Opening day New Mexico Merriam's

[Rapscallion Vermilion]

Our New Mexico season opened on Friday.  I found myself in earshot of four gobblers at first light, maybe three and a gobbling jake by the sound of him.  After about 45 minutes of back and forth with two gobblers, this three year old tom, with another in tow came searching for the lusty raspy hen sounds coming out of my Richard Hudson hen box.  The two gobblers were about 30 yards apart and in the thick ponderosa woods it was tough to decide which one to go for, and when to make a move. At first I thought the trailing bird, then he vanished behind some deadfall, then the front bird, then the other again.  I could see that the lead one, the bigger of the two, would pass behind an enormous ponderosa next to a small clearing with an unobstructed shot.  When he stepped out he stretched his neck and gave a searching cluck for that hen, and that was it.   He had a 9 3/8 inch beard and a 1 1/16" spur on one leg, a 3/4" broken spur on the other. He weighed a bit less than 18 lbs. 



The weather was great on that Friday morning, but Saturday was cold, very windy, with light snow.  It seemed like all the birds vanished that day. I took a much needed nap that afternoon. Sunday came in better than expected and my buddy got his first real turkey-hunted gobbler.  Big smile there. He was using an SS scratch box, one I gifted him last year for helping me out with my dog. That tom rolled an easy 100 yards down the slope from where he shot it.  Took a while to find it. Follow the feathers. Much anxiety, but success in the end.  Monday morning was our last day and while I was working one tom at daybreak, another came sneaking in quietly, directly opposite a tiny pine tree that I thought would make some good low cover.  Cover goes both ways.  My first glimpse was of a tiny bit of movement through the tree.  I suspect it was mutual. The distance between us couldn't have been more than 30 feet.  He started some nervous clucking and decided to go somewhere else.  I didn't like the shot and let him go.  A less than optimum choice of setup on my part.  Had I set up just a few feet to my right and not blinded myself to part of the slope below me, I would have easily seen him coming.  Something else to remember next time.

[Dr Juice]

Awesome. Congrats.

[strutnrut]

Congad's on a nice bird, glad to see that hen box is doing it's part. Feels like a little piece of me was there. 

[marshboy]

Congrats RV!
I always enjoy your posts.
Greg

[codym]

Great job!! I got a buddys daughter a bird on the youth hunt but didn't go for myself on the opener, I will be out there this weekend and everyone after. What kind of dog did your buddy help you with?

[Greg Massey]

Great hunt and nice bird...

[Rapscallion Vermilion]

What kind of dog did your buddy help you with?

Goofball Lab,  aka shutzenpfoofer 

[codym]

Great looking hound! I lost my yellow lab last month she was 15 1/2! We have pointers, GSP's and setters now, but I miss my Sammy dog so In the next year I will take in another lab. Does that dog get feathers in his mouth??

[SteelerFan]

Lots of action, sounds fun! 

[slwayne]

Congrats!  Great story.  Hunting Merriams in New Mexico is on my bucket list.  Probably won't happen until I retire in a few years but it's gonna happen for sure.  Til then I'll just have to live vicariously through great stories on OG.

[cramerhunts]

Congratulations on a very nice bird!

[Tail Feathers]

Congrats on the bird and good luck on getting that other one!

[RutnNStrutn]

Congrats on your gobbler!! You'll get the second one soon. Sounds like you're on them!!

[owlhoot]

Congrats on a nice one!  Really liked the story too.

[JMalin]

Glad someone had some luck up there.  I had a tough time finding a receptive bird.  Plenty of birds willing to gobble their heads off on the roost, just wasn't able to get in close enough to catch one on the fly down or bring one in to my calls.