A hunting turkey vest is necessary for the hunter to ensure that all necessary trifles are always at hand and evenly distributed by weight on the hunter’s body. The vest for hunting has a lot of pockets of various capacities and built-in pouches. Hunting vests of differ with its strengthened shoulder by a softening non-slip patch, which protects the hunter from the effect of recoil. The protective color of the vest provides additional camouflage during hunting. However, it has the main disadvantage as the presence of excess weight, especially when you walk a few kilometers on foot, and every extra kilograms turn out to be a burden. This is very significant for a successful hunting.
Comfort
Any hunter strives for comfort as one of the most important issue. Turkey hunting vests as other hunting clothes and gear has to be comfortable. It has to spread the weight evenly, so the shoulders and back won’t be overloaded and hurt, it is especially important if you have to walk long distances. Most of vests include a seat, which adds great comfort while hunter waits long time. Some seats also have a back support. It really that makes hunting pleasant but such models tend to be rather expensive. Material is another aspect you should consider. The material can make vest to be heavy or lightweight and also durable.
Storage Compartments
The best turkey vest as any other should have enough quantity of pockets for storage hunting gear. There should be inner and outer pockets of different sizes. Choosing such vest depends on how many things you take on hunting and whether you really need them all. Large pockets are made to carry bulky gear and small pockets are for calls, etc. Make sure that the pockets are easy to use and you can quickly reach the necessary equipment. If there’s not going to be at least 2 calls for turkey then don’t look for vest with too many pockets. Look for the vest, which different pockets in size, for example, the large one you can use for rangefinder or binoculars, and the small one for call, etc. Single compartment pockets won’t be very useful so avoid them. Vest should include pockets for ammo. Hunters often carry decoys so it’s great if vest has a pocket to fit it in. The pockets of the vest have to feature zippers, Velcro closure or magnetic. It is better to prefer elasticized compartments as hunter can avoid unnecessary noise.
Concealment
Probably none of the hunters want to be noticed while hunting and chasing the target. Turkeys have great vision and ability to notice bright colors from a long distance. The effective camo pattern can be gray or brown, which is better to choose for mid-season hunting. At the end of spring give preference to green camo to blend into surroundings successfully.
Safety
Turkey hunters have to worry about safety especially. Modern turkey vests include a removable blaze orange safety flag. It helps to make hunter visible for other hunters to avoid any dangerous events. These vests also come with a huge-capacity game back at the back. This allows carrying the turkey you have shot secretly from other hunters. It can be also used for turkey decoys.
What You Should Take For Turkey Hunting
Survival kit. Every hunter must know own ailments well and take the appropriate set of medicines. General medical products should include drugs that can treat heart attacks, scrapes, burns, frostbite (during winter hunting), bruises, dislocations, fractures and wounds. To the set of medicines, hunter should add rubber bands for stopping blood, bandages, cotton wool, iodine, plaster.
Knife. Hunter should have at least two knives. One should be folding knife, with extractor for extraction, with a fixed blade length of about 8 cm, can opener, screwdriver and bottle opener. The knife should be with a loop for attaching to the belt. The other knife should be clumsy, with a blade no more than 150 mm.
Turkey Calls. The calls of the turkeys are important, as they bring the hunter closer to the target and allow making a well-aimed. Having at least three calls allows hunter to use them for the desired purposes.
Turkey Decoys. Decoy is another way to bring the hunter to the turkey. It allows the hunter to stay hidden. There are great varieties of real-like decoys that move and even can produce sound to make turkey interested.
Bottles. For a one-day hunting you can get a thermos, best of all metal.
Items for locations. You may easily get lost so make sure you have devices for communication (walkie-talkies, since mobile communication is not everywhere), GPS navigator, compass or map.
Ammo. Buckshot and shotguns are the best choice for hunting. Fraction is great option if you hunt some bird like turkey, or small animal.
Hunter Orange. There is always should be hat, vest or other safety wear of blaze orange color, which hunters have to wear while hunting in most states. There are vests with a built-in blaze orange flag to make yourself noticeable for other hunters and avoid accident.
Insect Repellent. If you are going to hunt in a swampy area, then you need to take with you an insect repellent to protect from dangerous bites, especially in summer time.
How To Take Care of Your Turkey Vest
Since hunter puts a lot of stuff into the vest, it is used very often and regularly, so you won’t escape the dirt, spots, etc. It is important to keep the vest clean and minimize the spread of bacteria so it is recommended to wash after hunting session or at least after second one. Make sure to wash your vest using gentle cycle with cold water. Turn the vest inside and out, wash it with a friendly detergent, which is scent free. When the vest is dry, hang it in a cool, dark place.
Popular Brands
Primos Hunting. It produces game calls for deer, turkey, elk, waterfowl and other same as clothing and accessories. Every member of Primos Hunting team likes to hunt and therefore uses all of the gear to see whether the items are effective and useful.
Alps Outdoorz. This brand spends a lot of time and put efforts to make first-class gear for hunters. The items are tested, used and modified, to provide hunters a reliable, durable, and practical gear. The gear has innovative features that make hunting comfortable and enjoyable.
Hunting Specialties. This brand offers deer calls, archery items, and a great variety of essential hunting accessories. Hunters Specialties does not stop to produce innovative gear that makes hunting efficient, effective, and successful.
Conclusion
This is obvious that the vest is not only comfortable clothing, but also a multifunctional item. It should be understood that the vest is not universal, and its use depends on certain conditions. Choosing a turkey vest remember that there shouldn’t be rubbing stitches. All models are made without exception on detailed thought out patterns. No matter how the hunter moves, he doesn’t have to experience even the slightest feeling of discomfort. It should provide good air exchange. Fabric and filler materials simultaneously keep heat, and provide normal ventilation. This feature is very important for the summer vests. Do not forget about optimal location of pockets, compartments. What also matters is camo pattern. There are both monochrome and camouflage models. Vests with a camouflage pattern are produced in a large number of variants, for different landscapes and seasons.