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General Discussion => General Forum => Topic started by: hobbes on May 17, 2016, 03:12:53 PM

Title: Merriam's 2016
Post by: hobbes on May 17, 2016, 03:12:53 PM
The 2016 Spring Turkey Season was good to us. I always want to fill more tags and we missed out on a couple opportunities for one reason or another, but have no complaints. I hunted one or two areas that I've hunted in the past few years, but all our birds came from all new country.

Sunrise
(http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll195/bowman2925/2016/P1130992_zpsfivv2j9r.jpg)

Cottonwood Riverbottom Merriam's
(http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll195/bowman2925/2016/20160420_101722a_zpsme6smkeg.jpg)

(http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll195/bowman2925/2016/20160420_101331a_zpsrxungv6z.jpg)

Ponderosa Pine Merriam's
(http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll195/bowman2925/2016/20160422_184105a_zpsu5vhjakv.jpg)

My son's two Merriam's from the ponderosas
(http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll195/bowman2925/2016/20160505_103126a_zpshmmjtccv.jpg)

Mountain Merriam's
(http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll195/bowman2925/2016/P1140082_zpsx4r3lgxb.jpg)

(http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll195/bowman2925/2016/20160511_100728a_zpsdm5kcjrk.jpeg)

Sunset
(http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll195/bowman2925/2016/20160513_203050_zpsr0m06smm.jpg)
Title: Re: Montana 2016
Post by: spaightlabs on May 17, 2016, 04:16:36 PM
Nice season Hobbes, and congrats to Isaac as well.

Hope you boys have a great summer and that you have fun with the family, ample precipitation, time to fish, and no severe fires.
Title: Re: Montana 2016
Post by: hobbes on May 17, 2016, 04:27:09 PM
Thanks Spaight. 
Title: Re: Montana 2016
Post by: albrubacker on May 17, 2016, 04:39:55 PM
Awesome pics! Congrats on a great season.
Title: Re: Montana 2016
Post by: J-Shaped on May 17, 2016, 04:58:24 PM
Beautiful pictures. Congrats on a great season in some gorgeous country.
Title: Montana 2016
Post by: BowBendr on May 17, 2016, 05:38:01 PM
Man, those are some great pics of some awesome gobblers. Congrats to you and your son Hobbes !!


2015 Old Gobbler contest Champions
Title: Re: Montana 2016
Post by: cwb04 on May 17, 2016, 05:41:55 PM
Those are some absolutely beautiful birds!  One day I'm going to come up there and hunt.  Way I figureit, see some new and gorgeous country like Montana, killing a turkey would just be icing on the cake.

Congrats to you and your son on a great season!
Title: Re: Montana 2016
Post by: VA Gobble Addict on May 17, 2016, 06:24:01 PM
Awesome birds  :icon_thumright:
Title: Re: Montana 2016
Post by: tomstopper on May 17, 2016, 07:51:37 PM
Quote from: BowBendr on May 17, 2016, 05:38:01 PM
Man, those are some great pics of some awesome gobblers. Congrats to you and your son Hobbes !!


2015 Old Gobbler contest Champions
:agreed: Congrats
Title: Re: Montana 2016
Post by: Tommy Strutsalot on May 17, 2016, 08:20:05 PM
Wow, great pics, awesome job!
Title: Montana 2016
Post by: VaTuRkStOmPeR on May 17, 2016, 09:03:45 PM
Heck of a spring, Hobbes.  Well done.
Title: Re: Montana 2016
Post by: bluegill68 on May 17, 2016, 09:09:40 PM
Outstanding! How high were you for your mountain birds? I would really like to try one in elk country.
Title: Re: Montana 2016
Post by: jamo on May 17, 2016, 09:17:52 PM
Congrats, on a great season. You didn't make it back to so.il. this year?
Title: Re: Montana 2016
Post by: hobbes on May 17, 2016, 09:22:58 PM
The two birds without me in the picture are the same birds as above them just good photos I shared. 
The part of Western Montana that I killed the mountain bird in had big steep mountains but not really high elevation (at least not compared to where I lived and hunted in Colorado ).  I was at approximately 4000 feet.
Title: Re: Montana 2016
Post by: hobbes on May 17, 2016, 09:24:07 PM
No, couldn't make it this year to IL
Title: Re: Montana 2016
Post by: hobbes on May 18, 2016, 12:16:50 AM
Glad you got out Treerooster.  Did you hunt eastern CO or Easterns?  I love these Merriam's but I wish I could hunt hard gobbling Easterns every year also.  I need a job that gives me full pay with the months of April, May,  September, October, November, and December off.  Sort of a reverse teacher's schedule but more money.
Title: Re: Montana 2016
Post by: WyoHunter on May 18, 2016, 12:48:54 AM
Congrats on your hunts this year. Pretty pics!
Title: Re: Montana 2016
Post by: marshboy on May 18, 2016, 06:42:50 AM
Very nice!!
Beautiful birds.
Congrats to you and your family.
Greg
Title: Re: Montana 2016
Post by: Mabren2 on May 18, 2016, 07:54:59 AM
Great season! I'll be vacationing on the Montana/Idaho border this year, and can't wait. It's beautiful out there, would love to be able to hunt it sometime. Congrats!
Title: Re: Merriam's 2016
Post by: birddogdoc on May 18, 2016, 11:40:22 AM
Awesome season
Title: Re: Merriam's 2016
Post by: ILHUNTER on May 18, 2016, 11:57:59 AM
You had an awesome season with some beautiful birds killed.  If you don't mind me asking what location in Nebraska where the birds killed in.  My son and I are planning on heading up there next year and I'm wanting to make we go to a location with good white Merriams.
Title: Re: Merriam's 2016
Post by: njdevilsb on May 18, 2016, 02:24:59 PM
Congrats on a great season.  I need to get out West one of these years and hunt those birds.
Title: Re: Merriam's 2016
Post by: hobbes on May 18, 2016, 02:32:08 PM
ILHUNTER, I did not hunt Nebraska this year, but I've killed multiple Merriam's in the NW corner of the state.
 
I'm probably starting to sound like a broken record, but Merriam's range from a buff to white feather tips, with most of them somwhere between the two extremes.  I've seen them in their native range of SW Colorado with much darker tips than those above, so don't just assume that they have to be white to be a Merriam's.  However, the majority of birds that I've seen in NW Nebraska (one of my favorite places to hunt) are on the creamy half of that scale.
Title: Re: Merriam's 2016
Post by: ILHUNTER on May 18, 2016, 03:45:42 PM
Thanks Hobbes.  Good information.  I've heard NW Nebraska is the best for good white ones if I want to stay in Nebraska.  Long drive but hopefully worth it, been talking with some outfitters in the area to see what my best options are.
Title: Re: Merriam's 2016
Post by: hobbes on May 18, 2016, 05:52:44 PM
Kill that Rio!!!!  I'd love to be headed to NE or WA for a Memorial day weekend hunt.
Title: Re: Merriam's 2016
Post by: WiLL B on May 18, 2016, 10:46:46 PM
Way to go hobbes!!