I have never hunted them, but have seen a bunch while in CO elk hunting. I think that they are a much prettier bird than the eastern turkeys that I have hunted (although probably not very well). Are there any major differences in calls or how they are hunted? I am thinking of a spring trip in the next year or two to try to get one and was just curious if anyone knows the similarities or differences between the two subspecies.

Jim thats all we have here... The pix in my AV is of my son and I last week. They are a beauty of a bird... I'll post some merriam photos here in a second..

My bud Pat Ely from PA..has came out a couple times, hes an expert turkey caller/guide of Easterns. He tells me PA's pressured birds are some of the toughest to call.. Here in Idahohe "bugled" these merriams in impressively, I don't think they were prepaired for him!!

few pix

Those turkeys are just so amazing looking. I can't really explain why they are so much more attractive to me, but they sure are. Did your son get that one or did you? It looks massive and the tail is perfect. I am jealous.

I just realized the irony in my statements that they are beautiful followed by wanting to kill themOnly in certain circles would that make any sense at all. Luckily, other hunters should know what I mean.

Jess was with me, he cant hunt till he's 11 for birds and 12 for big game.. he's 6.. but he loves to go!

We hunted them in NW Nebraska earlier this year. Personally, i thought that they were much more difficult to hunt then easterns. I hunted them in the early season though, so they were still grouped up and not coming to the decoy or the call. There is a ton of birds up there though and it was awesome listening to them go crazy every morning on the roost

I forget that some states have age minimums. In Ohio he could already be hunting if you wanted him to.

Do you think they were harder because it was early or just because there is something about them that makes them harder to hunt?

I imagine a lot of it had to do with that it was early and they were still grouped up....plus it was snowing [8D]

Its always harder with a bow when you got 30 pair of eyes. We could have killed a ton with a shotgun thought...

I didn't really see a differece in Hunting Meriams versus other species. In Wyoming in the Black Hills I hunted them while growing up and it seems to be about the same with the Turkeys here in Nebraska. Some of them around me are Meriams but not all.