Wyoming Turkeys

[HOWITZER]

Well I'm heading to Wyoming in a week to try my hand at some Merriams and am getting pretty excited.  Was curious if any of you guys have any suggestions?  I've hunted a lot of Easterns and have been pretty successful but was wondering if there are any major differences in calling techniques or hunting strategies?

[centaur]

Where will you be hunting? No big differences that I am aware of other than our birds don't see as many hunters as eastern birds.

[HOWITZER]

I will be hunting unit 1 in the far northeastern portion of the state.

[centaur]

Lots of turkeys in the Black Hills. You should have a great time.

[HOWITZER]

Now your getting me even more excited, thanks centaur!

[Shedrock]

A guy I know from down here was just up there the other day and filled both his tags in one day.

Quite a bit of snow in that area yet, Bill couldn't get down some of the roads he wanted to. Bring a shovel in case you get stuck. Tire chains may be a good option also.

Good luck and have fun!

[HOWITZER]

Thanks for the heads up Shedrock!  Now it sounds like an adventure!

[Hud]

If you find fresh snow, look for tracks. If you have GPS with Altimeter, and maps you can hunt the same elevation. Expect the birds to range further.

[Cobie33]

I have hunted up there a few times, in fact headed again the first weekend in May.  I have also hunted the SD side many times.  What I have found is that the birds out there really like to range, and even more so on public land.  

Due to the terrian and more open areas, if a bird answers you sit down.  I don't try and close the gap to set up like I do on a gobbler at home.  You'll can be more easily spotted out there moving and the birds can cover ground in a hurry when coming to a call.  The hens can also lead those birds away from in a hurry too!  The gobblers are used to moving and they won't hestitate to come from as far away as they can hear you.  

If the bird seems to be going away from you, it could be just that he went into a canyon or steep valley on his way to you.  Be sure of what you have going on before getting up and moving.  That was a mistake my father and I almost made our very first trip out.  Had we moved, we would have missed doubling at 8 yards.  

With all that being said I have also killed them when they were really henned up, not moving very far after fly down and called like I would to a stubborn old flockmaster here in Iowa.  But what I stated above was what I really noticed when I made my first trip out.

I have also found that the hens are more vocal and their calling is higher in pitch.  You will really notice when they cutt, at least I do.  The best part, listening to those Merriams gobble.  That high pitch carrying across the pine studded landscaped just doesn't get any better in my opinion.  I live for chasing those things in SD and WY.  

Good luck and be sure to post pics when you get back.  Just be sure to enjoy your time and what will be will become!

[Jack Skinner]

Bring a good mix of clothing. 60-70 one day, snow and wind the next normal for this time of year. Cobie33 is correct a blind can be a waste of time unless you have a good strutting ground or creek bottom to hunt. Merriams will travel many miles durning a normal day. Small is the number of times I have pushed a tom in this country and not been busted.

[kpete]

I've hunted them in NW Neb and here in Wyoming. Some who have come to hunt with me from the east are surprised at how far they travel in a day.  And how far they will come if they hear the call.  I have had good luck with friction calls and calling sparingly.  I agree with the above, they usually have seen less pressure, but they are still turkeys with turkey eyes and turkey hearing.  Don't forget afternoon hunting. If you can get one to gobble late in the day, they will often come.  Good hunting.

[FerretWYO]

Good luck Talked to a couple of friends up that way today. They said the hunting was great. Should be a good trip for you.

[HOWITZER]

Thanks again fellas for the great advice, only two short days and I'll be back in gods country!

[Izzy]

Hey neal, I hunted that area, colony, wyo to be exact and birds were everywhere. I saw a lot of jakes and hens and they sure weren't anywhere near as suspicious as ny birds.take lots of pics and good luck, that sure is gods country.

[HOWITZER]

Thanks for the heads up Izzy, lots of pics will be taken, and hopefully the birds will be on video as well!