Good thing about the SD birds is they are almost bleached white rather than dingy white like some other Merriams I have seen
Black Hills do have lotsa birds in some areas but also have pressure like any other public lands. Thats why I now use a outfitter who is in my opinion, quite reasonable----much cheaper than you are going to find a reputable outfitter or guide for your Osceola! FL also has public lands with birds and very high pressure....I think everyone must wait for the Osceola to complete their slam....I would not recommend hunting Osceola without a guide or outfitter!
But that's the whole point, Tom, to complete a grand slam w/o a guide and on public land. Besides I have some inside info on FL public land where an acquaintance got two birds last year on the advice of a local game warden. Doesn't mean I will, but it's good info to have.
I plan on devoting a week to each trip when I go. If I get a bird or if I don't, I'll have a blast.
Last year I got my Eastern on opening day where I have been successful now 3 years in a row. Then two weeks later I got a Rio 150 miles further west on public land where I had been unsuccessful the year before.
If all there was to turkey hunting was sitting in a blind around decoys and calling a little now and then, I would probably be as bored w/ it as some people watching it on TV. But when you have to start from scratch in a place you have never hunted before and learn to pattern both the birds and the hunters, and you can be successful... Then you can take a little more pride in your success.
Plus I strive to bag as mature a bird as I can. I won't shoot a jake, even where it's legal. Most of what you get will be 2 year old birds. But when you get one that comes in cautiously and quietly with little or even no gobbling, odds are he's an older bird. Just makes it more of a challenge...
Anyway, thanks for the input. Any feedback is always appreciated.
