turkey vest

[DirtNap647]

anybody not wear a turkey vest while turkey hunting...sometimes they can be bulky ...any other suggestions

[runngun]

I have used a Tactical Tatr vest with "legs" I absolutely love mine. Works great when you don't have the ideal set up.

Have a good one, Bo

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[paboxcall]

anybody not wear a turkey vest while turkey hunting...sometimes they can be bulky ...any other suggestions

I still wear a RNG 300, but more and more I'm taking just a trumpet, mouth call in the pocket, a 'tactical' belt with a seat, molle dump pouch (chalk, tags, etc.), water bottle, and either a mini boat or long box.

[Jordan121787]

This marsupial gear fish pack will be my vest less set up. I also have a RNG 300 that I love when I wear a vest.

[RLAG]

The Alps sling pack isn't too bad. I ran it all last season with a water bottle pocket on the side. Only annoying thing is taking it on and off each time you set up and also not having your calls at your fingertips in the moment

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[Spitten and drummen]

A good alternative is a satchel from Glenda Green. She makes fine quality items and is a super nice lady. I prefer a vest but I have one of her satchels. Money well spent and sometimes I use it run and gunning. That thing will hold a ton and has pockets everywhere.

[Bowguy]

Couple of things. One I know of not one person who kept the legs in a vest that had em. Why would you not set up near a tree anyhow? I could see a head sticking up scanning out in a grass field. Im sure that's not the intent but the actual usefulness seems limited in regards to the cons. A little extra weight prob, mobility might be an issue perhaps too. How bout noise walking, sneaking along? Idk bout them. Next hmmm that purse mentioned. We'll leave it there since I have total respect for the man who mentioned it but something I've never gotten? Now you got the purse and still need a seat or cushion and what about the shells? Is there a shell holder? Thermacell, compass, a seat, water, granola bars, gloves, hats, masks, turkey tote, bag for morels, pen and license, hope you've got a big bag and lots of cargo pockets, and it's a major prob if you've got camera gear, you get the idea. I grab a gun, throw a vest in the car, everything is there. The convenience to me is super easy.

[Tom007]

I have times when I use a vest. Early season in the Northeast is colder so for the first few weeks, I will wear my vest. I do change it up on rainy days. I'll shift to a chest pack under my Rain gear, and shoulder a stadium cushion for a seat. In the end of my seasons when the temps are up, I'll go to the chest pack, belt packs, or Cabelas 1/2 vest with speed seat. That's my set-ups, once again it all depends on conditions and temperatures...

[Jordan121787]

Couple of things. One I know of not one person who kept the legs in a vest that had em. Why would you not set up near a tree anyhow? I could see a head sticking up scanning out in a grass field. Im sure that's not the intent but the actual usefulness seems limited in regards to the cons. A little extra weight prob, mobility might be an issue perhaps too. How bout noise walking, sneaking along? Idk bout them. Next hmmm that purse mentioned. We'll leave it there since I have total respect for the man who mentioned it but something I've never gotten? Now you got the purse and still need a seat or cushion and what about the shells? Is there a shell holder? Thermacell, compass, a seat, water, granola bars, gloves, hats, masks, turkey tote, bag for morels, pen and license, hope you've got a big bag and lots of cargo pockets, and it's a major prob if you've got camera gear, you get the idea. I grab a gun, throw a vest in the car, everything is there. The convenience to me is super easy.

My chest pack can hold all that just fine. The only thing it lacks is a seat, but that is what my  is for 

[Bowguy]

Couple of things. One I know of not one person who kept the legs in a vest that had em. Why would you not set up near a tree anyhow? I could see a head sticking up scanning out in a grass field. Im sure that's not the intent but the actual usefulness seems limited in regards to the cons. A little extra weight prob, mobility might be an issue perhaps too. How bout noise walking, sneaking along? Idk bout them. Next hmmm that purse mentioned. We'll leave it there since I have total respect for the man who mentioned it but something I've never gotten? Now you got the purse and still need a seat or cushion and what about the shells? Is there a shell holder? Thermacell, compass, a seat, water, granola bars, gloves, hats, masks, turkey tote, bag for morels, pen and license, hope you've got a big bag and lots of cargo pockets, and it's a major prob if you've got camera gear, you get the idea. I grab a gun, throw a vest in the car, everything is there. The convenience to me is super easy.

