MDC Invites Comments on Wild Turkey Management Plan

Turkey Hunters...from MDC...

Dear Missouri Turkey Hunter --

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is in the process of revising our Wild Turkey Management Plan to better guide wild turkey management in Missouri. The new Plan includes goals related to population management, habitat management, recreational opportunities, and public engagement. We will be seeking public comment on the revised Wild Turkey Management Plan during the month of June, and we would like to invite you to provide feedback on the Plan.

Starting June 1, you will be able to visit mdc.mo.gov/turkeyplan to read the Plan and provide feedback through an online survey. You and others can also mail written comments to: Missouri Department of Conservation, Attention Michele Baumer, PO Box 180, Jefferson City MO 65102.

I also invite you to join our live Wild Webcast on Wild Turkeys and Turkey Management on Wednesday, June 3, at noon to 1 p.m. Register in advance for the live webcast at short.mdc.mo.gov/Zh2 and then join the webcast live on June 3 at noon.

During the webcast, I will present and discuss information on wild turkey biology and ecology, the history of wild turkeys in Missouri, the state’s wild turkey population status, and the MDC Wild Turkey Management Plan revision process.

Wild turkeys were nearly eliminated from Missouri in the early 1900s due to unregulated hunting and habitat loss. Today, wild turkeys can be found in every county thanks to decades of restoration efforts by MDC and numerous partners. Missouri now has one of the largest wild turkey populations in the nation and each year more than 100,000 hunters pursue and harvest about 40,000 wild turkeys in Missouri. Missouri’s turkey population reached its peak in the early-to-mid-2000s following extensive restoration efforts around the state and is currently experiencing declining numbers after several years of poor production driven by factors such as weather, habitat loss, and an increase in predators.

I appreciate your interest in wild turkeys and turkey hunting here in Missouri, and I am looking forward to receiving your input on the revised Wild Turkey Management Plan.

Sincerely,

Reina Tyl
MDC Wild Turkey Biologist

MISSOURI MAN FOUND GUILTY OF NUMEROUS HUNTING VIOLATIONS IN TAYLOR COUNTY IOWA

A Missouri man was found guilty by a jury of illegal deer hunting in Taylor County, Iowa.

Michael K. Kahnert, 61, of Branson West, Mo., was found guilty of six counts of fraudulently obtaining resident hunting, deer and turkey licenses, three counts of not having valid non-resident hunting and deer licenses, one count of taking/hunting deer out of season, one count of illegal taking of an antlered whitetail deer, and two counts of illegal taking of antlerless whitetail deer. 

He was sentenced on June 18.

Kahnert was ordered to forfeit the antlers and pay more than $11,400 in fines, court costs and liquidated damages.  Kahnert has been suspended from hunting or obtaining any licenses for three years. 

The state of Iowa is a member of the Wildlife Violator Compact, which is an agreement between participating states that prohibits a person whose hunting or fishing privileges are suspended in one state from participating in those activities in another state, including Missouri.   

Conservation Officer Andrea Bevington has been actively investigating residency fraud cases like this since 2009.  Unfortunately, this type of case is not unique in her territory.

“Iowa is known for trophy whitetail deer attracting people from across the United States and other countries.  Unfortunately, these trophies sometimes draw individuals who fraudulently obtain resident licenses and rob the opportunity for a deer of a lifetime from a lawful hunter,” she said. 

 Residency laws were changed in 2009 to identify a growing problem in Iowa of non-residents falsifying records to illegally obtain resident licenses. 

The Mother Flock: Hunting the Homeland of the Wild Turkey | Outdoor Life

Across nearly all of the Eastern wild turkey’s range, its story is one of loss and recovery, of the wildly successful reintroduction of an iconic species that was simply gone for generations.

But there’s one place that never lost its turkeys: the steep white-oak ridges and plunging limestone hollers of Missouri’s Ozarks. The turkeys remained for the same reason that hunting them here is so challenging: because the country is huge and rugged, and the birds, their senses sharpened by more than two hundred years of uninterrupted hunting pressure, are diabolically smart and evasive.

