Turkey Slams: A Breakdown

Most people would typically describe a grand slam as a big league hitter sending a ball four hundred feet into the bleachers, with bases loaded and celebrated with a roar from the crowd and a victory lap around the bases. For turkey hunters, however, it means completing a journey spanning from the east coast to the west coast. They would have hunted in the palmetto flats of Florida, the Pineywoods of the east, the mountain ranges of the west, and the southwest brush areas. Not only will they have to travel to vastly different landscapes all over the country, but they will also have completed a lifetime-worthy achievement.

The NWTF recognizes six total slams that a hunter can complete. These are the Grand Slam, Royal Slam, World Slam, Canadian Slam, Mexican Slam, and the U.S. Super Slam. Completing either the Royal Slam or the World Slam requires the hunter to travel to Mexico to harvest one or both of the two subspecies of turkey found there. To achieve any of the six slams, a hunter must harvest and register all the turkey subspecies required for that particular slam.

The Grand Slam is the most well know, and with 1,778 hunters on the registry, it is easily the most popular of all the slams. This slam is achieved by harvesting all four U.S. subspecies: the Osceola, Eastern, Merriam's, and the Rio Grande. All though it is a feat in and of itself to complete this slam over many years, hunters that can achieve this in a single year will have obtained the crown jewel of turkey hunting. This feat is even more impressive because you only have about three months to do it.

The next slam on the list is the Royal Slam, which is the Grand Slam with the addition of the Mexico subspecies of turkey known as the Gould's. This slam will generally take the hunter into northern Mexico but can be achieved entirely in the U.S. To date, 697 hunters have completed this slam.

Following the Royal Slam is the World slam which consists of the four subspecies in the U.S., the Gould's, and the Ocellated. Traveling to the Yucatan peninsula in southern Mexico is the only way to hunt an Ocellated turkey and complete this slam. To date, 410 hunters have completed this slam.

Next is the Canadian Slam, which involves harvesting Merriam's and Eastern turkeys. Like the Royal Slam, the hunter must travel outside the U.S. to achieve it, but unlike the other slams, the hunter must harvest both birds in Canada. Only 12 hunters have completed this slam and received their pins, making it the slam with the fewest completions.

The fifth Slam on the list is the Mexican Slam; like the Canadian Slam, the hunter must harvest all the turkeys in Mexico. However, for this slam, the hunter will need to harvest all three subspecies found in Mexico: the Rio Grande, Gould's, and Ocellated. To date, only 28 hunters have achieved this slam.

The sixth and final slam is the most difficult to complete and time-consuming of all the slams. The U.S. Super Slam consists of a hunter harvesting a turkey in all 49 states with an established turkey season, all of the lower 48 and Hawaii. It would be all 50 states, but Alaska has no legal turkey hunting season. Only 16 hunters have completed this slam, with the first registered completion being achieved in 1997 by hunter Rob Keck.

Most turkey hunters will never hunt another subspecies of turkey besides the one in their home state, so achieving any of these slams is no small feat. If you are interested in or planning to undertake the challenge, there are a few things you will need to make sure to arrange while planning out your hunts.

As stated earlier, to be recognized by NWTF for completing a slam, you must register each harvested bird with NWTF. To be able to do this, you will need to become a member, which will run you $35 for every year you plan on registering birds. There is also a $15 fee per bird you register, and you can report them individually or all at once as long as you can obtain all the required info, photos, and signatures needed for the forms. Another note to consider when it comes to filling out the documents is that the primary witness to the harvest must also be a member of NWTF, so hopefully, your guide or hunting partner is also a member, or you will be paying an additional $35 per primary witness on top of your other hunting cost, and registration fees.

So after you have successfully harvested your birds, ensuring your primary witnesses are NWTF members, and sent in all the required forms and photos to NWTF, you will have to wait a six to eight weeks processing period to receive your certificates of completion. Along with your certifications, you will also receive commemorative pins; one pin for the Slam and one for each subspecies harvested. You will also have your name added to the NWTF records of hunters who have completed your chosen slam; after all that, you will finally be able to frame your certificate and pins to proudly be displayed on the wall, hopefully right above a bunch of new turkey mounts.

Chasing one of the six Slams in the turkey world is no walk in the park; it is a journey that a small percentage of hunters will undertake, and even fewer will complete. Putting this in perspective, an estimated 2.5 million hunters pursue wild turkeys in the U.S. Of those, only 2,941 hunters, or .001%, have completed and registered one of the six slams. Although that number may look discouraging, you must remember that only some people who complete a slam will undergo the registration process through NWTF. So when you head out to the field this spring, instead of just looking to harvest another turkey, look at it as the first turkey in your journey to completing your own Slam.

If you are interested in learning more about NWTF or looking for answers to frequently asked questions, I have provided a link to some helpful resources below.

Links

NWTF Website: https://www.nwtf.org/

NWTF Turkey Slams: https://www.nwtf.org/the-lifestyle/turkey-records-home/turkey-slams

NWTF FAQs: https://www.nwtf.org/membership-giving

Photo Credits

Mossy Oak & NWTF

Written by: Rick Stewart