Vests???

[Iglow]

I was reading a turkey hunting book published in 1972 and it had no mention of vests at all, I also have the trifecta of the turkey gospels ; The wild turkey and it's hunting by E.A. McIlhenny , Tales of wild turkey hunting by Simon Everitt and Hunting the wild turkey by Tom Turpin none of which say anything about vests. From the pics in those books it seems they put a call or two plus a few shells in their pocket, grabbed their gun and away they went. So when did the turkey vest thing come about? Is it just another marketing success item that was pushed as a must have? Is it really needed or is it just something else to spend money on to lug around a bunch of unneed junk in the woods?

 

[PalsPal]

to lug around a bunch of unneed junk in the woods?

Pretty much sums it up.

Matter of convenience.

 

[KPH]

About anyway to carrier what you need will work. I have a vest I bought years ago and don't always wear it. In to days world I wouldn't pay the high price they have on them.

 

[paboom]

Like everything in life, people's experiences are different. I can recall the first vest someone in our family bought. Everyone laughed at him for being suckered. Then he made my uncle, who "didn't need one" empty his pockets.

So he started pulling things from his old Army pants and coat pockets. He was quite embarrassed to find he was carrying more items that the new vest wearer was carrying.

 

[Boll Weevil]

I have one of the minimalist Ol'Tom vests and honestly use everything I pack from bug spray to my handmade turkey tote when I'm able to close the deal. I don't carry anything I don't use so can get away without a big vest that holds everything but the kitchen sink. Some folks I know carry nothing more than a fannypack. Over the years I've definitely whittled down what I carry to just the basics.

 

[Remington700]

I have used a vest for 20 years and carried more junk than I ever needed. I have slimmed down on what I carry, but still use a vest. I have toyed with switching to a small back pack or satchel. The nice part of the vest is I am automatically carrying my back and seat cushion on me.

 

[Gobble4me757]

I used to have a pad and that was it with a diaphragm, couple shells, and my gun…now I use a knight and hale run and gun 200 and it's phenomenal. Allows me to hold my box, my phone, my slate, couple shells, and gotta have toilet paper

 

[Gravey]

I've had several vests over the years but usually get too hot for them. A simple "fanny pack" would probably be sufficient but I'm currently using a Knight & Hale Run-n-Gun 2.0. It doesn't have the solid back on it that always makes me sweat and the seat is pretty good. I carry 1 or 2 slate calls, a couple of strikers, 2-3 mouth calls, phone, binos (wear them), face mask, gloves, couple of extra shells (never know when you might run across a coyote), breakfast bar of some kind, and water.

 

[megalomaniac]

Ditto above... RnG200... weighs nothing, holds butt pad high enough where it isn't dragging as you go through the woods. Not hot; I carry 1 mouth call, 1 new mouth call as a backup in case I tear a reed or lose my 1st one. One pot call, 2 strikers. 1 bottle of water in the box call pocket, 2 packs of peanuts and a granola bar in the zippered pouch. Paid $29 for that vest on clearance at Walmart.

Before the vest, I just put my stuff in the side leg pockets of my BDU pants. Lost 4 or 5 strikers over the years doing that. I also got tired of the pot call flopping around in the side pocket of the pants.

There are still days where I head out with nothing except a single mouth call and no vest, but I find myself needing to bring water and snacks more often now since I'm often venturing off a couple miles into large blocks of public and may be away from the truck for most of the day. There are other days where I wish I had brought a bunch of gizmos (pruning shears, rangefinder, etc), but those days are few and far between, and not worth carrying them on every single hunt I do, so I can live without them.

 

[Levee Jumper]

The cushion, water requirements for hunting several miles from the truck and the excess clothing that you shed throughout the day is what keeps me from leaving the vest in the truck.

 

[Chief44]

There were no Turkey vest that I had heard of when I started Turkey hunting but we still managed to kill some birds. Is it a necessity now, no it's not ,but it is a good piece of gear if you choose to use it which I now do. There was also no cell phones, internet or great sites like this where we could discuss such things.

 

[knightrider]

I have to use one how else am i gonna carry my six pack of diet Dr Pepper, snacks, and

 

[Stumpsitter]

I shed the vest 2 years ago. A Glenda Green minimalist bag and a fat boy light cushion. It's just enough for a bottle of water , a therma-cell , and some calls.

 

[PalsPal]

I've had several vests over the years but usually get too hot for them.

This is me. I use a waist belt with pouches. I do carry a modified seat and cushion for my back.

I will also say that by the end of the year I cull some stuff that I thought I needed at the beginning of the season.

 

[Bgoodman30]

Just another modern convenience.. I still love my Ol Tom with very small square pockets and huge magnetic cushion got it on sale many years ago at wing supply for $40. I tried one of those huge ones with the built in fold out backrest and sold that clunker promptly... Being able to sit on cushion comfortably without readjusting and fidgeting is the biggest thing for me..

