South Carolina - We kicked off our season and turkey road trip in the beautiful state of South Carolina, and the first stop on our tour did not disappoint. Day 1 rolled around it was finally time to get into the turkey woods. It was a cool crisp spring morning and the birds couldn’t have been more fired up. We set up at T on crossroads in the woods. Just an hour after day break we look up and a longboard appears out of nowhere and starts beating up the decoys. As turkey hunters it was a sight you always dream of and boy did he put on a show, and his final one. The next morning rolled around and it was off to a slow start. But just right around lunch time we saw a gobbler out in a field with two jakes. We snuck to the other end of the field set up a strutter decoy and got ready. Three yelps later he was on a b-line straight for us and that’s all she wrote, and we’re headed to Tennessee.
Tennessee - We met up with our good buddy Andy Austin who is not only a hell of a turkey hunter but a very talented singer and songwriter in Nashville. Tennessee did not disappoint. This state's bird population is unlike any other. With Andy playing gigs every single night until 2 a.m. it made for a very long four days that had a lot of midday naps under an oak tree. In those four days there’s no telling how many birds we saw and had encounters with. We came so close too many times to count but we left Tennessee empty handed.
Texas - We hopped on a plane and headed to the Lone Star state (our first time back since our teal hunt) to chase after some Rios. The temperature was above 100 degrees every single day which made for some tough hunting. Shade and water was our best friend in Texas. The birds were going crazy at first light but just like all turkeys do once they hit the ground they were tight lipped. On day 2 we had an opportunity right around 9 a.m. We got a bird to sound off and we were back in the game. About a half hour went by and the bird finally presented himself. Unfortunately we did not capitalize on the opportunity and swung and missed, but that’s hunting, All you can do is keep your head up and it’s on to the next. That’s exactly what we did and on the last day of hunting we got it done on a stud bird with an inch & 7/8th spurs.
Alabama - Want to give a big thank you to John Cassimus for having us down to his place at the Sawtooth Plantation. John is not only a great friend of ours but the man completed a single season grand slam in record time, just less than 36 hours. Unfortunately for the three days we had in Alabama it was monsoon rains all day every day. That didn’t stop us from getting after it though. We threw on our rain gear and gave it our all to make it happen. We had a hell of time with a hell of a crew and the delicious cooking from Mrs. Dot.
Georgia - The Peach State did not disappoint. Not only was the hunting phenomenal but so was our crew back at camp. The nights were filled with laughter, great food and awesome stories. Georgia is a trip we look forward to every single year and as soon as we leave we are already counting the days to go back. Hunting in the pecan groves is something we highly recommend every turkey hunter experience. Georgia treated us well with a lot of action and a lot of birds. We ended the trip with five birds and dozens of stories to tell at the next bonfire.
Nebraska - After a 23-hour drive, we finally arrived in the Sandhills of Nebraska, which is one of our all-time favorite places. Whether you're chasing Nebraska whitetail, mules, speed goats or turkeys, the Sandhills have it all. We met up with our good pals Wade Shoemaker, Nate Messer, and Joel Jones, and on that first afternoon we harvested two birds. Day 2 rolled around and took a turn for the worse. We got in a serious car accident and spent the day at the hospital. Luckily nobody was hurt and we were advised to take it easy the next few weeks. But that didn’t stop Wade, Joel, and Nate each killing a bird the very next day.
Pennsylvania - To our surprise, Pennsylvania ended up being one of the tougher states, hunting every day for two weeks straight with multiple opportunities and just not working out. Pennsylvania started to get very frustrating, but in the end, it all worked out and we were able to punch a tag on a beautiful Appalachian Mountain long beard.
