Well, this would be my first big post on the forum. I typically frequent other forums, but there are many great guys here and I would say I'm somewhat an AL transplant (lower AL - Crestview, FL). So here it goes...

If some of you don't know me, I'm chasing the US Slam and decided to make a short trip to CO to slash it off my list. Before I headed to CO, I needed 6 more states to successfully complete this quest.

I flew into Durango, CO on 4/16 and checked out a few spots I had scouted via google earth. First spot I came to had a longbeard standing in the shade on a gas line. Parked the rental and circled around and started calling. He gobbles and I quickly try to find a good setup. Every place that looked good had prickly pear all around. I finally found a bare spot and dead cedar to lean up against. Longbeard gobbles his head off all the way in, but where I sat up I couldn't take a clear shot. Had him at 30 yards but through some thick cover. He then does a signature Merriam move and gobbles all the way back to his first location. I messed around with him for 30 more minutes and decided to try another spot close by.

Got to the next spot and walked down this gas line to its highest point and slipped off into some cedars and made a call. Immediately I get cut off with a gobble and he’s directly in front of me...maybe 50 yards. After I quickly cleaned my underwear I sat down and got ready. I waited a few minutes and made soft calls and he cut me off. Another few moments pass and I can hear him spittin' and drummin'. Then off the tip of my gun barrel I see his shiny red head come into the picture and I smoke him. I jump up with excitement and realize I was in a patch of prickly pear and had hundreds of those little needles in my leg. Needless to say, I had an absolute blast and checked off Colorado.

Had things gone right I planned on hitting Wyoming around Medicine Bow national forest. I did some internet scouting and downloaded numerous aerial images to my Garmin and headed northeast to my next spot. From Durango to Wheatland, WY it’s about a 9 hour drive. Well, for me it took almost 12 hours due to some crazy weather going on in the Midwest. I drove through blizzard like conditions at some points of my trip northward.
I finally reach my next hunting spot the next day just west of Wheatland, WY. This time I’m hunting some BLM land that hugs a river with a good patch of cottonwoods. I get out of the rental and start getting my stuff together. After a few minutes I hear the tail end of a gobble in the distance. I wait a few minutes and hear him gobble again. I instantly mark his spot with my GPS and take off towards his direction. I get to the river and glass the field. I see him on the edge and I decide to move up a few hundred yards and make a call. I yelped a few times and he cuts me off. I decided to not call anymore and wait him out. Well that worked perfectly because he didn’t want to lose the hen he heard and he came straight in on a string. Smoked him at 40 yards with some TSS and that’s all she wrote for him. I tagged him and made my way to the rental.

After removing the rabbit foot from my back end I decided to head to Nebraska for the opener. It was a 5 hour drive from Wheatland, WY to North Platte, NE. During this drive I ran into a crap ton of hail. I go from one extreme to the other in only 24 hours. Get to the hotel and catch up on some rest for the next morning hunt.
The area I scouted to hunt in Nebraska was around Wellfleet, NE. I get to the parking area around 545am and get ready to make a slight hike in. Get to my scouted spot and sit down. After 15 minutes I hear a cascade of gobbles to my right. I couldn’t believe what I was witnessing at this point. I was absolutely covered up with turkeys. I got my phone out and recorded the gobbling for 10 mins. It was simply amazing. The first turkey to pitch down was the first longbeard I shot. He starts strutting and then it was like an air show. Birds began flying out of all directions into this field in front of me. I waited a few mins and shot the closest longbeard to me. I sat there for a few minutes and just witnessed a mad house of turkeys. They finally slipped off and I quickly got my turkey and headed off into the cedars. I then made a few moves and put the Mohican sneak on the next two birds I killed. At 9:50 I was tagged out in Nebraska on their opener.
In the 3 days of hunting I slashed two more states off my US Slam list. It was an absolute amazing time. God was really shinning down on me during this trip. If anyone wants info on any of the places I hunted do reach out. I help a number of people that are chasing the US Slam. It’s all public ground and is definitely easy on the pocket.

On the 29th I head to Arizona and Washington. I hope I can get a few more and complete the quest in 2016.

Good luck to all and God bless!

PS – I’m flying home from Denver so pardon any spelling errors





[img:center]https://scontent-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphoto...amp;oe=55E38198[/img]

[img:center]https://scontent-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphoto...amp;oe=559CE135[/img]

[img:center]https://scontent-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphoto...amp;oe=55AAB5D4[/img]

Great story David. Trey has been telling me about your quest for a few years now and im blown away. That is a heck of an accomplishment. Have you kept up with how much it has cost you in license and travel over the years?

Awesome! MsN40 and I are on the same quest.

What a great story and goal. My hat is off to you sir

Lol! I don't want to know that figure. I'm sure I could go into my bag of licenses and tally them up. It's not that bad if you're only doing 6 states or less a year. I'm four away from completing this, so I just might go and count them all up. The most expensive states are in the southeast. Every where else the wild turkey is considered small game or upland game.

If you need any help on any of the states feel free to reach out. I can tell you the ins and outs on many of the states. California is terrible. Got a great story from last year.

Awesome sorry and one heck of a goal.

I also want to complete a US slam along with a world slam but I'm not sure I'll ever do it. I'm flying into Denver May 1st and thought about trying CO & SD since my Rio hunt has not panned out as I hoped.

PM sent.

That's awesome man, and please keep us updated on your quest. That is something that I hope to do as well but I don't have the money or time to make a serious effort at it just yet.

Awesome stuff! Congrats and good luck wrapping it up!

That's Unreal. Congrats.

I started this quest back in 2007 while in the military. I didn't have much money but did have the time. This recent trip cost me roughly $1300. Subtract 180 from that (two extra tags in NE) and you should have a correct total. I think if your trip is well thought out and you don't deviate much it won't hurt your pocket. Good luck and I will help you if I can!

Pm sent.

That is awesome! Are you only doing public land? That is a dream of mine, a public land u.s. slam. Doesn't cost much except for time. I've only got 3 states marked off the list, although I'm hoping to add a 4th in may. When I get this degree knocked out in august, it will really free up some time and money to travel. How hard was the north east?

Did you used to post on GON a good bit? Seems like I remember you from over there, or somebody else was doing the same thing.

Yes sir! Public land but focus more on national forest. I love to integrate exploring new terrain with my turkey hunting. The absolute best feeling! Good luck and get that degree my friend!

Yeah same person. My user name is gobble157 there.

gotch, I remember you now. I used to be Jaker over there, but got the ban hammer about 5 or 6 years ago.

That is an awesome undertaking. Takes a bit more effort, but public land is so much more rewarding. Texas and the northeast are the only ones I'm worried about.

Awesome trip and heck of an accomplishment. Best of luck on your last 4 states!