Turkey season is 2 weeks away in the south zone. Headed to Cuero for opening weekend and pumped to hunt a new spot with youngest son. Have some local spots in N la and headed to buffalo river wma in Arkansas to chase some Easterns in mid April. Post your plans / results here. Tenth legion unofficial member here - nothing better than chasing longbeards!

Always looks forward to the spring turkey season. Nothing better than calling up a longboard,

I'll be in Cuero 2nd weekend. Counting down the days! My 11 year old boy has first dibs this year. Once he gets his bird, I'm gonna try for my first with the bow.

Turkey or something else?

Greening up in Tom Green county and the birds are moving at Twin Buttes PHL.

Finally getting to chase Rios again, my flooring company is taking a group of us to their lease on Ozona in a few weeks. It a ton of birds, but a huntable population. Will do my best to take a big mature Eastern at the lease too!

Heading to Nebraska first week in May! Apparently a large Rio/Merriams hybrid population where we are hunting.

Saw two big Toms down the road from me. Archer County. They were stretching out, but not strutting just yet.

Edit for grammar.

Something for scale would be handy, but looks like turkey to me CS.

This will be my first turkey season here in Southern Oregon. There are a **** load of them around and I've found a few spots that look good while I was quail hunting last fall. ODFW says they are some kind of Merriam/Rio hybrid. Season doesn't start until April 15 and they are already strutting so we'll see.

Saw a crap ton while drinking at winery by the house yesterday.

Looks like a Gobbler track to me. Only other thing it may be is a wading bird like a heron or a cattle egret. I don't know enough about their tracks to differentiate. If it's not near water or around cattle I'd for sure say gobbler. (Middle digit is longer than other two is the giveaway it's a gobbler/jake)

Could've fooled me. That first pic looks like a painting.

Apache, I believe heron and egret tracks are a little more oblong and not as uniform. Sandhill's tracks look like turkey to me but are BIG.

In a spot that could be blue heron too. Ive never seen a turkey in this area but heard a rumor there was a big flock a few miles away.

CS78 said:

---

Turkey or something else?

---

Turkey

I drew a pretty decent tag in CO so pretty pumped for that. Need to go out and pattern the shotgun here soon. Debating on mounting a red dot

stdeb11 said:

---

I drew a pretty decent tag in CO so pretty pumped for that. Need to go out and pattern the shotgun here soon. Debating on mounting a red dot

---

Mountain Merriam or out on the plains? I would assume there are some Rios in the eastern half of the state

Rios out on the plains. Went after moutnain Merriam's unsuccessfully the past two years. If I have time I'll try again at em.

Where you at in CO?

If you can/are willing to go OTC ever, I can help you out in 77/76/771. Good birds here.

Denver. I'd love to take you up on that. Sounds like a blast.

My lack of getting a mountain merriam has been due to my lack work at it/scouting/roosting them. I know where some are on public OTC in the foothills but outside of one fun morning I haven't been at the right spot at the right time

If that is your Sommerville place, then yes there is a fair amount of birds around. If you drive through the neighborhoods around the bank there is a good chance you will see them.

Any of you adventurous types without a place to bird hunt, contact me at the email above.

After we pick up a little trash on Saturday, I'll take you around to the areas I've seen birds, including that camera location.

cledus6150 said:

---

If that is your Sommerville place, then yes there is a fair amount of birds around. If you drive through the neighborhoods around the bank there is a good chance you will see them.

---

Yes, Ive heard of them in the neighborhoods but Ive ran a lot of game cams on a lot of feeders and never had a picture, never seen or heard one in the WMA, duck hunting, deer hunting, or anything.

LEJ said:

---

Any of you adventurous types without a place to bird hunt, contact me at the email above.

After we pick up a little trash on Saturday, I'll take you around to the areas I've seen birds, including that camera location.

---

I didn't think there were any Rios that far east. My son is driving over to Marshall this weekend or I i know he would definitely pick up some trash for an opportunity to chase some birds.

This is San Angelo

Ok. I saw Sommerville and thought Lake.

