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Merriam turkey hunt suggestions
Posted on 4/17/24 at 7:10 am
Posted on 4/17/24 at 7:10 am
Want to complete the grand slam next year. Anyone have any suggestions for an outfitter in North or South Dakota, Montana or Idaho??
This post was edited on 4/17/24 at 7:20 am
5
Posted on 4/17/24 at 9:20 am to dbllung
If you go to Montana, stay on the East side of the continental divide.
I travelled to Kalispell/Whitefish (northwest) to get a Merriam. Turns out, the State only started repopulating turkeys in the southeast corner of Montana back in the day.
This pissed off a rancher who drove to SE US and brought back some Eastern turkeys which mixed with the native Merriams.
Most of the birds in Flathead Valley are all eastern/merriam hybrids.
Still awesome birds to hunt, and sound just like our birds in SELA/Mississippi.
There were still some Merriams there, but they were higher up the mountains on timber land.
I travelled to Kalispell/Whitefish (northwest) to get a Merriam. Turns out, the State only started repopulating turkeys in the southeast corner of Montana back in the day.
This pissed off a rancher who drove to SE US and brought back some Eastern turkeys which mixed with the native Merriams.
Most of the birds in Flathead Valley are all eastern/merriam hybrids.
Still awesome birds to hunt, and sound just like our birds in SELA/Mississippi.
There were still some Merriams there, but they were higher up the mountains on timber land.
Posted on 4/17/24 at 10:40 am to dpier16
There are no turkeys native to Montana. All turkeys in Montana came from transplants. The original transplants in 1954 were wild Merriam’s from Colorado (where they are native) into central Montana, followed by wild Merriam’s from Wyoming (where they are not native) into southeastern Montana. Since then, descendants of those birds have been transplanted into various other areas in Montana, but never into NW Montana because that area wasn’t deemed suitable habitat. The birds in NW Montana came from illegal releases of pen-raised easterns. As Merriam’s populations expanded across the state they intermingled with the easterns, and now western Montana is a mish-mash of Merriam’s, easterns, and mixed birds. If you want to shoot a true Merriam’s, stick to the eastern part of Montana.
Posted on 4/17/24 at 9:03 pm to dbllung
I’m headed to Utah in a couple of weeks to hunt merriams. I’ll let u know how it goes.
Posted on 4/17/24 at 10:09 pm to dbllung
Have a few Slams behind me.
If looking for classic buff white tip presentation; look at Wyoming or the Desert SW. Arizona and NM.
The Dakota birds look more hybrid “Mer-Rio”; but, definitely behave Merriam. We hunted the Oglala Sioux Reservation and some private land there.
I’m many years removed from Idaho; but; what we saw was sort of Merrio too.
If looking for classic buff white tip presentation; look at Wyoming or the Desert SW. Arizona and NM.
The Dakota birds look more hybrid “Mer-Rio”; but, definitely behave Merriam. We hunted the Oglala Sioux Reservation and some private land there.
I’m many years removed from Idaho; but; what we saw was sort of Merrio too.
Posted on 4/18/24 at 12:58 am to dbllung
If you want to hunt Merriam’s in their native range, they originally occurred in the mountains of southern Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona. Merriam’s everywhere else in the U.S. came from transplanted birds.
Posted on 4/18/24 at 9:43 am to dpier16
I have hunted the valley around Trout Creek in NW Montana many times. It's in the general area you're talking about.
Lots of turkeys and very few hunters. We never had trouble getting permission. And yes there seems to be a mix of birds that look Eastern and birds that look Merriams.
CSB: One afternoon my nephew and I got on a gobbling turkey at a gravel road intersection. Called him straight down the road on a string and my nephew killed him. Beautiful bird and definitely appeared to be a full Merriam with white feather tips etc.
While we were standing over the bird another one started gobbling straight down the road the opposite direction. We went back to the same tree and switched around to the other side. Five minutes later I shot the turkey and it was a straight Eastern. Just as black as a bird from Mississippi.
Somewhere I've got a picture of us holding those two turkeys side by side and they look very different
Lots of turkeys and very few hunters. We never had trouble getting permission. And yes there seems to be a mix of birds that look Eastern and birds that look Merriams.
CSB: One afternoon my nephew and I got on a gobbling turkey at a gravel road intersection. Called him straight down the road on a string and my nephew killed him. Beautiful bird and definitely appeared to be a full Merriam with white feather tips etc.
While we were standing over the bird another one started gobbling straight down the road the opposite direction. We went back to the same tree and switched around to the other side. Five minutes later I shot the turkey and it was a straight Eastern. Just as black as a bird from Mississippi.
Somewhere I've got a picture of us holding those two turkeys side by side and they look very different
Posted on 4/18/24 at 10:00 am to dbllung
New Mexico...DIY....From Capitan to Timberon and Almost Alamogordo to Mayhill. An area about the size of Rhode Island that is almost entirely public land open to hunting and lousy with Turkeys. The damned things are almost a nuisance. MAYBE not quite that many but the area is full of them and almost no one bothers them because it is such a vast area open to hunting and the population of people is very low. Over the counter tags good for nearly the entire state, especially for Merriams. It is entirely possible to kill Turkeys in the area and spend a month or so and never see another living soul....it is damn near paradise if youre bent that way....
Posted on 4/19/24 at 12:45 pm to tomcatrav
Thanks! I’ll look for your report!!
Posted on 4/19/24 at 12:46 pm to wiltznucs
Thanks!! I’ll look into NM and Arizona
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