Rios West of Spokane?

[Ridgeratt]

Any bird south of the Spokane river is classed as a Rio! just as any bird north is a Merriam's but you will find that there are Rios north and then we also have a crossbred perhaps they are "Mario's"

Using the term "Migratory" may have not been the best choice. Perhaps "congregation in winter flocks" should have been a better choice. Have places that are full of birds in the winter and after the snow leaves hard to find a bird.

[yelp]

If there are Easterns around Hunters... they weren't released by the WDFW or did they migrate from the westside...These releases are done by hunters who raise birds and release them..usually game farm stock and usually not disease free.. THis isn't good for wild stocks which were disease tested by WDFW before release.

Also remember the wild turkey is adaptable to different habitats and can exist in different areas within the state..In some cases populations overlap and hybridize...  THat said WDFW released birds within areas that met habitat requirements for certain species..Most of the Rio Grande Turkeys came from Texas and were trapped and released within the state by WDFW and released in designated areas (i.e. Lincoln County)  Merriams came from South Dakota and another state I believe.. and were released in Hunters as one location and I believe the Klickitat also originally in the 1960's..populations of Merriams in Republic and North Central washington came from trap/transfer operations within the Merriams area (Primarily NE Washington)..

The line you mention was identified for the Washington Slam purposes and in my opinion designates that a high percentage of wild turkeys within these areas are Merriam strain  or Rio Grande Strain..

Now even within a Merriam or Rio Grande subspecies there are genetic traits that cause different fan configurations and colorations.