North Dakota Turkeys?

[naturebob]

Do any of You ND. Guys know what breed of birds are here and where? I was told by many that they are Merriams. I get the Turkey talk magazine fron the Turkey federation and a chart they have that shows easterns in some areas,Hybrids in between and Merriams only in the far sw. corner of the state. Any biologists out there? The chart shows Easterns clear in here in the Minot area. Could be. They look pretty black like the Easerns. My wife calls the Eastern I just had mounted from Penn. from last year a vulture. My Rio and Merriams have much more color. Regardless I will be tappen on that box call next Saturday.......BOB!

 

[smalls]

Both Merriams and Easterns. Merriams are essentially a badlands turkey and the rest of the state is easterns. Anything you find in Souris country will be an eastern.

Good luck, I didn't draw what I thought to be a near guaranteed tag.

 

[naturebob]

Thanks for the info. What You said is what the book said .Just wanted to confirm it being a newbie up here 2 years ago. This is My first tag here. Sorry Ya didn't get a tag. Good luck to all that did. Hope to have some pics.......BOB!

 

[gwm]

Bob,

I personally think they are almost all hybrids just some favor one subspecies or the other. I have shot a bunch of birds in the badlands and they had tan feathers (like Rios) but have also seen some white-tips like Merriams. Merriams may have more variable colors than I know but I think of them as white. I have never hunted in the Souris River valley so don't know what the turkeys look like. Last weekend I shot an eastern - looking bird and my partner shot a rio-looking bird out of the same woodlot in NE North Dakota.

Hope you had a great hunt.
Greg