Many of us set goals for our lives. Some are educational goals. Some are professional goals, while others are personal achievements that we strive to accomplish.
As turkey hunters, we also set goals. Some of us may want to be more consistent. Some others of us may desire to share our knowledge with new hunters. Lately, the fastest growing goal in our sport is to collect all four sub-species of the American Wild Turkey Grand Slam.
     Before you attempt to setout on this adventure, there are a couple of very important points that you must consider; first, this will be expensive. There is no single place where you can hunt all four of these birds in their preferred habitat. Travel can be costly, and there is still no guarantee of success.
     Second, this quest can be very time-consuming. If your luck is good, and you harvest each of your four birds on your first attempt, you are still looking at about one week per gobbler. If luck fails, you may have to spend weeks, throughout many seasons, to get all four toms by the ankles. The point I am making is that the Grand Slam is a huge endeavor. Think it over before you begin.
     To help you formulate your plan for a Grand Slam, I will assist you with some of the information you will need. I will also pass along tips and advice that might help you in certain areas, with certain birds. When planning an expedition of this magnitude, you can never have too much info.
     I think the best way to approach this data collection process is to take each of the four gobblers and look at them individually. Each has habitat preferences, although they sometimes overlap. But these are good things to know. Each sub-specie also requires different subtleties in your approach to hunting them.

FLORIDA or OSCEOLA SUB-SPECIES

     We will take a look at this bird first because of its limited numbers and limited range. As the name indicates, Florida is the only state with a season for these toms. Be careful though, because Florida also has Eastern wild turkeys. The combined population is around 100,000-birds. The annual harvest hovers around 25,000-birds.
     Non-resident permits vary in price, but average about $130, including required stamps. You are allowed two gobblers per season and bearded hens are legal. Except for special hunt areas, Florida gobblers can be hunted all day.
     Florida is one of the many states that require hunters to apply for turkey hunting permits months in advance. Mid-January is the deadline. For the exact dates call Florida G&F at 850-627-9674.
     Quite often when turkey hunters think about Florida hunts, they envision dark swamps, hunting in hip boots and fighting alligators. This is not always an accurate portrayal of Florida turkey hunting. In fact, the majority of Osceola toms live on high-ground farms and ranches.
     Even-though these dry places are more comfortable to hunt than swamps, Florida turkey hunting has some built-in risks involved. Of these risks, you should be aware. I recommend snake-proof boots or leggings. There are other areas where I will also make such suggestions, however, the combination of Cottonmouth and Eastern Diamondback Rattlers makes protection high on my list of priorities. To sum it up, let me quote the late, great Ben Lee when he said, “When you hunt gobblers in Florida, everything down there sticks, stings or bites.”
     The hunting tip for America’s most southeastern toms is to concentrate on fields, pastures and glades. Because of the always-lush look of the sub-tropical vegetation, getting these birds out into the open is crucial. These toms are the smallest of our four targets and they often disappear in the shadows of the thick cover.
     Also remember that there are no drastic color changes in the Florida habitat like there is further to the north. A green-based camouflage pattern is always good in Florida.

RIO GRANDE SUB-SPECIES

     As long as we are already south, in Florida, let’s stay south while we move west to find our second Grand Slam subject, the Rio Grande.
     Although the Rio has huntable populations in as many as a dozen different states, to make a legitimate Grand Slam attempt for one, you should probably focus your attention on Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma or Texas. The “Lone Star State” boasts a wild turkey population that includes over 600,000 Rios. Oklahoma and Colorado have Rios mixed-in to their flocks and Kansas has not only Rios, but Easterns and hybrid Rio/Eastern birds as well.
     Non-resident permits in the top four Rio states all run right at $120, total. However, I must once again suggest that you look at Texas first. Texas offers four gobblers on their spring tags. This obviously gives you more bang for your buck.
The big state does have a major drawback. Almost all of the prime turkey hunting in Texas is on private ground. Big ranches and outfitters book spring turkey hunts, but they are, for the most part, rather costly. That takes us back to the earlier topic of the dollars it takes to Grand Slam.
     Rios can be successfully hunted on public ground in both Oklahoma and Kansas. Although this is limited acreage, a frugal turkey hunter, who is not afraid of a little work, can still score. For Kansas information call their W&P Department at 316-672-5811. For the Oklahoma D.W.C., call 405-521-2730.
     Hunting the Rio Grande in his natural habitat can be a challenge. Wide-open spaces and arid conditions are what this sub-specie prefers. If you consider sand-burrs, scorpions and rattlesnakes, you may choose the swamps of southern Florida and the Osceolas over Rios in south Texas. Either way, the habitat adds to the adventure of the hunt.
     Calling a Rio tom can be tricky for the exact same reason. Quite often Rio gobblers must be called-in over sparsely covered ground. This increases the likelihood that he will pick you off at some point during the hunt. Therefore, concealment becomes a primary factor in Rio country.
     This is where turkey decoys make the difference. By placing decoys in the open, the tom’s attention is diverted away from the hunter and allows the incoming bird a target on which to focus. There are dozens of times, applications and situations in your Grand Slam hunt where decoys should be used. However, be sure to always check the decoy regulations in whichever state you happen to be turkey hunting.
     There are as many shades of brown as there are greens in the springtime where most Rios live. Your camo pattern should reflect that fact. You should also plan your set-up to take advantage of whatever shadows are available. Most camo patterns are basically dark and blend-in well in shadows. And trust me, those dark colors will also soak-up the intense, early summer sunshine of the south. You will be very happy if you make your play for a Rio Grande gobbler on the shady side of the tree.
To find out specifics about hunting Rios in Texas, call their P&W Department at 1-800-792-1112.

