Hunting Merriams Turkeys on the Nebraska Plains

A couple of days later Bill and I spotted a flock of fifteen turkeys near an abandoned farm. Through a break in the trees we could see three toms strutting in the grove behind the old house. I knew there was no way to call the birds in because they were already with a dozen hens. As we watched, the birds began to walk toward the far end of the grove, and I noticed a small brush choked ravine that began near the grove. I told Bill that we should work our way down the ravine to the far end of the grove, to try to intercept the birds when they came by and he agreed.

We quickly worked our way through the brush and up the ravine toward the grove. No sooner had we gotten into position than the first hen walked by at about fifteen yards. Behind her the flock slowly fed and walked it’s way toward us, with the toms taking up the rear. It wasn’t long before the hens walked out on to the prairie. I told Bill to wait until the toms were within range, then pick out the largest tom. Before I knew it the toms came out of the grove, and I just had time to draw and release. At my shot the tom fell down, and the rest of the flock scattered across the prairie.

When we got back to Valentine we registered our birds and weighed them. Bill’s tom weighed 22 pounds and had a 9 1/2 inch beard. My bird weighed just under 21 pounds and sported a 10 1/2 inch beard and long spurs. He now sits in my living room, in a full strut pose, a reminder of hunting Nebraska’s prairie longbeards.

Note: Some of Nebraska’s best turkey hunting occurs along the rivers, where the land is privately owned. There are also a number of Wildlife Management Areas in the Sandhills Region with turkeys, deer and ducks on them. Anyone planning a hunt in the Sandhills should allow a couple of days for scouting and getting permission to hunt on one of the ranches. We found the landowners cooperative as long as we were respectful of their property, didn’t bother the cattle during calving time, and remembered to close all the gates. Nebraska holds both spring and fall turkey hunts. In the Sandhills hunters are allowed two toms in the spring, and two birds of either sex in the fall.

Nebraska also has excellent whitetail and mule deer hunting. There are 130 to 170 class whitetails taken often enough to make me go back. For bird hunters the Sandhills offer sharptailed grouse, prairie chickens and pheasants, and a number of species of ducks on the potholes that abound in the area.

author website: visit | author bio

Pages: 1 2 3