What is the hardest turkey to hunt?

Osceola Wild Turkey

These turkeys have long legs, strong gobbles and very long spurs, while their beards are usually shorter than their Eastern counterparts. They are considered among hunters to be the toughest species to call into range.

What is the hardest turkey species to hunt?

Osceola Turkey

That said, public land hunting opportunities for these birds exist, but are without question some of the hardest public land turkey hunts out there. Osceolas are on average quite a bit smaller than the three other subspecies, but look similar to their Eastern cousins save for much darker wings.

What are the easiest turkeys to hunt?

I think the easiest turkey for me to take is a Rio Grande turkey. The ones I've hunted seemed to be a little less cautious than an eastern gobbler or an Osceola gobbler. Don't get me wrong. Sometimes Rio Grandes, like any other turkey, can be tough to call in, and other times they'll run right over you.

What is the hardest state to turkey hunt?

Tyler Jordan | Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi

“Toughest three turkey hunting places to turkey hunt and why? Not hard to answer for me!” says Realtree's Tyler Jordan. “Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi. Easterns can be so tricky to hunt at times in general.

What are the 4 turkeys in a Grand Slam?

The Grand Slam is the most popular of the NWTF's recognized wild turkey slams. To achieve a Grand Slam, a hunter must harvest and register the four most common subspecies of wild turkey, the Eastern, Rio Grande, Merriam's and Osceola (Florida) turkeys.

Are Turkeys Harder to Hunt Now Than They Were 30 years Ago

What is the super slam of turkeys?

The US Super Slam is considered the most difficult of the slams. A hunter must harvest and register a turkey from all 49 states with established turkey hunting seasons. This includes all the states within the Lower 48 as well as Hawaii.

What is the Royal Slam turkey?

To achieve a Royal Slam, a hunter must harvest and register all five subspecies of the American wild turkey, the Eastern, Rio Grande, Merriam's, Osceola (Florida) and Gould's turkeys. While some Gould's tags are available in the states, most hunters travel to Mexico to fulfill the slam's requirements.

What is the most common gun to hunt turkey?

The firearm most turkey hunters use is a shotgun, which is the only firearm allowed on most wildlife management areas (WMAs) during spring turkey season. Some people choose to hunt with archery equipment or pre-charged pneumatic (PCP) air guns.

What's harder to hunt deer or turkey?

Tell me why in the comments section. The conclusion: The turkey is tougher. In most areas of the country, picking up a gun and whacking a fork horn or a doe, even on public land, is more of a sure thing than walking out the door and killing a turkey on any given day.

What are the top 3 states for turkey?

In 2021, U.S. total turkey production was tallied at 216.5 million birds raised, equaling to 5.558 billion pounds. According to USDA, the top turkey producing states are Minnesota, North Carolina, Arkansas, Indiana, Missouri, Virginia, Iowa and California.

What is the #1 predator of the wild turkey?

The most significant group of predators effecting turkey populations are the nest predators. This group is broad, and is composed of everything from crows to armadillos. Perhaps the most notable of this suite are the raccoon, skunk, and opossum.

Are 20 pound turkeys tough?

Weighing in at about 20 pounds, the turkey that many families put on the table at Thanksgiving tends to be excessively large. These birds can be very hard to cook properly. A large bird spends a long time in the oven, meaning that lean, delicate parts like the breast tend to become dry and tough.

What is the calmest turkey?

White Holland's are the calmest of the varieties we raise and would make a great “starter” turkey. Very good sitters and mothers but they sometimes break eggs by stepping on them due to the size of the hen.

What was the hardest animal to hunt?

Toughest Animal for Hunting Skills:

A jaguar (Panthera onca) is not the biggest cat in the world, but it's certainly the toughest. After capturing and killing a 500-pound deer, this cat can drag the deer's body up a tree to have dinner on its favorite branch.

What is the strongest wild turkey?

The Wild Turkey Rarebreed is the strongest wild turkey bourbon. It has a high alcohol content of 112.8 proof (56.4 ABV).

Are bigger turkeys tougher?

Size is key — smaller birds tend to be more tender; if you have a lot of guests coming, think about cooking two small turkeys instead of one large one.

Should you hunt turkeys in field or woods?

Turkeys need open areas as well as woods. Turkeys love these high-protein and high-fat foods and will feed on the tender leaves and leftover grains in areas that aren't pressured too hard. Tip: Avoid tall, unharvested wheat fields. These may grow too high for turkeys to see well and could hide a coyote or fox.

What makes turkey hunting hard?

Turkeys are intelligent wild animals that are wary of humans. Their keen eyesight makes up for their lack of smell and they can detect even the slightest amount of movement, so hunting them is challenging.

Will a turkey eat a deer?

Turkey will forage through woods quickly, as the competition for mast crops is fierce. Squirrels, deer, hogs and other animals are looking at the same menu as the turkey.

What is the best turkey caliber?

12 Gauge. Without a doubt, the 12 gauge is the most popular shotshell for use by turkey hunters – and it has been for more than a century. The reasons for this are plentiful.

What ammo is best for turkey hunting?

A good compromise is #5 copper-plated lead pellets loaded in a 12-gauge 3-inch magnum shot shell. With this setup, you'll be good out to 40 yards, and perhaps 50 if your gun is patterned tight. If you want better range and lethality, you'll need to consider using tungsten shot.

What size shot is best for turkey hunting?

Shooters might use shot as small as #9 for very small birds like quail, or as large as #2 for large birds like geese and swans. For comparison, there are 585 #9 lead pellets in an ounce versus only 90 #2 pellets in an ounce. For turkey hunting, shot sizes 4, 5 and 6 will all work.

What is the biggest wild turkey ever killed?

A Rio Grande turkey that weighed 37.125 pounds was killed by Jacob Braught in Oregon in April of 2002.

What is the red wobbly thing on a turkey called?

Wild Turkey

And there, dangling from the chin, is a wrinkly mass of bumpy, warty-looking red skin: the wattle.

How many hunters have completed the Grand Slam?

Only 173 hunters have accomplished this incredible feat.