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turkey hunts, arizona turkey hunts, merriams turkey guides, Arizona guided merriams wild turkey hunts, merriam's turkey hunting, New Mexico merriams turkey guides, New Mexico turkey hunts, outfitters, merriam's turkey, merriam turkey, arizona gould's turkey, gould's hunts Arizona - New Mexico Turkey Guides and Outfitters Merriam's Turkey Hunts in New Mexico and Arizona
About the Arizona and New Mexico Merriam's Wild Turkey Arizona and New Mexico are home to the Merriam’s wild turkey. Historically, these mountain dwelling birds were only found in Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado, but have been introduced around the country. Our Arizona and New Mexico gobblers are wild and native birds. There is no hybridization in the Arizona or New Mexico Merriam's turkey like other areas of the country. This bird has a creamy white accent on the outer edge of the tail feathers and rump, unlike the Eastern, Osceola, and Rio Grande turkeys. The wing feathers are mostly white with small black accent bars. The reverse is true with the wing bars of other sub-species. Mature Tom Merriams Turkeys grow beards averaging 9 inches, although some have been taken over 11 inches. Since the terrain is rough, steep and rocky, the spurs usually do not exceed 1¼ inches. Three-quarter to one-inch spurs are the norm on mature Merriam's males. The colors of these birds will amaze hunters that are only familiar with Eastern turkeys. The first thing hunters notice when a Merriams turkey approaches is the high contrast and white accents on a dark body. The size of our wild turkeys are big, averaging over 20lbs. Some have been taken near 25 pounds. These are just a few common features among "true" Merriam's. If you want a real Merriam's with no mix of strains and show the true traits, you should hunt the original area they came from, New Mexico and Arizona. This is arguably the most beautiful sub-species of the "Turkey Grand Slam". Every Grand Slam hunter should add a pure Arizona or New Mexico Merriam’s to his collection. About Our Merriams Hunts
Due to the excellent eyesight of turkeys, we recommend that all our hunters wear head to toe camouflage, including face nets and gloves. The best camo patterns in our areas are the darker patterns like Realtree HD Grey, Advantage Timber or Mossy Oak New Breakup. If choosing our New Mexico package you will have the opportunity to hunt two birds. A second bird can be hunted after you take a first bird for an additional fee of $250. The fee must be paid before hunting for a second bird. You must also make sure to purchase two NM turkey tags. Two-on-one hunters can split the second bird fee. Arizona has a one bird limit. This can be a very exciting hunt for the novice or advanced turkey hunter. Unlike eastern turkey hunting, our hunts take place in the high mountains. Mountain turkey hunting can be physically challenging. Expect a lot of hiking in canyon country. Hunters should be in good physical condition. The hunters are accompanied by a guide while in the field. Accommodations are in tent camps with breathtaking scenery and great temperatures of around 60 degrees in the day and 30 at night. Meals are provided. Transportation to camp for Arizona and New Mexico turkey hunts can be provided as a courtesy for hunters that fly into Tucson, Arizona. Driving hunters will meet us at camp or a town nearby. Flying hunters should get a flight into Tucson on the evening prior to meeting us, get an airport hotel room, and we will pickup the morning prior to the hunt for a ride to camp. For example, if your hunting starts on a Friday, you should get a flight into Tucson late Wednesday evening, get a hotel room, and we will pickup Thursday morning for the 4 hour drive to camp. This eliminates loss of hunting time if your flight is delayed or canceled, which is becoming a common occurrence. We typically arrive back in Tucson in the early evening of the last day, so flying hunters should get a flight out the evening of that day or the morning after the hunt (hotel required). Turkey Seasons
Read our turkey articles for more feel of our hunts.
