I suspect most all of us hunt somewhere that we have a nostalgic connection to and we hunt for a single subspecies there. Such is the case for me, at least. I grew up hunting high-mountain Merriam's gobblers here in New Mexico and they will always be my favorite for a variety of reasons.
However, if I was to eliminate them from the equation, I would say my second choice would be Eastern's.
Quite honestly, all of the subspecies have their positive attributes,...IF I get to hunt them under the right conditions. Give me a few gobblers that will gobble occasionally,...and in a location where I can apply my preferred hunting tactics,...and where I can get away from other hunters to a degree,...and I am a happy turkey hunter regardless of subspecies.
