Thanks and yes Merriams! Some Rio Grandes also in OR. Not sure what causes the multiple beard thing. It seems semi-common around some areas I've hunted though. Maybe genetics? In our particular area the Merriams and Rios seem to be crossed up a bit.
Lucked into another nice bird this morning up in the big timber. He has some interesting coloration in his tail fan. I'd call this one a Rio or at least partly.
I was able to tag my 3rd Gobbler for the 2021 season. He was a wary old bird, but after a few hours and a couple moves, he finally made a mistake and showed himself. It was a great season with lots of action. Probably the earliest I was able to tag out, especially considering they've upped our bag limit to 3 Toms, but still can only shoot one per day.