Provided By: Brian Stephens, Co-Host of Ultimate Bowhunting TV
If you are like me, when you turkey hunt you have a variety of turkey calls, crow calls, decoys, flashlights, snacks, and other random accessories. The issue is storing and organizing all of these hunting resources so you have them when you need them. The turkey vest has become a staple of turkey hunting for many years to serve as that piece of vital gear to help you organize your gear in the turkey woods.
Ol’ Tom has developed a series of turkey vests that have been designed by some of the most accomplished turkey hunters in the business. We have all been in a position at some point in our turkey hunting career that in the heat of a good turkey hunt, you can't lay your hands on what you need. The Ol’ Tom Dura-Lite Time & Motion Turkey Vest in Mossy Oak Obsession is a vest that I used during the 2013 spring turkey season. I found it to be very effective at helping me keep my gear organized, but at the same time not being too bulky and heavy.
A key to the Ol’ Tom Dura-Lite Time & Motion Turkey Vest is creating specific pockets for ALL your turkey hunting essentials on the outside of the vest and focusing on how to access these pockets with as little movement as possible. What I found is that each pocket is strategically placed to ensure easy access with minimal movement. As we know, that is the key to turkey hunting.
The worst thing I have had to deal with is fighting to find a call when I need it. This will not be the case when you use the Time & Motion Vest. The call pockets are immediately accessible from the outside. It does not matter if you are right handed or left; they have designed this vest with everyone in mind. When you put on this vest, you quickly realize it was designed by turkey hunters for turkey hunters.
Some of the key features I found with the Ol’ Tom Dura-Lite Time & Motion Turkey Vest are listed here:
- One Box Call Pouch ergonomically angled on the front of the vest allowing fast and immediate access with quick put-away, whether standing or sitting low against a tree. This pouch is 100-percent elastic, helping eliminate accidental yelp while on the run. I personally love this feature as that has killed some of my hunts early, making an accidental yelp when I was trying to slip up on bird.
- Four "During the Hunt" mesh mouth call pockets: These pockets provide fast storage when it's time to move and it keeps them organized. No more searching for it in the bottom of a pocket. They are right there when you need them every time.
- Chest size adjustability and ventilation: Each side of the vest is adjustable for varying chest sizes. The open sides are also great for increased ventilation when things heat up. This is really helpful as the season progresses and it gets warmer and warmer. I hunt a lot down in Florida and the last thing I want is a heavy and bulky turkey vest weighing me down.
- There are four elastic shotgun shell/choke tube divider pockets that are also good for holding pocket knives, Leatherman, and other needed tools for the field.
- There are four 2"x2" elastic divider pockets that are perfect for hard case mouth calls, if you like keeping everything with your vest.
- One 4"x4" elastic pocket is ideal for an extra slate call, handheld radio, GPS and more. I will typically use several slate calls with a variety of strikers for multiple sounds, so having these extra pockets is nice.
- The Ol’ Tom Dura-Lite Time & Motion Turkey Vest also has 2 detachable locator call stretch cords with adjustable springs for different size locator calls. The stretch cords keep your calls with your vest all the time, eliminating the need for aggravating lanyards.
On the back of the vest you will find a waterproof, padded rear seat with a magnet closure. Just lift the seat towards your back and the magnets take over to secure the seat. No more struggling with difficult to reach buckles. The padded rear seat is 2 inches thick and consists of 1-inch closed and 1-inch open cell foam. The benefit of open cell foam is it delivers more comfort when sitting for long periods of time. We all know that when you sit for long periods of time and get uncomfortable, you move and shift. This can be your worst nightmare when turkey hunting. I also like to use the pad when I am bowhunting birds from the ground. I will put the pad in between the back of my legs and rear. So when I lean back on my legs, this extra padding provides enough comfort to sit and not move for a period time. It also puts less pressure on my knees allowing me to stay motionless prior to drawing my bow.
Last but not least are the blood-proof game bag, blaze orange safety flag, built-in decoy pocket and built-in removable spin pad.
The only downside I can see to the Ol’ Tom Dura-Lite Time & Motion Turkey Vest is that if you are a turkey hunter who goes into the woods with only a few things, this vest may be too much. Because it has so many pockets and features, you may be searching for those few items you use in the numerous pockets. If you are like me and go into the woods ready for almost any scenario, then it is a great option due to all the ways you can store and organize gear. It is lightweight and will blend in perfectly with the rest of your Mossy Oak clothing.
To learn more about the Ol’ Tom Dura-Lite Time & Motion Turkey Vest in Mossy Oak Obsession go to www.oltomgobbler.com.
