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May 16, 2023
I recently read one of the many articles that we see every year in hunting magazines and online hunting news outlets that explains exactly “how turkey vision works” As usual it went in to great detail about all of the “accepted” science behind the legendary sense of sight of America’s premier game bird. It touted the all too well-known tactics a hunter must take in order to thwart the eyes of a wild turkey. These tactics included same old tired topics- using blinds, head to toe camo, setting up in heavy cover for maximum concealment and above all- DON’T MOVE!
As a young bowhunter I read these articles for years and came to believe that a turkey was darn near impossible to take with a bow unless you used a blind or other solid obstacle to hide your draw. Back in the day I bow hunted turkeys (pretty much unsuccessfully) year after year. I could get turkeys in bow range but when it came to drawing the bow it was pretty much impossible unless I was completely hidden inside a dark blind or by solid objects like tree trunks or stumps. Back then I totally believed that if you could see the turkeys eye he would 100% see you if you tried to draw your bow. I believed this was a hard and fast rule- Every time –No Doubt- End of story- PERIOD!
Wow have times changed! I now know that not only was that assumption completely false but that drawing my bow while a turkey is looking at me is not only possible but something I can now expect to successfully accomplish 100% of the time even without a blind or any solid cover. I have now bow killed over 50 wild turkeys (including Eastern, Merriam’s, Rios and Osceola) without a blind literally sitting in the open on a chair. If this sounds crazy please read on and let me explain.
I now know that the problem is with the outdated “science” of how turkeys actually see. We have been told over and over how a turkey’s keen eyesight picks up movement unlike any other animal on earth but the reasons why were never explained (or fully understood by most scientists until recently). We were told that a turkey would pick you out of the brush if you were not on the prefect positon with heavy cover to break up your outline (and many times they would still pick you out and high tail for greener pastures) but they never explained why.
The truth is that until the past few years the turkey’s vison was only partially understood. We knew that a turkey was a master of picking hunters out of their vast environment but we really never fully understood why. Now science has uncovered the missing link in bird vision and utilizing this new information correctly can make a world of difference to anyone who is looking to have a wild turkey dinner.
The discovery was made while scientists were studying the incredible navigational skills of migratory birds. They knew birds could navigate with incredible accuracy and in these studies they concluded that birds were actually seeing the extreme low frequency electromagnetic fields of the earth and it is these visual cues that were allowing birds to navigate with incredible accuracy. It is now known that a class of highly electrically conductive proteins called cryptochromes are present in the eyes of most birds (including turkeys) which allows them to actually see extreme low frequency electromagnetic fields visually.
Where this gets really interesting for turkey hunters is when we realize that all living beings also emit extreme low frequency fields through heart rate, regular bodily function and most importantly muscle movement. Literally every time our hearts beat we are emitting extreme low frequency energy that is verifiably visible to turkeys. Simply put when we move our muscles the electrical energy it take to fire the muscles creates a substantial spike in these energy emissions that is readily visible to birds including the wild turkey.
This is why a turkey can see your movement so incredibly well. They are literally seeing the spike in the electromagnetic field that is only present with living movement. Non-living movement (such as branches or leaves blowing in the wind) does not have an associated electrical field and so to the turkey they do not see that movement as living so there by not an instinctual danger concern.
Just like a blinking danger light, when the turkey sees the “flash” of electrical energy from living movement the bird immediately recognizes this movement as something alive and therefore as a potential danger. It is a fact that the larger the muscle being engaged the larger the electrical emission. Also generally the larger the living being (weather it is a squirrel or a man) the larger the electrical emission and the bigger the electronic signature. In most turkey environments humans are one of the largest living beings and therefore are emitting one of the largest electrical signatures. All these factors combine to help us fully understand why the wild turkeys eyesight is so incredibly difficult for even experienced hunters to overcome.
There is an old saying-“With knowledge comes power”. And this statement has never been more true than when one thinks about the visual capacity of the wild turkey. With what we now know about a bird’s visual ability in the electromagnetic realm it stands to reason that masking or blocking these fields would be a great advantage.
