come with a hands-free hydration system, to ensure that the
hunter stays fully hydrated in the field. The capacity is usually 3
liters and the tubes are routed through the shoulder straps. Taste-free
polyurethane reservoirs clean easily, collapse completely flat, remain
pliable and are treated Anti-Microbial Technology to inhibit microbe
growth.
Most brands have vertical and horizontal compression straps to hold the weight close to the body.
A flex chassis will carry additional load like meat, cape, antlers, and horns.
Look for broad Padded shoulder straps, fully molded waist belt with a quick release buckle, sternum strap to keep the shoulder strap from slipping.
Look for waist belt with pockets to carry digital cameras, cell phones, and GPS units.
Hunting packs with a sleeping bag compartment are preferred.
Scent proof packs are available. Some manufacturers offer this feature.
A good-sized, hunting pack is designed to comfortably accommodate all your gear and accessories while keeping them at your fingertips. You should distribute the weight to the center of your body where you have the most strength.
Reading hunting pack reviews of several brands available will help in making the right decision about the type, weight of pack needed for a memorable hunting experience.
Most brands have vertical and horizontal compression straps to hold the weight close to the body.
A flex chassis will carry additional load like meat, cape, antlers, and horns.
Look for broad Padded shoulder straps, fully molded waist belt with a quick release buckle, sternum strap to keep the shoulder strap from slipping.
Look for waist belt with pockets to carry digital cameras, cell phones, and GPS units.
Hunting packs with a sleeping bag compartment are preferred.
Scent proof packs are available. Some manufacturers offer this feature.
A good-sized, hunting pack is designed to comfortably accommodate all your gear and accessories while keeping them at your fingertips. You should distribute the weight to the center of your body where you have the most strength.
Reading hunting pack reviews of several brands available will help in making the right decision about the type, weight of pack needed for a memorable hunting experience.
Scouting forms the most important part of wild turkey hunting. Turkey scouting involves spending as much time as possible carefully studying turkey
habits. Learning how to and locating the roosting place(s) of a gobbler
and his preferred places of feeding makes it easy to call him in. Most
of the wild turkey’s time is spent in eating.
If a number of turkeys are spotted at a particular location in winter, it would be unwise to expect them to be found at the same place later in spring. Turkeys tend to spread out into different areas as the season begins. Therefore, areas totally devoid of turkeys at one time of the year may be full of them at another. The best way is to start scouting a few weeks before the start of the season and keep track of the movement of the birds. Depending on the mast available, wild turkey may remain in one area during spring, while preferring to move to another during winter.
Scouting turkey also involves looking at their droppings. The shape and size of the droppings clearly indicate, whether the bird is a hen or a gobbler. Hen droppings can be distinguished by their looped, spiraled or bulbous shapes of just over 1/4 of an inch in thickness, whereas gobbler droppings are thicker, averaging 1/2 an inch with shapes being straighter or J shaped. The sizes of the turkey tracks also can tell you the sex of the bird. Tracks about 3 1/2” in length are hen tracks, while Gobbler tracks are longer; nearly 4 1/2” in length.
If you are an avid turkey hunter, the best way is to scout all the year round. The best time of the day for scouting wild turkey is just after dawn, listening for turkey gobbling around creeks, fences, pastures and trails. When they are sighted, also look around to locate places that would place you at a higher level while taking a shot.
Whenever you spot turkey or some one gives you information where turkey have been seen in large numbers around the countryside, just make a note of the place and the time of the day, they are spotted. After locating a general area with turkeys around, you need to find out key locations to increase your chances of success. You can do this by looking for roosting locations, strut zones, dusting and scratching areas. These areas and the travel routes falling in between are some of the best places to set up for calling in a gobbler.
You need to be careful while scouting turkey so you do not scare them away. The birds have very keen eyesight. Therefore, during scouting you must ensure wearing clothing that blend with the colors of the plant life around the countryside and that break up your shape. Wear jackets, trousers, caps, facemasks and gloves etc., which do not appear incongruous with the surroundings and scare the turkey away. This way you can take advantage of the landscape to hide behind bushes, rocks, tall grass and trees to obscure your approach while scouting.
Wherever there is good nesting habitat, both hens and gobblers can be found. While tracking gobblers, just locate areas with lots of hens. If you find the hens, you are sure to find gobblers nearby.
