In Store Hunting Clinics attract many people

© By Othmar Vohringer

On April 9 I gave a turkey hunting clinic at Grouse River Outfitters in Kelowna, British Columbia. From 2 pm until store closing I provided information about hunting strategies, calling tips and calling demonstrations with a variety of different calls. Plus tips on where and how to find turkeys.

The event was a huge success as hunters from all over the area flocked to the store. After the event Justin, the Grouse River Outfitter store manager, sent me an e-mail to tell me how pleased everyone was and that due to the success the management would like to hold another in-store event in the coming fall.

In Store hunting clinics are good advertising for the company and serve as a special service that customers appreciate. The big box stores like Cabela’s and Bass Pro Shop have known for a long time that in store events are a big draw. Slowly it is catching on with smaller sporting goods stores too.

If you know of a store or are a store owner that would enjoy having a similar event please get in touch with me by email; OthmarV@shaw.ca I still have a few fall dates available and would be more than happy to discuss the available options with you.

Glenn Fallis, owner and president of Grouse River Outfitters (right), is happy about the turnout of customers and the success of the event.


Groups of customers soon gathered around to get tips on turkey hunting tactics, calling and watch product demonstrations.

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I didn’t get a tom but I am thrilled

© By Othmar Vohringer

Two days before the turkey season opener, April 15 here in British Columbia, we were nicely settled in at the Park Lane Resort & Motel in Christina Lake and ready to do some scouting. This was my quest for a Merriam’s turkey to complete my grand slam. For those that do not know what a turkey grand slam is: To score a grand slam the hunter has to shoot one of each of the four main subspecies, a Eastern, Osceola, Merriam's and Rio Grande. You can complete the grand slam in one season or take as many years as you want.

For this trip I took a novice turkey hunter with me to show him the ropes and it didn’t take long until I found several roosting trees. From here I had to find the route the birds would take to their feeding grounds in the large alfalfa fields. The novice was quite impressed how one could determine traveling routes just by observing the topography of the land. He was even more impressed when he heard a tom gobble not far away from us. With awe in his voice he said; “I never thought that a small animal could make such a big thunderous sound.” Hunting turkeys for over 16 years and still getting goose pumps when I hear a tom gobble I understood what he meant.

On opening day hunters arrived in great numbers, I have rarely seen that many hunters in one place and I have hunted some pretty crowded places in my life. I did not expect to see so many hunters in that area. The presence of all these hunters called for a change in the original plans since the turkeys adapted quickly to the pressure. In a small river bottom I found a secluded place and the obvious place where turkeys would go when the hunting pressure was on. Sure enough the very first morning a tom answered my soft hen calls from his roosting tree, a towering Ponderosa pine near the river. When it was time to fly down the tom did something that I have not anticipated. Rather then fly down into the meadow he flew direct from the tree over the wide river into the forest. The forest was on private land to which I had no access, but I promised to myself that we would be back that evening and wait for the tom when he returned to his roosting tree. He obviously had some very smart genes because he returned after legal shooting light and all we could do is watch how he flew into the tree.

For four days that tom played that game with us and on our last day I decided to use my decoys, setting them up on the small meadow. Usually I do not use decoys in areas where lots of other hunters are present, because it is just not very safe as a hunter could mistake the decoy for a real bird. However, this was such a big mature tom that I had at least to try. Two hours before dawn we sat under a huge pine tree in the small meadow not 40 yards away from the roosting tree. When the tom woke up he had to see my decoy and he did. Right at dawn he flew direct to the decoy, which was within shooting range of my shotgun. I lifted the gun to my shoulder. My partner got a cramp in the leg from sitting for so long and moved. The tom reared his head looking directly at my partner and a split second later was airborne heading over the river to the other side.
“Sorry, but I just couldn’t stand the pain anymore.” My partner said and then quickly added that this was for him the experience of a lifetime. Seeing the bright smile on his face I couldn’t be to mad at him, in fact I was just glad that he enjoyed himself so much in the course of the week, that to me is a trophy too.

Before my turkey hunting trip, and the reason why I neglected this blog a bit, I was very busy with turkey seminars all over British Columbia. When I cam home from my hunting trip and checked my emails I found that several hunters that attended my seminars had sent me turkey hunting success messages and “blaming” me for their success. One hunter wrote; “Thank you Othmar, I have been hunting turkeys for three years without success. After your seminar I went out again and applied my newly gained knowledge. I shot a big tom and dedicate it to you.” I am deeply humbled. It thrills me to no end when I hear stories like that and had a small part to play in the success of other hunters. That is what Smart Hunting Strategy seminars are all about, helping others becoming more successful.


