bullskin
Very Active Member
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- 1,352
'Scuse me while I climb up on my big, tall pony...
With all the folks making a living producing hunting shows for TV, and all the camo and clothing manufacturers bragging about their gear, you would think that just one would design and build a decent turkey vest. Perhaps a proper vest is not important when one sits in a blind over a chufa field all day, but damn it, those of us who still hike for a bird need something a whole lot better than what's on the market. I don't need a vest with a turtle-neck collar--my Adam's apple doesn't get cold. I don't need mesh pockets and loops that hang up on every stick of manzanita, and I sure as hell don't need polyester to announce my every movement. Six-ounce cotton won't last the season. A wet box call might as well be a bologna sandwich, and so placing the pocket and zipper where it will intercept every drop that drains off my vest is a real bad idea. Am I the only one that ever hunts in the rain? Then why aren't box and slate call pockets waterproof? Who the hell wants soggy but accessible pegs on the outside of his vest? And why not put waterproof cordura on the seat bottom? Cabelas and the Sportsman's warehouse have synthetic turkey wings to imitate flapping, umbrella blinds with a picture of pterano-turkey on the front, and calls that sound like a raped hen, but not one turkey vest made for hunting?
I had my last turkey vest made to my specs ten years ago. It is on its last legs now, but even with calls sticking through holes in the fabric it is still better than anything on the shelf. What features do the rest of you want to see build into a vest, and which would you prefer to see gone?
With all the folks making a living producing hunting shows for TV, and all the camo and clothing manufacturers bragging about their gear, you would think that just one would design and build a decent turkey vest. Perhaps a proper vest is not important when one sits in a blind over a chufa field all day, but damn it, those of us who still hike for a bird need something a whole lot better than what's on the market. I don't need a vest with a turtle-neck collar--my Adam's apple doesn't get cold. I don't need mesh pockets and loops that hang up on every stick of manzanita, and I sure as hell don't need polyester to announce my every movement. Six-ounce cotton won't last the season. A wet box call might as well be a bologna sandwich, and so placing the pocket and zipper where it will intercept every drop that drains off my vest is a real bad idea. Am I the only one that ever hunts in the rain? Then why aren't box and slate call pockets waterproof? Who the hell wants soggy but accessible pegs on the outside of his vest? And why not put waterproof cordura on the seat bottom? Cabelas and the Sportsman's warehouse have synthetic turkey wings to imitate flapping, umbrella blinds with a picture of pterano-turkey on the front, and calls that sound like a raped hen, but not one turkey vest made for hunting?
I had my last turkey vest made to my specs ten years ago. It is on its last legs now, but even with calls sticking through holes in the fabric it is still better than anything on the shelf. What features do the rest of you want to see build into a vest, and which would you prefer to see gone?
