New hunter - am I in over my head or ready for a thrill?

[Skibbs]

I am completely new to hunting unless you count using a pellet gun to pick off squirrels and chipmunks getting into my garden, lol. I have always wanted to learn to hunt and be able to pass it down to my children, 6 and 1, and I finally have the means, motive, and the right location to do so since I moved to CO in 2017. I imagine turkeys may not be the easiest to start off with but I enjoy challenges and am happy just to be outside in some of the most beautiful country in the USA. I am an avid backpacker and fisherman and am comfortable in the backcountry so I want to expand my passion for outdoor recreation to hunting (my wife is thrilled I found another money-sucking interest, lol). Anyway, after researching here is the setup I am looking to purchase:

Firearm:
Mossberg 500 tukey/deer combo 12ga with 24" vented barrel - will pattern with Carlson's Longbeard XR Choke and 3" Winchester Longbeard #5 1-7/8oz
Is upgrading to the turkey/deer 835 combo for a 3.5" shot worth it, especially if I want to use it eventually for deer?

Turkey Calls:
Crystal Mistress Pot Call
Hooks Mouth Call - Executioner 2

Locator Calls:
Harrison Hoot'n stick
Harrison Crow Call

I live about 40 miles SW of Denver and would like to bag a mountain Merriam although I am fully prepared to have my hopes and dreams dashed with an empty pack lol. I am not easily deterred and always welcome a good challenge, learning new skills, and being as prepared as possible since I generally do recreational backcountry activities alone (until my wife and kids can join me anyway). I figure I have all winter to practice my calls, research areas to hunt, purchase some clothing, get comfortable with my firearm, take hunters ed, etc etc.  I wanted to get an OTC tag and hunt public land close to home the first time but am really second-guessing whether this is the best idea since while Pike National Forest is in my backyard (was thinking GMUs 501 or 511), I would imagine all the front range GMUs get hit very hard. The vastness of the public land here has me a bit overwhelmed as to where to scout and hunt but have started poking around with OnX maps and google earth to identify potential areas (boy I wish I could tell from imagery what trees are ponderosa's vs douglas fir vs cedar). Do my chances increase substantially finding a GMU with public land further away from the major cities or would something close but doing a lot of legwork yield me the same chances? I have no major issues backpacking at elevation 10 miles a day with 3k elevation change so I figure I can cover a lot of ground in a day on public land.

While I am looking at onx maps and the overlay of turkey ranges they cover a LOT of ground it looks like and everywhere I look it all looks the same to me and tough to tell where water sources will be in the spring. To me it looks like the best bet is to wander up drainages calling but I have heard that its better to call a turkey uphill rather than downhill? Along ridges its tough to find any meadows or flat spots where turkeys may strut, is this just the nature of Merriam territory and even the smallest of meadows or flat areas are worth a shot?  Most of the advice I find in books and internet are focused on easterns or rios but I enjoy the mountains so its Merriams for me.

On a side note i'm generally an introvert, have no friends or family here in CO other than my own, and backpack and fish backcountry by myself so I literally have no resources as far as knowing someone who already hunts so I am looking forward to learning through reading/internet and getting feet on the ground. Thanks for this great forum resource!  if anyone in CO is looking for a hunting buddy or wouldn't mind having me tag along I would be very interested!

[Ctrize]

Welcome to the fraternity.This forum is quite extensive and I am sure some CO hunters will chip in.The fact you are mobile is a huge bonus.I would find out where the birds are wintering through the DNR most will be on private properties then connect the dots as far as spring dispersal and public land in the vacinity of those grounds.Snow melting can effect dispersal so hunting later in the season  a be a bonus.Groups of wintering birds can be quite large maybe a knock on a door might gain you access as many farmers here in Mich look at them as a nuisance. Good Luck

[Bowguy]

First welcome. Second thing is you came to the right place, there's tons of knowledge here and great guys willing to help.
My advice is forget the longbeards. They're too unforgiving.
When are you planning to start hunting turkey ?

[FL-Boss]

Your equipment is fine. Don't worry about 3.5in shells.. most guys that have a 3.5in gun end up shooting 3in anyway. Shoot a few 3.5in shells and you will see why.
Your location is great, lots of birds in those parts....great country, in my top 3 for sure. Not a lot of pressure and room to roam.  I have killed a few just south of that area.
You should have no problem...those Merriam's like gobble a lot. Don't over complicate it, just do a  few scouting missions in the weeks before season opens. Boots on the ground, look for sign and listen. They are around there.

[Sir-diealot]

Welcome to "The Disease" Like Bowguy said " ...there's tons of knowledge here and great guys willing to help." they were instrumental in helping me get my first turkey this past Spring. Great bunch here. I wish you the best of luck.

[Greg Massey]

Welcome to the forum , turkey hunting is addicting and a passion for all of us on the forum. Agree don't mess with the 3 .5 gun, the 3 inch will do all you want in the turkey woods, in the future as you upgrade your calls and gun , look at getting yourself a 20 gauge , you will enjoy carrying that gun in the mountains and with the right choke and shell it's as deadly as the 12 gauge ... Good Luck ...

