Eastern
The most numerous and widespread, across the eastern half of the US. Chestnut-brown tail tips, the loudest gobble.
The complete reference · Meleagris gallopavo
Wild turkey.
Five subspecies, one unmistakable bird — the gobble that carries across a dawn ridge, the fanned strut, the red-white-and-blue head. What a tom and a hen are, the five North American subspecies including the mountain Merriam's, and how spring turkey hunting actually works.
At a glance
The wild turkey, by the numbers.
- Scientific name
- Meleagris gallopavo
- Subspecies (N. America)
- 5 — Eastern, Merriam's, Rio Grande, Osceola, Gould's
- Tom (male) weight
- 16–24 lb
- Hen (female) weight
- 8–12 lb
- Male signs
- Beard, spurs, gobble, fanned strut, red/white/blue head
- Top speed
- ~25 mph running; ~55 mph in short flight
- Roost
- In trees at night
- Diet
- Omnivore — seeds, acorns, insects, berries
- Breeding/hunt season
- Spring (gobbling toms)
- At Elk Glade
- Merriam's, south slope of Pikes Peak, GMU 59
The five subspecies
One bird, five regional forms.
Merriam's
We hunt thisThe mountain-West turkey — what Elk Glade hunts. White-to-buff tail and rump tips, tied to ponderosa-pine high country and snowy ranges.
Rio Grande
South-central US and Texas; tan tail tips, adapted to brushy, arid country and river bottoms.
Osceola (Florida)
Found only in peninsular Florida; darker, long-legged, the most range-restricted subspecies.
Gould's
The largest-bodied subspecies, of the mountains of Arizona, New Mexico, and northern Mexico; bold white tail tips.
The spring game
Call the tom to you.
Spring turkey hunting is a conversation, like elk calling in miniature. At first light a tom gobbles from the roost to advertise himself to hens. The hunter — set up in cover within a couple hundred yards — imitates a hen’s yelps, clucks, and purrs, and a fired-up tom struts in looking for her, fanning his tail and flushing his head red, white, and blue.
It works because the tom’s biology runs the show in spring, and it fails the moment you sound wrong, move at the wrong time, or set up where a real hen would never be. A wild turkey’s eyesight is extraordinary; the hunt is won in the setup and the stillness as much as in the call.
Frequently asked
Wild turkey questions.
What is a Merriam's turkey?
A Merriam's turkey is one of the five North American wild turkey subspecies, native to the mountain West. It's distinguished by white-to-buff tips on its tail feathers and rump (versus the chestnut tips of the Eastern subspecies) and is associated with ponderosa pine and snowy high-country ranges. Merriam's is the turkey hunted at Elk Glade on the south slope of Pikes Peak.
How many subspecies of wild turkey are there?
There are five subspecies of wild turkey in North America: Eastern (the most numerous, across the eastern US), Merriam's (the mountain West), Rio Grande (south-central US and Texas), Osceola (Florida only), and Gould's (the mountains of Arizona, New Mexico, and northern Mexico). Hunters who pursue all five for a 'Grand Slam' or 'Royal Slam' travel widely to do it.
What is a male turkey called?
A male wild turkey is called a tom or a gobbler; a young male is a jake. A female is a hen, and a baby turkey is a poult. Toms are the larger, showy birds — they grow a beard, sport leg spurs, fan their tail feathers in a strut, gobble to attract hens, and flush their bare head red, white, and blue during breeding season.
Why do turkeys gobble?
Toms gobble in spring to advertise their presence to hens and to challenge rival males during the breeding season. The gobble carries a long way through the woods at dawn, which is exactly why spring turkey hunting works the way it does: a hunter locates a gobbling tom on the roost at first light, then imitates a hen's calls to draw the tom in to the gun or bow.
When is turkey hunting season?
The main wild turkey season is spring, timed to the breeding season when toms gobble and strut and can be called in. In Colorado, spring turkey season runs from roughly early April through the end of May, with private-land seasons opening a week ahead of public-land seasons. Elk Glade hunts Merriam's on the early private-land opener on the south slope of Pikes Peak.
Was the wild turkey almost the national bird?
The story that Benjamin Franklin proposed the turkey as the national bird is a popular myth — he praised the turkey's character in a private letter while criticizing the bald eagle, but never formally proposed it. The bald eagle was chosen. The turkey remains one of North America's great wildlife conservation success stories, recovering from near-collapse in the early 20th century to robust populations across the continent today.
Hunt the mountain turkey
Spring Merriam's on GMU 59.
Elk Glade runs three-night spring Merriam’s hunts on the south slope of Pikes Peak, with the private-land early opener a week ahead of public seasons. Full strut, ranch country, from $1,975.
Go deeper
The wild turkey, in detail.
The 5 subspecies
Eastern to Gould’s, the tail-tip tells, and the Grand Slam.
Sounds + calls
Gobble, yelp, cluck, purr, putt — and how hunters use them.
What turkeys eat
The omnivore’s seasonal diet — mast, insects, seeds, greens.
Where turkeys live
Mast forest, roost trees, openings — and Merriam’s mountain country.
25 turkey facts
Beards, spurs, the gobble, near-360° eyesight, the comeback.
Turkey behavior
Flocks, the nightly roost, the spring strut, and that sentry eyesight.
How long turkeys live
Most reach only 3–5 years; how spurs and beard read a tom’s age.
Turkey predators
Nest raiders to great horned owls — and the roost and flock that defend.
Turkey hunting
Spring Merriam’s tactics — roosting, calling, the morning setup.
From the page to the field
Hunt spring Merriam's at Elk Glade.
Elk Glade guides three-night spring Merriam's turkey hunts on the south slope of Pikes Peak, with the private-land early opener a week ahead of public seasons. Full strut, ranch country.
