Preliminary data from the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) shows that turkey hunters checked 31,798 birds during Missouri’s 2021 regular spring turkey season, April 19 through May 9.

Top harvest counties were Franklin with 710 birds telechecked, Texas with 666 and Callaway with 639.

In the KMMO listening area, Chariton was the top county with 323 birds checked, followed by Howard with 321, Carroll with 279, Saline with 262, Pettis with 250, Cooper with 241 and Lafayette with 219.

Young turkey hunters also harvested 2,795 birds over the youth weekend, April 10 and 11, bringing the overall 2021 spring turkey harvest to 34,593.

Last year, young turkey hunters harvested 2,724 birds during the spring youth season and hunters harvested 38,734 during the regular spring season for a 2020 spring season total harvest of 41,458 birds.

To get more information on this year’s spring turkey harvest numbers by county, visit extra.mdc.mo.gov/widgets/harvest_table/.