Did my first out of state DIY turkey hunt last year. Took three days but my buddy and I finally got it done on a couple of jakes that we had roosted the night before.

Still debating between trying a new state this year or going back to the same honey hole again.

https://instagr.am/p/BxERSs5hGe1

Finally got my Merriam's hung together like I've been wanting. I have a 3rd tail that is actually in better shape, but a mouse got the beard. I'm debating trading the tail out for one of these, and then I've got a decoy tail!

Now, I just need a Rio & Eastern to mount, then try to find an inroad on an Osceola. Got a perfect spot for 4 pretty tails all in a row.



Also- any suggestions on what sort of design I should do for the front of my next one? I'm trying to think of some more creative designs or inlays. I'm considering a relief carving too.

Next question- does that bottom tail (with the mountains) look like a hybrid to anyone else? I've never noticed the drastic difference till they were next to each other.

It was killed near Pagosa Springs CO. Only a few miles south of the first one. I don't know of any Rio's anywhere around here, but man it looks funny. It was a younger tom, but not a juvenile or anything.

cupofjoe04 said:

---

Next question- does that bottom tail (with the mountains) look like a hybrid to anyone else? I've never noticed the drastic difference till they were next to each other.

It was killed near Pagosa Springs CO. Only a few miles south of the first one. I don't know of any Rio's anywhere around here, but man it looks funny. It was a younger tom, but not a juvenile or anything.

---

I thought all the birds here were Merriams, but our biologist told me there is actually quite a bit of hybridization in a lot of the reintroduced birds. Many came from the parts of Colorado where rio and Merriams meet.

I asked because I thawed out some rio fans from Texas and dried them next to some fans from here, and I couldn't tell which was which.

Joe where are you again in CO? There are quite a few Rios I believe, as those buggers get everywhere. They are predominate in OK and in a lot of KS, hybrid breeding with the easterns.

I think there is a good chance that 2nd tail is a mix.

Also... dunno if I'm gonna get to hunt a lot this year but I'd still like to take you up on the offer to help guide with you and trade a CO bird for a TX bird.

BradMtn346 said:

---

cupofjoe04 said:

---

Next question- does that bottom tail (with the mountains) look like a hybrid to anyone else? I've never noticed the drastic difference till they were next to each other.

It was killed near Pagosa Springs CO. Only a few miles south of the first one. I don't know of any Rio's anywhere around here, but man it looks funny. It was a younger tom, but not a juvenile or anything.

---

I thought all the birds here were Merriams, but our biologist told me there is actually quite a bit of hybridization in a lot of the reintroduced birds. Many came from the parts of Colorado where rio and Merriams meet.

I asked because I thawed out some rio fans from Texas and dried them next to some fans from here, and I couldn't tell which was which.

---

That is fascinating, and it makes total sense. We certainly don't have native Rio's anywhere near. But have absolutely had introduced birds, which could have hybridization somewhere down the line. Thanks for sharing

Interested in taking up turkey hunting for the first time. Have a place in Seguin that I know has birds, but they seem incredibly dumb and don't seem to have a fear of humans. Have rolled up on some plenty of times on a 4-wheeler and sat there and looked at each other for a few minutes before moving on.

Is this normal behavior, or have these been desensitized to humans and wouldn't be much sport to hunt? I assume the challenge increases by trying to call one into range for a shot.

OnlyForNow said:

---

Joe where are you again in CO? There are quite a few Rios I believe, as those buggers get everywhere. They are predominate in OK and in a lot of KS, hybrid breeding with the easterns.

I think there is a good chance that 2nd tail is a mix.

Also... dunno if I'm gonna get to hunt a lot this year but I'd still like to take you up on the offer to help guide with you and trade a CO bird for a TX bird.

---

I'm in Pagosa Springs. No native Rio's. But Brad's post sure makes a lot of sense that there could be some cross.

For sure, let me know if you are going to come up during spring turkey this year. Would be more than happy to help in any way I can. I'm always looking for an excuse to get out of the office!