MerriamMagician's 2015 Grand Slam

[MerriamMagician]

Well folks this coming spring turkey season is going to be a special one for me. I am pursuing my first ever shot at a single season grand slam. This has been a dream and personal goal of mine since I was 7 years old. Now, as this coming spring marks my 17th season of turkey hunting, and after three years of serious planning, I finally have the time and financial resources to make a run at it.

Heres how my things are set up for me: On March 19th, I am flying down to Florida. I have a 4 day guided hunt booked for Osceolas with a very reputable and successful outfitter. I have talked personally several times with the guide and watched many of his clients turkey hunting success videos. He seems like a great guy and I am extremely confident that he will put me on the birds. After that hunt is over, I am driving way up north into the Florida Panhandle area for 6 days of Eastern hunting. I have two of the limited quota WMA permits for that area, as well as a couple of small chunks of private land to hunt. I am pretty much going in blind for hunting these birds, but I have been able to contact a few locals in the area for tips on hunting down there. So we'll see how that turns out.

Upon return home I'll have about a 3 week layover until our season starts here in Washington. I plan on getting the Rio and Merriam here at home to finish the slam. Even I get an Eastern in Florida, I still plan on starting our season here by hunting Easterns. I have the first 10 days of the season off to try to get the tricky Eastern out of the way. If i get one early or have no luck there, the third species to go after is the Rio. I found a lot of good spots last year near Dayton, so I will be hunting in that area. Finally I want to cap off the slam with a good ole Merriam. I have tons and tons of private and public spots to chase them down in. I might not end up killing one till May because after taking up most of my work leave for the early season, I will probably be hunting weekends only the remainder of the season.

I will be posting updates, pics, and stories along the way. I am really hoping this is the year I make my dream a reality! Here is to a great turkey season this spring! Good luck everyone and happy hunting! 

[HUNTINCOUPLE]

   Should be fun!

[Wacenturion]

Good luck on your journey.

[jasnt]

Sounds like a blast! I hope to one day do this too. Good luck and may run in to ya hunting merriums  this year. looking forward to your stories

[turkeydancer]

   Good luck and best wishes for a successful 2015 Spring Season !     

[MerriamMagician]

My guide sent me these pictures. Birds are starting up down there.

[kevinlisa06]

Good luck to ya on your journey! Can't wait to see how this unfolds!

[AntlerHound]

That's awesome.. Good luck to you! Birds will be talking early this year if this weather keeps up! 

[mwhunter]

I too will be after these easterns in Washington. I will also be chasing those birds in Wenatchee again this year good luck on your trip

[Call em in]

Good luck on your quest!

[trkykilr]

MM, please don't take my post in the other thread as a slight on your quest.  Trust me, I enjoyed the heck out of mine.  The issue I ran into, and you may run into the same, is the pressure to kill a turkey in a certain timeframe, just because he lives in a certain place.  The first time I chased Osceolas, I killed a lowcountry SC gobbler the morning I left, and the Osceola I killed the next day acted exactly the same.

Every serious turkey hunter should try to get a grand slam under their belt, and a single season grand slam provides a lifetime of memories.  You will find that very few of your memories will revolve around the turkeys and the colors of their wings or feather tips.  It will be the bars, diners, scenery, and travel that go along with the quest.

I made a snapfish book and will post a quote from it.  I think it is relevant because I wrote it when it was still fresh in my mind

"My quest for a single season unguided grand slam came to an end this morning under a cedar tree in Northern Nebraska.  It ended with a double shared shoulder to shoulder with a great friend who happened to achieve his goal 2 seconds before I achieved mine.  This season has been more than I could've ever imagined.  I will most likely never have another season like this, nor will I ever attempt to.  I was blessed to witness the death of 37 wild turkeys, see 51 sunrises, and share great times with new and lifelong friends in some of the most majestic and diverse country the US has to offer.  It has become much more about the sunrises and the people than the turkeys."

There are plenty of folks on this site that have killed more than I have, so take my advice for what it is.  People always say that merriams are easy or rios are easy or easterns are hard or blah blah blah.  They are certainly all different, and they are different because of the terrain they are in.  We had to learn to kill western "big country" turkeys, and that was a challenge.  A turkey in an eastern swamp lives his life in a much smaller box, but he knows every inch of that box.  They are warier, but they don't travel near as much.  Enjoy the intricacies of each one, enjoy the people and soak up the experience.  And the best thing to remember, is to hunt em like a turkey.  Turkeys are gonna do what turkeys are gonna do.

I will post some pics from our grand slam adventure.

[trkykilr]

My SC Eastern

Florida Osceola

Buddy's osceola

Buddy's eastern

My rio

His rio

Our Merriams


Some random shots from the year

Cinco de mayo in KS packing the bird up to ship to taxi with the bartender

The bottle of Wild Turkey rare breed that we sipped from each time we completed a leg of the slam

My pants that never got washed during the season

The last sunrise

Platte river sunrise

A NE bird on a day I forgot my boots

SC river bottom


And a place that sells all the necessities


Enjoy your season, carry a camera, and keep a journal

[bearpaw]

Sounds like an awesome season, good luck to you! 

[turkeydancer]

Thanks for the sentiment and pics .... I too find it tons more fun helping a good buddy get his first turkey .... although I think they fear the "dancer's"  hug ! 

[MerriamMagician]

Cool pictures, looks you got the old bloody butt from haulin out a turkey.