Steve Felgenhauer
I’ve been in many turkey camps and have noticed a pattern. When hunters get together they often commiserate over shared experiences like an elusive tom that give them the slip or even some that didn’t. So many states, so many birds I almost feel bad for hunters from other countries who do not have turkeys. From the Okeechobee to the Black Hills, Maine to California the birds are as different as the areas where they live.
The elusive Osceola often gets mentioned as one of the most difficult turkeys to hunt due to its limited geographical haunts of central and south Florida. Many hunters I have spoken with claim it is so difficult due to crowded public hunting areas and much of the private property where the Osceola lives is tied up in leases for outfitters.
The Merriam’s of the western mountainous states are many hunters’ favorite turkey to hunt. You can wear out a lot of shoe leather locating these birds. Glassing birds from a long way off and putting on a stalk to get close enough to start calling is a favorite method to hunt Merriam’s. Wide-open spaces and Ponderosa pines best describe the home range of these birds whose area has expanded east from the Black Hills to the Great Plains.
The Rio Grande or Rio turkey of Northen Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma can survive in some inhospitable country, in which prickly pear cactus and sage brush thrive. The key to finding these birds is water. Also, do not be afraid to call because they will answer. Rio’s range has extended into western Kansas and as far west as California, Oregon and Washington. In the 1960s they were introduced to Hawaii.
Most turkey hunters live east of the Mississippi, which makes it only natural the Eastern is the most sought after. Many expert turkey hunters consider it the toughest subspecies to hunt. The consensus is once a bird gets pressured, any turkey gets hard to hunt regardless of species. However, the Eastern goes beyond difficult. But where does the toughest bird live...up north or way down south, back east or out west? There is no shortage of opinions. To try to get to the bottom of this age-old question, I spoke with more than a dozen experienced old-school hunters, and several up-and-coming young guns.
NWTF Convention Attendee Answers
Steve Stoltz, Pro Staffer Woodhaven Calls
“The Eastern turkeys in the south are a little tougher. Although I’ve had some easy turkey hunts in the south. It depends on what mood you catch a turkey in. In the south it seems they gobble less; they don’t have to gobble because there are a lot of hens and when they are henned up they don’t have to gobble much. A high number of hens, less gobblers and less gobbling activity. Plus, the birds are pressured harder. Your tougher turkeys are going to be in Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, the deep south. I’ve always said if you do a turkey tour, start in the south and work your up. The hunting gets easier as you make your way north.”
Steve Cobb, Pro Staff Hunters Specialties
“The Eastern is the hardest to hunt, South Carolina, Alabama and Mississippi. Those three states are as tough as any state to hunt turkeys in.”
Anna Ribbeck, Swamp People
“The Eastern from south Louisiana. They are hard to hunt.”
Jim Ronquest, RNT Calls
“Many people don’t know my second love is turkey hunting. The Eastern from Mississippi and Alabama is the toughest to hunt in my opinion.”
Eddie Salter, Eddie Salter’s Game Calls
Without a doubt, the Eastern. I’ve hunted them from Alabama to New York and when you get into areas that’s had a lot of pressure, they will be the toughest birds to kill but I’ve been in areas where once the birds start getting pressured they all get tough to kill to. The southern states, especially where I grew up in Alabama, the hunting season is about eight weeks long and the limit is four birds. That’s a lot of pressure on those birds.”
James Harrison, Harrison Game Calls
“The toughest bird to hunt is the Ozark Mountain eastern turkey.”
Jack Smith, Knight & Hale
“The toughest bird is the Land between the Lakes Kentucky Eastern turkey. Harold Knight once told me, OK you’ve killed a couple turkeys, when you go kill one on LBL I’ll call you a turkey hunter.”
Jimmy Primos, Primos Calls
“A Mississippi Eastern. They get a lot of pressure on them in Mississippi. Southern gobblers are the hardest to kill. I’ve killed Easterns all over the country. People tell me they want to hunt turkeys in Mississippi, I tell them ‘You’re crazy! Go hunt somewhere else and have fun. If there is a turkey gobbling in Mississippi, there are probably three guys listening to it.”
Joe Slaton, Mother Lode Calls
“The ones that are hunted the most it doesn’t matter where they are if they are hunted hard, they either die or they are going to get tough to kill. Most of the time it is the South. There are more turkey hunters and better turkey hunters.”
Kaitlyn Maus, Kaitlyn Maus Outdoors
“The Eastern. I’ve hunted the Northeast and those birds are pretty tough there.”
Phillip Vanderpool, Woodhaven Calls
“An Alabama Eastern turkey is the hardest to kill due to the pressure those birds receive, the generous bag limits and a much longer season than most states. And they get a lot of pressure especially on public land.”
Preston Pittman, Pittman Calls
“Without a doubt, the south Mississippi Eastern strain below Hattiesburg. It’s what we call Camp Shelby or Desoto National Forest.”
Jeff Budz, Moreturkeys.com
“Those Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia Easterns. The northeastern birds aren’t as hard, but those southeastern birds are by far the toughest to hunt. When they get funky, forget about it.”
