Merriam’s live in a variety of mountain habitats, with different habitat types having differing levels of productivity in terms of spring, summer, and fall food and cover for the birds found there. Different levels of productivity in habitats ultimately equate to different populations of birds, and where those birds might be found. In some areas, Merriam’s are abundant, and scattered evenly across the landscape. In other areas, however, populations are small, highly scattered, and few and far between. So what should we be looking for, and how do we go about finding spring Merriam’s and focusing our scouting efforts to maximize our success?
Right now, most birds are concentrated on their winter ranges, so scouting should focus in those areas. In most areas, Merriam's are associated with Ponderosa Pine forests and/or Oak brush habitats. In both of these areas, winter food largely consists of pine seeds and/or acorns, along with a variety of grass seeds. Most often, Merriam's will congregate in areas where pines/oaks have had good seed/acorn production and areas with the least amount of snow as possible – typically around south and southwest facing slopes and ridges, and/or the bare, wind-blown tops of ridges.
For both forest types, look for large expanses of diverse tree cover; you want a good abundance of very mature stands (big, old trees) mixed in with various patches of middle-aged stands, young saplings, and good grass cover. Look for dense patches of younger trees next to open stands of large, mature trees. Depending on the year, sometimes the older trees produce more cones and/or acorns, sometimes the younger ones; by having both in close proximity to one another, wintering turkeys don’t have to move as far to find food, and thus can conserve energy. Often in these areas, turkeys congregate and stay in one general “area” all winter. Also, because the canopies of the dense patches of timber often catch the bulk of winter snowfalls, snow depths within the stands stay fairly minimal, making finding food easier for bird lucky enough to find these areas.
Many State wildlife agencies have databases of where turkey populations can be found, and Colorado is no different. When starting your scouting effort, get on the Colorado Parks and Wildlife website (or State wildlife agency of choice) and go through their on-line maps and other resources. From there, decide on a few places you think you might want to check out (based on where you live, drive times to get where you’re interested in, access points, etc.) and get the appropriate land agency maps (typically U.S. Forest Service maps).
Armed with your maps, it’s time to start looking at the habitat characteristics of the places you’re interested in. Besides actually combing the ground looking for the types of areas we just talked about by burning up your boot leather, don’t overlook spending time on sites like Google Earth, Bing, or TerraServer, and pick apart satellite and aerial imagery. When coupled with topo maps, it’s often possible to narrow down the areas you’re interested in checking out right from the comfort of your home.
Once you’ve done as much “remote” scouting as possible, hit the hills confirming – or finding – the areas like those I mentioned above. While many productive turkey areas can be found in fairly remote areas, Merriam's along Colorado’s Front Range also congregate in peoples' back yards! ...I helped with a turkey transplant effort back in the late 90's in Boulder County and trapped the birds in the subdivisions west of Boulder! Why people’s backyards? Two words: Bird Seed. In areas where turkeys have learned to coexist with humans, Merriam’s have learned to take advantage of winter bird feeders, and in some cases, the generous – but misguided – winter feeding of the turkeys themselves. Be mindful of private property, but if you find high-quality habitat areas where public land backs-up to private property turkeys have been using, you may have found a place that will hold birds year in and year out!
Across much of the central to northern Colorado Front Range, habitats are generally what I would classify as marginal to "OK," so we don't have large numbers of birds. In the winter, those birds can be concentrated in a few pockets scattered across THOUSANDS of acres of habitat, and often in lower elevations on private property. As spring comes, the birds move back up in elevation and make their way to their summer and early fall areas.
In the "southern" Foothills (Rampart Range and south), habitats are better, so we have larger populations of birds, with birds scattered across the landscape a bit more. While some birds travel to lower elevations in winter, other birds (depending on the habitat) simply shift activity to wherever the pines and oaks had the best mast production that year.For us here in CO, our season usually starts JUST as most birds are heading out of their winter areas. If you head out and start scouting now (looking for tracks and scratchings), take note of where the birds are now, and then start looking for areas of diverse habitat either nearby, or higher in elevation along long valleys or ridge lines. Look for areas that have aspen stands, willow-lined creek bottoms, patchy shrubs, tall grass, etc. – the more diversity the better. As the spring green-up starts, hens will start looking for – and moving to – potential nesting areas, with the diverse habitat areas being the preferred nesting areas for most hens.
By knowing where the birds are now, and where the hens will want to be come early April, you’ll be able to know where you need to be the night before opening day, waiting for the evening fly-up, and listening for the first gobbles of spring to tell you right where you need to be the next morning!
You can learn more about turkey hunting and watch instructional videos on demand covering such topics as: Understanding and Using Turkey Calls (including the Box Call, Slate Call, Diaphragm Calls, Locator Calls, and Specialty Calls); River Bottom Rios (including Scouting, Sign, and Habitat); and Understanding and Using Turkey Decoys by purchasing a Turkey Module Subscription ($19.95 for three months of unlimited access) or Full Access Subscription ($49.95 for a full year of unlimited access). Click HERE for more details.