2009 RATES
Description of Turkey Hunting Packages: Fully-Guided Turkey Hunts Include: Accommodations (tent camps), meals, courtesy airport transfer from Tucson, camp transportation, a guide, trophy prep, and many extras. *Save money - bring a partner and share a guide! Hunters can choose from 1on1 or 2on1 packages. 1on1 means one hunter per guide and *2on1 means two hunters per guide. *If choosing 2on1, you must bring the other hunter to share the guide with.*
We also offer Arizona Gould's Turkey hunts. Gould's turkeys thrive in Southern Arizona mountain ranges. These hunts are on a limited draw basis. Arizona is the only place in the United States where Gould's turkeys can be hunted, so it is a tough draw. If you are interested in applying for Gould's Turkey, contact us so we can help with the application process. Arizona has a bonus point system which increases your odds of drawing a tag. Each time you are not drawn for turkey, you receive a bonus point. If you are not drawn, you will be refunded the tag fee but the Arizona Game and Fish will keep the hunting license fee and give you a bonus point. It will give you a better chance of obtaining a tag for the next year or future draws. Bonus points will become an essential part in successfully drawing Arizona Gould's Turkey tags.
Additional Information New Mexico tags are over the counter. These hunts fill fast. Please try to book at least 3 to 6 months in advance. Arizona licenses and tags are on a limited draw basis. Contact us before September for instructions on how to apply. If you already drew an Arizona tag, give us an email or call. We typically hunt Arizona units 1, 27, 23, and 6A. For those that own a camping trailer/pop-up and would like to bring it to camp to sleep in are more than welcome to do so, but we cannot discount the hunt any. It must be small and high enough to be pulled on rough dirt roads. If a hunter has not tagged by the scheduled end of hunt, there is an option of paying at a daily rate thereafter. License and tag fees are not included in our price. The possible hotel stay before/after the hunt for flying hunters is not included in the price. Non-Hunter Fee: Invite someone as a non-hunter while on your guided turkey hunt for a fee of $400.00. A minimum 50% non-refundable deposit is required to book the hunt. In NM, the deposit is required upon booking. In AZ, it is required only after tags are drawn. If cancelled, the deposit can be transferred to another non-draw hunt within the calendar year. We recommend cancellation insurance for all of our guests. Visit our general info page for more details. Be sure you visit our general info page and list of items to bring page.
Latest Turkey Hunting Photos
Charles Fowler from Ohio with a nice New Mexico Gobbler. Outfitter Pat Feldt called in this Tom to 7 yards before Charles released an arrow. No blinds were used, just normal cut 'n' run calling against a tree!
PJ Lampros with a big New Mexico Tom Merriams turkey. This beautiful bird has 1-1/8"spurs and a 10" beard.
Jarrod Hill and Ryan Rowe from Ohio with two nice New Mexico Merriam's turkey. Outfitter Pat Feldt called in this "double" within the first half-hour of the hunt. The toms strutted for the hen decoy before being taken simultaneously at 42 yards.
Visit our favorite turkey hunting websites, the National Wild Turkey Federation and Wild Turkey Zone
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Home | Other Hunts | General Info | Rates | Contact Us | Stories | Links | References |What to Bring This website last updated: April 30, 2008 Copyright © 1999-2008 Arizona Guided Hunts. All Rights Reserved. "Arizona Guided Hunts" is a Registered Trade Name. |
The birds we hunt
are primarily in a wilderness-type setting. They are wild in their natural habitat with no
food plots, no farm fields or other human
influence. Since Merriam's are mountain dwelling turkeys, our hunts take place in the
pine
forests around 7500 to 9000 feet elevation. Some of our hunting areas
include State Trust Land, Coconino National Forest, Gila National
Forest and Apache-Sitgreaves
National Forest. As most people know, Spring Turkey Hunting is very exciting because hunters can take advantage of the mating
season by calling. Like Spring turkey hunting anywhere, there are many tactics
we use while hunting these
mountain birds. Primarily, we walk ridges calling and set up when we
strike a gobbler. Calling birds off the roost can often be effective as
well. We also set up in known corridor areas and call blindly against pine
trees. We typically do not use blinds. In both New Mexico and
Arizona, we have the
ability to hunt all day, unlike some other states that only allow turkey hunting
until noon. These are fully guided turkey hunts. Our guides can call to the lovesick toms while the hunter awaits the turkey's arrival.
Experienced hunters usually enjoy calling for themselves while the guide
accompanies the hunter in the field. 