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Tags: Turkey Hunting, Hunting Seminars, Turkey Grand Slam

A Day at Grouse River Outfitters in Kelowna

© By Othmar Vohringer

Hunters from Kelowna, BC and surrounding area turned out in full force to visit Grouse River Outfitters in Kelowna, where Jim Walker and myself made a in-store turkey hunting clinic appearance. The event had been promoted for weeks in the store, local newspapers and on hunting forums in our province. The turnout was great as many hunters and fans came out to chat with us, or get product recommendations and turkey hunting tips from the pros. After the store closed at 6 pm we all headed up the road to the Kelowna Fish & Game Clubhouse for a four hour mammoth turkey hunting seminar.

Glenn Fallis, owner and president of Grouse River Outfitters (right), is happy about the turnout of customers and the success of the event. More and more outdoor goods storeowners begin to realize the potential and promotional value in-store clinics have for their business in promoting the business and getting people interested in the outdoors.

Groups of customers soon gathered around Jim Walker and me to get tips on turkey hunting tactics and calling. As a pro staff member of ASAT Camouflage I was able to convince many hunters why ASAT is without a doubt in my mind the best camouflage for turkey hunters.

Jim Walker (right), Primos Game Calls pro staff member and professional game caller, and myself pose for a picture before the four hour marathon turkey hunting seminar held in the evening at the Kelowna Fish & Game Clubhouse just up the street from the Grouse River Outfitters store. It's not often that two turkey hunting experts come together to share their knowledge with hunters. Jim started the evening off with talking about different turkey calls and the sounds they can produce followed by hands on demonstrations. Then it was my turn to talk about different tactics and strategies that can be employed to bring a tom within shooting range. At the end of the seminar Jim and myself were available to answer questions. One of the attending hunters said it best; "I learned today more about turkey hunting from Jim and you than I would have otherwise in a lifetime."

This was the last spring turkey hunting seminar and I am pumped to head out next week in my quest for a British Columbia gobbler.

To learn more about my promotional appearances and in-store-clinics visit here.
To learn more about my seminars visit here.


This blog post has been brought to you by Othmar Vohringer Outdoors

Read my bi-weekly newspaper column online.

Tags: Turkey Hunting, Grouse River Outfitters, Turkey Hunting Seminar, In-Store Hunting Clinic, Primos Game Calls, ASAT Camouflage

Turkey Hunting Seminar in Keremeos, BC

© By Othmar Vohringer

On March 28 my wife and I drove to Keremeos, BC were I was scheduled to give a turkey hunting seminar. The event had been organized by the Keremeos - Cawston Sportsmen Association and about 39 people attended, which was a great turnout considering that this is only a small club. Among the visitors where Ken Sward, he organized the event and is also the manufacturer of the Pak-Kart big game packing carts. Other guests included award winning outdoor writer William R. Duff and a representative of the BC Wildlife Federation. My hunting seminars quickly become very popular in British Columbia. My club seminars are specially designed to serve as a fund raiser for the hosting clubs and organizations.

Setting up my seminar display. Second from left is Ken Sward, Wildlife Director from the Keremeos - Cawston Sportsmen Association and organizer of the seminar. In the middle of the picture is William R. Duff, a fellow outdoor writer and member of the Outdoor Writers of Canada from Keremeos. The hunter on the far right took advantage of all the additional free information material available.

My turkey hunting seminar display consisting of; camouflage, turkey calls, decoys, pictures and information leaflets for the National Wild Turkey Federation and my own found great appeal with the seminar visitors.

The guests listened to what I had to say and made notes. Turkey hunting is still relatively new to British Columbia and hunters a re eager to learn more about it.

The hunters were eager to ask questions. After each segment of the seminar I make a question and answer segment about the previous topic. This gives the visitors the opportunity to actively take part in the lecture and ask questions about things they might no have fully understood and that were not covered.

At the end of the seminar I let every visitor play with the turkey calls and gave instructions where needed. All in all this was a great event. My wife and I made may new friends and enjoyed the warm hospitality extended to us by the organizers and visitors of the seminar.

On our way to Keremeos and back home I watched out for turkeys while Heidi was driving. We haven't seen any turkeys but we did see about 10 deer in a small woodlot next to the highway. This mule deer do posed for a photograph.

To learn more about my seminars visit here.

This blog post has been brought to you by Othmar Vohringer Outdoors

Read my bi-weekly newspaper column online.