My chest pack can hold all that just fine. The only thing it lacks is a seat, but that is what my  is for 

Good option than. Can you shoot w em on and how difficult to remove to strip or add clothes? A vest takes a second for this as I never close mine.

[CALLM2U]

Couple of things. One I know of not one person who kept the legs in a vest that had em. Why would you not set up near a tree anyhow?.....

You're thinking of only your world.   Ever tried to back up against a cabbage palm in Florida?  What about a cedar in the West? A hedge row in Maine?   You get the point...

[btodd00]

I dont use a vest with legs because im a big guy but I have a turkey chair with backpack straps at all times because im rarely able to get my back against a tree. Most of time I just end up in a cluster of palmettos or overgrown myrtles or Brazil peppers along ditches where there are no trees

[Bowguy]

Couple of things. One I know of not one person who kept the legs in a vest that had em. Why would you not set up near a tree anyhow?.....

You're thinking of only your world.   Ever tried to back up against a cabbage palm in Florida?  What about a cedar in the West? A hedge row in Maine?   You get the point...

The op might not be by a cabbage patch. Idk lots of woods in Maine and if it's a hedgerow I had to use id prob sit nestled in it w my back on something in the hedgerow. The cedar in the west sounds like a tree? Anyhow good points and considerations. That being said I know of no one who hunts Fla, Maine or west regular and I know a few do that find they need or want legs on their vest. Guys that have bought them all removed em

[GobbleNut]

anybody not wear a turkey vest while turkey hunting...sometimes they can be bulky ...any other suggestions

Whether to wear a vest or not is obviously a personal choice, but in my opinion, it should be made based on several factors.  The first is whether or not you actually NEED a vest based on how much gear you take with you when hunting.  It seems to me that, over time, turkey hunters have "brainwashed", if you will, into thinking that if you hunt turkeys, you have to have a vest with a couch-sized cushion attached.  For the guys that are constantly using an assortment of calls, a vest is a good organizer and makes those calls readily accessible when needed.  In addition, for those that regularly sit in one spot for long periods of time, comfort is often directly proportional to how much your seat cushion resembles a living room recliner.

Conversely, for guys who hunt with a minimal amount of calls (like myself and a number of others here), all the specialty pockets found on a vest are unneeded, as is the cumbersome-ness of most full-sized vests.  ...And that giant cushion is nothing more than an unneeded nuisance. 

Another factor that is important for me personally, and a number of the friends I hunt with, is that we usually cover several miles through some pretty rough, mountainous terrain where we hunt.  Every unnecessary ounce of weight or bulk makes that kind of hunting more difficult than it needs to be.  With the ever-increasing, public-land hunting pressure (which is almost entirely where we hunt), many of our decisions on where to hunt are based on the difficulty of accessing the area, with the obvious hope that other hunters will not make the effort.  Compound that with the fact that most of us are in our seventies now and the need to go as light as possible is further magnified.  The fact that we do almost all of our hunting in mountains at elevations between 7,500 and 9,500 ft. adds another element that comes into play.

Still, there are things that we need to carry that are necessary, but do not need to be immediately accessible.  Things like food, extra water, a roll-up seat/pad, emergency gear, extra clothing, knives, toilet paper, etc. all need to be carried, but they do not need to be flopping around somebody's waist or legs when covering ground or trying to negotiate thick brush or steep mountainsides. For our type of hunting, we have found that wearing cargo pants and shirts/coats with a few secure pockets, combined with a daypack/backpack for the other stuff is the most efficient way to go.  For the concerns about leaning up against a back-stabbing tree, a backpack also takes care of that issue, as does the pad for longer sits as needed.

Granted, our situation is unique to where and how we hunt, just like others have completely different circumstances to which a well-laid-out vest of some sort is ideal.  Having said all of the above, if I am traveling to hunt in another part of the country, I almost always take along a vest of some sort,...just on the off-chance that I am going to really need it!   

[runngun]

Well I have been using the Tactical Tatr since they came out and I have used it all over this Great Country.  Except I ain't never had any need to set up "in the middle of a field" for dang sure.  I have set against fence rows and cedar bushes in the west. I also have another vest that My Daddy has used for years. It has a "L" shaped metal tubing in the back.  I can't remember the name.  He's not able to hunt any longer and told me the other day that I could have this vest. I have always used cover, would be dumb not to. But I don't always have the "perfect" tree to set against. Sounds like someone might always have the perfect set up in every situation.

Have a good one and May God bless, Bo

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