On the fourth day of sitting out in nature I finally got my 2019 bird. He started gobbling like crazy around ten am, but was quite a ways away. I was able to easily keep him located and using cover crept to around sixty yards of him which took me a little over an hour. A little more calling and he appeared out of the evergreen line on the river bluff right in front of me. I was hoping he'd come a little further, but he was strutting and gobbling, looking for the hen he thought was coming and didn't seem like he was going to come closer. I dropped him after lining up a nice shot, I figured he was between forty and fifty yards, and rangefinder confirmed forty five. A little further than what I'm happy with, but he dropped nicely with one shot. I've never had one this hot this early in the season. He was responding to every call that I made, and was gobbling at every occasional hen and Tom. (https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190430/af67946b81106e05d4f2a1eb55cb468b.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190430/9532492867287c4bad546062b34393d3.jpg)
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Congrats on a nice bird
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Way to go. Is that a true merriam or hybrid? The tail feathers look a little darker for a merriam.
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I've gotten some purer Merriam and Rios out there, but mostly the birds are more hybridized in that area.
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I've gotten some purer Merriam and Rios out there, but mostly the birds are more hybridized in that area.
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Congrats! Nice bird and excellent story.
Congrats
Congratulations
Congrats
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Congrats
Congrats! I just left SD, tagged out this morning in the snow!
Congratulations
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Nice, I'll be in black hills end of the month. Can't wait.
:icon_thumright:
Nothing wrong with that. Congrats!! :icon_thumright:
Nice bird, congrats
Quote from: Crghss on April 30, 2019, 07:55:24 PM
Nice, I'll be in black hills end of the month. Can't wait.
We'll be out there in a couple weeks as well. I was just out in the Hills for some meetings...did a little scouting but didn't find time to get out hunting. Talked to a guy I trust and he said they're gobbling pretty well now. Sounds like we'll both be doing some true late season hunting.
congrats
Quote from: SoDak_JD on May 02, 2019, 11:46:54 PM
Quote from: Crghss on April 30, 2019, 07:55:24 PM
Nice, I'll be in black hills end of the month. Can't wait.
We'll be out there in a couple weeks as well. I was just out in the Hills for some meetings...did a little scouting but didn't find time to get out hunting. Talked to a guy I trust and he said they're gobbling pretty well now. Sounds like we'll both be doing some true late season hunting.
Good luck! There's some beautiful Merriams out there.
Nice bird, Congrats
Quote from: Swenny on May 07, 2019, 08:09:42 AM
Quote from: SoDak_JD on May 02, 2019, 11:46:54 PM
Quote from: Crghss on April 30, 2019, 07:55:24 PM
Nice, I'll be in black hills end of the month. Can't wait.
We'll be out there in a couple weeks as well. I was just out in the Hills for some meetings...did a little scouting but didn't find time to get out hunting. Talked to a guy I trust and he said they're gobbling pretty well now. Sounds like we'll both be doing some true late season hunting.
Good luck! There's some beautiful Merriams out there.
Thanks much! I bagged my first prairie Merriam's last season near the Missouri River. Hoping for my first Hills one this year.
Nice bird, by the way!