MDC’s Busch Shooting Range to offer turkey hunting class for beginners April 12

Learn the basics of turkey hunting with MDC’s 
Introduction to Turkey Hunting program Tuesday, April 12
from 6-7:30 p.m. at the Busch Shooting Range. 
This class is free and open to ages 9 and up. 

This free class is tailored for those who want to take their first steps in turkey hunting.

DEFIANCE, Mo.—Missouri is well-known for its outstanding turkey hunting.  That makes spring turkey season one of the most anticipated hunting seasons in the Show-Me-State.  These wary birds may present a challenge but beginning turkey hunters should not be intimidated by the sport. 

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) invites new hunters to an Introduction to Turkey Hunting program Tuesday, April 12 from 6-7:30 p.m. at the August A. Busch Shooting Range and Outdoor Education Center in Defiance.  This class is free and open to ages 9 and up.  With the spring season beginning April 18, now is the perfect time to get prepared.

“This program will introduce turkey hunting techniques and calling for beginners, so they can get started hunting these elusive birds,” said MDC August A. Busch Shooting Range and Outdoor Education Center Manager Bryant Hertel.

This multi-faceted program will prepare new turkey hunters for success.  It will cover what kinds of habitat are best for finding turkeys, basic hunting and shooting safety, and firearm selection and shotgun patterning.  Participants will get an introduction to the most popular turkey calls and effective calling techniques, including practical tips on when and how often to call.  MDC staff will also discuss other useful gear to help beginning hunters be successful, like clothing options, and use of hunting blinds and decoys.

Introduction to Turkey Hunting is a free program, but advanced online registration is required at https://short.mdc.mo.gov/43T. 

The August A. Busch Shooting Range and Outdoor Education Center is located at 3550 Route D, approximately five miles west of Highway 94 in Defiance. 

As this is an in-person activity, MDC asks all participants to observe any current local social distancing and masking guidelines. 

Program registrants should note that families now have the option to link their children’s accounts to their own which will streamline the program registration process.  Once a group account is set up, parents will be able to register their children to an event without having to logoff and login for each person.  This allows parents to register an entire family or select family members to an event at the same time. 

Stay informed of MDC latest programs by going to the MDC St. Louis regional events page at https://short.mdc.mo.gov/ZP6.

MDC Cape Nature Center to host turkey hunting programs, Wildflower Walk in April

You can know how to hunt safely, too!
Learn about wildlife identification, habits and habitats, regulations,
safety, hunting strategies, equipment and
game care this month at Cape Girardeau Nature Center. 

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Discover nature in April with Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center’s free programs!

• Hunting: Selecting and Fitting a Shotgun for Turkey Season (Virtual) | Monday, April 11, from 5 – 6 p.m.
• Hunting: Responsible Turkey Hunting (Virtual) | Monday, April 11, from 6 - 7 p.m.
• Discover Nature: Spring Awakening | Saturday, April 16, from 1 - 2 p.m. at Cape Nature Center
• Little Acorns: Time for Toads! | Saturday, April 16, from 9 - 10 a.m. at Cape Nature Center
• Little Acorns: Time for Toads! | Saturday, April 16, from 10 - 11 a.m. at Cape Nature Center
• Little Acorns: Time for Toads! | Tuesday, April 19, from 10 - 11 a.m. at Cape Girardeau Nature Center
• Introduction to Trap Shooting | Tuesday, April 19, from 1 - 3 p.m. at Apple Creek Conservation Area
• Introduction to Skeet Shooting | Tuesday, April 19, from 3 - 5 p.m. at Apple Creek Conservation Area
• Wildflower Walk at Trail of Tears (Ride With Us) | Wednesday, April 27, from 1 - 3 p.m. at Cape Nature Center
• Babes in the Woods: Need a Nest! | Saturday, April 30, from 9 - 9:30 a.m. at Cape Girardeau Nature Center
• Babes in the Woods: Need a Nest! | Saturday, April 30, from 10 - 10:30 a.m. at Cape Girardeau Nature Center

Check out details for all of MDC’s free April events here. And be on the lookout for more programs to register for in May!

Registration

Advance registration is required for most programs and can be completed here. All family members that plan to attend in-person and virtual events must be registered. First, create a profile here. Once a profile is created and event registration is complete, additional details about programs will be sent via email. If you’re having difficulty registering online, you may contact the Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center at (573) 290-5218.

Stay connected

To ensure the safety of all, in-person programs require family groups to socially distance, and masks are recommended. Those interested are also reminded to follow current health recommendations which include stay home if you’re sick, wash hands with soap and water and/or use hand sanitizer, and be considerate of others.

Questions about events can be emailed to MDC Cape Nature Center Manager Laci Prucinsky at Laci.Prucinsky@mdc.mo.gov.

The Cape Nature Center sends program registration reminders and updates to those who sign up by texting “MDC Nature” to 468311. An online subscription is also available to “sign up for updates” at www.mdc.mo.gov. A variety of updates are available at this option, but Cape Girardeau specific updates are available under facility updates and news for southeast region.

Cape Girardeau Nature Center is located at 2289 County Park Dr. in Cape Girardeau, and is open Tuesday through Saturday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. White Oak Trace Trails are open daily, from sunrise – 10 p.m.

