Ever notice your turkey vest at the end of the season?

[fairchaser]

At the start of the season my vest is packed with all of last year's gear plus all the newest calls and gear I picked up in the off season. It weighs a lot! I've got a chair and blind slung over one shoulder and my shotgun over the other. After the first trip, I decided that it's way too heavy and I really don't need more than one box call even though my vest conveniently has a pocket for two. Plus, a few other non essentials. That hen decoy is also too bulky and it scares turkeys most of the time. It's gone! After miles of walking most of that stuff is unnecessary. In fact, the vest is gone too. I stick a diaphragm call in my mouth, load my shotgun with two shells cause I've never shot more than twice even on a miss. By the end turkeys are running from decoys and yelps and the least amount of gear I can have to crawl into range will be all I need. Anyone else become minimalist by seasons' end?

 

[Jbird22]

Absolutely! I carry way too much junk early on. When it starts getting hotter, the vest starts losing weight.

 

[TennSportsman]

I wish they would make a lightweight vest with just a back pouch, back padding, memory foam and gel seat, and 2 mouth call pockets with a shell pocket. They can call it the lite comfortzone.

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[PickettSFHunter]

I switch to a Ol Tom Essentials every year for the last 2 weeks


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[catman529]

I'm about the same from opening day to the last day. I carry my shotgun, camera on a tripod, and whatever fits on my pockets, and a call around my neck. Hunted with pretty much the same stuff today that I hunted with on opening weekend, minus the shotgun. I don't care to carry too much stuff around, when I get older I will probably like a good seat cushion or a vest with a kickstand, but for now, I keep it light

 

[Setterman]

I carry so little anymore, yet still have my tactical tater for the carry portion to tote out birds. I never carry much

 

[String Music]

I've refined mine over the years to where I don't carry as much as I used to. I've used the Ol Tom Easy Rider the entire season. Other than gluing one spot, it's been a great vest.


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[ImThere]

I carry so little anymore, yet still have my tactical tater for the carry portion to tote out birds. I never carry much

I even stopped wearing one for that. I tie the legs together and put it on the end of my shotgun and put the shotgun over my shoulder. Probably ain't as easy but it works.


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[megalomaniac]

I'm actually thinking about buying one for the first time ever next year. At least more for a padded seat cushion. I'm definetly getting stiffer as they years go by, and my butt and back are going to need something soon, I suspect.

Plus it doesn't help that I have a lot fewer birds, so when I get on one, I tend to stay with him a lot longer than I did a couple decades ago. But I still do almost as much running and gunning trying to find one, so I always go crazy light....

camo, pair of 8x30 binoculars, gun, 3 shotshells, 1 mouth call, 1 pot call, 1 striker. That's all I need. If the bird won't work with the mouth call or the pot, he's not going to work to any other call at that moment in time. Since I dropped almost 6lbs going from the 10g to the 20g this year, I may start carrying one of the gobbler lounger chairs or some type of hard foam cushion.

 

[TheAirMan]

At this point in my hunting career, I basically have in it what I want and it stays that way all the time. That said, I will occasionally just grab my gun and a mouth call and go.


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[Gravey]

I started the season with my tactical tatr with kickstand vest and love it until it gets hot. About midway through this year I put it up and started carrying a a gobbler lounger chair and small bag that contains binoculars, 2 pot calls, 2 mouth calls, toilet paper, rangefinder, license, water bottle, protein bars, 5 shells and a map. I wish they made a lightweight mesh vest that didn't have a seat. If they do I haven't found it.

 

[poorhunter]

This was the first year after 25+ years that I had one. I do kinda like it especially whenever I take a kid out...they never have everything they need but I always had extra in that vest! Used to be just me a mouth call and a gun.