Just curious, from those of who have done it, how realistic are the odds of success on a DIY hunt for a Rio, Merriam, or Osceola? As in camping out for a few days on a WMA with no prior intel on the ground you will hunt. I've never tried this before, and have only experience hunting Easterns on my farm in Georgia. However, I've always wanted to try my hand out of state. Just find it hard to pay outfitter prices. Any tips or information would be greatly appreciated.
I'll let ya know about the middle of May.
Gonna do Wyoming Merriam's DIY this spring. As for "no previous intel"..............the computer you're reading this on will go far on intel. Google Earth or even Google Maps satellite view.......... Pull up the target state's game dept. website and call a biologist in your intended region. You may even be able to get a warden's number and call him. There's lots of other little tricks to gather "previous intel" sitting right on your couch.
I hunt a few states every year, I plan to hit at least 5 this season. 3 I have never set foot in. I started at the end of last season and narrowed down several WMA or othe public areas, bought the topo maps and have studied the maps for hours. I got 3 places picked for each state and have marked several areas on each of the different places as likely spots to hunt. Called or emailed for info on campsites etc. in each state.I have enough places picked out and enough time set aside for each state to work around hunting pressure,weather lack of Birds etc. There are no guarantees even with paid hunts but you have to plan for sucesss or you are already planning to fail. I'd say you better get busy if you plan to diy this season or you might make a long drive for nothing.
I've done a few DIY hunts and I was successful. There are several good articles available on the topic a quick google search will show them to you. These days no one should feel totally lost with the resources available. To name a few google maps, bing maps, onXmaps, the game commissions website, regional wildlife biologists, and WCOs if you can actually find one to talk to. Mapping software has advanced by leaps and bounds and for the most part it's free!! Using google maps I can practically find the actual tree I climb for deer or sit in front of for turkey. Since you're from GA I'd recommend Florida as your first. I killed 2 long beards and my buddy killed 2 on the same DIY hunt. My dad missed 2 on that hunt. We hunted for 10 days on no quota public land . We flew in 1 day before the season opened drove to and around the WMA and scouted while we hunted when the season opened. If you know how to hunt, can adapt, and don't mind walking I don't see why you couldn't harvest a Florida turkey. If you want some specifics on our hunt PM me. I wouldn't even say it too late to plan a hunt in FL for this year.
If you have the time to do the scouting and research necessary to be reasonably successful, then yes.
If you're trying to do it on a long 3 day weekend, get an outfitter. Nothing more frustrating than to finally find some birds and run out of time.
Personally, I prefer DIY hunts. For me, the entire turkey hunting process includes using my knowledge of turkey habits and behavior to go to an unfamiliar place and find turkeys to hunt, and hopefully put my tag on a gobbler. However, there are places and circumstances where that is just not feasible. This is especially true, as Gamblinman said, when you are on a tight time schedule. If you are flexible on where you go to hunt, and have the time needed, there are lots of places you can travel to and pull off a successful DIY adventure.
Looking at the flip-side of this coin, some folks will pay good money for hunting with an outfitter and on a property where the turkeys are so lightly hunted and plentiful that they are doing nothing more than shooting turkeys rather than hunting them. Again, personally, I would rather hunt for a week and perhaps kill a single gobbler somewhere that, at the end of it all, I actually felt like I had earned that bird than hunt on an exclusive property where I paid a bunch of dollars to pile up a limit of dead gobblers that might as well have been wrapped in plastic in the local supermarket.
Moral of the story is that I will take a challenging DIY hunt over those high-dollar supermarket hunts any, and every, day of the week.
Quote from: StruttinGobbler3 on January 21, 2018, 08:07:57 PM
Just curious, from those of who have done it, how realistic are the odds of success on a DIY hunt for a Rio, Merriam, or Osceola? As in camping out for a few days on a WMA with no prior intel on the ground you will hunt. I've never tried this before, and have only experience hunting Easterns on my farm in Georgia. However, I've always wanted to try my hand out of state. Just find it hard to pay outfitter prices. Any tips or information would be greatly appreciated.
The odds of success can/ will correspond with how much effort you put toward your goal and also, what you deem to be "successful". I wouldn't have it any other way than DIY.
The old rule of thumb for me is to scout two days for every day you hunt. We hope to try a WY public land hunt in mid May during the last days of their season. Have the latest NF Forest map in hand and am already doing a little cyber scouting. This whole visit will be considered a "scouting trip". Hope to make this the first of a few trips out west.
I do it every year. Killed birds in a lot of places simply because I showed up. The key is have a game plan. With a smart phone you have basically every tool except actual boot leather in your hand. Call biologist, and game wardens. Study maps. Read between the lines on puplic forums, Facebook and such.
I do it every year myself. Usually southern states but I'm wanting to branch out. I've struck out twice and I've had trips where I limited with 3 gobblers in 5 days on public land. I really enjoy the trips, trying to plan one now!
