Wild Arizona Turkey Time
While you may not have seen them scratching for grain or nuts on Scottsdale Road, Arizona is home two native turkey species. Gould's Turkey is the largest turkey with males weighing up to thirty pounds and having larger feet and tail feathers than any other species. Tom Merriam's Turkeys (pictured above) may grow beards as long as eleven inches and can weigh as much as twenty four pounds.
Arizona wild turkeys make their homes in remote areas of the state, preferring wooded mountain habitats. Search for Merriam's turkeys in Ponderosa Pine forests at elevations between 6500 and 8500 feet within the Coconino National Forest. Arizona's "sky islands" (mountains rising above the desert floor) are a good place to look for Gould's turkeys.
The feathers of Merriam's and Gould's turkeys are one way to tell the species apart. The tips of the tail feathers and rump of the Merriam's Turkey are cream-colored, though these feathers are just an accent to their beautiful brightly-colored plumage. Gould's Turkeys have pure white tips on the longest tail feathers around and a higher level of iridescence than the Merriam's Turkey.
Arizona turkeys typically breed from April through June. The Gould's turkey is said to have a lower frequency gobble compared with the Merriam's turkey. Courtship displays typically happen in the morning, while they are more likely to be found foraging in the afternoon. Anywhere between 4 and 17 eggs might be laid in a nest scratched on the ground by the hen. The hens spend most of their time on the next until the "poults which are called a brood are born. Poults feed heavily on insects and spiders in riparian habitats.
Hunters can enter a lottery for Arizona Merriam Turkey spring season while youth-only tags are available over the counter. Turkey hunting in Arizona is not for the faint of heart, given that turkeys range includes both mountains and canyons and they tend to spread out over large areas. Calling turkeys "off the roost" in the morning can be successful, but don't be surprised if you end up hiking several miles on your daily hunt.
Most of us probably don't have a wild Gould or Merriam turkey in the freezer from last spring's hunt for Thanksgiving. Nonetheless, we keep an eye out for these spectacular Arizona birds. If you spot a wild turkey while hiking one of the sky islands or in the Ponderosa forests, please send us a photograph to share!
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