Turkey hunting forum for turkey hunting tips

What's your favorite turkey species? Whether for hunting, for looks, or otherwise.

Easterns are near and dear to my heart. A big boy coming through some early morning timber really gets the heart going... BUT

I'd love to get a Goulds. They look incredible.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'm being petty, but there are 2 species. Meleagris gallopavo and Meleagris ocellata.

Of the 5 subspecies of Meleagris gallopavo, I'd go with Goulds first and Merriams from a distance and Rios up close. A Rio up close and in the sun has so many bronzes and greens.

To hunt, hands down Southern swamp Easterns. They should be listed as a separate species as those boys are tough.

Easterns, especially southeast Easterns.

Merriam's and Rios as for the overall colors of the gobblers  ....

Merriam's for color, Rio's for their vocalization, and Easter's for their workability, Don't know about Osceola's...Yet

I grew up on Osceolas so they get the nod, followed closely be Easterns.

Quote from: PalmettoRon on December 29, 2023, 09:13:04 AM
I'm being petty, but there are 2 species. Meleagris gallopavo and Meleagris ocellata.

Of the 5 subspecies of Meleagris gallopavo, I'd go with Goulds first and Merriams from a distance and Rios up close. A Rio up close and in the sun has so many bronzes and greens.

To hunt, hands down Southern swamp Easterns. They should be listed as a separate species as those boys are tough.

Yes, correct! I sometimes space the distinction to our colorful peacock lookin ones to the south!  Unreal birds though!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Ridge Roamer Eastern's, but I love 'em all......

Eastern

I'm coping out on this one but I just like turkeys. All of them. Just chasing them all. Bubba

I've killed plenty of each subspecies but the eastern has my heart. Nothing can compare to a big timber eastern's gobble and drumming. Especially larger framed birds in the hills. That being said, each subspecies has their own quirks that I enjoy. Rios and Merriam's, their tendency to gobble more at all times of day and after fly up in the evening. Which is also their major vulnerability. Osceolas, the terrain you chase them in is my favorite part.

I'd be fine to hunt mountain easterns from now till I croak.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Easterns even though I would like to hunt the other species.

All I know are Easterns, and that's enough. But man a good Florida Osceola is something that I want to chase after one day.

Got to love those hard gobbling and "come in from a mile away" Rios.

Quote from: davisd9 on December 29, 2023, 09:49:44 AM
Easterns, especially southeast Easterns.

X2

I have an extremely limited perspective. However, an eastern Appalachian mt gobbler with a little age on him that has scratched out an existence without the help of cornfields, and grainfields has an edge to him that I appreciate. He ain't the biggest, with a long beards and sharp spurs, but when he gobbles, he gobbles like he owns the world, and you typically gotta go earn him. I have killed and had a hand in helping get some really nice lowland easterns killed. While they were trophy sized birds, they didn't give me half the battle these mountain birds do. That's where I get maximum fun.
I have never hunted them, but I can imagine a hard hunted swamp eastern or Osceola being on that level.

I'll start with my least favorite.

Osceola - I hate the territory they call home.  (everything bites and stings)
Rio - They are fun, but again, the territory they call home isn't as interesting as others.
Merriam - The Rockies are a really cool place.
Eastern - In my opinion, it doesn't get much more enjoyable than chasing an Appalachian mountain Eastern. 

Interesting replies.  I suspect most of us favor the subspecies we are most familiar with and in the habitat we have gravitated towards preferring. I am no different.  I "cut my teeth" hunting Merriam's gobblers in the high, public-land mountains in the southwest and they are most dear to my heart.

Having hunted all five subspecies a bit, I have determined for myself that all of them have their ups and downs...depending on where, when, and how you must hunt them.  Put a guy on any of them in ideal circumstances and when they are in the right frame of mind and they can be pushovers...and conversely, hunt any of them when they are not and all of them can be frustratingly difficult.  Regardless, I think most of us are gonna "dance with the one that brung us". 

