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Merriams trip

Started by rraymond, May 25, 2017, 11:05:17 PM

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rraymond

Looking into a Merriam hunt next year. Currently living in Indiana and will like to venture west. Does anyone have any tips on a good area ? I would like to do a diy hunt on public land or possibly seek private land permission.  I am a younger guy and don't really have much out of state experience . It be nice to hunt a area I could get a permit over the counter . Any direction would be much appreciated. 

Gooserbat

Your going to hear a lot of South Dakota and Nebraska.  Both are good but if you want to hunt them in their historical range then look at New Mexico and Colorado.  I've killed in both and it's a great experience.  Just remembered your going to have a drastic change in elevation so go slow the first couple of days and I would allow at least 4 days to hunt because of the acclamation to the altitude if you are looking for a true mountain hunt in Colorado or New Mexico.
NWTF Booth 1623
One of my personal current interests is nest predators and how a majority of hunters, where legal bait to the extent of chumming coons.  However once they get the predators concentrated they don't control them.

LI Outdoorsman

Hunted NM for the first time this year and couldnt believe how the difference in elevation was affecting my breathing..just walking and hearing birds had me hyperventilating way more than I normally would...crazy..sometimes I just had to stop to catch my breath

hunter22

I have hunted the mountains of Colorado two times on DIY public land hunts and they are some of my most memorable hunts I have ever been on. Breathtaking scenery with mule deer and elk all around. I took nice gobblers on both hunts. You can buy one unlimited tag over the counter. If you draw a WMA limited tag you can harvest two birds in the spring. I did this the first year I went.   

hobbes

#4
There are lots of options and none will disappoint as far as scenery goes considering that you've not hunted outside of Indiana.  However, there's nothing wrong with an Eastern gobbling on a hardwood ridge (I miss it every year that I can't go back home in the spring).

As some have stated Colorado mountains make a beautiful backdrop for hunting Merriam's.   New Mexico and Arizona (not sure if AZ has OTC tags) are likely beautiful places also, but I've not hunted there.  Northwest Nebraska is fun and I love it there but the pressure has increased through the last 10 years.  South Dakota and Wyoming Black hills look beautiful and there's a lot of touristy stuff close by for the rest of the family (You do need to order these tags but it isn't a lottery).  Montana has some nice turkey country and multiple OTC tags but most of it is in some really secluded places and you'll do a lot of traveling just within the state to try and fill tags.  Northeast Washington has some great hunting but I've only been there once.  Idaho is always on the radar, but I've yet to hunt them there.

Biologists and Wildlife officers seem more than willing to point out areas with turkeys.  I know some of them here in Montana aren't terribly familiar with turkeys, so you may have to try more than one phone number.  Also, most western states have distribution maps that show where the turkeys are.  Western states don't necessarily have continuous habitat suitable for turkeys.

birddogdoc

Yep...I'd go to Nebraska or South Dakota  :drool:

In all seriousness though Colorado is awesome.  I had 13 gobbling toms this season to chase in the mountains...gorgeous country and lots of birds on public land.  I'm a DIY guy on our public lands.  Good luck with your quest. 

tha bugman

South Dakota all the way!  :funnyturkey: