Miriam’s and Gould Turkey

[DuckDogDr]

Guys who here has managed either .
Are these birds difficult to hunt like the Eastern?
Any pointers ?

 

[BBob]

Never hunted Eastern.
My experience in AZ/NM
Merriams can be tough but not always.
Gould’s are as dumb as a rock. Not always easy but close

 

[bnsafe]

Ive shot a boatload of easterns, a handful of rio's, and 1 merriam. The rio's were by far the easiest, merriam was not hard, but these mo easterns have their doctorate in turkey hunting now days. Or maybe im just old an no good anymore.

 

[Steve O]

I’ve killed a Gould’s in AZ, and Merriams in AZ, SD, WY.

I’d say if you are adept at hunting hard pressured Easterns you will find the western birds much easier.

I think it’s a matter of pressure and the western birds don’t get the pressure of the Easterns except very rare cases.

 

[Jwamja]

I’ve hunted Merriams in CO, Rio’s in TX and CO, and Easterns in GA, NY, and TX. All we’re pressured birds on public land. My favorite birds to hunt are by far Rio’s. In my experience, Easterns have been the easiest. Merriams have been the most difficult for me because of the terrain they live in and the hoards of people that hunt them on CO public land. I’ve found that the difficulty of the hunt is dependent on how pressured the birds are. If you’re able to put in pre season work, get away from the crowds, and find some unpressured birds, you will be successful.

 

[Hondo0925]

I’ve hunted easterns, rios and merriams. In my experience merriams are way easier to call in, you just have to be willing to walk where they are.
Never hunted Goulds but it’s on the list for one day

 

[Fowl Play]

My turkey hunt preferences from my own experiences:
1. Merriams: Most vocal. Can reliably get gobbles even on roost in the evening. Couple days and a willingness to burn the boot leather calling late morning/mid day and you are bringing home a bird.
2. Rios: Close Second to Merriams. More easily patterned than open country Merriams.
3. Easterns: Results may vary, but typical gobbles on roost and immediately after. Mid day hunting is typically coming in silent to decoys -- still fun.
4. Osceolas: My local bird, yet my least favorite to hunt. More like deer hunting majority of the time with how silent they can be.

Goulds are the only species I have not hunted.

 

[highcountrymuley]

Came from FL to CO in 2004. Easterns typically get a lot of pressure, are kinda call-shy, and will gobble at you but not come. Mountain Merriams will gobble and come from a long way if you keep them engaged. Some high-pressure areas I've hunted (front range) are very tough bc of other hunters. Had a Tom gobble all morning and I snuck up the hill he was on. Not much cover in the pines... sat in front of large pine with legs straight on in front of me. He poked his head over the hill and saw me and split immediately. I was not moving and had not called since moving about 100 yds. So they can be tough in particular situations. If u successfully hunt back east you will be good to hunt the mountains, just don't be scared of the miles and altitude.

Rios in OK were very fun to camp and hunt back when it was 3 birds allowed and all day hunt. Haven't been back since they changed laws.

 

[dtrkyman]

Finding Merriams is generally harder than killing them, on public anyway. Though any pressured birds are hard to deal with!

 

[Matt.Davis]

We have Merriam's here in UT, although they look more hybrid, as we do have Rios in the Southern areas of our state. As Dtrkyman stated, public stuff (at least here) takes some walking but once they're found, they're on the easier end of the spectrum to kill. I've taken all but the Goulds and Osceola. Hoping to check the Gould's box here in a week or two.

 

[MT-nuffgun]

All I have ever hunted is merriams in SD and MT. I have been told that merriams are more vocal throughout the day compared to easterns, but sounds like their gobble is not as deafening as an eastern. In April I have had most of my success calling right off the roost in the morning, and in May I have had success finding lone Tom’s or bachelor groups midday which are pretty easy to call in. Henned up merriams don’t budge much in my experience unless you are set up ahead of where they are going.

 

[Gbfan]

As far as Gould's, I'd agree that limited hunting pressure makes them easier to call. I've personally not found Merriam's the easiest to call in, but I attribute that to the extreme pressure the birds get in the units I've hunted. Very vocal though. Like being on the "X" in waterfowl hunting, if you can get get in between a bird and where he wants to go, that can usually result in success.