Quote from: Happy on December 30, 2023, 12:17:41 PM
I have an extremely limited perspective. However, an eastern Appalachian mt gobbler with a little age on him that has scratched out an existence without the help of cornfields, and grainfields has an edge to him that I appreciate. He ain't the biggest, with a long beards and sharp spurs, but when he gobbles, he gobbles like he owns the world, and you typically gotta go earn him. I have killed and had a hand in helping get some really nice lowland easterns killed. While they were trophy sized birds, they didn't give me half the battle these mountain birds do. That's where I get maximum fun.
I have never hunted them, but I can imagine a hard hunted swamp eastern or Osceola being on that level.

X100!!!

Give me the eastern all day, every day , and twice on Sunday . All kidding aside that's all I've known.

Hunted them all. Something about Osceolas in the Everglades that feels the most wild!

With that being said a gobbling hardwoods eastern is exciting.

They are all great who am I kidding


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

For the experience and the beauty of the land there is nothing like hunting the Gould's in the Sierr@   Madre Mountains of Mexico. For my go to, it's the Eastern due to the fact that that's what is available to me on a daily basis.  I have hunted them all and the one I'm on is my favorite!

Quote from: Tail Feathers on December 29, 2023, 09:49:34 PM
Got to love those hard gobbling and "come in from a mile away" Rios.

This!

But nothing beats an Eastern's gobble.  Just wish they did it all day long at any and everything like Rio's lol.

For me, it's more a matter of what scenery I hunt them in than which color tail feathers I most prefer.  There's chapters to be written on each and every one......both pro and con.  Thought I'd share a pic of a place where I've hunted each of the 5 subspecies of Meleagris gallopavo.

The Eastern:

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/33922820058_131fd7a266_c.jpg)

The Rio Grande:

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51012891552_36a9b55ffc_z.jpg)

The Merriam's:

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53440607550_fe6fa5a1e7_c.jpg)

The Osceola:

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50997939909_92ef2d43dd_c.jpg)

The Gould's:

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51021093556_15f9c20725_z.jpg)

Hopefully, a pic for Meleagris ocellata coming in the near future...........    :z-guntootsmiley:

Quote from: Yoder409 on January 03, 2024, 12:00:02 PM
For me, it's more a matter of what scenery I hunt them in than which color tail feathers I most prefer.  There's chapters to be written on each and every one......both pro and con.  Thought I'd share a pic of a place where I've hunted each of the 5 subspecies of Meleagris gallopavo.

The Eastern:

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/33922820058_131fd7a266_c.jpg)

The Rio Grande:

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51012891552_36a9b55ffc_z.jpg)

The Merriam's:

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53440607550_fe6fa5a1e7_c.jpg)

The Osceola:

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50997939909_92ef2d43dd_c.jpg)

The Gould's:

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51021093556_15f9c20725_z.jpg)

Hopefully, a pic for Meleagris ocellata coming in the near future...........    :z-guntootsmiley:

That's awesome yoder, love Easterns (all I've ever hunted) and hope to hunt turkeys in a few of them locales in the future....

Sent from my moto g power 5G - 2023 using Tapatalk

Quote from: Yoder409 on January 03, 2024, 12:00:02 PM
For me, it's more a matter of what scenery I hunt them in than which color tail feathers I most prefer.  There's chapters to be written on each and every one......both pro and con.  Thought I'd share a pic of a place where I've hunted each of the 5 subspecies of Meleagris gallopavo.

The Eastern:

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/33922820058_131fd7a266_c.jpg)

The Rio Grande:

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51012891552_36a9b55ffc_z.jpg)

The Merriam's:

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53440607550_fe6fa5a1e7_c.jpg)

The Osceola:

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50997939909_92ef2d43dd_c.jpg)

The Gould's:

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51021093556_15f9c20725_z.jpg)

Hopefully, a pic for Meleagris ocellata coming in the near future...........    :z-guntootsmiley:

These pics speak volumes. I'd love to put myself there. Super jealous!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yoder's 1st pic suites me just fine. All I know are easterns. There was a time when I can fancied the idea of bagging one of each sub species but those days have long since fallen to the wayside. Gobblers in the hardwoods  puts me at peace.

Merriam's in the hills/mountains of the west is where it's at for me.

Easterns, specifically in the ozark mountains.

I've only hunted easterns here in north Florida.  High pressure public land at that.  Ours birds don't gobble much.  But getting setup on a bird in a pine thicket that was previously burned and has ferns growing back is a great scene. Usually gotta be around a creek bottom for good roosting.  Most mornings once they hit the ground you aint getting to many more gobbles out of them unless its just the right day for that bird. 

Sent from my SM-S918U1 using Tapatalk

I have only hunted Eastern Turkey so I will comment on what I would like to hunt most that that would be the Merriam's both for their buetiful markings and the mountainous area's they tend to inhabit as I have never seen mountains before and they the Gould's turkeys also for their beautiful plumage.

Quote from: Sir-diealot on January 05, 2024, 11:41:03 PM
I have only hunted Eastern Turkey so I will comment on what I would like to hunt most that that would be the Merriam's both for their buetiful markings and the mountainous area's they tend to inhabit as I have never seen mountains before and they the Gould's turkeys also for their beautiful plumage.

There's something about those white tips.....if you're used to seeing Easterns....... the first several times you see one blow up into strut.

The first time I saw a Gould's go into strut, he was in a shaded creek bottom under some big pines.   It looked, to me, like someone had turned a fluorescent light on.  He had a hen and WAS NOT about to come.  So I started calling more to her than him.  She came.  He followed.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/4209/35009775153_b686022256.jpg)

Quote from: Yoder409 on January 06, 2024, 06:16:40 AM

Quote from: Sir-diealot on January 05, 2024, 11:41:03 PM
I have only hunted Eastern Turkey so I will comment on what I would like to hunt most that that would be the Merriam's both for their beautiful markings and the mountainous area's they tend to inhabit as I have never seen mountains before and they the Gould's turkeys also for their beautiful plumage.

There's something about those white tips.....if you're used to seeing Easterns....... the first several times you see one blow up into strut.

The first time I saw a Gould's go into strut, he was in a shaded creek bottom under some big pines.   It looked, to me, like someone had turned a fluorescent light on.  He had a hen and WAS NOT about to come.  So I started calling more to her than him.  She came.  He followed.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/4209/35009775153_b686022256.jpg)

They sure are a pretty bird. Rio's seem to be very tall from videos I have seen, that is kind of a neat characteristic. I was supposed to hunt Rio's but then Covid happened and then my sister died and the guy that was supposed to guide me had lost his license for a time. With my sisters passing I doubt I will ever be in OK ago unless the nephews get married, I don't see that happening anytime soon and for them I hope not, they have a lot a maturing to do before they think of getting married.

Quote from: Sir-diealot on January 07, 2024, 03:39:45 PM

Quote from: Yoder409 on January 06, 2024, 06:16:40 AM

Quote from: Sir-diealot on January 05, 2024, 11:41:03 PM
I have only hunted Eastern Turkey so I will comment on what I would like to hunt most that that would be the Merriam's both for their beautiful markings and the mountainous area's they tend to inhabit as I have never seen mountains before and they the Gould's turkeys also for their beautiful plumage.

There's something about those white tips.....if you're used to seeing Easterns....... the first several times you see one blow up into strut.