Improve your hunting experience with HECS clothing.
Through a series of ‘fortunate accidents” beginning back in 2006 I have been privileged to have been thrust into for forefront of this new understanding of how animals, birds, and fish perceive and use the electromagnetic fields around them to not only navigate but also to identify and avoid danger.
It started as a simple question that many hunters have probably thought about- Why is it that when we get close to animals it is usually not long before we can see their body language change as they become aware of our presents. Certainly we understood the big culprits like sound, sight and scent, but most people who spend much time in close proximity to animals (especially wild animals) have seen this occurrence over and over even when there is no identifiable way for the animal to know we are there. Savvy hunters simply understood that when they get in close they only have a short window of opportunity before the animals just knows you are there. This phenomenon has been aptly labeled “the 6th sense” for decades. It was something we all could see evidence of but until very recently were told didn’t exist in reality.
Now all that has changed! Not only is there quantifiable evidence that the 6th sense exists but when we attenuate (or block) our natural bioelectric signature we begin to realize just how important the role of the electromagnetic environment is in the natural world. As I said the discovery was a somewhat coincidental but fortunate chain of events that began with an initial question and through years of research and testing has now evolved into a patented and proven technology. A technology that is now trusted by tens of thousands of hunters, researchers, photographers, wildlife and marine biologists, tactical military operators and just general animal enthusiasts around the world who desire to get closer, stay undetected or cause less stress on the animals they encounter. We call this technology HECS.
HECS stands for Human Energy Concealment Systems which produces a patented clothing technology which attenuates or captures the electromagnetic emissions of the human body. This is accomplished using an interlocking grid of conductive carbon fiber that is woven into all HECS fabrics. The grid is sized and shaped to capture the human energy signature where it is then held in capacitance until the suit touches ground where it is then dissipated. This is a slight variation of a very proven method for blocking electrical fields called the Faraday Cage principle. HECS blocks about 98% of the human energy field and essentially makes the wearer appear like an inanimate object from the electrical perspective.
When your electrical emissions are blocked, your slow movement is perceived by the turkey much like that of the inanimate movement of branches or grass blowing in the wind. Simply put you can now easily draw your bow, raise your shotgun, or do other slow movements in full view of the bird without the bird realizing that the movement belongs to a living being. This advancement completely changes the game for turkey hunters and for me as a bowhunter has been the biggest single reason why I have become so incredibly successful bowhunting these birds without a blind. The HECS advantage is also a big reason why all my bowhunting adventures has become exponentially more successful since the advent of HECS in 2010. The really awesome thing however is that thousands of hunters around the world are also seeing major benefits of HECS and are spreading the word every day! To learn more about HECS technology or to see the product in action go to www.hecshunting.com or check out HECS StealthScreen videos on YouTube.
As president and founder of HECS LLC it has been the greatest accomplishment of my professional career to be able to play a small part in these exciting discoveries. I have also been truly blessed to have such an amazing team of dedicated professionals who have taken this journey with me and who have played such an integral role in the understanding and success of HECS. It has been a truly amazing and humbling experience to watch an idea that came from a simple question, evolve into a proven technology that is playing a role in the scientific understanding of our world.
The exciting part is that we continue to learn more every day! In that we know the journey is just beginning and it is the journey that makes the life!
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Mike Slinkard is a life long bow hunter, professional archer, successful entrepreneur, and self described science geek from the rural town of John Day Oregon. Mike has spent his life in close proximity to all types of animals. His grandfather was a well known cattle and horse rancher who first instilled Mike’s keen interest in animals and why they react the way they do in different situations. Mike’s insatiable curiosity in this realm led him to team with other professionals to make the HECS discovery in 2009. Mike has hunted all over the world and has taken over 30 species with archery gear including 48 elk to date. Mike currently hosts “Hunting with HECS TV” on the Pursuit Channel. He has also written many bow hunting and archery articles as well as being a guest on many different hunting podcasts.