Got this two year old Thur. Morning in Idaho, thought all Merriams had white tips, this un looks more like a Rio to me. Was told Easterns were introduced here some years back, but this is not the eastern we have in Arkansas.
The top one is from Idaho also, definite difference in tip color, this year a light tan.
Could be a hybrid.
Congrats Greg, that's a good looking bird! :icon_thumright:
Yep looks like a hybrid Killed a rio/eastern hybrid in Kansas that looked just like yours
congrats nice looking turkey
Gawhitaker-
I was in Idaho over the weekend and my dad and I killed two birds. One bird's fan looked like a typical Rio, while the other looked a little more like a Merriams or a Rio/Merriams hybrid. Over the years, we've killed a handful of Easterns up towards Dworshak Reservoir and some that looked like Eastern hybrids.
Congrats on the bird!
We were above Dworshak, thanks fellas for he insight. Rio Fan, Congrats on a great weekend.
unique looking bird...congrats
I dont know to much about Rios or Merriams, but that is a cool looking bird either way. Congrats.....
Might have a little Rio in him but I think he's more Merriam than anything. The white/tan tips are too long to be much else. I killed a Merriam in the Black Hills that had tan tips. Some are just darker than others. If the light tip is a inch or better, he's a Merriam.
Cool looking bird. I have shot Merriam's within 50 yards of each other that have varied from the typical white to more along the shade of your bird. Some are just darker than others.
Thanks fellas, hope i get to come back next year and try for a white tipped one. Good luck to all you folks still hunting
Many Merriams have the buff tips. The depth of the buff strip and the end of the tail fan says Merriams.
I want a white tipped one too, my Merriams is colored like that.