Episode 13 - Open Country Gobblers, River Conservation, and Classic Turkey Stories

Wide open prairie gobblers, tight roosts, and the fight to protect rivers. Will Brantley breaks down hunting open country turkeys across Texas, Nebraska, Kansas, and beyond, contrasting Rio Grande and Merriam’s birds with Eastern timber gobblers. From early season Texas leases to late-spring prairie hunts, he explains how vast terrain changes everything from glassing strategy to calling distance. Open country birds cover ground fast, often forcing hunters to read roost patterns, use optics, and cut distance quickly instead of easing through timber. He details setup fundamentals in wide landscapes: prioritizing creek bottoms, cottonwood drainages, and scattered shade trees where birds roost and regroup. Calling shifts heavily toward louder friction calls like box calls and pot calls that can cut wind and carry across long distances. While decoys and even controversial tactics like fanning or reaping can be effective, success often comes down to positioning on travel routes and anticipating daily movement between feed and roost. The episode also shifts into conservation reporting on Montana’s Blackfoot River, where a proposed gold mine and AI data center raise concerns about water use, energy demand, and long-term river health. The show closes with a Campfire reading of “The Norwegian Mafia,” a classic turkey hunting family story that captures the humor, grit, and connection that defines time in the field. Follow the show for more weekly hunting and fishing conversations. Get more from Field & Stream: https://www.fieldandstream.com/ Get to know your host, Colin Kearns: https://www.fieldandstream.com/authors/colin-kearns              Join the F&S 1871 Club and experience a membership dedicated to the outdoor culture of sporting traditions, storytelling, and the conservation of our lands: https://www.fieldandstream.com/1871-club/  Sound effects and sound design for Campfire provided by: Editing and sound design by Trout Stream Studios FIREBurn_Campfire.Close.Long.Crackling.Flame roar.Squeack.Hiss.Artificial 1_EM by newlocknew -- https://freesound.org/s/730704/ -- License: Attribution 4.0 Campfire 02 by HECKFRICKER -- https://freesound.org/s/729396/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 Campfire 01 by HECKFRICKER -- https://freesound.org/s/729396/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 chickens_scratching_turkey_gobbling.wav by wil_j_wil -- https://freesound.org/s/571660/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 Hiking by Beethovenboy -- https://freesound.org/s/678650/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 hiking Forest.wav by mastermind76 -- https://freesound.org/s/671320/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices