Kansas Rio Grande Turkey
Kansas Rio
Grande Turkey hunting success that is additional to the testimonial section.
This gallery section is of pictures sent into us from Association hunters with results from their hunts on our lease land. The testimonial section has similar success photos and the added feature of letters telling in the hunter's words about their hunts. In this section of pictures we present topics that have interested prospective do it yourself hunters the most over the years.
For the most part the Association self guided hunter that hunts the spring season is a seasoned hunter with a good number of toms harvested over the years. Every year we do have the first time turkey hunter and we seek to 
highlight those hunters every chance we get. It is rare to watch as a hunter successfully harvest a first tom and then reconfirm that capability each spring there after. Congratulations to all that have done this and we certainly do appreciate the effort our members have given to make this website as good as it is. Thank you to all.
It is the case that turkey harvest pictures without text have come to us in that manner typically by email with a short note that says something along the lines "..from our hunt to..." In all cases we require some type of confirmation that all pictures do in fact come from MAHA lease land.
Email is the most efficient means by which to receive members pictures and hunting accounts. It is also the best means for us to reply as we do so with the recent notes to our logbook from what we have recently observed while working contracts.
Whenever we receive turkey hunting pictures and stories the return email will list right down to the lease number of what we have seen and as we are out on the land far more than any members, many members find their next hot spot from those lists. This is a case that while we are a do it yourself turkey hunter organization we, the staff, are as nice to the hunter that are nice to us. All in turn that read the update page also benefit from that little bit of daily diversion from the trials of life.
One observation about the Rio's tolerance for other animals is its ability to grow large flock size in regions well known for large numbers of coyotes.
The general belief is that the coyote is not as much of a threat to the Rio Grande Turkey as is the Bobcat. Western Kansas has not seen the higher Bobcat population density as the more wooded eastern region. Correspondingly, where the Bobcat has higher population densities the turkey flocks are smaller. While that predator/prey correlation may appear a direct one a seemingly inverse correlation is that where the turkey flocks are smaller, eastern Kansas (Eastern Turkeys) have more wooded acreage and far more large grain crop fields. From a turkey hunter perspective the more wooded acreage and more abundant crop fields would make for bigger turkey flocks, but that is not the case. While that food/flock size/wooded habitat observation may seem like good turkey logic the converse is true with nature. A similar observation most can agree with is that where the Eastern Turkey does populate and in spite of the flocks being smaller in members there are more Eastern Turkey flocks in any sized area than that of a comparable sized Rio Grande Turkey region.
The impact on the turkey hunter when comparing the Eastern and Rio Grande Turkey flocks is that scouting for Rio Grande Turkey may take some more time for each flock identified. A second impact is that once that Rio Grande Turkey flock is located it is more concentrated in its home range, larger in size giving more tom opportunities and is easier to hunt apparently due to less experience with wildlife predation. With this in mind, it would serve the turkey hunter well to scout out two Eastern Turkey flocks/roosts for each spring season hunt while finding a single Rio Grande Turkey flock/roost would most likely be sufficient. Using this approach as a basic time management plan would indicate the amount of time available for a combination spring season turkey hunt and deer scouting trip.
After sex during breeding season it is all about where the hens will feed and where the hens feed they will drag the toms.
Where crops are found in Kansas Rio Grande Turkey regions they are limited with the prime crop in the early spring a winter wheat field and late spring to not so well defined localities.
A winter wheat field adjacent to a any suitable roosting area is a big plus and easily found in the dryer regions that the Rio Grande Turkey occupies in Kansas. Add to that a dependable pre-existing water source and that is the best that can be hoped for.
The point about the water source is that it must have been present in that area long enough to have develop the flock's habitual attendance. This distinguishes the quality of any water source as illustrated by a shallow short term puddle found after a spring rain from a more stable stock pond or waterer overflow.
One big Rio Grande Turkey, 1 3/8 spur.
Do it yourself turkey hunter success or failure is always a better hunt than a guided turkey hunt
A mature Rio Grande Turkey runs lower in weight than our Easterns, has a shorter beard. A 7 inch beard is a mature Rio compare to the 10 inch of an eastern. Body weight runs 18 to 22 while Easterns average 22 - 27. Anyone that harvests a Rio Grande Turkey in the mid 20's, with over a 10 inch beard and with a one inch or greater spur may want to have that bird officially scored.
Winter wheat in Kansas Rio Grande Turkey region is prime for another reason that large grain crops such as corn and soybeans as well as small grains such as milo are far more frequently under irrigation. This means several things within this locality.
The first is any crop requiring irrigation will be limited in acreage. The most likely irrigated fields are those that maximize the expense of pivot steer irrigation equipment outlay. That means these fields are in far better row crop topography than that of wildlife areas. For turkey hunting this means that irrigated grain crops are more likely to be away from grass nesting and roost tree areas. Believing that any wildlife group has an absolute requirement for the two part definition of life or that being able to metabolize energy and to reproduce, turkeys like any other creature will only exist where these two requirement are supported. In irrigated crop regions the basic requirements are absent.
The second aspect of the limited cattle grazing topography of the Kansas Rio Grande Turkey population overlap region drives that any irrigated crops once harvested are frequently cattle foraged as by fall any available pasture has been exhausted. Come spring turkey season these crop fields had long before given up waste grain to cow mouth and hoof.
Under those conditions stated earlier and that most turkey hunters agree the preferred spring turkey food is first bugs, second sprouts and then all other. Added to that the time of the year and that of Kansas' long spring turkey season and thirdly, where the most desired spring foods will be found makes a crop field edge prime scouting and hunting spots. Especially so with near by roost trees and nesting grasses.
The early to arrive spring bugs are those first warmed by the sun ruling out shaded areas of wood patches and northern edges. (Rule out acorns as by this time of the year with our limited snow fall they have been cleaned up.) The same early bug areas would have had the most late fall and early spring sunshine to green up the wheat during the early part of the spring turkey season. (More true in the north than south that greens up faster). Turkeys may not understand this natural science, however they will return to where they had the best meal. That best meal is in terms of early spring concentrated bugs and sprouts. A turkey hunter's understanding of this helps focus his effort.
This food sources all change by the last week of Kansas spring turkey season. By the end of May, spring is well along as our average late killing frost in the middle part of Kansas is April 8th (again different from south to north). Into May spring planting such as corn, beans, milo and the advent of round up ready alfalfa allowing for spring planting brings a wide range of vegetation food sources. Bugs by this time are in peak spring development and cover a wide range of locations. Add to the effect of large amounts of food spread over a large area dispersing the turkeys to more feeding areas. The hens by this time are more likely to be nest sitting and not otherwise available to the toms. The toms with their continuing reproduction instinctual drive continuing long after hens no longer need their services begin a larger search area in hopes of finding a receptive hen.
All this adds up to the experienced turkey hunter not feeling the rush to have to hunt the first week of spring season. The experienced turkey hunter knows full well the success rate on toms is greater in terms of more shot opportunity with fewer hours spent a field during the later season over that of earlier in the spring season. This is driven by the fact that turkey hunting is hard, we have the private land to distribute hunters so as not to overly pressure any one turkey flock, we cater to the self guided turkey hunter that typically is more skilled than the average hunter and our turkey hunters numbers are limited. Even with all these advantages nothing is always perfect.
Snow track picture showing a pheasant and Rio Grande Turkey track.
The MAHA staff is in the field 12 months of the year as Mid-America Hunting Association is their fulltime job. That field time while many will want to call hunting time is more spent on member/trespass patrol, posting signs and meeting with landowners as well as scouting new land lease options. By the time the regular seasons start we have a good idea of the leases we plan to drop.
During the season we also ensure we do get what we pay for. This picture series is from one such lease check and a variation of what we monitor.
One of the two Association staff, John Wenzel, while on a pheasant hunt on a farm we have had leased for six years showed the first signs ever of turkey. In this case we are in a Rio Grande Turkey region of SC Kansas.
While many may consider this a good sign of a developing new turkey hunting spot that greatly increases the value of that lease to the Association there is more to consider.
#1 is the nearest reliable water source.
