Turkey Subspecies

[Hotspotter]

Which of the 5 turkey subspecies have you guys hunted?

Which has been the most challenging and why?

Please comment on the easterns we have in Minnesota, many feel as if they're the smartest!

Joel

[Borch]

I've hunted easterns and merriams. Both can be very tough as well as very easy to hunt. The merriams tend to be more vocal, gobbling all day. The easterns are nuch easier to pattern.

I'd give the nod for the toughest to the merriams due to the terrain I hunt them in. I hunt them in the Black Hills and they'll run up the cliff like you and I walk down the sidewalk. They almost always take the high road when a hen wants to lead that goobler away from competition which makes it very difficult to circle around and get ahead of them. Every year I try yo get in better shape to chase the birds over there. But there's just no keeping up if they don't want to come your way.

[Hotspotter]

Someday soon I will hunt those gorgeous Merriams, but so far my experience is limited to Easterns and Rios.

The Rio's I've hunted in KS were real tough customers, but very easily patterned. The area we hunted had a good food source, and there weren't too many roost trees, so find the roost trees and food, and the birds were going back and forth between the two.

Those Rios flew down early some mornings! Holy cats.....not too much strutting and gobbling on the limb, they were down when it was even close to light enough.

Easterns are a challenge in steep terrain too....that's why the drumsticks can be chewy I think! I keep reading about how easterns are the most challenging, but not sure if that's an old wives tale or not.

Joel