MERRIAM’S SUB-SPECIES

     Now I do not want this third member of our Grand Slam to appear to be the “push-over” of the bunch, but he is just that. These gobblers are hatched fully prepared to respond to your call and strut in close for your enjoyment. Most veteran Grand Slam hunters fill this sub-species’ tag in the length of a single weekend’s hunt.
     Merriam’s are widely dispersed throughout the northern plains states and further west. For the highest concentrations of Merriam’s look to Nebraska, South Dakota, New Mexico and North Dakota. Although most of the states that have huntable populations of Merriam’s also have good numbers of other sub-species and often hybrids, the four states mentioned give you the best odds for a full-blooded Merriam’s gobblers.
     I enjoy hunting this bird because of the awesome beauty of most of the areas where he lives. Mountains have always held a fascination for me and there are thousands of Merriam’s toms in mountain settings that make you glad you are there, turkeys or not. And, these gobblers will give you the show of a lifetime and a thrilling hunt every time.
     Like their southern cousins, the Rio Grande gobblers, Merriam’s tom are likely to be found in the wide-open ranges of places like THE BADLANDS or on stretches of prairie in Nebraska. They will also be found in the mountains of the Dakotas and Colorado. The bottom line is, you may have to work the birds over great distances of open terrain. There is a very positive factor to consider with Merriam’s gobblers. That factor is that they love to be called. So, even though you may have to work one for several hundred yards, they like loud, constant calling. With these birds you can breakout all your calls and throw the kitchen sink at them. They like to be talked to all the way in.
     That having been said, let’s not mistake this sub-species for something it is not. This tom is still a wild turkey. He will exit at the slightest sign of trouble. Movement or poor concealment will cause him to leave the premises. However, some minor glitches in your calling will quickly be forgotten if you keep hammering away at him. His hens are very vocal, therefore you should be vocal as well.
     Here are the contact numbers in the hottest Merriam’s states; Nebraska G&P, 402-471-0641, Colorado Dept. of Wildlife, 303-297-1192, South Dakota DGF&P, 605-344-2391.

EASTERN SUB-SPECIES

     This gobbler is by far, without a doubt, my favorite thing to hunt in the whole world. Honestly, if I had the choice to go after a Grand Slam in one year, or hunt four Easterns in four different states, I would opt for the Easterns. There is no greater single trophy in turkey hunting to compare with winning the war with a mature Eastern gobbler.
     There are more than three-dozen states with huntable populations of Eastern wild turkey. A half-dozen of those have populations of greater that a quarter-million birds each. I am happy to report, having grown-up in and hunted every spring turkey season since 1970 in the “Show-Me State”, that Missouri has the nation’s highest population of Eastern wild turkeys.
With over 450,000 turkeys estimated in Missouri’s flock, and with licenses available to non-residents “over-the-counter” and with hundreds of thousands of acres of prime public hunting ground, this state should be #1 on the list for Grand Slam attempts. Add to these factors a 3-week spring season allowing two toms and you can quickly understand why this state is a turkey hunter’s paradise.
     The Missouri Department of Conservation is more than willing to assist hunters with maps and other necessary information. You can contact them at 573-882-9880.
     Other good bets are, in descending order based on Eastern populations; Georgia, Alabama, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and New York. All of these states have over 250,000 Easterns each, along with adequate amounts of public access ground. Alabama may edge-out Missouri as the most popular spring turkey hunting state because, for similar prices, five gobblers, at the rate of no more than one per day, are allowed there.
     Because of the extreme diversity of Eastern wild turkey habitat from coast-to-coast and border-to-border, useful tips for hunting this sub-specie are as varied as the number of states in which you can hunt them. What I have found, in the five states where I have hunted the Eastern, is that they are extremely wary. They can be over-called. They can be over-decoyed and they can very simply be over-pressured. Finesse is what it takes to become consistent with this bird. He will, for sure, test both your skill and your patience.
     If a five-gobblers season has your attention, contact the Alabama C&NR Dept. at 334-242-3469. For Georgia regulations and dates call the GM Dept. at 770-918-6416.
     So where does that leave us? We now know a bit more about the four players in our Grand Slam game. We know where they live and about how many of them there are. We should also recognize by now that this is a huge undertaking, making it that much more satisfying to achieve. The Grand Slam is a remarkable accomplishment for any turkey hunter. I wish you the very best in both luck and safety as you chase this dream. And I hope that I have helped, at least a little.

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"If You Call Them...They Will Come" Turkey Hunting with Mike Roux