Spring Turkey Hunting Season Could Be Challenging

Missouri turkey hunters can expect a challenging spring season according to the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC). The spring turkey hunting season starts with a youth-only weekend April 6-7. The regular spring season runs April 15 through May 5.

According to a story from the MDC, although the good hatches of 2011, 2012, and 2014 helped bolster turkey numbers in much of Missouri from a low point during the late 2000s, poor production in recent years will have an adverse effect on the 2019 spring turkey season.

Although the prospects for this year’s spring season aren’t encouraging, this isn’t the first time poor turkey production has reduced turkey 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. However, it's noted from a MDC official that turkey numbers rebounded following several years of improved production.

For more information about spring turkey hunting, visit MDC’s website at huntfish.mdc.mo.gov/hunting-trapping/species/turkey.