[Skibbs]

Thanks for the encouragement and advice.  I don't plan to start hunting until next spring and have already began scouting (really just driving around areas that look interesting and hiking to various ridges to glass just to understand the lay of the land a bit better). 

So for merriams in the Spring, are they really just a bunch of small dispersed groups running around so you gotta move around a lot if you haven't found a specific roosting spot?  Are there any specific books relating to merriam tactics in the mountains I could read?  Everything I found just seems to be generalized and to me is seems that the landscape for merriams would require different tactics.  Thanks again!

[FL-Boss]

just find where they are roosting in the weeks leading up the season. They will generally stay in the same spot every night, unless something messes with them. Merriam's like to talk... and they do it pretty much all day in the spring. Makes it a lot easier when compared to my home birds that tend to shut down an hour after fly down.

[Double B]

You're on it.  Get near hearing of roost areas early mornings in spring, it may take a few seasons to learn the area and birds but you'll get it.  Your ability to cover ground and some glassing will help you out too.   Best of luck, you will pick up a lot of tips here. 

[EZ]

We all started somewhere. Sounds like you're off to a good start. Talk to area hunters as much as you can, find out as much about your quarry as you can and spend as much time as possible in the woods, you'll figure it out as you go. Enjoy God's gifts!!!

[MK M GOBL]

Welcome to the affliction, "Bird Flu" will hit you hard and don't know that there is a cure

Always a good place to start, if you have a good sport shop around talk with some locals and might get you some good ideas on what works for your area (and game). There is such a wide variety of firearms, ammo, calls ect... Maybe be a little trying stuff out before you get to what works best for you and your hunt style.

Take everything with a grain of salt, most can give some advise on what works for them, but what works for you can be very different.

Good thing here is you can ask and get some good honest answers.


MK M GOBL

[James gang]

Like everyone said you dont need a 3.5in gun to kill turkeys.I thought that years ago after listening to everyone i traded off my old sp remington and a pile of cash for a benneli sbe.It was a fine gun and it shot good but just liked my old short barreled remington (3 in.) and that's what i hunt with still .( got 3 of them lol) sure some of my buddys tease me about not having the bigest fastest laong range load .I say well if they start ducking when i shoot at them then ill change my set up until then if you here my little short 3in gun go off better get the grease ready lol. also those long beard shells are awesome but way different than most they shoot like a rifle up close so you have to aim your shotgun like one.Little more advice alot of times when calling less is more and when your butt gets soar from sitting so long and you decide to move closer sit there 10 mor min.Good luck

[James gang]

Another thing you dont have to have all the latest turkey hunting stuff you know all new camo 20 different calls vest bunch of decoys blinds stools ect. My grandpa used to get so tickled when i would come back with a spring gobbler using one ot two mouth calls and my 3in gun.He would allways laugh at my uncles who wouldn't go to the woods without all the latest gear.Im not sayin that stuff wont help you kill turkeys( i have all of it just dont use it) im saying you dont have to have it.I hunt in very steep country and just get sick of lugging it all around with me anyway my point is dont feel like its a disadvantage if you don't have all the stuff you see online and on tv.

[GobbleNut]

Glad someone brought this back to the top.  Skibbs, if you are still with us, it is time to get serious if you are still planning on being a turkey hunter.  Spring gobbler hunting is not the easiest type of hunting to start out with, but to many of us, it is the most rewarding type of hunting there is,...and be forewarned: it is addictive once you get a taste of success using the methods that are talked about here on OG.  That is especially true out here in the west where turkeys are quite willing to carry on a conversation with you, come to your turkey calling, and put on their mesmerizing show for you.

First of all, according to my admittedly few sources from that CO area, turkeys can be pretty hard to find.  Hopefully, you have already resolved that issue and have an idea of where to go to find gobblers this spring.  As an avid hiker and fisherman, I would suspect you may have a pretty good idea on where to find a few turkeys. If not, you need to start doing your research and talking to folks.

Here's the "short and skinny" about hunting Merriam's gobblers in the west during the spring breeding season.  You find them by covering LOTS of country at the right time of the day and getting them to gobble by using the right locating tactics. After you find a gobbling turkey, then you start actually hunting.

In your neck of the woods, I wood anticipate that gobblers will start gobbling regularly on the roost starting about April 1st and will continue to do so throughout your spring season.  Find your turkeys first, learn a little bit about calling and hunting tactics, and plan on putting in enough time and effort in hunting them and you should be fine. 

For now, if you have questions about how to best proceed with your new endeavor, just ask....

[Marc]

Only thing that I would add, is that I think a box call is the easiest call to use and sound realistic on...  The mouth call becomes an important call as you learn to call, but it is probably the most difficult call to learn to use, and to learn to use proficiently.

In my opinion, a decent box call is a must for any beginning hunter, and I still take one or two in my vest.  Easy to learn, realistic, and loud....