Read More
The Mother Flock: Hunting the Homeland of the Wild Turkey | Outdoor Life

Young turkey hunters harvest 4,441 birds during youth weekend

Turkey Hunting Tips

Harvest up from last year. Top Missouri counties were Franklin, Greene, and Cedar.

MDC Outdoors Skills Specialist Brian Flowers helped 10-year-old Oliver Koenig harvest his first turkey during an MDC mentored youth hunt in Callaway County during the 2015 youth spring turkey hunting weekend April 11 and 12.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reports that young turkey hunters harvested 4,441 birds during the 2015 spring youth season, April 11 and 12. Top harvest counties were Franklin with 117 birds, Greene with 88, and Cedar with 87. For more harvest information by county, visit the MDC online harvest map atmdc.mo.gov/node/263.

Young hunters checked 4,332 turkeys during last year’s spring youth weekend.

Hunters age 6 through 15 are allowed to take one male turkey or turkey with a visible beard during the youth season. Those who harvest a turkey during the youth season may not take a second bird until the second week of the regular spring turkey season, which runs April 20 through May 10.

Conservation makes Missouri a great place to hunt. For more information on spring turkey hunting, get a copy of the Department’s 2015 Spring Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information booklet where permits are sold or online at mdc.mo.gov/node/4051.

Youth and adult hunters who harvest their first turkeys can have the accomplishment recognized through MDC’s First Turkey certificate, complete with photo. Learn more to create the certificate at mdc.mo.gov/node/10469.

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Apply for MDC spring managed turkey hunts

Online applications run through Feb. 28.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Missouri youth, archery, and firearms turkey hunters can apply online for managed hunts during the 2015 spring turkey season beginning Jan. 9 to Feb. 28through the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) website atmdc.mo.gov/node/11252. Managed hunt details and application procedures are outlined on the webpage. Application results will be available beginning March 13.

Spring turkey hunting youth weekend will be April 11 - 12 with the regular spring season running April 20 - May 10.

Detailed information on spring turkey hunting will be available in MDC’s 2015 Spring Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information booklet available online at mdc.mo.gov in late January with printed booklets available from permit vendors and MDC offices and nature centers around the state beginning in mid-February.

Conservation makes Missouri a great place to turkey hunt. To learn more, go online tomdc.mo.gov/hunting-trapping/turkey-hunting.

Hunters check 5,929 turkeys in fall firearms season

This year’s harvest is the third-smallest since the season began in 1978.

JEFFERSON CITY–Hunters checked 5,929 turkeys during Missouri’s fall firearms turkey season Oct. 1 through 31, continuing a long-term decline in participation in the fall hunt.

Top harvest counties were Greene with 208 turkeys checked, Webster with 158, and Laclede with 152. Harvest numbers were down statewide. The decline was smallest in northeastern Missouri (11 percent from 2012) and greatest in the St. Louis (50 percent), central (41 percent), and Kansas City (32 percent) regions. The declines in harvest were approximately 25 percent in the northwest, southeast, southwest, and Ozark regions.

This year’s fall firearms turkey harvest is the third-smallest on record. The smallest was in 1978, when hunters checked 4,389 turkeys during the fall firearms season. The fall harvest increased dramatically for the first nine years after it began, building to 28,139 in 1987. It has declined steadily ever since.

A parallel decline in sales of fall firearms turkey hunting permits indicates that the harvest decrease is largely the result of waning hunter interest. Further evidence is the fact that the fall archery turkey harvest increased steadily during the same period. Archers checked 108 turkeys in 1978 and 3,217 last year.

“Fall turkey hunting had a brief period of increasing popularity early on,” says Jason Isabelle, a resource scientist with the Missouri Department of Conservation. “Over time, I think that fall turkey hunters have gradually been drawn away to archery deer hunting and all the other hunting opportunities available in October. Fewer and fewer people have hunted turkeys in the fall each year, even throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, when the state’s turkey flock was growing rapidly and when our spring harvest continued to increase.”

The Conservation Department sold 14,898 fall firearms turkey permits this year, which is a decrease of 9 percent from 2012 and well-below the 115,020 permits sold for this year’s spring season. Isabelle says he expected the decrease, because turkey nesting success was down compared to the previous two years.

“For the last several years, fall firearms turkey permit sales have tended to track the hatch,” he says. “When hunters see fewer birds in the woods they generally buy fewer permits.”

Isabelle notes that in spite of the downward trend, the fall firearms turkey season remains popular with some hunters. These turkey fanatics enjoy the extra month of hunting opportunity.

Fifty-three percent of the turkeys checked during the fall firearms turkey harvest were hatched earlier this year. That is in line with the juvenile-adult ratios of other years. Population models and more than 30 years of experience show that the current level of fall harvest has no effect on the potential for wild turkey population growth.

For county-by-county combined fall firearms and archery turkey harvest figures, visit mdc.mo.gov/node/264.

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Youth turkey hunting clinic offered March 30

The clinic north of Clinton is open to participants age 9 through 15.

Wild Turkeys in Field

BLAIRSTOWN – Hunters age 9 through 15 who want to learn about turkey hunting can register for a youth turkey hunting clinic March 30.

The clinic is cosponsored by the Missouri Department of Conservation and Everhart's Wilderness Lodge. It will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the lodge, which is northwest of Clinton.

The event gives young people a chance to learn from experienced turkey hunters. Participants learn about turkey hunting rules and regulations, firearms safety, shotgun patterning, choke and shot selection, calling, scouting, decoy use, and equipment. The free clinic includes ammunition and lunch.

Registration is limited to 40 youths. Each youth must be accompanied by an adult sponsor. Each adult may sponsor up to two youths. Youths are encouraged to bring their shotguns. For more information or to register, call Johnny and Linda Everhart, 660-885-5049.

Other clinic sponsors include the Missouri State and Truman Lake Chapters of the National Wild Turkey Federation, past members Westside Missouri Waterfowl Association and Clinton Walmart.

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Managed turkey hunt application deadline is Feb. 28

MDC’s spring 2013 managed turkey hunts include ones for youth and people with disabilities.

JEFFERSON CITY Mo. – Turkey hunters have until Feb. 28 to apply for managed hunts during Missouri’s 2013 spring turkey season. A list of all 19 managed turkey hunts and application instructions are available atmdc.mo.gov/node/11252.

In addition to 10 hunts open to all firearms turkey hunters, this year’s offerings include a managed hunt for archers, seven hunts for youths ages 11 through 15, and one hunt for people with disabilities. Managed hunts will take place during the youth turkey season, April 6 and 7, or the regular turkey season, April 15 through May 5.

Hunters may apply individually or in groups of up to three for most hunts. Youth hunts accept applications only for single hunters or pairs. An individual applying as a member of a party has the same chance of being drawn as someone who applies alone. Successful applicants will receive notice of their hunt dates and other information by mail. Drawing results will be posted March 15 through May 5 at mdc.mo.gov/node/11788

Participation in managed turkey hunts is free. Hunters may apply for only one hunt.

Participants in some hunts must complete a pre-hunt orientation. Hunters should not apply for these hunts if they cannot attend the orientation.

The bag limit for managed hunts is one male turkey or turkey with visible beard. Turkeys taken during a managed hunt count toward the season limit of two. Hunters who shoot a turkey during a managed hunt before April 23 may not take another turkey during the first week of the regular turkey season. All-terrain vehicles are prohibited on areas with managed turkey hunts.

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December Conservation Commission Meeting

The Conservation Commission met Dec. 13 and 14 at Conservation Department Headquarters, 2901 W. Truman Blvd., Jefferson City. Commissioners present were:

Don C. Bedell, Sikeston, Chair

James T. Blair, IV, St. Louis, Vice Chair

Becky L. Plattner, Grand Pass, Secretary

Don R. Johnson, Festus, Member

REGULATIONS

The Commission:

·        Set the following 2013 turkey-hunting season dates:

Ø  Youth season, April 6-7

Ø  Regular season, April 15-May 5

Ø  Fall firearms turkey season, Oct. 1-31

Bag limits, and shooting hours remain the same as last year. Additional details, including spring managed turkey hunts and regulations for spring turkey hunting on conservation areas, will be published in the spring turkey hunting regulation guide.

