Merriam’s historically have been essentially the most isolated from the subspecies, its original range thought to fall inside Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico. It has successfully expanded to appropriate habitat and is now hunted in Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Washington, California and parts of Canada.

Merriam’s are most readily identified by their snowy white coverts and tail feather strategies. It approaches exactly the same size as Eastern Wild Turkey, but is blacker in color. Due to the more rugged terrain and climate it must endure-due to primarily inhabiting rocky, higher altitude-it hardly ever grows long spurs. Beards even seldom get longer than 8 inches. To confirm that a Merriam’s tom is an adult, observe if its tail feathers are exactly the same length when strutting. A jake’s middle feathers will extend farther than the other individuals.

Merriam’s migrate farther than other subspecies with movements as far as 40 miles not uncommon depending on food and snow amounts. Flocks into the hundreds gang up around western farm yards during the winter, but commonly disperse to higher ground as spring breeding arrives, though some will linger close for the safety and food of farms.

Simply because Merriam’s thrive in higher commonly mountainous terrain, hunters has to be fit so that you can navigate the steep hillsides. Like Rio Grande Wild Turkey, Merriam’s will roost along the tall trees of creeks, generating them easy to pinpoint in open country, but tough to hunt as soon as they are within the open. Merriam’s gobblers are unlikely to loaf around one particular block of woods or pasture like turkeys back East, but rather will cover numerous ground within the course of per day, returning to their roosting locations within the late afternoon. Birds frequenting ranch yards will return to feed and strut within the afternoon, generating the creeks and wood lines that feed these locations perfect ambush points.

Merriam’s, as a species, generally get much less hunting pressure, thus, like Rios, they are deemed by some sportsmen to become less difficult to kill than Eastern Turkey. The open, windy country makes loud calls a necessity, which bodes nicely for hunters who like to use box calls or who can generate many volume having a diaphragm or glass pot-and-peg.

Check It Out: Wyoming-From the Black Hills westward, big flocks of Merriam’s can be found among littered stands of ponderosa pine and rock strewn creek beds. Tags are pretty easy to come by no matter if by draw or as leftovers, and a hunter has ample options to go outfitted or do it on his personal on public land.

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