Hardest bird to kill???

[MK M GOBL]

Was looking up other stuff on the NWTF page and seen this.

Florida (Osceola) wild turkey:
Characteristics
Dark-brown tips on tail feathers
Mostly black wings with very small white bands
Adult males weigh approximately 20 pounds
Adult females weigh 8 to 12 pounds
Long legs
Strong gobbles
Very long spurs
Shorter beard-lengths than Easterns on average
Considered the toughest species to call in


Eastern wild turkey:
Characteristics
Chestnut-brown tips on tail feathers
White and black bars on the wings
Adult males weigh 18 to 30 pounds
Adult females weigh 8 to 12 pounds
Very strong gobbles (strongest gobbles of all subspecies)
Very long beards (longest beards of all subspecies)
Second to the Osceola in difficulty of calling in

Rio Grande wild turkey:
Characteristics
Tan-colored tips on tail feathers
Same amount of black and white barring on wings
Adult males weigh approximately 20 pounds on average
Adult females weigh 8 to 12 pounds
Moderate gobbles
Moderate beard-lengths
Moderate spur-lengths


Merriam's wild turkey:
Characteristics
Light tips on tail feathers and upper tail coverts (rump feathers), buff to white
More white and less black on wings
Adult males weigh 18 to 30 pounds
Adult females weigh 8 to 12 pounds
Weakest gobbles of all subspecies
Short to moderate beard length
Short spurs 


Gould's wild turkey:
Characteristics
Long legs similar to the Osceola
Snow-white tips on tail feathers and upper tail coverts
Wings are moderate in coloration
Adult males weigh 18 to 30 pounds


Ocellated turkey:
Characteristics
Rainbow-like iridescent feathering
Grey tail feathers with blue and gold tips
White and black wings
Adult Males weigh 11 to 12 pounds
Adult females weigh 6 to 7 pounds
A unique, high-pitched "gobble" preceded by a hollow drumming sound
No beard
Very long spurs
Adult females weigh 12 to 14 pounds
Moderate gobbles
Moderate beard-lengths
Shortest spurs of all subspecies

MK M GOBL

[Yoder409]

Henned up gobblers is henned up gobblers.  Doesn't matter where you find them or what color their tails are.................

Easterns................... Rios............... Merriam's................. Gould's................ (haven't hunted Osceolas yet but I can't see them being unique).................. if they've got hens, they're ALL gonna p*** you off more often than not.

In my experience, the hardest birds I've EVER hunted are the Easterns I'm hunting at home.  They've got a gazillion hens and they have 365 days a year access to a corn feeder 500 yards into a posted property bordering ours.  I've called LOTS of gobblers either in WITH their hens or AWAY from their hens.  But calling them 500 yards away from their hens AND shelled corn is a low percentage proposition.....................

[augasman]

Osceolas are by far the easiest turkeys I've ever hunted. They're? not even in the ballpark with birds I hunt in AL.

[birdman561]

A Osceola that lives in the cypress. To me that's the toughest one. Mainly due the thickness of that particular habit

[ilbucksndux]

I've only had the opportunity to hunt the Eastern turkey and the most difficult one to take of that species is the dominate bird. For most part, in the first four Southern Illinois seasons (spread through April 3-April 26 this spring), he has his subordinates to do his bidding concerning confronting other gobblers and available hens want to cuddle up to him for breeding. In these seasons, he can become almost untouchable. Very late in the breeding season, he becomes more vulnerable when fewer hens are responding to his gobbles. At this point, the sound of a willing hen coupled with that of an intruder gobbler often will overcome his reluctance to stand his ground and he may come on in. In Southern Illinois, the 5th and final spring season (April 27-May 4 this spring) is the most likely time to produce an opportunity to take a dominate gobbler. While it's my favorite of the five seasons to hunt, if the breeding is over there's no activity and hunting is extremely difficult.

I agree fully.With the youth and first seasons being the hardest . My favorite seasons to hunt are 4th and 5th. I have up to this point only hunted Easterns in IL MO KY and TN but looking at going after  Rios next spring in Ok or KS.

[fldoghunter]

Ivm sure it matters on the particular turkeys. I have only hunted Osceolas. A late season public land turkey in a free for all WMA is as tough as it gets here. Much harder than an early season bird on the same WMA. Which is mor difficult than a gobbler on a quota WMA. Un hunted private land birds in the same area can be downright dumb.