Merriam's Turkey Hunting - Montana

Last week we made our annual trip out to Eastern Montana for our spring Turkey hunts. This year we had to cancel our guided hunts due to the travel restrictions and health concerns so we decided to use the time to scout new properties and really hone in on the birds patterns.

We only had four days to hunt so we didn’t have much time to waste, luckily we hit the ground running! After driving over eight hours from Missoula we were finally at our new property. We pulled off the side of the road and Stan went to the trailer to start digging out his gear. I was looking at my GPS and when I looked up over the wheel there was a big ol’ Tom strutting in an old two track not 100 yards in front of the truck! I whispered to Stan to keep quiet and we backed out. Things were looking promising to say the least!

We met up with the landowner and got the details on where we could set up our camp. We chose a spot right on the river with amazing views. I told Stan that we should be able to catch some fish right from camp but I don’t think he was totally sold on my cat-fishing prowess.

After getting camp set up and setting in we headed out for the evening scouting session. We elected to split up to cover the most ground possible. Stan and Luke headed out to the far end of the ranch while I stayed closer to camp. Stan and Luke didn’t find anything worth pursuing for the mornings hunt but I was able to get a descent location on some birds that were sounding off right at dark. We made a plan to be close to the roost tree well before light.

The alarm went off at 3:45 and it was time to get moving. We are set up at the edge of a small field with time to take a short nap before the first gobble woke us up. We were in a perfect position and about five minutes after the birds hit the ground a nice Tom broke off from the flock to challenge our decoy. One shot later we were on the board and headed back to camp for breakfast. After breakfast Luke headed to town for ice and Stan and I headed out to see what we could find. We quickly located a large flock that consisted of about 15 hens, 5 jakes, and three mature Toms. We belly crawled to within fifty yards of the edge of the field they were strutting in a and make a few calls. Two of the Toms came over to take a look but instead of going around the down tree we were set up behind the elected to go through it! I was able to maneuver the gun and took one of the birds at less than ten steps!

With two birds down before noon we decided to head back to camp for lunch and a nap. After nap time was over we decide to hit the river and try our luck fishing. During the summer months we run a fly fishing business in Missoula Montana called Missoula on the Fly, so cat fishing with live bait would be a nice break from our usual techniques. We ran egg sinkers with a slip stop and a 20” leader to a worm ball. It was lights out and we probably caught 20-30 fish in a few hours including a very nice fish we estimated to be in the 10-12 pound range.

After getting our fill of fishing we headed out to roost some birds. We found three different groups that were all in a descent position to set up on the morning. The hardest problem was deciding which ones to go after! We elected for the largest group and marked them for the morning.

We felt good about our setup in the morning but the birds hit the ground and worked out into a field in the other direction. It ended up being 18 hens and 15 jakes so we wernt’t too discouraged. We made our way through the woods and got on another group but the Toms were with hens and didn’t seem very interested in what we had to say. So with two birds in the bag and all of the potential we felt we had seen all we needed to feel great about next year and so we decided to pack up and check out another one of our ranches.

We had have hunted this area in the past so we found the birds quickly and were able to get a nice Tom in the bag the next morning. He was a beautiful bird with a nice beard and great spurs for a Merriam’s. We headed out to a new area that we had seen birds in before but never hunted. We spotted a good bird strutting on a knob from over a mile away and kept tabs on him until dark. The next morning Stan and Luke headed out after the Tom they had roosted and I went out looking for some backup birds. When we met back up for lunch we both had stories to tell. I went to a large stand of timber where I had seen some birds the fall before and in the dark I accidentally walked under a tree with about twenty birds including six Toms. At light they hit the ground and put on a show for the ages. I was tagged out so I just sat back and watched the show. Stan and Luke were on the birds they had scouted the day before but the were acting spooky perhaps a coyote or fox had them on edge. With time running out and the birds not cooperating Stan grabbled the fan off the decoy and belly crawled in towards the birds. When Stan got to within a hundred yards the big Tom couldn’t take it anymore and charged in, Stan was able to take him at about ten yards as he was posturing up for a fight. He was a wary old bird and by far our best one of the trip! With all our tags filled we decided to pack up and head out ahead so some rain that was predicted for later in the day.

We made it back home in good time and got to work cleaning and packing the meat. Wild Turkey is possibly my favorite wild game and I love eating them almost as much as I love hunting them! I grilled up a fresh breast and packed the rest for later. My wife said it was the best Turkey she had ever had, we purchased a new smoker grill and it has not been disappointing!

There is just something special about the prairie in the spring. It’s the vibrant colors, the birds in the gray dawn light. The feeing that the whole year is ahead of your. We are already looking forward to next season and the memories to come.

~ Anthony.