·        Set the following dates for 2013-2014 firearms deer seasons:

Ø  Urban portion, Oct. 11-14

Ø  Early youth portion, Nov. 2-3

Ø  November portion, Nov. 16-26

Ø  Antlerless portion, Nov. 27-Dec. 8

Ø  Alternative methods portion, Dec. 21-31

Ø  Late youth portion, Jan. 4-5, 2014

Other deer-hunting regulations will be set in the spring of 2013. Details will be published in the fall deer hunting regulation guide

·        Revised the requirement for hunters to immediately tag turkeys in the field, as long as they notch their permits. Applying the tag will only be required if the taker is not with the turkey. This change will not take effect until June 1, and so will not affect the 2013 Spring Turkey Season

·        Simplified requirements for tagging harvested deer, effective June 1, 2013.

ADMINISTRATION

The Commission:

• Received presentations from:

Ø  Fisheries Division Chief Chris Vitello regarding division goals

Ø  Deputy Director Tom Draper and Wildlife Programs Supervisor Dennis Figg regarding Missouri’s Comprehensive Conservation Strategy

Ø  Outreach and Education Division Chief Mike Huffman and Design and Development Division Chief Jacob Careaga regarding renovation of the August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area Shooting Range and Outdoor Education Center.

Ø  Received public comments from Robert Brundage regarding chronic wasting disease.

• Presented awards to:

Ø  Clerical Employee of the Year Award, Tisha Holden, Montreal

Ø  Workforce Diversity Award, Mary Scott, West Plains

• Approved accepting the bequest of 48 acres in Andrew County as an addition to the Nodaway Valley Conservation Area (CA)
• Approved accepting the bequest of 241 acres in Bollinger County as an addition to the Amidon Memorial CA
• Approved exchanging 10 acres of Castor River CA in Bollinger County for a 10-acre tract in Bollinger County as an addition to the Castor River CA

• Approved purchasing 10 acres in Schuyler County as an addition to the Rebel’s Cove CA
• Approved purchasing 36.48 acres in Dallas County as an addition to the Barclay CA, with approximately 61 percent of the purchase price being paid with partnering funds.
• Approved purchasing 77.6 acres in Caldwell County as an addition to the Bonanza CA, with approximately 28 percent of the purchase price being paid with partnering funds.

• Approved purchasing 713 acres in Carter County as an addition to the Peck Ranch CA

• Approved entering into a contract with Steve and Associates, Fulton for the construction of the Hunnewell Lake CA Kettle Replacement Project located in Shelby County at a total estimated cost of $582,695.80. Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Program Funds will be utilized to cover 75 percent of the total project cost.

• Approved a nomination to the Missouri Conservation Hall of Fame for William “Bill” Bennett.
• Approved and authorized publication of the Conservation Department’s 2011-2012Annual Report
• Suspended hunting, fishing, and/or trapping privileges of 38 Missouri residents and one nonresident for Wildlife Code violations. Those whose privileges were suspended are:

