Turkey Hunting - Spring Season Success

For those of us who have been biding our time waiting for the next "big hunting event", Spring turkey season is right around the corner. We have been filling our time with some small game hunting and many excursions to Ozark trout streams to fill the time, but now we are really getting geared up (literally and figuratively) for Spring turkey season. It seems like it is a time where we feel the nice Spring weather is upon us, and almost as an unjust bonus, we also get to embark on one of our favorite seasons of the year.

Here in Missouri, the Spring turkey season for youth is April 10th and 11th, followed by the regular Spring turkey season which runs from April 19th to May 9th. For the regular Spring turkey season, it is not an accident that the season does not start on a weekend. The idea is to start the season on a day where hunting pressure will be more spread out. The primary number one focus for all hunters should be safety. Since turkey hunters are clad in camo, there is already an extra embedded danger. Spreading out the pressure helps just a bit with this factor. We encourage all hunters, even those where they are not required to do so, to attend a hunter safety course. These courses will make the woods safer for all of us, and as a bonus, you often attend a class where there are experienced turkey (and deer) hunters who are more than willing to share there knowledge. It can actually be fun if approached with the right mind set. Often, folks form hunting friendships at these courses that last long thereafter.

The outlook for turkeys in Missouri, as well as many other Midwestern areas is not strong relative to more recent frames of reference. Cold and wet conditions have somewhat, but not dramatically, lowered some turkey populations. This should not be too discouraging. Often, an even bigger factor than how the weather has affected turkey numbers, is how the weather impacts our ability (or desire) to get out in the woods. The more mornings you are out and the more hours spent hunting on these days, obviously the greater your chances to bag a gobbler. In summary, even though the numbers are a bit down, if we have a nice season of weather, harvest numbers may be solid. This will also lead to better future prospects for turkey hunting.

For residents in Missouri, the permit cost for licenses this year is $17 for adults and $8.50 for youths (ages 6-15). For non-residents, the permit costs are $190 and $8.50 respectively. The resident landowner permit is no charge. For further information on permits and hunter safety courses, visit the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) website.

There are excellent prospects in Missouri for hunting turkeys on public land. Missouri is blessed with two major public hunting venues. The MDC manages many conservation areas statewide. Mark Twain National Forest has vast tracts of land where with a bit of research and scouting, hunters can often find good areas to hunt almost alone. A good place to begin a research endeavor into these areas is through the  Hunting Section at Family-Outdoors. There are articles for scouting on public lands, databases of information on conservation areas, and a thorough rundown of many of the tracts of Mark Twain National Forest. There are also tips for hunting Spring turkeys.

One of our favorite aspects of the Spring turkey season in Missouri is one that some hunters don't like. We like the morning hunt only aspect of the Spring turkey season in Missouri. We hunt as a family, and the morning hunt is followed by an afternoon of relaxation and time to just sit around camp and visit. Often, the weather is nice and there's little to rival in our book, a warm afternoon nap in one of Missouri's beautiful wilderness areas. If one or more of us has tagged a tom, all the better. We sincerely hope your Spring turkey season hunt is a great one for you!