The 2009 Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show, which took place Jan. 15 through 18 in Orlando, Fla., featured plenty of great new turkey hunting gear. Here are some of the highlights.





Hunter’s Specialties introduced its new Ring Zone friction calls, which were tested with an oscilloscope so they match the pitch and frequency of a live hen. The calls have an outer ring that keeps your fingers off the surface to eliminate dampening sound. The Ring Zone comes in slate, ceramic and starfire crystal. It has 200 percent more resonating surface than most pot-and-peg calls. www.hunterspec.com




M.A.D. Calls added the Cherry Bomb pot call to its Bomb Squad line. It is custom-designed with a unique pot made of gunstock-grade cherry wood with unique sound ports designed to produce realistic yelps, cutting and purrs. It comes with a Dymondwood striker. www.flambeauoutdoors.com




Knight & Hale’s new Hammerhead box call has a sound board within the box, essentially creating a sound board within a sound board. The sound board system has raised ribs of specific length, height and width, as with the company’s Hammer Series friction calls. That softens the highs and lows, creating a more nasally tone similar to a live hen. www.knightandhale.com




Primos’ Box Cutter box call has thumb-hole grooves that positions the thumb so it acts as a spring, letting the user make sweet cutting. Also, the company offers the Box Cutter Lefty, designed for left-handed callers. The calls have a jatoba lid and solid mahogany box. www.primos.com





Quaker Boy’s new Firebox is custom-crafted from cherry and eucalyptus wood. The call is waterproof and features Curved Lid technology, which makes it easy to operate. www.quakerboy.com





TruGlo unveiled its Gobble Stopper sight, which can be used as a red-dot or green-dot. There’s an illuminated ring around the dot that represents 24 inches at 30 yards, which helps you judge whether a gobbler is in range. The Gobble Stopper is waterproof and fogproof. It comes with a camo or matte black finish. www.truglosights.com




Woods Wise introduced the Steel Wheel 2x2 Flipsider, a two-sided friction call. One side of the call is shrill stainless steel, and the other is raspy-shrill aluminum. The body is stainless. The 3-inch stainless steel top exceeds 15,000 hz for pitch and tone. The flip side 3-inch aluminum bottom plays a raspier shrill. Both sides are waterproof and play when wet. www.woodswise.com.

Reactions are mixed over a plan by the Minnesota DNR to kill 100 birds this winter across 18 north-central Minnesota counties. The turkeys are to be targeted for a DNR study that will analyze stomach and gizzard contents. The DNR plans to donate the meat.

Commenting on the story, one reader was favorable to the plan, hoping the DNR would come to his house: “About 5 years ago it started with a dozen turkeys coming to the bird feeders then it was two dozen,” he wrote. “Last year it was 62 ... they are fun to watch but a group that big sure eats a lot.”

But another reader had a different view. “Are these crazy guys planning another convention?” he wrote. “I agree this is cheaper -- but if you guys want to eat turkey, buy a license like everyone else.”

What do you think about the MN DNR’s plan to shoot 100 turkeys?

Source: startribune.com

Posted by Jim Schlender, Editor

This blog entry marks the first of what I hope will be many more dedicated to sharing the countless pictures that I don't know what else to do with. Here are two to kick off a collection of "stray shots."

This one was making the e-mail rounds this morning. Ironically, I was just looking for photos to go with Jim Spencer's article in the Fall 2008 issue (due out mid-August), "The Principles of Camouflage." No, this one won't be in the article, but it would certainly fit. If you don't get it, you're not looking closely enough. Thanks to Rick White from Hunter's Specialties for forwarding.



Speaking of Rick White, a couple Aprils ago we were walking along the edge of a plowed field in Kentucky when I happened upon this um, impressive, sign. It's a gobbler dropping, I know, but how big did this bird have to be? As I pulled out my Olympus point-and-shoot to snap this picture, it occurred to me that sometimes this job gets a little weird.