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Merriam’s in Kansas?

Posted: March 5th, 2018, 11:18 pm
by jhogue
If everything comes together in Florida in a few weeks, I’ll be chasing a Grand Slam this year. If not, no biggie and I’ll just stick with easterns and Rios within a few hours of home. My dad go me a Kansas license and I’ve seen guide sites claiming that easterns, Rios, and Merriam’s can all three be killed in Kansas. Looking at the current Turkey Country issue, it appears that NWTF doesn’t track Kansas as. merriam’s State. Trying to figure this out before I dog much more into Kansas options. I’m not sure if I can make a trip further west work this season.

Thanks for any information.

Re: Merriam’s in Kansas?

Posted: March 5th, 2018, 11:35 pm
by hobbes
I'd be suspicious of any outfitter telling you that they can put you on a Merriam's in KS. At best they are just ignorant, at worst they are knowingly deceiving you.
The far SW corner does show a hybrid because Merriam's supposedly extend across from NM and CO to the very western portion of the Oklahoma panhandle and I suppose have made their way far enough that someone wants to claim SW KS as having a hybrid. In addition, that is District 4 and is by draw only for residents and nonresident tenants.

Re: Merriam’s in Kansas?

Posted: March 6th, 2018, 5:52 am
by jdjnicholson
Lots of people put too much into the white tail feather aspect of Merriam turkey. A true Merriam has short legs. KS. has Eastern, Rio and Hybrid. Good luck this season.

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Re: Merriam’s in Kansas?

Posted: March 6th, 2018, 6:19 am
by jhogue
Thanks, you guys are confirming my suspicions.

Re: Merriam’s in Kansas?

Posted: March 8th, 2018, 8:38 am
by GobbleNut
hobbes wrote: March 5th, 2018, 11:35 pm I'd be suspicious of any outfitter telling you that they can put you on a Merriam's in KS. At best they are just ignorant, at worst they are knowingly deceiving you.
How true. ...Brings to mind a day a few years ago when we ran into a guy here in southern New Mexico that was turkey hunting. He had hired an outfitter that had told him he could kill a Merriam's and a Gould's gobbler on the same hunt! We looked at the guy and said,..."Are you serious? The nearest Gould's turkey in NM is 300 miles away from here,...and you can't even hunt them!".

The fellow looked at us like WE didn't know what WE were talking about. I guess he just assumed that because the guy was an "outfitter", that he had to be the expert. I am guessing that, if he killed a couple of gobblers, whoever the outfitter was probably told him one of them was a Merriam's and the other a Gould's,...probably even has his "royal slam" registered with the NWTF. :lol:

On another note regarding outfitters in the western states, unless things have changed in recent years (and perhaps they have), you have to be very careful about who you choose for a turkey hunt. Most of the registered outfitters are big game hunters and many of them don't have a clue as to how to hunt turkeys or what turkey hunters are looking for in a hunt. As and example, one of the "turkey outfitters" in our area set up a pop-up blind on a ridge in the middle of nowhere and I guess had his hunters just sit in the blind. It was the most absolutely asinine, and least productive, way to hunt turkeys in this country you could possibly choose.

Moral of the story: When hunting out west, make sure the "outfitter" you choose knows WTF he is doing! :thumbup:

Re: Merriam’s in Kansas?

Posted: March 8th, 2018, 12:30 pm
by jhogue
Thanks for the additional feedback. I'm probably going to try some public land hunting if I have the opportunity to make it out. Since we will already be going to Kansas, we could travel further west or north some. I'll start a separate thread to ask questions about PL hunting for Merriam's.