#2 looks like water in the aerial, however it is a cattle feedlot.
And, #3 illustrates very well how the land use changes. The pivot irrigation is no longer present as this aerial photo 13 years old and the only one available. That farm that was a large operation had since been sold by quarters and half sections to different buyers.
What we conclude is that while this property has demonstrated undeniable turkey presence it does not have the perquisite turkey habitat elements to make for a good, meaning reliable, turkey hunting spot. Knowing the leases not to hunt is as important as knowing where to hunt. The end result is more of our do it yourself hunters hunting what it is they want to hunt. We get the self guided hunter to the spot to park his truck to hunt. For Rio Grande Turkey this lease is not the spot.
Most turkey hunters agree that even on their best days, their decoys and calling skills cannot rival that of a live hen. With all of this in mind and the progression of different phases of the breeding season along with changing food sources swings to the hunter's advantage that of late over early spring season hunts. Add to all that the weather is more hunter friendly as well later in the season over the cold of early season where on opening week we have had occasional snow flurries and more frequently the crunch of frost covered leaves to walk in on for morning hunts.
Perhaps that added value this understanding of when to maximize any turkey hunting vacation time during that portion of the spring turkey season that brings the most turkey hunting success potential will be the remaining Kansas deer scouting time.
Add to the valuation of what portion of the spring season to hunt it always remains that scouting must precede the turkey hunt. Simply picking a spot and hunting all will agree is a mistake. What was true for any Rio Grande Turkey spot the previous year can be counted on most years, but not every year. Tall grass CRP (best nesting) comes and goes with the ebbs and flows of farm commodity prices, landowners die or retire and lease contract may not be extended to the new owner as well as other impacts other than natural life cycles of any turkey flock exist.
Kansas Rio Grande Turkey Flock
The point is to notice how open the habitat is. And, the habitat in this picture is deceptive as to the north and south of this picture the tree lined creek bottom provides the roost habitat while the grass and brush seen in the far ground has far more depth to it than this picture shows and allows for the critical nesting cover for the flock to regenerate itself through the years.
The aerial of the farm of the turkey flock picture.
Population numbers rise and fall from year to year relative to the previous spring's rainfall during the critical period between chicks hatching and growing enough feathering to survive spring rains and colder temperatures.
This correlation between ground nesting birds and spring rains has been studied to our knowledge as early as 1962 published in the book: Arizona Game Birds a study that included vertical distribution of ground nesting birds distinguished by elevation and humidity. The NWTF has published similar studies of spring rain and turkey nesting/survival correlation in their magazine as well. While we have had these variable spring rains it appears the Rio Grande Turkey flocks continue to increase in spite of rainfall variation with most hunters surprised by the numbers they see.
The region the Kansas Rio Grande Turkey flocks inhabit as described earlier is dry, not quite arid, and within the edge of the margin of arable farming country. A tough definition to describe without understanding of niche environments included within that description. For Kansas Rio Grande Turkey hunting divided the state horizontally in equal halves and then vertically by 2/3 west and 1/3 east helps define the niche within which we operate for Rio Grande Turkey hunts.
Rio Grande Turkey occupy the western 2/3 of Kansas and have variable environments of less to more rainfall west to east and more large grains from north to south.
The value of this simplification of a gradually changing topography largely driven by the increasing evaluation of the great plains from east to west, is that the better Kansas Rio Grande Turkey hunting is in that marginal arable farming country with the greater large gain field density and higher rainfall. The very southwest corner of Kansas being the least dense with Rio Grande Turkey and the northeast corner of our western quadrant being the most dense with Rio Grande Turkey.
Perhaps this very regionally isolated and habitat specific turkey illustration best describes how we as Mid-America Hunting Association will get the hunter to first the right region of Kansas or that of Iowa and Missouri for what he is after and then right to the spot of the right habitat to park his truck, step out and hunt.
Further, illustration of our serving as the hunter's friendly point of contact to insure he is hunting in the right location would be where we develop our wetlands for duck hunting, that would be Missouri. This is the valuation of our being a business and not a hunting club. As a business we seek to spend our money where we get the most return. The value to the hunter is that he is hunting in a locality where he is most likely going to enhance his success potential. That is if we can get that hunter to travel.
