Brian,
The very best of luck to you on your adventure next spring. My suggestion for you would be to try North CentralKansas for the rio, and South Central Nebraska for the merriam. We had a member here from HNI that came down from Alaska last spring and hunted private ground in the Washington, Kansas area with no problem, and just for the asking to hunt there. There is also public ground there that can be hunted. I managed a hunt camp in Franklin, Nebraska and he came and hunted with me there. I will not be there next spring though or I would have you come and personally take you out. There is public ground there that can be hunted and is right on the state line before you get to Franklin. If you head north out of Kansas on Hwy 8, it turns into Hwy 10 at the state line. A dirt road on the right is the line and about 3-4 miles east on that road is public ground and is marked as such. I know for a fact there are some good merriam toms there. The best thing is that the locals really don't hunt turkey much, so I am sure they will still be there. If you need any more info about ther area, feel free to contact me. Dave