Our season as of 4/18 (Merriam's)

[hobbes]

Myself and a buddy filled a couple tags last week.* On Thursday we were set up on a tom that hung up strutting back and forth in a field but a distant tom got closer and closer until he'd circled behind us.* I got part way turned around while my buddy kept looking forward toward tom number one.* Tom number 2 came in strutting and drumming behind us, but too far to my right then behind me.* He finally made it around so that my buddy could swing to his left (we are both right handed) and kill him after the tom started clucking and realized something wasn't right.
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We moved on tom number one because he didn't care for the shotgun blast.* He gobbled several times, but had no interest in coming to the call.* An hour later we had another tom located.* After moving on him a couple times, we had him coming.* He too decided to change the rule book and come in nearly behind me up a steep draw.* After standing at the bottom out of site for 15 minutes, he finally started moving up to us.* He was going to pop out anywhere from 25 yards to 10 yards depending on his route up the draw so I stayed on the call to keep him gobbling.* I needed to have my gun pointed at him when he came up.* He gave me one last gobble just before strutting out of the draw nearly down the gun barrel at 25 yards.* There was a few tense seconds before he strutted into a clear shooting window at 23 yards and I filled my first tag of 2017.
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Back at camp

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We still had two more days to hunt, more tags to fill, and a spot to check out in the next district that wasn't too far of a drive.   We did some driving and scouting that evening to locate birds.* We found some birds late that evening just before they went to roost.* That night a little bit of rain rolled in along with cooler temperatures.* The worst of it was the wind.* The rain was done well before morning but the wind wouldn't let up.* I really thought that our hunt for that day was probably going to be a bust, but we headed to the same area where we'd seen the birds the evening before.* We were finally able to hear a gobble between gusts then spotted the flock moving into a spot out of the wind.* The terrain didn't allow for us to move on them much so we had to be patient and hope we could either break a tom away or call the hens in.* We were fortunate that the hens decided they needed to investigate and drug the strutters in with them.* We doubled on two toms at 8 AM.
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Over the weekend I got the kids out some with their limited 399 tags.* Saturday was cold and windy and a bust for my youngest son.* Sunday evening turned into a great hunt with my wife and daughter.* We found some birds a little after 6 PM that were a long way off across a property line that was off limits.* We backed off the property line 35 yards or so and set up.* Just as we sat down, my daughter said "He just gobbled.* He's a lot closer."* I didn't hear it because I was scraping pine cones out from under the tree before sitting down, so I thought she was mistaken, but a series of yelps brought a gobble from 75 yards.  I could see the tom running toward us almost immediately.* He must have been a lone gobbler that hadn't gobble or he'd ran from the other birds that we could still hear.* The tom stopped behind a thick spot at no more than 45 yards and I could hear him drumming.* A few more yelps and few more gobbles and he eased around the cover and stepped across the property line.* A few more slow steps and he was at 30 yards and I whispered "shoot him".* He was a great tom for Olivia's first.* He weighed 19.3 lbs, had a 9 1/4" beard, and his spurs were 13/16 and 11/16".
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I've got one more tag in possession for now (I'll also buy the two western district tags if I get the chance), my wife and son still have limited local tags, my oldest son will have a couple tags, and my dad is coming out as a nonresident hoping for his first Merriam's.* Lots of hunting and fun to go, but probably not enough time to fill all the tags.
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[spaightlabs]

Attagirl Olivia!!!!!!

Nice job amigo.

What's Isaac up to?

[hobbes]

Isaac will be hunting this weekend.

[nitro]

Outstanding!!

They are far and away my favorite subspecies to hunt! Congrats. My Merriams hunt is a mere 10 days away.. I'm ready.

[ddturkeyhunter]

Congrats too all, nice pictures!

[Hooksfan]

I always enjoy reading about your western adventures and dreaming about Merriams. Great story and congrats on your success.

[Gooserbat]

Very nice.  I'm heading out west in about 10 days.  Looking forward to it.

[WyoHunter]

Congrats! Nice pics and beautiful birds.

[fallhnt]

Congrats

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[C.Kimzey95]

Congrats! Awesome stories and birds!

[renegade19]

 

[Dr Juice]

Luv those Merriam white tips. Congrats.