Grand Slam

[Idahoarcheryhunter]

As we approach the 22 hunting season I’ve set a new goal, to accomplish my grand slam.

I already have a Merriam’s. Through a friend I’ll be hunting Rio’s this year in Texas so hopefully I’ll knock that one down.

Which should leave me the eastern, and Osceola. From everything I understand the Osceola will have to be a private land/ outfitted hunt. But it looks like the eastern may be doable on public land. Just look for advice/ suggestions for those of you have that have your slams or have some info on the other two sub species thanks!

 

[np307]

Well Osceolas don't require private land/outfitters, but since you don't have any experience in the thick woods and heavy pressure of the Southeast, it would be a very tough, if not impossible, hunt to kill one in the swamps.

As far as Easterns go, if you just simply want to kill one to check off the subspecies, I would look to the Midwest. Though THP and some of the other youtubers have definitely bumped the popularity, they still don't get anywhere near the pressure of say Alabama during opening weekend. The trip would also be significantly easier I'm guessing.

However, I think there's something to be said about encountering the American wild turkey in the hardwood bottoms and piney woods of the Southeast. To me, there is nothing more quintessentially turkey-esque than backing up to a big oak tree, surrounded by a sea of green and only able to see 30 yards while the mosquitoes buzz in your ear, hearing the gobble get closer and closer until you feel the drumming and he tries to knock you over with one last gobble before breaking strut to whoop that good-for-nothing two-timing hen and giving you a shot close enough to see the fire in his eyes.

 

[Idahoarcheryhunter]

Well Osceolas don't require private land/outfitters, but since you don't have any experience in the thick woods and heavy pressure of the Southeast, it would be a very tough, if not impossible, hunt to kill one in the swamps.

As far as Easterns go, if you just simply want to kill one to check off the subspecies, I would look to the Midwest. Though THP and some of the other youtubers have definitely bumped the popularity, they still don't get anywhere near the pressure of say Alabama during opening weekend. The trip would also be significantly easier I'm guessing.

However, I think there's something to be said about encountering the American wild turkey in the hardwood bottoms and piney woods of the Southeast. To me, there is nothing more quintessentially turkey-esque than backing up to a big oak tree, surrounded by a sea of green and only able to see 30 yards while the mosquitoes buzz in your ear, hearing the gobble get closer and closer until you feel the drumming and he tries to knock you over with one last gobble before breaking strut to whoop that good-for-nothing two-timing hen and giving you a shot close enough to see the fire in his eyes.

Thanks for the response.

 

[BenInMT]

How can it be a slam without an oscelated turkey?

 

[BAKPAKR]

Several years ago, there were Easterns around the Dworshak Reservoir. You might check with IDF&G to see if there are still some there.

 

[Idahoarcheryhunter]

How can it be a slam without an oscelated turkey?

Grand slam only includes the four as far as I know. World slam includes the oscelated… but a trip to Mexico doesn’t sound like a horrible idea.

 

[JShane]

Osceolas are doable on public down here. Be prepared for skeeters, ticks, and wet feet. Be south of SR 50 to guarantee its an Oscelola.

 

[howl]

Eastern population is pretty low on a lot of places these days. I would look for large tracts and ask biologists how the numbers are before going. Places that had birds several years ago, and lots of birds ten years ago, don't hold any now. Make sure you're gonna have birds to hunt before you go. Go first week of season to find a suicidal 2yo.

I've killed Eastern and Osceola on public. Good call on going guided for Osceola.

 

[phutch30]

Have fun on the journey. Im taking my wife and daughter to central FL this spring to finish up their slams this spring. My son finished his in TX last spring. The eastern is prob the easiest to notch. The are the most common of the subspecies and theres plenty of public land with them on it. There are several ways to get your Osceola, I got all three of mine via swap hunts...turkey for elk. You can apply for several public land Osceola tags in FL and someday you might draw one some are much better than others so do some research... Or you can figure out how to get to some less pressured FL public land with birds...air boats help or just pay an outfitter. In the long run the outfitted option offers the highest odds of success for the cost.

 

[desertBirdDogs]

Grand slam only includes the four as far as I know. World slam includes the oscelated… but a trip to Mexico doesn’t sound like a horrible idea.

You got the Royal Slam too that includes the Gould's. I'm an AZ resident and we've got the Gould's here but I didn't want to wait 10 years for a Gould's tag so I plugged one in Mexico this past spring.

Consider somewhere like Michigan for the Eastern. Decent amount of public land you could try on or getting permission for some private. When I hunted deer there non-resident tags were cheap for everything and the limits generous. The whole place was crawling with turkeys and deer.

 

[Idahoarcheryhunter]

You got the Royal Slam too that includes the Gould's. I'm an AZ resident and we've got the Gould's here but I didn't want to wait 10 years for a Gould's tag so I plugged one in Mexico this past spring.

Consider somewhere like Michigan for the Eastern. Decent amount of public land you could try on or getting permission for some private. When I hunted deer there non-resident tags were cheap for everything and the limits generous. The whole place was crawling with turkeys and deer.

Thanks for the advice, Mexico interests me at some point.

 

[Wally Dog]

Several years ago, there were Easterns around the Dworshak Reservoir. You might check with IDF&G to see if there are still some there.

Easterns were released there in 1985. I've hunted there since 1990 and early on we killed some pure eastern marked birds, however now most are just hybridized mutts.

 

[howl]

Some people just want to say they did the slam per the nwtf map. Some people want the birds to fit a specific plumage standard. Some want to hunt bird that behave differently in disparate habitats.

It may help to decide what you want before making goals and decisions. decisions.If you want native range birds Merriam's are in western mountains of NM and CO. Rios are in western TX and OK. Osceola are in Southern Florida.There are hybrids between all of them which do not behave the same.

Not to discourage anyone, but while western birds certainly have associated challenges, highly pressured public land Easterns and Osceola are ghosts of ninjas in comparison.

 

[howl]

Some people just want to say they did the slam per the nwtf map. Some people want the birds to fit a specific plumage standard. Some want to hunt birds that behave differently in disparate habitats.

It may help to decide what you want before making goals and decisions. If you want native range birds Merriam's are in western mountains of NM and CO. Rios are in western TX and OK. Osceola are in Southern Florida. I have not hunted any hybrids outside of Florida, but I can tell you those Southern Florida birds are for sure another animal than the one further north but still within the nwtf boundary. The behavior and skeletal structure is different. I have also killed a melanistic Eastern outside of Florida which by plumage could be passed off as an Osceola. It did not look nor act like one otherwise.