How many of you are planning to hunt turkeys this spring with a Ghillie suit? Please share your success in the past with one.
I would be hunting with one if Rod Jenkins were to get his into production! Rod, are you reading this? :pray:
Allan
I think I'm gonna try it, but mine will be awful hot for the spring. I really do want to kill one without a blind though, so it may be needed.
I have always done fine without one. In fact I rarely even wear camo any more, just dark plaids and stay in the shade and don't move. However, I can see that a Ghillie could really work on several species and avoid the necessity for even a brush blind ... but they're so damn expensive! And if it gets hot and you want to take it off, all I've seen are so bulky they'd fill a big pack. Even a Walmart version costs $50 on sale. I can buy a couple of Butterballs for that! :smileystooges:
ASAT leafy suit, lightweight, cool, works anywhere.
rancho safari makes awesome gullie's.. fits like an overcoat, and it's very light and breathable, they also roll up into a nice little ball with a shoulder strap.
i never go hunting without mine.. success rate on the predators i hunt goes WAY up with a gullie.
Where do you get one of the Rancho safari suits?Any pics?I got a suit from Cabelas but I keep hearing about those.RC
I have been using one a few years. It took alittle tinkering to get the bow arm to drape right. But I like the "instant blind" effect.
As an added bonus, here in North Georgia I get to frighten a few trout fisherman each season!
I add my joebuck Martha Stewart wreath bow to my Gillie suite...Doc
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v110/tippit/VermontTurkeyHunt.jpg)
I have a Rancho Safari boonie hat, and was going to pop for the shaggie this season. However, needing a new vest, I went with that instead. Ghillies work very well, and Rancho Safari suits are better made than most of the other stuff on the market. The fine jute tendrils will tend to catch on stuff constantly, and break off.
Here ya go, RC;
http://www.ranchosafari.com/
I like these folks' products. I use their synthetic material, it is light weight and dries quickly.
I had a ugly old leafy suit that was all mesh underneath and not much "leaf" so I'm sewing bundles of their synthetic thread all over it.
Their full suits are well done..need trimmin on the draw side of chest and bow arm, but which one's don't?
http://www.ghilliesuits.com/
I turkey hunted in a Ranch Safari ghillie last year. Only went once but the hen I called in walked within 15ft of me and never picked me up.
One of the most famous turkey hunters in my neck of the woods was an old Florida Cracker named Tom Gaskins. Tom Jr. still carries on the tradition of making the calls his dad invented in 1946. I have one sitting in front of me right now.
As Dave said dark plaids are all that's needed according to Tom. He used to say camo was dangerous because of all the inexperienced hunters in the woods, and he's been gone for quite a few years now.
The first time I turkey hunted in a ghillie suit - a chickadee landed on me while I was stalking a group of gobblers. Nuff said !
I use a Rancho Safari "Shaggie" suit quite a bit. Took this longbeard last spring using one. Hit F5 (page refresh) on your keyboard if the picture fails to load.
(http://www.brothersofthebow.com/othergame10.jpg)
I've used a ghillie since the middle 80's.I'd turkey hunted for a few years before I made mine.I really made mine to deer hunt.What happened was a few friends bought ghillie suits.Those first ones were really nice,made of burlap strips but when it rained and they got wet,hot and heavy.The weight 20,25 pounds at least thats what it felt like to me.To heavey to move around in.And to really hunt turkeys you have to be mobile.
So I made my own.I made a long coat[with hood] out of 1" mesh fishing net.Went to a sporting good store.Bought a couple different kinds of camo [blind] materal.Cut it in different size and leanth strips tied it on each mesh.Weight 3 pounds fit into a cut off camo pants leg.I could where it or put it no my pack.Light,cool,rain adds little weight.
As far as gobbler go over 25 with a shot gun,1,compound 2 recurve 1 longbow 7 with my own selfbows.I had to many to remember I called up a lot before season,friends,jakes,or just let walk.Again I've seen and called up lots of bucks under 20 yards with it on.You may not beleive me but twice I've stalked up a touch doe's with my bow.About 10 years ago I made one out of ASAT.It's unbeleivable when the wind blows or in the corn.
Back to tukerys I once had a gobbler in a corner of a feild.Woulded move at all he was in his strut zone.So I started to craw up to him.At about 75 years from him.I heard something so I layed still and a hen came pecking by me so close I could have grabed her.I wish now I would graged her by the leg.That would have been a great ending to my story.Because my hunt ended when she got to the gobbler.
Theres no better camo period that is for me.Remember when turkey hunting camo the bottom of your shoes.You can get by with the deer but not turkeys.
Thanks all for your replies. Tippit your Martha Stewart wreath bow was neat! Another question how often are you spooking turkeys with the suit on say when your drawing your bow? Are you getting away with more movement?
typically you can get away with a lot more movement with a gullie than w/ regular camo..
but it's still movement.. if your slow and steady a lot of animals think it's just the breeze moving a bush.
i've turned in a complete circle trying to get a shot off at a coyote before and it just kept lookin at me and walking around with a confused look on it's face. my stepdad ended up droping it with a 7 yrd shot.
Andrew that coyote hunt tells alot about ghillies and there effect.Looks like a close encounter with the turkey birds could be fun with one of them. I plan on checking it out!!
JC.. pm sent