NM Merriams..Best tips ??

[Texforce]

It looks as though I might get to make a trip around Albuquerque to hunt Merriams. I'm pretty fired up about this opportunity !! I have lots of experience w/Rios, but none w/Merriams. I'm looking for tips on any of the differences I might experience w/the Merriams. My Rio hunting typically consists of getting him to gobble - then allowing him to hunt me, instead of calling a bunch to him. Would I treat a gobbling Merriams the same way, or stay on him and keep him gobbling?? Thanks for any input. It will be greatly appreciated.  Good Huntin' 

[WisTurk]

I'll be watching this one too as I'm heading out to SD next month to try my luck at a Merriams for the first time.  I've only hunted easterns so far myself, and they can be rather finicky depending on the day.

[jims]

Where I hunt merriams in Colo there is gobs of country with few turkeys.  It's a matter of covering lots of country to find the few that exist.   Where I live on the Front Range in Colo the mountain merriams are often in the ponderosa zone...and that's generally where they roost.

From my understanding...rios are considered river bottom birds.  The rios I've hunted in Nebraska can often be found in the same roost trees night after night.  I'm not sure the same is true with merriams?  Obviously behavior and location often change from one end of the season to the other with both species.

[hobbes]

Gobblenut can probably give you some good advice since he's in NM, but they should act similar to the Merriam's I've hunted in CO, NE, and MT.   As a generalization l call to these birds a lot, but I'll call to an Eastern a lot if I think it's necessary.  However, do not assume that all Merriam's are easy and just come running.  You can and will find stubborn Merriam's.  I've found a number of them that I could not kill and a number of them that took some finess similar to an eastern.

Merriam's, especially those in the mountains, like to cover ground.  I would consider them nomadic.  You may find one that roosts in the same location nightly or they may be roosted in the next zip code.  This is where covering ground to locate helps.  Sitting and being patient and hoping a bird shows up could be effective, boring as heck, if you were hunting transplanted riverbottom/farm country Merriam's.  But......under most circumstances with mountain birds, you're going to need the legs that God gave you to find these birds.

I've had good luck roosting them but to be honest out of a good number of Merriam's I don't think I've killed one right after flydown like I have Easterns.  I flat out missed one a couple years ago that came in after flydown and startled me when he gobbled at 10 yards behind a cedar.  It has really just been the nature of how I've hunted them.  I seldom get set up on one before flydown because I'm always hunting new locations and traveling to hunt in big country.  The first time I hear one may well be a mile away and the first time I've set foot on the spot or the first chance I've had to visit the spot since the previous year.  I'm usually playing catch-up to a bird that is already on the move or I'm prospecting from trails and ridge tops with a call.

Good luck!

[Texforce]

Good stuff, Hobbes - thanks so much. Any more info from you Merriams guys??

[codym]

I believe Hobbes hit it about right. NM seems to be getting hammered pretty hard now so be prepared to work hard to find a bird you can call in on public land. When they have been called to and busted a lot they pretty much go silent on the ground (I also think this has to do with predation as I usually call in at least one coyote a day). Get up high and move slow, its easy to bust birds. If you hear a hot bird gobbling during the day go to him no matter how far away as that maybe your only chance! Birds move a bunch but in my experience if they aren't getting bumped they will use the same area to roost.

[Rapscallion Vermilion]

Hobbes' and codym's characterizations ring true for NM.  Bring an extra pair of lungs too.  Expect to hunt at around 9000 feet elevation.  The state does get hit pretty hard.  Be prepared to cover a lot of miles on foot.  The scenery is spectacular.  You will have to travel a couple or few hours from Albuquerque to get into birds.  I like to hunt uphill when I can.  Carrying 20 lb bird 1000 feet out of a canyon at this altitude is no mean feet.  It is also easy to get turned around.  Bring a GPS.  I haven't found the Merriam's to be any harder or easier than Easterns or Rios, but locating them is harder.

[Crawl79]

Heading to NM next week. Will be first Merriams hunt and first hunt for anything in the mountains. I have been hunting Rio's in midwest for last 4 years but expect this trip to be a little different and can't wait for the scenery.

Someone did mention calling in coyotes. I noticed when I bought my tags that you had to pay for a license to hunt coyotes? Where I come from we shoot them on sight. Would that not be a good deal while hunting National Forest in NM?

My hiking boots aren't completely broke in but have been training for over 6 months but I guess there is no way to train for those kinds of elevation when you live about 35' above sea level..

[codym]

Someone did mention calling in coyotes. I noticed when I bought my tags that you had to pay for a license to hunt coyotes?

In order to get a turkey tag you have to buy a general hunting license so your good to hunt coyotes. I honestly don't think you need a license to hunt coyotes, but when I went back and looked in the rule book I couldn't find that anywhere.

[Texforce]

VERY good stuff, gentlemen. I appreciate it. CRAWL - please let us know how your hunt goes. Thanks again, and Good Huntin'

[GobbleNut]

Sorry I wasn't around to join in this conversation,...was out chasing those very Merriam's.  Much good advice has already been given by others, but I will add my half-cents worth.

First, find gobbling turkeys before you start hunting.  NM Merriam's, even hard-hunted ones, are perfectly willing to let you know where they are just about every morning of the season,...and often in the evening, as well.  Use locator calls at first and last light and keep moving until you find a gobbling bird,...and preferably several. 

Second, there are two ways to kill our birds.  Some are not likely to come to a turkey call,...but you can ambush them because they gobble a lot.  But if you get on the wrong bird that will not come to your calling,...and you think that if you just keep calling at him he will change his mind as some point,...you are likely to have a long and frustrating hunt. 

The second way to kill our birds is to keep looking until you find one that wants to play.  They are out there,...but sometimes you have to run through a bunch of gobblers that won't play until you find the one that will.  When you find the right gobbler, he will give you the "classic" hunt,...come in gobbling and strutting.  Of the two ways to kill them, you can choose which one suits you.  (I know which one I prefer)

Finally, I think too many people equate public-lands Merriam's with the stories we all hear about lightly-hunted private land birds that stereotype Merriam's gobblers as being easy to kill.  Indeed, they can be if you get on the right one by chance.  But if you come here thinking that killing one of our public-lands birds is going to be a walk in the park, you may be in for a very rude awakening.

Be prepared to hunt hard to find your NM Merriam's gobbler.  The altitude they are at is a killer,...and if you are not in shape for that, and you underestimate these birds, you will go home with a new respect for hunting these turkeys.

[Crawl79]

VERY good stuff, gentlemen. I appreciate it. CRAWL - please let us know how your hunt goes. Thanks again, and Good Huntin'

Looked at the weather for the week and  decided to leave 12 hours early to get an early start with the weather looking so good the next few days.

Left Louisiana a few hours ago and now the long ride across Texas.

Will let everyone know how I'm doing once I get started.

[Tomfoolery]

VERY good stuff, gentlemen. I appreciate it. CRAWL - please let us know how your hunt goes. Thanks again, and Good Huntin'

Looked at the weather for the week and  decided to leave 12 hours early to get an early start with the weather looking so good the next few days.

Left Louisiana a few hours ago and now the long ride across Texas.

Will let everyone know how I'm doing once I get started.

Thanks. Will be waiting for update. Thinking about going for merriams next year myself. Haven't yet decided on SD or NM though. Thinking if we do SD we can stop and hunt kansas a couple days on the way home. Good luck!!

[Crawl79]

I wanted to try SD as well but girlfriend has friends here and a shorter drive. Plus I get to see mountains. Saw my first two elk this am. Already planning a return.

Will be making first hunt shortly.

[sasquatch1]

Good luck


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