Looking for a great place/state to hunt Merriam's next year. Any recommendations?
NW Nebraska, South Dakota or Wyoming Blackhills, Colorado mountains, Montana, New Mexico.....just pick one and go. Some offer more opportunity in the way of more tags, but they all offer good opportunity if you do your homework.
Very much considering Wyoming, just due to I haven't hunted there. Im looking fro someone who would accept a trespass fee
I've not hunted Wyoming or South Dakota Black Hills (SD Plains once). I just plan on it and never seem to make it. I have hunted CO, NE, and MT. For the most part my hunting is on public land so I can't help you with trespass fees.
If your fine with a tresspass fee, just start knocking on doors, you might even find someone to leave you in for free sometimes. I always hunt public, cheep I guess, and accept the challange public land gives. If thinking of Wyoming, I have seen a lot of birds on private land on edge of Black hills. Just go for it, it all adds to your trip.
One thing every turkey hunter has to ask himself when he is going on an out-of-state hunt is whether or not he/she wants to "hunt" turkeys or just "shoot" turkeys. This is especially true for hunting Merriam's. You can hunt places and under conditions where you are doing nothing but shooting "barnyard" birds,...and you can hunt places where you are actually testing your turkey hunting skills on truly wild birds that behave that way.
If your goal is to kill a Merriam's gobbler by actually "hunting" for them, make sure you ask the right questions regarding that with whomever you are planning on hunting with.