Author and turkey hunter, Bob Byrne, joins Cameron and Andy on this week's show to talk about his book, Finesse Turkey Hunting, and some of the strategies discussed in the book.

Finesse turkey hunting techniques

Hunting success relies on stationary patience, subtle calling, and strategic concealment using custom blinds. These methods effectively manage wary birds found on heavily pressured public land.

Property and habitat management

Managing land for turkey populations involves planting clover and carefully timing herbicide applications. Wildlife demonstrate high sensitivity to environmental changes, requiring cautious and thoughtful landscape stewardship.

Bob shares some great tips and strategies in this book that turkey hunters of any age and turkey hunting style can use. Listen in!

Purchase a copy of Bob's book here.

Purchase some raffle tickets to hunt in south Texas in February 2027 here.

Buy some merch and great sounding The Turkey Hunter diaphragm turkey calls from our Shopify store by clicking here: https://theturkeyhunterpodcast.myshopify.com/

Join our Patreon group and get additional content, discounts on merch, and other great perks by clicking here: https://www.patreon.com/TheTurkeyHunterPodcast80

Summertime Turkey Soup

This week, Cameron and Andy share a heaping helping of some piping hot turkey soup for you. Basically, we share some turkey and turkey hunting news that you may not have heard or seen.

In this episode, we talk harvest numbers from across the country, poult surveys being conducted by numerous states (even Alabama is doing a poult survey now), proposed season changes in the works for next season, and a story on poaching.

Also, Cameron and Andy announced the 2027 Rio Grande Turkey Hunt Raffle is now open. Buy your tickets by clicking here.

These are always fun episodes, so listen in!

Buy some merch and great sounding The Turkey Hunter diaphragm turkey calls from our Shopify store by clicking here: https://theturkeyhunterpodcast.myshopify.com/

Join our Patreon group and get additional content, discounts on merch, and other great perks by clicking here: https://www.patreon.com/TheTurkeyHunterPodcast80

2026 End of Season Recap Episode

This week, Cameron and Andy recap their 2026 turkey season.

Andy discusses the frustrating last 4 weeks of his Alabama season and how he was fortunate enough to have so many opportunities to hunt turkeys and to be in the woods enjoying spring mornings.

Cameron discusses a few of his out of state trips, including a great trip with his family in the late season.

Additionally, the turkey hunting legend Hank Brookside joins Cameron and Andy to briefly recap his turkey hunting season as well as an upcoming trip.

Listen in!

Buy some merch and great sounding The Turkey Hunter diaphragm turkey calls from our Shopify store by clicking here: https://theturkeyhunterpodcast.myshopify.com/

Join our Patreon group and get additional content, discounts on merch, and other great perks by clicking here: https://www.patreon.com/TheTurkeyHunterPodcast80

In this episode, hosts Andy Gagliano and Cameron Weddington interview Ricky Padgett of Spring Allure Custom Calls to discuss the art and strategy of turkey hunting. The conversation opens with a deep dive into the recent resurgence of trumpet calls, a tool once dismissed as a novelty but now celebrated for its unique, realistic tone. Padgett emphasizes that while highly effective, the trumpet is a dynamic wind instrument that requires rigorous daily practice and air control to master. The veteran hunter shares anecdotal proof of its efficacy, noting how it can turn an uninterested bird around when standard calls fail, though he warns that it is far from a "magic bullet."

The dialogue then shifts toward broader conservation efforts and the shifting regulatory landscape in South Carolina. The group discusses the state's delayed season opener—a proactive measure aimed at improving low nesting success and poult production by reducing early-season hunter interference. Padgett explains that laws alone aren't enough, highlighting predator management and habitat upkeep (such as prescribed burning) as critical components of land management. He shares that comprehensive trapping targeting bobcats—which he considers the apex turkey predator—and coyotes has directly led to a noticeable increase in gobbling birds on his managed properties.

Concluding the interview, Padgett digs into the psychology of the hunt and the common pitfalls rookies face. He stresses that a lack of patience is the ultimate mistake, explaining that turkey hunting is a "mind game" where hunters must resist the urge to move and instead allow birds to break their natural morning routines. To illustrate, Padgett recounts a grueling 13-day pursuit of a stubborn, hen-nested turkey that he finally harvested by carefully slipping into the bird's "bubble" off the roost. The episode wraps up with a lighthearted rapid-fire Q&A segment and information on how listeners can join the waiting list for Padgett's sought-after custom trumpet calls just ahead of the upcoming spring season.

You can reach Ricky Padgett with Spring Allure Custom Calls at 803-682-3644. Contact him today to get on his waiting list for an amazing trumpet call.

Buy some merch and great sounding The Turkey Hunter diaphragm turkey calls from our Shopify store by clicking here: https://theturkeyhunterpodcast.myshopify.com/

Join our Patreon group and get additional content, discounts on merch, and other great perks by clicking here: https://www.patreon.com/TheTurkeyHunterPodcast80

Annual Airing of Grievances with Kenny Mount Part 2

The annual airing of grievances with Kenny Mount continues in this week's episode.

Kenny never fails to entertain with his deep thoughts and excellent questions. Kenny, Cameron and Andy discuss the problem with a need to publicly show the world that you are good hunter by posting photos of your harvest on social media to garner likes and "attaboys".

There is also discussion of the mental fortitude needed in the sport of hunting, using methods to kill turkeys at exorbitant distances instead of calling that turkey into close range, and how close encounters with wild turkeys can be the ultimate adrenaline rush.