Michael Casteel, Doniphan, hunting, 1 year

Renzie L. Cottrell, Monticello, hunting and fishing, 1 year

Steven M. Cunningham, Fairdealing, hunting, 1 year

Dan Dickson, Doniphan, hunting, 1 year

James D. Dickson, Doniphan, hunting, 1 year

Jeffrey C. Dickson, Doniphan, hunting, 1 year

Jackie Elliott, Doniphan, hunting, 1 year

Jimmy Foulks, Doniphan, hunting, 1 year

Nathan Foulks, Doniphan, hunting, 1 year

Willie D. Foulks, Doniphan, hunting 1 year

Ty W. Francis, Unionville, hunting and fishing, 1 year

Roy D. Friend, Doniphan, hunting, 1 year

Kristopher A. Gatewood, Grandin, hunting, 2 years

Jason A. Guehrer, Jefferson City, hunting, 1 year

Thomas Hart, Doniphan, hunting, 1 year

Dustin Hudson, Doniphan, hunting, 1 year

Henry L. Hudson, Doniphan, hunting, 1 year

Andy Johnson, Doniphan, hunting, 1 year

Arthur G. Johnson, Doniphan, hunting, 1 year

Bobby S. Jones, Doniphan, hunting, 1 year

Nicholas S. Keck, Doniphan, hunting, 1 year

Scott D. Keck, Doniphan, hunting, 1 year

Corey J. Landrigan, Salem, hunting, 2.5 years

Travis L. March, Gulfport, Miss., hunting, 4 years

Glenn C. Pearson, Fairdealing, hunting, 1 year

Mitchell G. Pearson, Fairdealing, hunting, 1 year

Jeff A. Pogue, Poplar Bluff, hunting, 1 year

Dennis J. Price, Doniphan, hunting, 1 year

Eric J. Rodgers, Belton, hunting, 1 year

Donald L. Turner, Fairdealing, hunting, 1 year

Jack B. Turner, Fairdealing, hunting, 1 year

Jerry L. Turner, Doniphan, hunting, 1 year

Kevin Turner, Doniphan, hunting, 5 years

Neil P. Turner, Naylor, hunting, 1 year

James S. Tworek, St. Joseph, hunting and fishing, 1 year

Billy Wheeler, Doniphan, hunting, 1 year

Jason M. Wheeler, Doniphan, hunting, 1 year

Paul Wheeler, Doniphan, hunting, 1 year

Matthew B. Wilbanks, Kennett, hunting, 1 year

• Approved the suspension or revocation of all hunting and fishing privileges of 352 people who are not in compliance with applicable child-support laws Privileges suspended for noncompliance are reinstated once the Division of Child Support Enforcement notifies MDC that suspendees have come into compliance with the required laws
• Suspended privileges of 211 nonresidents under the provisions of the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact

·        Set its next regular meeting for Feb. 7 and 8

This document is provided for public information only and is not an official record of the Missouri Department of Conservation or Missouri Conservation Commission.

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Conservation Commission sets 2013 turkey, deer season dates

Early action helps hunters who must plan vacation ahead of time.

JEFFERSON CITY–The Missouri Conservation Commission set dates for 2013 turkey- and deer-hunting seasons at its December meeting, giving hunters plenty of time to schedule vacation.

The Commission set the following dates for turkey hunting.

Ø  Youth season, April 6-7

Ø  Regular spring season, April 15-May 5

Ø  Fall firearms turkey season, Oct. 1-31

Bag limits and shooting hours remain the same as last year. Additional details, including spring managed turkey hunts and regulations for spring turkey hunting on conservation areas, will be published in the spring turkey hunting regulation guide in March.

The Commission set the following dates for 2013-2014 firearms deer hunting.

Ø  Urban portion, Oct. 11-14

Ø  Early youth portion, Nov. 2-3

Ø  November portion, Nov. 16-26

Ø  Antlerless portion, Nov. 27-Dec. 8

Ø  Alternative methods portion, Dec. 21-31

Ø  Late youth portion, Jan. 4-5

The Conservation Commission also simplified requirements for tagging harvested deer, effective June 1, 2013. Other deer-hunting regulations will be set in the spring of 2013. Details will be published in the fall deer and turkey hunting regulation guide.

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Fall firearms turkey harvest up for second year

The increase reflects another year of improved nesting success.

JEFFERSON CITY–An increase in Missouri’s 2012 fall firearms turkey harvest confirms population gains that turkey managers predicted and hunters hoped for.

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) Telecheck database recorded a harvest of 8,498 turkeys during the fall firearms turkey season Oct. 1 through 31. Top harvest counties were Webster with 225 turkeys checked, Laclede with 223, and Greene with 216.