The Rio Grande Turkey photos on this page were taken on a regular survey day to scout land, which in this case is owned by an individual that has contacted the Association interested in leasing the hunting rights.
Before we lease land to add to the Association, we like to do a pretty thorough look over of the property. Many times we can see all we need to see from the road and other times we need to walk the property to see what's hiding over the hill.
On this particular day (May 17), it was the last couple of weeks of the Kansas spring turkey season (April 12 - May 31), which is a good time to scout since the turkeys are in the middle of their breeding cycle.
It was very warm, but these birds were spotted a half mile off the road hunkered under a shade tree next to a pond.
While there I [Jon Nee owner/operator of Mid-America Hunting Association] also jumped a rooster pheasant walking back to the truck and heard several more crowing in a small crp field that is part of this property.
Common of the southern Rio Grande Turkey range in Kansas at the end of May to have this much green up. Many northern turkey hunters are surprised at how warm of spring turkey season is frequently telling of bringing too many clothes.
Every so often we will get a hunter that will try to box in nature to his desires in spite of reality. A turkey hunting example would be a hunter that wants to hunt Eastern and Rio Grande Turkey on the same day. That is not possible, the driving distance between and a single day's daylight time to hunt preclude this. An Eastern and Rio Grande Turkey hunt on the same trip over two days is very doable. Any hunter that attempts to seeks hunts outside of what nature provides we work with for only a short amount of time. Then like any good business we seek to cut the waste.
The most interesting aspect about Kansas wild Rio Grande Turkey flocks are they will grow in size or the number of turkeys per flock rather than split into different flocks.
Past years have found what we used to say was a typical Rio flock of 50 turkeys to more recent conversations about the occurrence of 100 + turkey flocks. This is relatively new to Kansas and as of yet without definitive empirical study. We are curious just how large a Rio Grande Turkey flock can become.
Our Eastern Turkey flock individual turkey counts commonly are between 30 and 50 turkeys. That Eastern Turkey flock size seems uniform throughout its range in Kansas, Iowa and Missouri. The Eastern Turkey flocks are limited in size by unknown factors just as the Rio Grande Flocks remain a mystery of why they stay in one flock at larger counts rather than break up into separate turkey flocks.
In spite of all our observations and questions some turkey truths remain.
In the case of turkey poult survival, it comes down to protection from cold rain from hatch to 2 weeks of age. This 2 week period of the bell curve majority of most broods is during May and June. At around 2 weeks of growth the turkey chicks have sufficient feathering that rain induced hypothermia is not as much a survival factor and on a continuing decline as a survival factor for the remainder of the turkey life span. But, until that time a heavy rain or series of rains, especially during the day when the chicks are up and about and not under the hen's protective feathering will degrade a chick's chances of survival.
While good Rio Grande Turkey hunting is most threatened by spring during brood month rain hypothermia there is a consistent threat to both fall and spring turkey hunting seasons even before the chicks have a chance to hatch.
That turkey hunting threat is to available nesting grasses most preferred by turkeys. And, this is also a threat we can influence very little except to continue to push federal farm conservation funding for tall prairie grass CRP legislation to increase turkey nesting habitat quality through quantity. This same threat to the Rio Grande exists for the Eastern Turkey, however for the Rio Grande Turkey the available nesting areas are tougher to come by. And, there is good news.
The good news for the Rio Grande Turkey in terms of nesting cover is the buffer strip programs increased employment creating exactly the types of turkey preferred low to the ground grass cover required by nesting hens. These buffer strips placed between crop fields and drainages typically lined with trees make for all elements of roost, ground cover, water and multiple food sources within many relatively small areas. These areas are repeated in many areas covering a large amount of land. This one change may be the cause for why the Kansas Rio Grande Turkey flocks grow to such large number of birds. Again these are turkey hunter observation and speculation as empirical evidence supporting such ideas is unavailable or unproven.