 

[Bgoodman30]

Sitka has one coming soon that I tried on at NWTF and its pretty nice.. $$$

 

[Longbow2240]

I shed the vest 2 years ago. A Glenda Green minimalist bag and a fat boy light cushion. It's just enough for a bottle of water , a therma-cell , and some calls.

Yep. Only way to go to the turkey woods.

 

[Willysman]

I like a vest because when I pick it up it has everything I need to go turkey hunting. Don't have to go hunting for things or forget something. I don't like those big bulky vest that has 500 pockets and a bag in the back big enough to carry the kitchen sink.

 

[hillbillyfab]

While I like a vest, for the pockets and having my butt pad with me at all times my back doesn't like them. I get to hot and sweaty in one. I know there's all kinds of various vests, some smaller, more open etc., I'm not sure there's one I just can't live without. I started carrying a chest rig built for binos last fall. Im going to give it a go this spring and see how I like it. I figure between it, the cargo pockets on my hunting pants and my hillbillyfab man purse, I'll have what I need.

 

[Dennis]

When I started spring turkey hunting many years ago I used a vest and I brought all kinds of calls with me: pot calls, box calls, mouth calls. I had heard that some birds might ignore a certain type of call but respond to others.

But as I hunted them I personally didn't find that to be true. So eventually I stopped all that and just brought one mouth call. And once I forgot that and called one in by mouth only instead. I sounded awful, but the cadence was right and it did the trick.

So now I just stick a mouth call in my shirt pocket and a small bottle of bug spray in my pants pocket with a knife and maybe a piece of rope. I like those turkey chairs that sit low on the ground so I take one of those.

 

[timberjack86]

My main requirement for a vest is a large game bag. I need something to carry my bird long distances in the mountains here

 

[user 972]

If you look back far enough, folks used "possible" bags or over the shoulder bags to carry items. Fashion or need started the vest revolution.
Some just grab the turkey legs and carry over the shoulder. I rather treat the carry bag and keep the ticks away from my neck.

 

[Longbow2240]

Ain't nothing wrong with that!!

 

[Rakkin6]

It depends on time for me what I carry. I took my chest rig from the Army that has MOLLE adapters on it. If I am only hunting a couple hours I will wear this. Radio pouch now holds a bottle of water, me SCAR heavy mag pouch x 2 can carry a couple pot calls each, IFAK pouch or grenade pouch can carry whatever you like ThermaCELL etc. You can mix and match however you want to do it. And it's super light and comfortable. Haven't figured out the butt pad yet. But like I said if it's only for a few hours it's no biggie.

Now if I am going out all day or until noon or one I carry my vest with a days supply worth of water, snacks, calls, thermacell

 

[scn]

I used a vest for a long time that I had modified with one of the cushions where the back is linked to the bottom seat for use without a tree to lean against. It worked, but was hot when the temps got on up there.

I now use a fanny pack that has a shoulder harness on it. It holds everything I need, and provides a nice "shelf" for calls when I am sitting.

The folks that make the Claw slings I use on my turkey lounger and gun make a turkey toting version that makes it pretty easy to haul a gobbler a long distance.

 

[Layne]

I usually use a vest, they tend to get smaller as I get older... The cushion is the best thing about them even though I end up filling the pockets with water and calls and snacks and thermacells and phone... no wonder my back hurts.
I have just thrown stuff in my cargo pockets of my pants but man I have lost a lot of strikers that way.

 

[prstide]

I have decided this year I would take it back to a Native style of turkey hunting. Cut up an old tshirt and made a loin cloth, single shot shotgun, and a blade of grass as my call. Hopefully will be posting kill pics in just a few more weeks.

 

[younggun308]

I have decided this year I would take it back to a Native style of turkey hunting. Cut up an old tshirt and made a loin cloth, single shot shotgun, and a blade of grass as my call. Hopefully will be posting kill pics in just a few more weeks.

Those ticks mounted in resin will be really something.

 

[Setterman]

Water-I hunt steep big mountains and most days cover miles
arse pad- I'm wimpy and need the cushion
most important- large game pouch. Carrying a turkey for miles over my shoulder sounds awful.

 

[megalomaniac]

Game pouch makes my back sweat.

I cannot recommend this simple solution enough.... turkey tote made from a length of paracord and a 6in x 1in pad. Weighs about an ounce, folds into nothing, and makes slinging one over your shoulder and walking out with both hands free a breeze (in the walk out pic, I have my ghillie top rolled up in my right arm).

This particular one came with my RnG vest, I made some reinforcements to it to make sure it doesn't fall apart on the walk out. But incredibly simple and even more effective.