This is another episode that you will not want to miss. Listen in!

Buy some merch and great sounding The Turkey Hunter diaphragm turkey calls from our Shopify store by clicking here: https://theturkeyhunterpodcast.myshopify.com/

Join our Patreon group and get additional content, discounts on merch, and other great perks by clicking here: https://www.patreon.com/TheTurkeyHunterPodcast80

Annual Airing of Grievances with Kenny Mount - Part 1

This week, Kenny Mount joins Cameron and Andy on the show for his annual airing of grievances.

In part 1 of the interview, the guys talk about a wide range of topics ranging from work getting in the way of turkey hunting, how technology is a mixed blessing when it comes to hunting and work, reduction of hunting opportunities in Florida and other states, the many states who have implemented draw system hunts, the rising costs of hunting licenses across the country, how YouTube has created better turkey hunters by shortening the learning curve, and how paper maps have gone by the wayside with the widespread use of technology like OnX.

Lots of laughs and thoughts to ponder are shared in this week's episode. Listen in!

Buy some merch and great sounding The Turkey Hunter diaphragm turkey calls from our Shopify store by clicking here: https://theturkeyhunterpodcast.myshopify.com/

Turkey Call Making and Turkey Talk with Lonzo Trice

This week, Lonzo Trice with Lonzo's Custom Calls joins Cameron and Andy on the show to share some of his knowledge with us.

Turkey hunting discussion featuring call maker Lonzo Trice covered unpredictable success, call making origins, and hunting pressures and regulations.

Hunting Success and Introductions

The guys discussed the unpredictable nature of turkey hunting, noting that success can stem from luck rather than perfect execution. Lonzo Trice, founder of Lonzo's Custom Calls, was introduced as an expert turkey hunter from Southwest Georgia who has hunted in multiple states.

Call Making Origins and Tuning

Lonzo Trice is a self-taught call maker, and has been making calls since 2004. Lonzo detailed the challenges of early call development, admitting that his early calls did not sound great and that his skills have come a long way since. Tuning a pot call requires intricate adjustments to the bottom, thickness, and pedestal to achieve the desired sound, with different woods producing drastically different sounds.

Hunting Pressure and Regulations

The discussion covered increased hunting pressure since COVID and the need to limit sharing turkey location information among hunters. Due to this increased pressure from increased hunter numbers, states are limiting opportunities to turkey hunt, and those additional restrictions are a double edged sword.

There is a lot covered in this episode, and we think you will enjoy it. Listen in!

Contact Lonzo Trice with Lonzo's Custom Calls by visiting his website at https://lonzocustomcalls.com/ by phone at 229-317-0045 or by email at [email protected].

Buy some merch and great sounding The Turkey Hunter diaphragm turkey calls from our Shopify store by clicking here: https://theturkeyhunterpodcast.myshopify.com/

Join our Patreon group and get additional content, discounts on merch, and other great perks by clicking here: https://www.patreon.com/TheTurkeyHunterPodcast80

Turkey Talk with Darrin Dawkins

This week, Darrin Dawkins joins Cameron and Andy again on the show, and he does not hold back with sharing his wisdom of the turkey woods.

Darrin first shares with us how to best care for our calls so that they will last us a lifetime. He also shares several turkey hunting stories and several tips as well.

If you want to purchase a call from Darrin, call him at (803) 366-3305 or visit his website at www.darrindawkinsturkeycalls.com.

This is another great episode that you will not want to miss. Listen in!

Buy some merch and great sounding The Turkey Hunter diaphragm turkey calls from our Shopify store by clicking here: https://theturkeyhunterpodcast.myshopify.com/

Join our Patreon group and get additional content, discounts on merch, and other great perks by clicking here: https://www.patreon.com/TheTurkeyHunterPodcast80

This week, Cameron and Andy are joined by Hank Brookside, who is not only the youngest person to ever complete a US Super Slam of turkey hunting but also the only person to have ever completed the US Super Slam in less than 12 months.

This journey all took place from January of 2025 through December of 2025. Hank shares the story of how he completed the Slam in under 12 months, as well as some stories of his different hunts around the country. As you can probably imagine there are a few wild ones that he takes the time to share with us.

Hank also shares his desire to finish his second US Super Slam entirely in the spring of 2027. He is still in the process of planning that season out, while he is riding the high of recently completing a 12 months US Super Slam.

This is an episode filled with great turkey hunting stories from what would be, but is not likely to be for Hank, a once in a lifetime experience.

Listen in!

Buy some merch and great sounding The Turkey Hunter diaphragm turkey calls from our Shopify store by clicking here: https://theturkeyhunterpodcast.myshopify.com/

Join our Patreon group and get additional content, discounts on merch, and other great perks by clicking here: https://www.patreon.com/TheTurkeyHunterPodcast80

Paul Campbell, Brent Rogers, and Nathaniel Maddux founded the American Wild Turkey Historical Foundation (AWTHF), also known as the Wild Turkey Archives, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the history and culture of the American Wild Turkey. Paul Campbell, who left NWTF in September 2025 and hosts the "Turkey Season Podcast," discussed the foundation's primary focus on creating a digital archive for rapidly degrading physical media and collecting oral histories from the first wave of modern turkey hunters. The foundation plans to operate on a subscriber-based funding model, not competing with conservation groups, with a long-term vision for a physical archival facility and will be filming call maker content at Unicoi in January.