In spite of this relatively new development of farm ground to wildlife habitat conversion some studies have Rio nest survival rates as low as in the 30% range on game surveys published in various studies. Turkey nest failures within our region are attributed to destruction from skunks and raccoons in the north and add the armadillo in south Kansas. Destruction rates were higher in poorer nest cover than in higher quality nesting cover typified by larger areas of thicker grass cover favored by the hens.
Having more and larger tall grass prairie typically only provided for by the Conservation Reserve Program enhances nest survival through dispersion of both the nests and the animals that prey upon them. This makes sort of a bigger hay stack to hide that proverbial needle or in this case a turkey nest. And, in the case of these studies the tall grass was relative to the older CRP practice of entire large fields planted. The buffer strip program did not exist in the form it does today as when the studies were published.
There is good news attached to this nest failure rate. As hens will re-nest if a nest has been destroyed the later re-nested chicks have a higher possibility of survival due to the later spring warmer temperatures and the lower affects of hypothermia. Additionally, bug production later in the spring contributes to faster chick growth rates just as the less frequent rains become less a threat as we progress into summer.
The key point about destroyed nests as observed by our hobby of having raised game birds as youths is that if the eggs are destroyed the hen will most likely re-nest. If the hen successfully hatches a brood and the brood is destroyed the hen most likely will not re-nest. That distinction is frequently thought to be the reason why we sometimes see a hen with just one or few chicks compared to when hens begin to group up and there are over 10 chicks per hen.
Good news continues as within the central mid-west, our Rio Grande Turkey hunting remains very productive as our locality allows for mild winters leaving hens stronger for egg laying and nesting. Our open country allows good predation on raccoons and such as well as longer range vision and reaction to such threats. This leaves the spring rain variable our most significant threat to increased bird numbers.
The final element to consider within our Rio Grande Turkey range is they exist within the same Kansas regions of low human density. Local to that county resident hunter activity is far less than in higher hunter density states of Texas, Michigan, Pennsylvania and so on.
Many come to our turkey hunting website and this section on the Rio Grande Turkey expecting to find just turkey hunting information. That does exists and is available with increasingly greater detail as will be found by preceding through the website. However, for the very best turkey hunt there must be an awareness of the environmental limiting factors that produce the numbers that allow for the best turkey reproduction as frequently evaluated as the likelihood of filling a tag.
When it comes to our Rio Grande Turkey we have a high harvest success rate each spring season on our lease land for a variety of reasons of limited turkey hunter pressure, good habitat and the current topic the right season to season weather patterns that allow for reproduction.
Good turkey hunting is based on the turkey's ability to reproduce first and then through the year survival second. That ability for the Rio Grande Turkey is found to combine in Kansas and allows for the Association hunter to hunt two turkey species each fall and spring season.
Weather affects turkey hunting more so than just during the spring turkey hunting season itself.
Specifically the spring brood months hypothermia affect, is relative to a turkey's biology and cannot be compared to what a human maybe affected by under similar weather exposure. Turkey's as a species have a higher normal body temperature than humans, generally around 102 degrees. The warmer a body is, the hasher the effect achieved by what may appear to humans as only moderately cold weather.
Add to this that a turkey has a much higher metabolism than humans and a growing chick an even greater calorie requirement than an adult turkey and the odds are increasingly stacked against the chick's survival during periods of long rains.
It is during the rains, and more sever longer rains, that chicks consume (require) more energy and supply of that energy more difficult to acquire. Consider this one small example that is true for turkey chicks as it is for humans and that is it is far easier to see a moving bug than an inactive one. During a rain bugs stop moving and go still. That one aspect of increased difficulty at finding food under harsh weather conditions may be the last adverse effect or the straw that broke the camels back causing chicks to degrade rather than grow.
Turkeys being ground brooding birds are further adversely affected to a greater degree than tree nesting birds. Ground nesting chicks will be up and out in the wet ground cover following the hen that will search for food regardless of weather conditions. Tree nesting birds are as likely to be on the nest brooding their chicks as out collecting feed. This equates to seeing plenty of juvenile robins following and adult on the backyard lawn does not mean equally good success for the turkey.