The first time I saw a Gould's go into strut, he was in a shaded creek bottom under some big pines.   It looked, to me, like someone had turned a fluorescent light on.  He had a hen and WAS NOT about to come.  So I started calling more to her than him.  She came.  He followed.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/4209/35009775153_b686022256.jpg)

They sure are a pretty bird. Rio's seem to be very tall from videos I have seen, that is kind of a neat characteristic. I was supposed to hunt Rio's but then Covid happened and then my sister died and the guy that was supposed to guide me had lost his license for a time. With my sisters passing I doubt I will ever be in OK ago unless the nephews get married, I don't see that happening anytime soon and for them I hope not, they have a lot a maturing to do before they think of getting married.

There's not ANY of the subspecies a guy should turn down a chance to go somewhere and hunt.

I call it "looking at different trees".   I know my home turf about as well as the turkeys do and, over the years, I used that to my great advantage.   But, to me, it's awesome to get tossed into a new scenario.   Tests what your (my) turkey I.Q. is really made of.

And the WIDE differences in terrain and scenery......

Quote from: GobbleNut on December 30, 2023, 08:26:24 PM
Interesting replies.  I suspect most of us favor the subspecies we are most familiar with and in the habitat we have gravitated towards preferring.

Regardless, I think most of us are gonna "dance with the one that brung us".

There it is...

I have hunted Rio's...  I have nothing to compare to.  But will say that Merriam's are on my list...  Birds hold some appeal, as does the country they inhabit...

Eastern for his gobble, the others just sound so weak in comparison.

Easterns if I had to pick one. Merriams in the mountains are a close second.

Merriams. Simply because they live in the prettiest places that I get to hunt. Places that will make a man stop and look in awe of what the Lord has created.

My favorite kind of turkeys are ones that gobble. If I had to pick a species it would have to be easterns, since I grew up hunting them. Z

I have only hunted Rios. Marriams are what I want to go for.

We have Rios and Easterns here in Oklahoma, and I gotta say I love how eager the those dumb Rios are when they get fired up. I've found the Easterns in OK to be pretty smart. I enjoy hunting them both, giving the edge to the Rio Grande.

For the white on their tail feather, Merriam and Goulds. But i have only seen them in pictures and most probably forever will.

I hunt easterns in normal easterns landscape and it's fine to me. I love to be in them Turkey Woods...

Growing up hunting SC easterns I' really want to lean that way but ill give the edge to a Osceola in a south Florida oak hammock. Never noticed much difference in their gobbles, and that habitat is hauntingly beautiful. Rio's and Merriam's are beautiful birds they just don't bring the thunder. Gould's in Chihuahua was definitely the hunt of a lifetime and to me the most beautiful as far as plumage, and landscape inhabited, but something about that childish gobble knocks them down a peg overall.

I don't think I have a real vote as I have only hunted Eastern and Osceola.  But I know when I get in a creek bottom with a gobbling Eastern, I am gonna have fun. 

This is the remnants of an old bridge that crossed this creek headed to a still from way back.  All the locals know the little 2 track that leads to it as "The Still Road".  Battled a few gobblers around this creek and others just like it. 

If I had to pick it woulda be a hardwoods eastern in big hilly country, but generally whichever one is behind my bead!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 Not to be short.....but whatever turkey is setting in front of me when I set my  down!

I love them all the same when the bead meets their waddle!

Turkeys are kinda like women.......talk to which ever one is listening......ugh responding!!!  I love them all....

Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk

Nothing can top easterns in the hardwoods. With that said I am falling in love with those Merriams out west. The scenery and willingness to gobble sure make it fun


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Eastern all day long...
Osceola's ain't too bad either...

 I've never hunted turkeys outside of a 10 county radius here in N.C., so Eastern's is it for me.  If that's all I ever get to hunt, that's fine too.  I don't know any different, but I know I've loved the pursuit and the challenge from every one of them.  From the ones that hang up and gobble 400 times to the ones that come in drumming only, just as long as they keep coming in, I'm good with that.

Jim

I've only hunted swamp easterns, so I guess easterns.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Easterns for sure

Eastern


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Dirty south easterns

Alive ones

Love them all but there is nothing like a big ole eastern.