Eastern
- Range
- Eastern half of the US + into Canada
- Tail tips
- Chestnut-brown tail tips
The most numerous and widespread subspecies, and the loudest gobbler. The default turkey of the eastern woods and farm country.
Wild turkey reference · Subspecies
The five wild turkeys.
One bird, five regional forms — from the chestnut-tipped Eastern of the hardwoods to the white-tipped Merriam's of the ponderosa high country. Range, size, the tail-tip tells, and what the Grand Slam means to the hunters who chase all of them.
The five subspecies
Tail tips tell the story.
Merriam's
We hunt this- Range
- The mountain West
- Tail tips
- White-to-buff tail + rump tips
The high-country turkey of ponderosa pine and snowy ranges — what Elk Glade hunts on the south slope of Pikes Peak. The pale-tipped fan is the easy tell.
Rio Grande
- Range
- South-central US + Texas
- Tail tips
- Tan / buff tail tips
Adapted to brushy, arid country and river bottoms. Abundant across Texas and the southern plains; a staple of the spring turkey-hunting world.
Osceola (Florida)
- Range
- Peninsular Florida only
- Tail tips
- Dark tail tips
The most range-restricted subspecies — found nowhere but Florida. Darker, longer-legged, and famously wary. The hardest leg of a Grand Slam for most hunters because of geography.
Gould's
- Range
- Mountains of AZ, NM + N. Mexico
- Tail tips
- Bold white tail tips
The largest-bodied subspecies, of the sky-island mountains along the southwestern border. Once rare in the US, now recovered enough to hunt in limited areas.
Frequently asked
Turkey subspecies questions.
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). A sixth form, the Ocellated turkey, is a separate species found only in the Yucatán region, not a subspecies of the North American wild turkey.
What is a turkey Grand Slam?
A Grand Slam is harvesting all four of the main US wild turkey subspecies — Eastern, Merriam's, Rio Grande, and Osceola — by a single hunter. Adding the Gould's makes it a Royal Slam (five), and adding the Ocellated turkey of Mexico makes a World Slam (six). Completing a Slam requires traveling across the country to each subspecies' range, which is part of the appeal.
What is the difference between Merriam's and Eastern turkeys?
The fastest tell is the tail and rump tips: Merriam's wear white-to-buff tips while Eastern turkeys have chestnut-brown tips. Merriam's are the mountain-West subspecies tied to ponderosa pine and snowy high country; Eastern turkeys are the larger-gobbling birds of the eastern woods and farmland. Merriam's also tend to be slightly smaller and are often considered more responsive to calling in their open mountain habitat.
Which turkey subspecies is in Colorado?
Colorado is primarily Merriam's country, the white-tipped mountain turkey of the ponderosa benches and foothills. Rio Grande turkeys are also present in some lower, eastern parts of the state, and hybrids occur where ranges meet. Elk Glade hunts Merriam's on the south slope of Pikes Peak.
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.
