Area turkey hunters may have a challenging spring season due to poor production recently.
According to the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), although good hatches occurred in 2011, 2012, and 2014 which helped strengthen turkey numbers in much of state from a low point during the late 2000s, poor production in recent years will have an adverse effect on the 2019 spring turkey season.
Unfortunately, poor production throughout the state during 2017 will result in fewer two-year-old gobblers during this year’s spring hunting season. Considering the prospects, hunters should be prepared to put in a bit more effort to be successful this year.
Although this news isn’t encouraging, this isn’t the first time poor turkey production has reduced numbers in Missouri. After reaching a population peak in the early-to-mid 2000s, Missouri’s turkey population experienced four years of poor production from 2007-2010, causing the population to decline.
The spring turkey season starts with a youth-only weekend April 6-7 and the regular spring season runs April 15 through May 5.
For more information about spring turkey hunting, visit MDC’s website at mdc.mo.gov.