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There are many public land places in the west where your chances of success are very good. I'd expect at least a 50% chance if I went just about anywhere in the Black Hills for Merriams (SD or WY) for 3-4 days. I think you'll do very well on DIY hunts in WY, SD, CO, ID, OR, WA if you contact the F&G Depts. first for advice on where to go and then talk to every local you can when you get there. Most don't give a hoot about turkeys and will tell you where they've seen them. Just try to make sure they're talking about recently, not two years ago in the summer. I get lots of info from waitresses in the coffee shops. If you get a chance, talk to a rural mailman. They're the best. The NWTF magazine sometimes has good state turkey forecasts. Just tell the F&G employee turkey biologist or upland bird biologist you talk to you just want to be directed to a general area where there's a decent chance of finding turkeys on public land and then talk to the locals when you get there.
Last year a group of us went to NW Nebraska for the first time. This was a full DIY hunt.
NW Nebraska is a 20 hour drive from where we live. So scouting was done on arrival and using Google maps. We were there during the early archery season. On day 4 I shot a public land Merriams. Locate birds, check maps, make a plan and go try and get your bird.
For me it's more about the adventure. Killing a bird is just a bonus.
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Like someone else mentioned, if you are just going in cold, it is not going to be easy, especially if you only have a couple days to get it done. If you have some reliable intel on where the birds have been, that raises your chance of success. If you are truly concerned about not coming home empty handed, I would look for an outfitter that offers DIY hunts, they should be able to put you where the birds are, and you still get to do all your own hunting, without the scouting.
Not a bad idea. Seen a few of these offered in WA but none, so far, in WY. An outfitter in WA offers a marked public land map but it is pricey IMO.
Quote from: NorfolkHunter on January 24, 2018, 10:10:50 PM
For me it's more about the adventure. Killing a bird is just a bonus.
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:z-winnersmiley: :z-winnersmiley:
It's all how you define success. Unfortunately, that means blood and feathers for many but this is how outfitters make their money. So it works itself out. . . .
Osceola will by far be the toughest because you are limited to where you can chase them while the others reside in several state many of which have massive amounts of public land.Turkey are the perfect animal to learn DIY hunts on imo, easier to hunt and locate then deer or elk. Its also a great time of year to do camping and can even be good for gathering intel on other species. I know all the antelope and deer I saw in Nebraska while hunting got my wheels turning
Going to bump a few of these posts up to keep them on page#1. Going to a NWTF thing this Saturday and will have my Kindle with me to share some of these posts/threads with some other hunters at the banquet. Very good info being posted on this forum.
Quote from: joey46 on January 25, 2018, 06:27:45 AM
Not a bad idea. Seen a few of these offered in WA but none, so far, in WY. An outfitter in WA offers a marked public land map but it is pricey IMO.
Can you tell me the name of the outfitter or folks who offer access to unguided? I think it is a one man game (c) , for me anyway. Thank you!
[/quote]Can you tell me the name of the outfitter or folks who offer access to unguided? I think it is a one man game (c) , for me anyway. Thank you!
[/quote]
One Man is the way to go if the other side of the family doesn't think you need some one to check into incase you need help. My first DIY hunt down to Florida was, sent a tent and some other things down to a UPS store, for in store pick up. Got on to a plane flew down rented a car and went to public management, threw the tent on the groung and started walking. Funnest and most rewarding thing I ever did. PLans on doing the same thing again this year, Florida first, the come home and Drive to Oklahoma, SD Black Hills and then to WY BH. And yes you will find turkeys In WY bh you don't need an out fitter.
Sent you a personal message.
I'd give hunting public land birds near home a go first. I've killed birds on public lands in a few states, including the infamous Osceola. Pressure from other hunters changes things considerably.
If I know somewhere close to you, I will tell you a spot to get a taste of the kind of thing you'll be up against. This will not be a good spot for killing a turkey. It will be a spot where there will be turkeys and also lots of people. :OGturkeyhead:
Quote from: land cruiser on January 30, 2018, 09:16:55 AM
Quote from: joey46 on January 25, 2018, 06:27:45 AM
Not a bad idea. Seen a few of these offered in WA but none, so far, in WY. An outfitter in WA offers a marked public land map but it is pricey IMO.
Can you tell me the name of the outfitter or folks who offer access to unguided? I think it is a one man game (c) , for me anyway. Thank you!
Would a Colorado DIY hunt for merriams turkeys be of interest to you?
Quote from: StruttinGobbler3 on January 21, 2018, 08:07:57 PM
Just curious, from those of who have done it, how realistic are the odds of success on a DIY hunt for a Rio, Merriam, or Osceola? As in camping out for a few days on a WMA with no prior intel on the ground you will hunt. I've never tried this before, and have only experience hunting Easterns on my farm in Georgia. However, I've always wanted to try my hand out of state. Just find it hard to pay outfitter prices. Any tips or information would be greatly appreciated.