During your turkey scouting trip, you will need a good pair of binoculars along with a good pair of boots and a game scouting camera. This will comprise your basic turkey scouting equipment. You can set up the camera on a suitable tree to automatically take pictures at pre-determined intervals according to the settings you make on the unit. The camera and flash can usually be used to take pictures or video clips at 5/10/15/20 minute intervals or when an animal trips the sensor. A variety of game scouting cameras from different manufacturers are available in the market and may cost you anywhere from $100 to $500, depending on the sophistication of the camera features.
If a number of turkeys are spotted at a particular location in winter, it would be unwise to expect them to be found at the same place later in spring. Turkeys tend to spread out into different areas as the season begins. Therefore, areas totally devoid of turkeys at one time of the year may be full of them at another. The best way is to start scouting a few weeks before the start of the season and keep track of the movement of the birds. Depending on the mast available, wild turkey may remain in one area during spring, while preferring to move to another during winter.
Scouting turkey also involves looking at their droppings. The shape and size of the droppings clearly indicate, whether the bird is a hen or a gobbler. Hen droppings can be distinguished by their looped, spiraled or bulbous shapes of just over 1/4 of an inch in thickness, whereas gobbler droppings are thicker, averaging 1/2 an inch with shapes being straighter or J shaped. The sizes of the turkey tracks also can tell you the sex of the bird. Tracks about 3 1/2” in length are hen tracks, while Gobbler tracks are longer; nearly 4 1/2” in length.
If you are an avid turkey hunter, the best way is to scout all the year round. The best time of the day for scouting wild turkey is just after dawn, listening for turkey gobbling around creeks, fences, pastures and trails. When they are sighted, also look around to locate places that would place you at a higher level while taking a shot.
Whenever you spot turkey or some one gives you information where turkey have been seen in large numbers around the countryside, just make a note of the place and the time of the day, they are spotted. After locating a general area with turkeys around, you need to find out key locations to increase your chances of success. You can do this by looking for roosting locations, strut zones, dusting and scratching areas. These areas and the travel routes falling in between are some of the best places to set up for calling in a gobbler.
You need to be careful while scouting turkey so you do not scare them away. The birds have very keen eyesight. Therefore, during scouting you must ensure wearing clothing that blend with the colors of the plant life around the countryside and that break up your shape. Wear jackets, trousers, caps, facemasks and gloves etc., which do not appear incongruous with the surroundings and scare the turkey away. This way you can take advantage of the landscape to hide behind bushes, rocks, tall grass and trees to obscure your approach while scouting.
Wherever there is good nesting habitat, both hens and gobblers can be found. While tracking gobblers, just locate areas with lots of hens. If you find the hens, you are sure to find gobblers nearby.
During your turkey scouting trip, you will need a good pair of binoculars along with a good pair of boots and a game scouting camera. This will comprise your basic turkey scouting equipment. You can set up the camera on a suitable tree to automatically take pictures at pre-determined intervals according to the settings you make on the unit. The camera and flash can usually be used to take pictures or video clips at 5/10/15/20 minute intervals or when an animal trips the sensor. A variety of game scouting cameras from different manufacturers are available in the market and may cost you anywhere from $100 to $500, depending on the sophistication of the camera features.
Badlands and Eberlestock are among the leading manufacturers of high quality hunting packs in North America.
Badlands and Eberlestock are among the leading manufacturers of high quality hunting packs in North America.
Features and some points to consider
Choose a good camoflauge, which will perform well in different field environments.
Look for a pack with a high quality external or an internal frame pack.
A frame of aircraft quality aluminum will flex and move with the
wearer, this leads to greater freedom of movement, and also keeps the
pack body closer to the wearer’s back enabling a low center of gravity
the hunter can move around easily without fear of gear shifting or loss
of balance.
Look for built-in rifle and bow scabbard designs such that allow the hunter to get the rifle or the bow off while still wearing the pack. Deeper scabbard accommodates a full-scale hunting rifle and bow.
The organizer pouch should be designed with
several mesh pockets and elastic keeper straps so that everything a
hunter carries like knife, saw and flashlight, medical kit, personal
locator, beacon, rope and any other bit of essential gear has its own
special place and can be found when needed.
Look for a pack that offers good ventilation between the back and the pack.
A good pack fabric will be waterproof, and essentially burr-proof.
Welded zippers further help in complete waterproofing the pack.
Toothless zippers are recommended also soft rubber zipper pulls are easier to pull with gloves on.
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