This year’s fall firearms turkey harvest is 1,421 more than last year, a 20-percent increase. MDC Resource Scientist Jason Isabelle credits weather in part for the jump in fall turkey harvest.

“As far as production goes, our turkey population struggled through several tough years,” said Isabelle. “2008 was the wettest year on record in Missouri, and 2009 and 2010 weren’t much better. All that took a toll on turkeys and other ground-nesting wildlife.”

Isabelle said the hatch of 2011 was considerably better than the previous four, and it bolstered turkey numbers throughout much of the state. This year’s hatch, with a statewide poult-to-hen ratio of 1.7 poults per hen, was identical to 2011, which was the best since 2002.

MDC sold 16,413 fall firearms turkey hunting permits this fall, an increase of 9.3 percent from 2011.

Isabelle said he is encouraged by the increased fall turkey harvest and optimistic about prospects for the 2013 spring turkey season.

“The last two years have provided a much-needed improvement in turkey production,” said Isabelle. “We have always known that turkey numbers would rebound with favorable conditions. In parts of Missouri, our turkey numbers are still well below where they were five or 10 years ago, but the hatches of the last two years have certainly been a step in the right direction. 2011’s hatch should result in the largest group of 2-year-old gobblers we’ve had in quite a few years, which should make the 2013 spring season exciting for a lot of hunters.”

According to Isabelle, it is unlikely Missouri will ever see the numbers of turkeys it had immediately following restoration. That high-water mark was the culmination of a restoration program in which turkeys were reintroduced into areas where they had been absent for decades. Turkey populations expanded rapidly until they encountered “biological resistance” from factors that limit their numbers. From that peak, turkey numbers decreased to levels that are likely more sustainable in the long-run.

Isabelle says what the state’s turkey population has experienced over the course of the last several decades is not unique to Missouri. There are quite a few other states that have experienced similar trends in their turkey numbers as well.

“As long as we have enough habitat, Missouri will have a great turkey resource,” says Isabelle. “But wildlife populations have peaks during periods of favorable conditions and valleys during less favorable years. In the coming years, fluctuations in our turkey population can be expected. We’ll have our higher years and we’ll have our lower years. That’s just the nature of a species like the wild turkey.”

For the time being, the hatches of 2011 and 2012 represent considerable improvements in production and should serve to bolster turkey numbers throughout much of Missouri. For turkey enthusiasts, this is good news indeed.

-Jim Low-

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Regular spring turkey harvest totals 40,447

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Youth weekend adds 4,319 for an overall spring 2012 total of 44,766.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo – Hunters checked 40,447 turkeys during Missouri’s regular spring turkey season, up by 2,120 from 38,327 last spring, or about one percent. The harvest of 4,319 turkeys during this year’s spring youth weekend, March 31 and April 1, brought the 2012 spring turkey harvest to 44,766, up about one percent from 2011. Youth hunters harvested 3,893 turkeys during the 2011 spring youth weekend for a 2011 spring total of 42,220.  

Top harvest counties during the regular 2012 spring turkey season, April 16 through May 6, were Franklin with 852, Texas with 803 and Greene with 698.

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) recorded four non-fatal firearms-related turkey hunting incidents and no fatalities.

The bulk of birds taken during both this year’s youth weekend and regular spring season were adult gobblers with 31,813, or about 71 percent. Juvenile male turkeys (jakes) comprised almost 28 percent with 12,445 birds. Bearded hens made up one percent with 508.

Turkey harvest totals by county are available online at mdc.mo.gov/node/17396.

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“Subtending” exercise leads to aha! moment for turkey hunters

An exercise conducted recently at the Andy Dalton

Range shed light on the causes of turkey-hunting incidents.

BOIS D’ARC, Mo.–The staff at the Andy Dalton Shooting Range and Outdoor Education Center recently set out to teach turkey hunters how to estimate distance to their targets. In the process, they taught a much more important lesson.

Mike Brooks manages the Missouri Department of Conservation’s Outdoor Education Center at Bois D’Arc Conservation Area, near Springfield. He and his staff offered a training session to teach hunters about “subtending.” This technique enables hunters to accurately judge how far away a turkey is by the size of its head relative to the barrel of a shotgun.