So my experience isn't completely the same scenario but in 2016 I was able to complete 2 single season slams on MOSTLY public land. Total days hunted though was closer to 15 for all subspecies though and I had prior experience on both the WMA's where I killed my birds in FL and the one I killed my birds on in GA. For both those states God ordained a miracle because I got drawn for 2 of the best quota hunts in FL that year and my top choice quota hunt in GA.
FL took me 4 days of hunting and a few scout days in between for each area. GA took 3.5 hunt days (shot 3 birds though) and didn't even get on my first bird or hear a gobble until late afternoon on day number 3. Thought I was gonna miss out on the eastern on that one but ended up with 2 in one afternoon and then my best bird ever the next morning to tag out. Just that experience alone was worth it all.
I didn't get to hunt again until early May when I went after merriams. After 1.5 day to scout I shot my 1st bird late on the second afternoon of hunting and then got 1 more the next morning on day 3. The weather got nasty later that day and was forecast to rain for a couple days so me and the other guy I was with headed south and east towards rio country and drove 10 hours to some public land area. We got in checked into a hotel and caught up on some rest and did laundry and stuff then went to scout once the weather started to break.
We scouted for 1 day and ended up getting stuck horribly in the mud and that series of unfortunate events actually led to us getting access to a farmers property where we both shot our 1st rios on 2 separate setups the next morning. We still had planned to hunt for 3 more days and spent the next 2 days bouncing around different public land spots before both again killing the same morning on 2 opposite setups and me completing my 2nd slam.
It was the best season I've ever had and I was able to tag 9 toms in 15 days hunting, killed 2 slams and also my personal best bird ever. The season still in my memory is more like a dream and I'm so thankful I had the opportunity to do it. The time spent in the woods, the moments of pure exhaustion, frustration turning towards exhilaration and moments when I was completely left with my head shaking thanking God because I just couldn't believe the thing that happened, happened and I felt like it was purely him smiling down on me. The goal achieved was great, but the scenery, the sights and sounds, the overall total experience of chasing 4 different but very similar birds in completely different environments and terrains and extremes was what really made it special. To see and experience completely new things and things I'd only ever dreamed about and seen in magazines and on video to see be for my very own eyes was what made it complete though.
So to answer your question, "is it possible"... yes. Is it probable I don't know but what I can assure you of for me is that it was absolutely and completely worth it. I doubt I'll ever be able to replicate in anyway the season the way it played out but I'll be going back after each for sure in parts and at different times because to me what makes the grand slam so special is partially the where each one takes place.
Excellent post "FL Gob". Our long thought about plans for a western hunt have taken a little hit for various reasons but there is still a decent chance I'll do a solo hunt in WY sometime after the Florida season closes 4/22. I'll consider it a five day scouting trip to hopefully be prepared for a more seriously planned excursion in 2019 with one or two others who can't make it this year. For those that think it a bit foolhardy to be venturing into a hunt like this alone I'll add that I have a reliable PLB and am very familiar with both GPS and basic mapping. Hope it all works out. Wish me luck.
BTW - "Hitlist" - there are several "Hitlist" when I google. I'm set up for PMs if you want to send me one also. Thanks.
Quote from: joey46 on February 08, 2018, 06:51:15 AM
Excellent post "FL Gob". Our long thought about plans for a western hunt have taken a little hit for various reasons but there is still a decent chance I'll do a solo hunt in WY sometime after the Florida season closes 4/22. I'll consider it a five day scouting trip to hopefully be prepared for a more seriously planned excursion in 2019 with one or two others who can't make it this year. For those that think it a bit foolhardy to be venturing into a hunt like this alone I'll add that I have a reliable PLB and am very familiar with both GPS and basic mapping. Hope it all works out. Wish me luck.
BTW - "Hitlist" - there are several "Hitlist" when I google. I'm set up for PMs if you want to send me one also. Thanks.
I would be very confident with 5 days to hunt in Wyoming. Start aggravating the biologists in the area now. It can sometimes take quite a while to get one of them on the phone. Have a list of questions and areas in mind to ask them about when you do have the opportunity to speak with them. You don't want to forget an important question and then wait another 2 weeks to catch them again.
And I don't know why anyone would think hunting alone as foolish unless you had some type of medical condition? ???
Do it often...really enjoy it and have had great success.
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Get out and do it! There's something special about looking over maps for months and getting your boots on the ground somewhere you've never been and flopping a longbeard. We've made the trip from Florida and worked on the Merriams the last couple of years, so this year we're heading out to Oklahoma and hopefully have the same success with Rios.
Going out West has become a staple of our turkey season each year. Merriams are a blast if all you have ever hunted is Easterns. They're still turkeys but imo not as moody as an Eastern (they will gobble all day you just have to get around them). Study Google Earth or download the OnX App (my personal favorite being a public land nut) and get to scouting!
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