reviews

Turkey hunting gear can make or break a hunt. With gobblers having some of the best vision in the animal kingdom, and ears that can pick up details that humans can’t fathom, it’s imperative that hunters have the right equipment to get the job done.

Here is some of my favorite gear for 2018, which helped me harvest five turkeys just last season.

As Vortex’s entry level rangefinder, the Impact 850 outperforms its price point. As someone who does a variety of hunting, I look for diversity in my gear. I want equipment that’s going to function whether it’s spring or fall, archery season or gun season, and good conditions or poor. When it comes to a rangefinder, I’ll be looking for optics that can function for bowhunting deer, shotgun hunting turkey, and rifle hunting elk.

Blaser is not a centuries-old European gun dynasty, but in the last 50+ years it has made a name for itself with innovative designs and production of high-quality rifles, shotguns and drillings. The continues in the tradition of the F3, as a shotgun that delivers performance and innovation, but at a significantly more affordable cost. [...]

Winchester’s marketing slogan was quite a bold statement, but one that was not braggadocio. When the Model 70 was introduced – way back in 1936 – it represented what I consider to be the ultimate culmination of the American bolt-action hunting rifle. It had all of the necessary appointments: a strong action – closely related to the Mauser Gewehr 98 – with a reliable extractor, capable of handling the highest of cartridge pressures, a well-fitting stock, an excellent trigger and a three-position safety which would (eventually) work perfectly with a rifle scope.

CZ came out of the gate swinging this year, with a couple of items sure to please the crowd. Most notably, they’ve entered the suppressor game.

Burris has taken a step away from the big ticket items this year, reaching back into the prism realm. New for this year, the Tri-Modular Prism riflescope, or TMPR. Available in 3x or 5x, these are the same size as the previous models, with a 40% gain in field of view. Illumination is now push button instead of dials, slimming the package. The reticle switches from red, green, or blue, and now features night vision settings to match the daylight ones.

Leupold is an obvious class leader in rifle scopes, with a full line across every budget and purpose. With that kind of DNA in the system, it only makes sense that they have expanded the lines to cover every other optical need of the hunter and soldier. There are some exciting additions this year, and you are going to like them.

Nighthawk is one of my favorite places to stop every year, if for no other reason, the unique twist they put on everything. Nighthawk is by far my favorite of the custom builders, and we are going to make it down to the shop in Arkansas one of these days.

Rock River Arms has teamed with Fred Eichler for new Fred Eichler Signature Series Predator rifles. These guns are designed from the ground up with the hunter in mind, and mostly that means weight savings. The barrels are fluted, and the handguards are carbon fiber. The rifle weighs in at only 6.9 pounds.