Thunder Chicken Turkey Vest

Autumn is right around the corner and with the forthcoming cooler weather and turning of the leaves, my mind starts to turn to thoughts of fall turkey hunting. One of the great things about living is Oklahoma is the diversity of ecosystems that are the home to Merriam’s, Easterns, and Rio turkeys. The hunting here can be tough; you can hunt in a mixed wood forest one day and on the prairie the next, so your gear has to be able to withstand all kinds of wear and tear. I hunt a lot, and next to my gun, my vest is a really important part of my turkey hunting gear. I want my vest to be comfortable, tough, and have enough room for all of my calls and gear. There are a lot of turkey vests on the market, but one that really bears a second look is the Thunder Chicken by Robinson Outdoor Products.

I used the Thunder Chicken for the entire spring turkey season and put it through its paces and I am looking forward to putting it back on this fall. I was taken immediately by the versatility of this vest. My old vest had a tendency to get wet and stay wet, but the Thunder Chicken is weather-resistant and it stayed bone-dry, even on those damp early morning hunts. This vest has some really great features, including a contoured, detachable seat cushion as well as a padded back and straps. This really added to the level of comfort, even after hours of sitting in the woods.

You never know what kind of call you are going to need, and a good vest needs to have enough pockets to store all of the gear required for a successful turkey hunt. The Thunder Chicken has two box call pockets, eight diaphragm call pockets, and two slate call pockets that also hold your strikers, so there is plenty of room to carry all of your favorite calls in the field. This vest also has a large pocket in the back, two small side mesh pockets, and a mesh upper back to keep you cool as the weather warms up. Another nice feature is a blaze orange safety flag on back of the vest. I like the added degree of safety when you’re walking out of the field.

I dragged this vest through the toughest terrain Oklahoma has to offer, and man it’s tough. It looks as good now as it did on the rack. It is obvious to me that this vest was designed for turkey hunters by turkey hunters. I put it through some really rough hunts, both in the woods and on Oklahoma’s prairies, and it held up like a champ.

Andy and Tami McDaniels

Andy McDaniels is the Sportsmen’s Outreach Coordinator for the National Wildlife Federation’s Vanishing Paradise Campaign. Andy works with hunters, anglers, outdoor media and the hunting and fishing industry throughout the United States. Andy also serves as the Conservation Director of Pro-Staff for Hardcore Decoys and Huntducks.com. He believes that conservation is the cornerstone of hunting and fishing, and he has committed himself to educating hunters and fishermen about the conservation issues that will affect our children and grandchildren. His effort on behalf of conservation and his outreach to hunters, anglers, congressional members, political groups, and citizen action organizations has been monumental. In 2003 and 2004 Andy was recognized for his work on State Wildlife Grants by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. His efforts on the Farm Bill garnered him the esteemed Charlie Shaw Conservation Partnership Award from the National Wildlife Federation in May 2008.

Tami is a graduate of the University of Central Oklahoma. She is a certified English teacher and freelance writer. She has published numerous articles on a variety of outdoor topics. Her most recent articles on outdoor subjects include 10 Indicators of a Quality Guide, The Anatomy of a Hunting Guide Website, Hunting Guides along the Corridor, and First Steps to Get Kids Hunting and Back into the Outdoors. In addition, she is the web content administrator for three websites. Her volunteer work includes managing web and social media sites, writing grants, organizing fundraising activities, and planning community events.