Nebraska bound! No clue what I'm doing!

[ground control]

Hey guys, need a little help please. Me and a buddy recently booked a trip for the second week of May to head to northwest Nebraska to try and get a Merriams. I have wanted to hunt Merriams before I even knew what they were! Well maybe not, but for the last ten years anyway. I guess I'm curious as to what to expect out of em, keeping in mind that they are still, after all, turkeys. I guess it's fairly rough country with ravines/canyons. It's on a 3600acre cattle ranch with a few creek and hardwood bottoms. Should we stay in the bottoms, up high or just where the cattle may be? Are they as fond of cow crap as the birds here (middle tennessee) seem to be? Any help will be tremendously appreciated as I've never hunted anything but Easterns. My buddy has hunted Rios and he's thinking they might be similar, but neither of us really have a clue. Thanks again, I appreciate it!

[HardcoreHunter67]

As far as tactics and other info. Merriams will travel long distances so if he can hear you and responds to your call with a gobble you are more than likely in the game. They tend to spend time on high ground for visiblity and security. High meadows are a good place to be close to. You better also have a comfortable pair of walking/climbing boots. Hard to move around without doing alot of walking.

Buy a very good pair of binos they will be your best investment for your trip. A self supporting turkey vest will also come in handy. Practice shooting from a prone position and don't be affraid to hunt from a standing position behind a tree for visibility sake.

Give yourself plenty of time to hunt. Weather is a big factor out west. If you are planning a 5 day trip make it 7. You can always come home early but you can rarely extend your stay.

READ THIS VERY CAREFULLY!!!!! DO NOT BE AFFRAID TO CALL ALOT, WITH HIGH VOLUME AND AGGRESSIVELY. Merriams, in my experience, are not overly call shy. I have been out west several times and killed 9 so far. Eastern tactics such as soft calling are probably not going to work well. It is usually always windy and you might want to consider toughening up your knees and hands because you might and probably will have to do some crawling to get into position due to the openess of the terrain and yes it is legal to do so out there.

[ssramage]

Should be a good trip! Good luck!

[CT Spur Collector]

My nephew and I were in northwest Nebraska in 2009. We both killed two LBS, had a great time. You won't be disappointed, it's a blast. We went to sleep every night still hearing gobbling and yelping. I never heard so much talk. Don't be suprised when the farmer or guide tells you to get the ceder trees between you and them! I know, stalking. Being a poor ole' boy from PA. that follows all the rules, I was agassed!.  Never ever do it here. Guess what? It's legal there and also blast. Where we were, those birds never see people. Don't be alarmed when and if it's suggested. Good luck.

[mikewhandley]

As far as tactics and other info. Merriams will travel long distances so if he can hear you and responds to your call with a gobble you are more than likely in the game. They tend to spend time on high ground for visiblity and security. High meadows are a good place to be close to. You better also have a comfortable pair of walking/climbing boots. Hard to move around without doing alot of walking.

Buy a very good pair of binos they will be your best investment for your trip. A self supporting turkey vest will also come in handy. Practice shooting from a prone position and don't be affraid to hunt from a standing position behind a tree for visibility sake.

Give yourself plenty of time to hunt. Weather is a big factor out west. If you are planning a 5 day trip make it 7. You can always come home early but you can rarely extend your stay.

READ THIS VERY CAREFULLY!!!!! DO NOT BE AFFRAID TO CALL ALOT, WITH HIGH VOLUME AND AGGRESSIVELY. Merriams, in my experience, are not overly call shy. I have been out west several times and killed 9 so far. Eastern tactics such as soft calling are probably not going to work well. It is usually always windy and you might want to consider toughening up your knees and hands because you might and probably will have to do some crawling to get into position due to the openess of the terrain and yes it is legal to do so out there.

sounds like experience.....my thoughts exactly....lots of walking. be prepared for lots of wind

[schuylkillspur]

Just look for a nice big stand of cotton wood trees and you will find there roost birds usually fly down and head for the high bluffs.

[ground control]

Thanks for all the advice! I got me a good pair of binoculars, a few shells and a vest full of calls! Now as long as I get this in the knot on my shoulders and remember what y'all have said, we may have a chance! Either way I'm just excited to be able to do this and extremely grateful for the opportunity and you folks for pointing us in the right direction.