Merriams Info

[longbeard11]

Hey guys, I am starting my planning/research for a Merriams hunt next spring, and I'm looking for info anyone is willing to share. I have a few options open that I am exploring but would like some opinions please.

First option: I had a door open wide last night for a pure mountain hunt in Idaho, pure strain merriams birds. Definitely excited about this opportunity! Would be hunting with a buddy that lives out there and is familiar with land and the turkeys, giving me a good chance to fill a tag. Anyone hunted Idaho before?

Second Option: Nebraska, guide or DIY, still looking into this. I know of good public land there and a good guide my buddy just used for his bird. Always heard great things on Nebraska. Any thoughts?

Third option: South Dakota Indian reservation hunt. Have some buddies that have done this with great success and I know the Dakotas are beautiful.

If anyone has any other opinions or thoughts I'm wide open. Starting my planning early to ensure we have a great time and hopefully get on some birds. Merriams is my dream bird and would love to go out and punch a couple tags. Thanks in advance guys and God bless!

[GobbleNut]

The birds in Idaho (or any of the other northern states where Merriams were translocated) may well be "pure strain" birds.  I couldn't tell you for sure without looking one of them over "in hand".  However, if killing a true, full-blooded Merriams turkey is important to you, you should probably be looking at hunting the heart of their indigenous ranges in the high mountain country of New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado.  I'm not saying that you can't kill a pure Merriams in those northern, transplanted ranges,...there may well be some there.  Folks on here are regularly discussing whether the gobbler they killed was pure strain this or that.

I am also not going to say that I am the definitive expert on any of this, either.  However, I have seen a whole bunch of gobblers, both Merriams and Rios, taken out of the hearts of their indigenous ranges,...Merriams in the high mountains of New Mexico, and Rios from the center of their ranges in Texas and Oklahoma. 

Here is my take on the subject.  If you have a gobbler in hand, take a look at the iridescent feathers on the rump below the fan.  On a true Merriams gobbler, that iridescence will have an almost black sheen,...with an almost indescribable purplish-silver look.  What they will not have is any kind of goldish-coppery sheen at all.  If you see any kind of gold-copper sheen in those iridescent feathers on the rump, you are almost certainly looking at a bird that is a hybrid of some sort, but certainly not a pure-strain Merriams.

In reality, with the transplanting of subspecies that has taken place over the last few decades, it is probably best not to get too hung up on subspecies "purity".  But if it is important to anybody to know for sure if the bird they shot is a Merriams, Rio, or hybrid, just take a look at those rump feathers. They are a sure give-away.

[longbeard11]

Great advice! Thank u very much!!! Greatly appreciate your helpfulness and info.

When I do kill my merriams I want to try and kill one with as white of tips as possible. They are absolutely gorgeous birds! And while I do want to kill one and fill a tag, I may be a little picky on what he looks like.

[hobbes]

I'd suggest going somewhere where more than one tag is available then you can kill the first Merriam's that comes in and hold out for something on the second tag if the first isn't white enough.  Merriam's have a color range from white to buff with a big majority of them being a somewhere in between with somewhat of a creamy buff color.  Passing up an adult tom for color may not be the wisest choice if you are hunting public land during a limited time frame.

[longbeard11]

Very good point for sure!!!!! I will definitely take that into account!

[LI Outdoorsman]

Honestly I dont get too hung up how pure the strain is I just like hunting turkeys. Its the different terrain and landscapes that are cool. This year I hunted New Mexico for the first time..Ive killed merriams before..they say they got some rios running around there too...I didnt care it was just fun hunting on thousands of acres of Public land which I dont get to do where I'm from..I got on birds but came home empty handed..but I'm definitely going back next year!

[GobbleNut]

Honestly I dont get too hung up how pure the strain is I just like hunting turkeys. Its the different terrain and landscapes that are cool. This year I hunted New Mexico for the first time..Ive killed merriams before..they say they got some rios running around there too...I didnt care it was just fun hunting on thousands of acres of Public land which I dont get to do where I'm from..I got on birds but came home empty handed..but I'm definitely going back next year!

Where were you hunting?  There are definitely some places (northeast corner of the Lincoln NF) where there are now some hybridization issues due to the introduction of Rios in a couple of locations where they should never have been placed.  I killed my first Rio/Merriams hybrid in that area just last week. Right now, it is a localized problem, but will spread as time goes by. 

[Tomfoolery]

I know this has been beat to death but I made a trip to the black hills this year and killed my merriams. I would believe it is a pure strain merriams and there were plenty of birds. Tag is easily available and always an option to hop over to the wyoming side for another hills bird if u tag one early on. This is the bird i killed i would like to believe it is a true merriams

I think idaho would be a beautiful place to hunt and if u have solid connections there i wouldnt rule that out. Good luck.

[LI Outdoorsman]

I was hunting with a friend who lives in Nm..Unit 34 Lincoln NF..alot more people there than I expected but a very cool area

[longbeard11]

Black hills is an amazing area from what I hear, and a hunt I definitely want to experience in the future! Absolutely beautiful bird!!!

[GobbleNut]

I was hunting with a friend who lives in Nm..Unit 34 Lincoln NF..alot more people there than I expected but a very cool area

If you were hunting 34, the birds were most likely full-blooded Merriams.