Bird dog hunters that raise their own dog training pigeons see this in the pigeon that will nest year round. During cold weather periods the adult pigeon will sit on the chicks throughout the day and night while during warm periods the chicks are often seen alone in the nest.
What does all this mean to the Association turkey hunter wanting to seek a tom? It means that your Association staff is keenly aware of where and under what conditions the best turkey hunting will be. That translates to recommendations of where to turkey hunt.
We are out on the land 12 months a year tracking trends that affect not only turkey hunting, but all our other hunt options as well. That is the assurance the hunter has when we recommend a place to hunt it is backed up with first hand knowledge of that area. That assurance is the reason for our high yearly membership renewal rate that sustains a healthy organization.
Our motivation is pure. To ensure our hunters return each year as motivated by having good hunts. In the case of the turkey hunting Association hunters they will be on turkeys every trip.
When it comes to turkey hunting in general and Rio Grande Turkey hunting in specific one price that must be paid by all turkey hunters is that time consumed by boots on the ground experience. The successful attitude is one that focus on years of hunting to come rather than just on the first hunt at hand. As we offer only wild turkey hunts most will agree on wild turkeys it is 98% failure and we all work toward those special days of 100% success. The successful days will be far more frequent with extra pre hunt effort than just by hitting the fields and woods expecting things to all come together without that preliminary effort.
We will do our part and lease the right habitat within the right region of the states that has a history of production for whatever hunting discipline the hunter may be seeking. Once on that farm the hunter makes his own success or achieves his own failure. That one significant point that we are not a hunter training but a hunter execution organization separates those that can hunt on their own from the guide service hunter.
We have in the past made mistakes and allocated memberships to those that required turkey hunter training in excess of our willingness and much required by that hunter's lack of personal effort. In such cases we have invited those same hunters to the first opportunity of going and applying their evolving skills or to leave the Association as we will not attempt to train anyone at how to hunt.
This approach of do it yourself turkey hunting is as immutable as our rules and we refuse all offers for guide service, allow a member to bring a guide or any other compensated advantage over that of other members. We extend this that gratuities are prohibited right down to candy boxes for our secretary. We also do not sub lease any of our lands and do not act as brokers for anyone or respond to any of the other lesser requested extracurricular activities hunters with more money than self determination have offered us. We do keep our life simple and remain true to our business mission that supports the average turkey hunter with his own turkey hunting skill to hunt on his own. Any variance from that and our quality of life, business life and enjoyment degrades.
The benefit of this discussion to the turkey hunter/member is a further statement of confidence he is buying into what we say we offer. That is do it yourself turkey hunting on private land leased for the exclusive use of the membership.
We offer a system for turkey hunting success proven by many good turkey hunters over a good many spring seasons.
Once allocated a membership the hunter accesses the association lease maps. The next step is to call and speak to Jon Nee or John Wenzel for recommendations where to turkey hunt right down to property numbers. More leases will be offered than time to turkey scout or hunt.
Draw down aerial photos from any one of the many free websites. From the turkey hunting spot recommendations from the Association staff and review of the aerial photos rank order all properties from the ones most desired to hunt to the least. At this point options are being developed- a significant advantage from our large acreage.
Make a telephone reservation to scout pre season or scout and turkey hunt during the season.
Pre season scouting planning factor is 3 quarters per day. Each quarter is a 160 acres. Schedule three for each pre season scouting day you have. Find a minimum of two roosts. Come back and hunt them during the season turkey season.
If pre season scouting is not possible plan a during season scouting and turkey hunting trip.
Travel out and immediately start a slow approach turkey hunt and scout of the first property as soon as able to get boots on the ground be it first morning or arrival day afternoon. The objective is simply to identify roost locations through pre dawn gobbling or watching return to roost movement.
Set up on the roost on the second day.
By noon the second day assess whether to remain on that property or change the third day turkey hunting reservations to another farm. Adjust accordingly making reservations as you go.
The motivation for making telephone reservations is that is the means by which we know where any hunter is so we do not schedule anyone else for that lease while a hunter is there. By that process all turkey hunt alone and we can recommend hunters away from leases that were immediately hunted before their arrival.
