Montana Rio Grande Turkey Hunting Guides and Outfitters
Harvesting Rio Grande Turkey in Massive Montana
The Rio Grande turkey ranges through Texas to Montana, Kansas, New Mexico, Colorado, Oregon, and central and western California, as well as parts of a few northeastern states where they have been stocked. Rio Grande turkeys were also introduced to Hawaii in the late 1950s. Population estimates for this subspecies range from 1,022,700 to 1,025,700. This subspecies is native to the Central Plain states, and they were first described in 1879 as having longer legs compared to their body size. The Rio Grande turkey’s body feathers often have a green-copper sheen to them. The tips of the tail and lower back feathers are a buff-very light tan color. The Rio Grande turkey’s habitats are brush areas of rolling terrain with mesquite, pine, and scrub oak forests interspersed with streams, creeks, and rivers. This is the only turkey subspecies to be found at elevations up to 6,000 feet. Rio Grande turkeys are gregarious, flocking and roosting together throughout much of the year.
These Montana Rio Grande turkey hunts are the real thing: high success rate, wild Rio Grande turkey hunting in some of the most beautiful Western U.S. habitat you'll ever see. Hunts in Montana can be guided or semi-guided, as the client chooses. Many Montana hunters bag their two-gobbler limit by the second morning. It's not unusual to see a hundred or more wild Rio Grande turkeys daily.
Northwest Montana's habitat of sand hill and short grass prairies are interspersed with oak and wild plum thickets, native grasslands, and its agricultural lands support a thriving population of wild Rio Grande turkeys. Numerous tracts encompassing thousands of acres, savvy management, and a productive hunting plan combine to ensure low-hunting pressure and high-quality Rio Grande turkey hunting experiences. Eastern Rio Grande turkey hunters beware: this Montana Rio Grande turkey hunt does not entail the typical run-and-gun hunting method common to the tall hardwood forests elsewhere. Hunters here are concealed in sparse brush blinds along travel corridors between roost and feeding areas. The winning strategy is for patient hunters to remain still and call sparingly. With 98-99% of hunters successful on at least one – but usually several – mature gobblers, listen to your Montana guides!
2011 was unusually hot and windy, but hunting success remained excellent overall. Season highlights include some 1.5-inch spurs, and a monster gobbler with 1.75-inch spurs! Montana's wild Rio Grande turkeys experienced excellent production, and there will be many two year-old birds in 2012, ensuring plenty of action. Now is the time to experience the best Rio Grande turkey hunt in America, and it’s your turn to hunt big, wild Rio Grande turkey in Montana!