On this episode of the Bear Grease Podcast we’re doing something we’ve never done. We’ve assembled an eccentric flock of turkey hunters to tell their single favorite turkey hunting story. You’ll hear from the likes of Steve Rinella, Janis Putelis and Will Primos, but we’ll also hear from some backwoodsmen who ain’t been on the TV who’ve influenced me in significant ways. We’ll hear from Gary “Believer” Newcomb, Brent “Pretty Boy” Reaves, Moe “Mosely” Shepherd and the Brown boys hailing from down around Yocanna, Arkansas. Stories are an important part of the human existence, the oral stories of those we respect shape our lives. On this episode we’re going to let stories do. You’re not going to want to miss this one…

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I drew my first turkey tag as a teen in the mid-’90s. Turkey populations were swinging in the right direction at that time, but flocks were a far cry from today’s numbers. My dad wrote me notes to get out of school to take advantage of the 5-day season in which you could only hunt until noon. We each donned mismatched camo, and as a last layer, pulled on turkey hunting vests. We stuffed the pockets with our various calls, shells, and facemasks...

Mark Kenyon showcases a method of butchering a wild turkey after a successful hunt. The Benchmade blade makes quick work of the turkey, getting the tasty flesh off the bone and ready for packaging and cooking.

Turkey guns fall into one of two camps. First, there are jack-of-all-trades firearms that serve more than one master. In the fall, these guns might pull duty in the duck blind one day and the uplands the next. Once spring rolls around, full chokes replace modified chokes and some fiber-optic sights get slapped on the rib for good measure. Then there are dedicated turkey guns. Though they might make fine home-defense weapons, these tactical-style...