Super Slam: A turkey from every state

PITTSBURGH — It has been said that turkey hunting is the fly fishing of the hunting sports because of the great depth of knowledge about the animal necessary for consistent success.

If that’s the case, then harvesting a wild turkey in 49 states (there are no wild turkeys in Alaska) is like catching a trout on a dry fly everywhere in the country.

“An individual who would make such an effort would have to be passionate about turkey hunting,” said Thomas R. Pero, a hunter, angler and outdoors writer from Seattle. “I thought it would take years and some resources — he’d have to spend a huge amount of money on traveling and have the time to do it.”

An author and publisher of outdoors books, Pero was at least right about the passion. But while researching “Turkey Men” (Wild River Press, 2017), he found a passion for the hunt motivated men of average means to find the resources and make the time needed to call in and kill wild turkeys everywhere they live in America.

“This surprised me. I expected to find a bunch of well-to-do individuals,” Pero said. “Of the 12 I interviewed, only one could in any remote way be categorized as wealthy.”

The National Wild Turkey Federation considers it a Grand Slam when a hunter harvests a bird from each of the four American subspecies: Eastern, Merriman’s, Osceola and Rio Grande. Add a Gould’s turkey in Mexico for a Royal Slam. To score a Super Slam, a hunter must take a turkey of any subspecies in each of the 49 American turkey states, a feat accomplished by just a dozen hunters who are still alive. One of them did it twice.

Characteristics are similar among each of the American subspecies, but one is considered the hardest to hunt.

“Universally, all pretty much say the Eastern wild turkey is the most difficult,” Pero said.

Unlike the other “turkey men,” Tony Hudak of rural Wyoming County, west of Scranton, Pa., uses a dog to split the flocks before he calls in the gobblers.

“With turkeys, I think it’s the one-on-one challenge that pulls me. You know, it’s me against him,” said Hudak in the book.

Hudak said the most common turkey-hunting mistakes are a lack of patience and weak setups. He said he prefers the fall turkey season when scouting is less about calling and has more to do with habitat, finding the acorns, beechnuts, grapes and wild cherries.

Mature gobblers are quiet and habitual in the fall, said Hudak, traveling the same routes and returning to the same roosting areas. Fall flocks of hens and poults are more vocal and tend to stay together.

“So I like it because it’s way more challenging than the spring hunting,” he said. “It’s a whole different sport, and I think you have to exhibit better woodsmanship skills.”