Totally Awesome Turkey Tote

It’s a great feeling to grab a twenty pound tom by the legs and sling it over your shoulder after a successful hunt. But if you have to carry it a mile or two the adrenalin rush wears off and the pain starts creeping in to your elbow and hand. Gripping the legs so hard, so long causes a burning pain in your hand and a tendonitis flare up in your elbow.

This turkey toke, made for me by a hunting buddy, makes carrying out a tom painless.  I thank him for making it for me every time I use it. Gripping the T of the antler eliminates the stress on the hand and arm.

It’s made from the main beam of a small shed antler  found while spring turkey hunting.  To make one, use a hacksaw to cut a 4 inch section of the antler with one tine. Cut off the tine about an inch and a half long.  Grind or sand off all the rough edges. Drill a 3/16 in. hole through the tine. Round off the edges of the hole with a counter sink bit or small file so they won’t cut the lace Thread both ends of a leather thong or boot lace through the hole to form a loop. Put a knot in both ends of the lace.

To use it, open  the loop wide enough to go over both feet of your tom, then tighten the loop like a noose by pulling on both ends of the lace. Grab the antler handle, sling that bird over your shoulder and you’re good to go with no pain to show.

Using an antler this way is a nice way to remember a memorable deer hunt if you  shot the deer or a shed hunt if you found the antler.  If you have no antler get out and look for shed antlers in the spring and do some turkey scouting at the same time.  Look where deer bed and feed in January because that’s when most antlers fall off.