Approximately 100 hunters, including many experienced outdoorsmen, took part in the training. As a practical exercise after the classroom portion of the session, Brooks and his staff set up simulated turkey targets at various distances in a wooded setting. Each participant had a chance to put his or her new knowledge about subtending into practice. After their first attempt at estimating distances, the teachers made some changes to the targets and let the hunters do a second round of subtending.

They learned some useful lessons about range estimation, but neither the participants nor the instructors expected the sobering lesson they learned about hunting safety.

To add to the value of the subtending exercise, Brooks and his staff had placed a silhouette of a camouflage-clad hunter in the line of sight beyond the turkey targets. When the exercise was finished, they asked if any of the hunters had noticed the hunter in the line of fire.

“Out of the nearly 100 students, both youths and adults, only one person saw the other hunter in the scenario,” says Brooks. “Many of these people were seasoned turkey hunters with years of experience and even they missed our guy until we took off the camouflage hat.”

Brooks says the lesson here is that hunters must constantly be alert for possible safety issues. A hunter cannot afford to focus so intently on his target that he fails to notice what is between him and the target and especially what is beyond it.

“You could say this exercise wasn’t fair, because we weren’t using loaded guns and we were concentrating on learning one thing unrelated to hunting safety,” says Brooks. “But the truth is that it’s just as easy to forget about safety in real hunting situations. There is a tendency to focus all your senses and attention on that turkey. This lesson gave everyone a dramatic reminder that if you don’t keep safety near the front of your mind every moment, you run the risk of making an awful mistake.”

With the help of thousands of citizen hunter-education volunteers, MDC has made dramatic improvements in turkey-hunting safety in the past 25 years. In 1986, MDC recorded 31 firearms-related incidents during the two-week spring turkey season. Last year, only five hunters were injured during a three-week season.

The difference, according to MDC Hunter Education Coordinator Tony Legg, is hunter education. Since training became mandatory in 1987, the number of safety-trained hunters has increased by approximately 30,000 annually.

Legg says that while improvements in hunting safety have been dramatic, hunter-education instructors still strive for a turkey season with no incidents. He says this is possible if hunters remember a few points.

“Most turkey-hunting incidents occur when one of two things happen,” says Legg. “One is when a hunter mistakes movement, sounds or small flashes of color for game instead of another hunter. The other is when a hunter fails to be sure he has a safe line of fire.”

According to Legg, both of these causes can be largely avoided by the use of bright fluorescent hunter-orange clothing. Decades of experience have demonstrated its effectiveness in protecting deer hunters. You don’t need to wear hunter orange all the time to reap safety benefits. Instead, Legg recommends wearing a hunter-orange vest and hat when moving between hunting spots, then hanging the garments on a tree when calling. This alerts other hunters to your presence.

Legg says hunters should always wrap turkeys in hunter orange when carrying them out of the woods.

“Walking through the woods in camouflage clothing while carrying a gobbler in plain sight is asking for trouble,” he says.

Other defensive hunting techniques include:

·        Choose calling locations that offer a clear view to the front and sides so you know if other hunters approach.

·        Sit with your back against a tree at least as wide as your shoulders for protection if a hunter behind you shoots at a turkey and catches you in the line of fire.

·        Remain in the immediate company of hunting partners. Incidents often occur when hunting partners separate and lose track of one another’s locations.

·        Never assume you are the only hunter in the area. Legg says most turkey hunting incidents occur on private property, where hunters don’t expect to meet other hunters.

·        Use gobble calls with extreme caution, since these make you sound like a turkey gobbler and most require some movement to operate.

·        Don’t wear red, white or blue clothes when turkey hunting. Likewise avoid handkerchiefs or other items of these colors, which mimic the colors on the head of a turkey gobbler.

For more information about hunter-education classes, visit mdc.mo.gov/node/3477.

MDC also has programs to help aspiring hunters and encourage hunting mentorship. For more information, visit mdc.mo.gov/node/10054.

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