Book Review: Turkey Men

Hunting turkeys successfully on unknown public land is one of the greatest challenges a hunter will face. Take that test, multiply it by 49, add the time limitations of traveling, and you’ve got a super slam turkey hunter — a rare master in the art of pursuing wild turkey. Hunters who harvest a bird in each of 49 states in the United States (every state but Alaska) have accomplished a super slam. By its nature, a super slam means taking birds in unknown territory, and on public land. A scant eight people have accomplished this feat, according to the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) registry. While there is no time limit for a Super Slam, it wouldn’t be efficient to spend a week in each state. Author Thomas Pero profiles six of NWTF’s eight acknowledged masters in his book Turkey Men. I’m not using the term master lightly; as Pero points out, far more people have climbed Mount Everest and swum the English Channel. The gobbler aficionados Pero interviewed revealed a wealth of information while telling the tales of their hunts. I’ve chosen some of the most applicable pieces of wisdom captured in Pero’s book to share with you. Strange new lands We don’t have a Canadian Super Slam, but we can still learn a lot from the American super slam hunters. Their tips on tagging a tom in unfamiliar territory can pay dividends to any hunter in a similar situation. For instance, David Ellis said he used a blind on almost all of his western state hunts. He also searched the Internet to find locations. “I tend to focus on places far enough away from gates and then look for some sort of water source,” he said. “Usually this is a winning ticket. Be mindful of the topography and find good flats and ridges that have quality timber.” Jeff Budz suggests hunting when the masses aren’t. This is usually during the week, with Wednesday and Thursday being his favourite days. “The birds have calmed down from the weekend and you can beat the Friday warriors,” he said. Now, when Budz gets away from the masses, he takes it to the extreme. He told Pero that he once took his clothes off in the dark in Florida to wade through a ditch filled with baby alligators, while holding his gun and clothes above his head. Budz also likes to cover