Merriam's Photos

[Hobbes]

Recently been some discussion on the variation in coloration of Merriam's turkeys.  The historical native range of Merriam's turkeys is Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona.  If you look up some history on Merriam's in different states you'll find that Wyoming's birds were transplants from New Mexico and Montana's birds are transplants from Colorado and Wyoming.

I've lived in the West for the last 13 years, so I've got a fair collection of Merriam's photos.  Here are some of those photos from South Dakota, Colorado, Nebraska, Montana.  I hunted NE Washington a few days in the rain several years ago and didn't kill a bird there, so no photos from there to share.  I've not hunted a couple of the more popular western destinations, the Blackhills (WY or SD) or New Mexico.

I took all of the photos (some with a timer), but it is a mix of my own birds along with my kids and a few other folks that have hunted with me.  I've likely posted all of these photos in the past during the respective year they were killed.  The only reason I have more birds from MT is I've hunted here a lot more.  My truck has the miles to prove it also.

I've cropped a couple folks out because I don't know if they want me putting their faces online even though I took the photo.


Colorado






   

[Hobbes]

Nebraska

[Hobbes]

South Dakota Plains.  We killed these birds just east of the Blackhills in 2002 before I moved west.

[Hobbes]

MT's pockets of birds are isolated from each other in many cases by long distances, wide open spaces, and big mountain ranges.  The next four or five sets of photos are all from distinct areas in MT.

All eight of these birds are from the same general area.

[Hobbes]

[Hobbes]

All from within a two or three mile radius over multiple years.  The double for my son and I last year was the more buff colored that we've killed there.  The melanistic bird was on oddball.

[Hobbes]

These birds are both from completely separate areas, but are stand alone birds in that I've only killed one bird in each area.  One is a mountain range the other a riverbottoms bird.  The riverbottoms bird was the heaviest Merriam's that I've killed.

[Hobbes]

Another area.  The birds here are typically a little more on the buff colored end of the spectrum but typically very good looking birds.  The one was wet since it was raining off and on all morning when I killed it.

[Hobbes]

These are all killed within about 10 miles of one another, but the top two were killed within a half mile of each other.  The one that is so red (that my son killed) appeared to be an anomaly (red in most of its feathers), but my daughter's bird was fairly dark too.  The next was within a few miles of the first two.  The bottom two aren't as dark and are from another 15 or so miles away, but still the same pocket of birds.  This area just seems to produce birds that are more towards the buff end of the spectrum.

[Upfold99]

Deff showing variation. Congrats on all the fine birds.

[GobbleNut]

Thanks for taking the time to post all of those photos, Hobbes.  They should go a long way in demonstrating and clarifying the misconceptions it seems quite a few folks have about Merriam's turkeys and how they should look. 

Your photos obviously are from the more northern Merriam's populations, all of which as you say are from transplanted birds.  One observation I might make when comparing the southern-most populations of Merriam's found here in New Mexico with your photos is that the buff coloration seems to be a bit more prominent here. 

If I was to post a similar group of photos from birds taken down this way, I believe the buff coloration would be more typical and apparent,...in general.  I say "in general" because there are those occasional birds that are more along that lighter spectrum, but overall, I think our Merriam's are darker than yours. 

[HookedonHooks]

North Central NE. Can see the MO River border to SD from the top of the "hill".

This is three birds taken from the same tree a year apart. 2018 was the double, second picture is last springs bird. In 2017 I passed on a tom at ten steps that was as dirty as an Eastern as there was a pure white tip hung just out of range. This last year in it seemed this particular property was getting much "whiter" in both hen, and jakes that I observed. The third picture is the fan off of a tom from a river bottom property about 15 miles away where the birds are very bronzed. Was raining that day so don't have great pics of that bird other than the tail. Was my first "Merriam" and has been a blast over the last few years seeing the birds in the area only getting better.






Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Hobbes]

Good looking birds Hookedonhooks.

[HookedonHooks]

Good looking birds Hookedonhooks.

Thank you sir! The group of birds from the area you and your son doubled and the melanistic phase are absolutely gorgeous. All great birds.

[suburbhunter]

Thanks for sharing!!!