Hardest bird to kill???

[Tailwalk]

Which of the 4 are the hardest to kill in the US?

I have friends that truly think easterns are the hardest to kill...which is the hardest to kill and why?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[LaLongbeard]

Depends a lot on hunting pressure, population,and the experience level of the hunter.
All things being equal and on public land I'd say
1.Osceola  fragmented habitat and limited public land.
2.Eastern hard hunted public land easterns are as tough as anything in north America.
3.Rio depending on state you can find huge populations in some areas making them easier just by numbers.
4.Merriams no offense to the bird or his home area but I've found them to be some were between a wild turkey and a tame turkey not overly cautious and willing to come to call from a distance, also the open habitat makes seeing them easier.
These are generalizations any one of the 4 could leave you dazed and confused given the right circumstance.

[MISSISSIPPI Double beard]

A old eastern that has seen and heard it all.

[beakbuster10]

One that doesn't want to die


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[catman529]

No idea. Id say henned up easterns in a big ag field can be pretty tough


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[MK M GOBL]

If you are solely talking hunting and not limiting by access to said birds I am going to go with an Eastern. From my experience I can only judge on 3 subspecies having never hunted for an Osceola...

1. Eastern: Toughest birds I have hunted seem to develop an attitude (Wariness) when they see some hunting pressure
2. Rio: Found plenty to hunt in TX & OK birds called well.
3. Merriams: Birds gobbled easy and came to the call once you got in front of where they were going

MK M GOBL

[fallhnt]

The 4 on the KS WIHA that can't be killed with a bow. I walked away from em this year. This is where they live. Go get em gun hunters....please. lol

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

[nitro]

Excluding the MX subspecies (which are hard -only due to the difficulty in getting to one), in my experience any bird can be hard to kill. ( or easy). For me, a true South Florida Osceola is the toughest, only due to the difficulty in gaining access to where he lives.

I've killed more Easterns than any other ( I live in GA)..that said,some of the most willing birds I have killed have been Easterns. I'm talking about the stupid, still dark , pitch down off the roost and land in gun range hunts.

A Merriams with 15-20 hens in his harem living on a huge tract of mountainous land with an agenda to travel faster than you can keep up is tough..

Just like a Rio that lives on the other side of the fence from property you don't have permission to hunt and gobbles all morning .. he's tough too.

Folks that say this bird or that bird is unkillable, may be right on that particular day. Still, it's a bird driven by sexual desire in the time of the year when he is most vulnerable. His brain is the size of a pea and his need to breed is strong. I have always said and proven it to be true, give a man with skill a few days to figure out a "unkillable" bird , and it's nuggets for dinner.

That said, its easy to lock up your whole season on one bird that is difficult. Those birds need to be walked away from and come back to one day late season after his hens are sitting..   

To quote" If you think a longbeard is tough to kill in the Spring when he is obsessed with love, try calling in the same bird in the Fall when he doesn't want any company"  It's all relative.

[Spurs Up]

Hands down...a deep southern Florida, Big Cypress swamp-dwelling, and hard-scrabble Osceola.  Ain't many of them, hard to get to, and protect by a maddening alliance of blood-sucking and toothy, man-eating critters.

[Tomfoolery]

Havent hunted Osceola yet. Going to black hills in a couple of weeks for my first merriams hunt so cant speak for them yet. But ive hunted tx rios a lot and easterns here in LA. Of the tow these Louisiana public land easterns can make u want to quit hunting sometimes. Hunting pressure is ridiculous and they become very wary to even gobble. A tx hill country rio is a pleasure to hunt after grinding on these easterns. But i havent hunted easterns outside of LA so cant say much for more populated states.

[Fullfan]

A Pa long beard, if he gobbles 9 other guys have heard him. He has been shot at with a rifle while out strutting in a field. Been called to for 3 weeks prior to the season, and has heard 25 owls calls and 12 crow calls.

I have hunted in 9 states and killed birds in all. Nothing as tough as a bird on public ground n Pa. 

[Brian Fahs]

 Eastern on public land along the potomac. The pressure on these birds is insane. I agree with the above post about pa public birds. Our season is still 3 weeks out and last evening I was watching 2 separate flocks from over a mile away through my spotting scope. BOTH flocks were stalked and spooked by camo clad call blowing idiots....what is the point? I don't get it.

[kyturkeyhunter4]

I would say easterns!

[mspaci]

No idea. Id say henned up easterns in a big ag field can be pretty tough


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This

[nitro]

Everyone thinks the birds they hunt are the "toughest"

Ask David Ellis or Dave Owens... their opinions may hold the most validity..