MDC invites public to learn about turkey hunting basics

Free April 3 clinic at Walter Woods Conservation Area has tips for all levels of experience.

JOPLIN, Mo. – Spring turkey hunting involves a variety of skills. Knowing how to locate a gobbler and call him into range, knowing how to handle firearms in a safe fashion, and understanding the turkey hunting regulations are all parts of a successful and safe hunt.

Hunters can learn more about the fundamentals of this popular spring pastime at a free Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) clinic from 6-10 p.m. April 3 at MDC’s Walter Woods Conservation Area in Newton County. Topics covered at these programs will include calling, locating, firearms safety, hunt preparation, identifying legal birds and improving your shooting skills. People can register for this program at:

https://mdc-event-web.s3licensing.com/Event/EventDetails/164988

To get to Walter Woods Conservation Area, take Newton County Highway NN south from Redings Mill for 1.25 miles, then turn west on Dutch Elm Drive, which leads to the area. This workshop will provide good preparation for those wishing to participate in Missouri’s youth-only turkey season, April 6-7, or the state’s regular spring turkey season, April 15-May 5.

People can learn about other events organized by MDC’s Shoal Creek Conservation Education Center by calling 417-629-3434. More information about turkey hunting can be found at https://huntfish.mdc.mo.gov/hunting-trapping/species/turkey.

Box call draws 22 toms during spring turkey hunt

Fun, food, fellowship and turkey stories are the norm at thousands of National Wild Turkey Federation Hunting Heritage fundraising banquets held annually across the United States.

For the second consecutive year, I had the pleasure of attending the Turkey Creek Longbeards banquet, held recently at the Joplin Elks Lodge.

One of the highlights was hearing a turkey story by Terry McGinnis, who was born in Joplin and raised in Webb City. He currently lives near Diamond.

Terry approached and said that I looked familiar. In no time, he and I bonded. We are graduates of Webb City High School and, of course, avid turkey hunters.

He noted that he and his wife, Honie, had “a heck of a hunt” for longbeards last spring in Southwest Missouri.

On the opening morning of spring turkey season, the couple was well-concealed, sitting in a blind in a brushy fence roll.

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MDC sets turkey and deer hunting dates and regulation changes

Missouri offers some of the best deer hunting in the country, and deer hunting is an important part of many Missourians' lives and family traditions.

Changes include deer-season structure and allowed methods.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – At its meeting on Dec. 11, the Missouri Conservation Commission approved recommendations by the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) for the 2016-2017 deer-hunting season and the 2016 turkey-hunting seasons. The recommendations include turkey-hunting and deer-hunting season dates, changes to turkey-hunting allowed methods, and changes to the deer-hunting season structure and allowed methods.

SPRING TURKEY HUNTING DATES

• Spring Youth Portion: April 9 and 10, 2016
• Spring Turkey Season: April 18 through May 8, 2016

FALL DEER AND TURKEY HUNTING DATES

• Archery Deer and Turkey: Sept. 15 through Nov. 11, 2016, and Nov. 23, 2016, through Jan. 15, 2017
• Firearms Turkey: Oct. 1 through 31, 2016
• Firearms Deer Early Youth Portion: Oct. 29 through 30, 2016
• Firearms Deer November Portion: Nov. 12 through 22, 2016
• Firearms Deer Antlerless Portion: Dec. 2 through 4, 2016
• Firearms Deer Alternative Methods Portion: Dec. 24, 2016, through Jan. 3, 2017
• Firearms Deer Late Youth Portion: Nov. 25 through 27, 2016

DEER AND TURKEY HUNTING REGULATION CHANGES

The Commission approved the following regulations regarding deer and turkey hunting:

• Expand the deer-hunting late youth portion to three (3) days beginning the firstFriday after Thanksgiving.
• Reduce the length of the deer-hunting antlerless portion from 12 to three (3) days and begin it on the first Friday in December.
• Eliminate the urban-zones portion of the firearms deer season.
• Allow crossbows as a legal method during archery deer and turkey seasons.
• Allow the use of crossbows during the fall firearms turkey season.
• Remove the hunting method exemption requirement related to crossbows.
• Reduce the limit of antlered deer from three (3) to two (2) during the combined archery and firearms deer hunting season, with no more than one (1) antlered deer taken during the firearms deer hunting season.
• Set the 2016 spring turkey season from April 18 through May 8 with a limit of two (2) bearded turkeys during the season; provided only one (1) turkey may be taken during the first seven (7) days of the season.
• Set the 2016 youth spring season April 9 and 10.
• Set the 2016 fall turkey hunting season from Oct. 1 through 31 with a limit of two (2) turkeys of either sex during the season.

The regulation changes will become effective March 2016.

The Commission initially approved the deer-hunting recommendations at its August 2015 public meeting followed by a public-comment period.

Changes to the deer-hunting season structure and methods come after Department efforts over the past 18 months to gather public input. That public input included hunter and landowner surveys, numerous public open houses around the state, community presentations, media communications, information in various MDC publications, discussions with conservation partner organizations, and other efforts.

The Department will also continue to gather public input through surveys and the MDC website in early 2016 on a variety of deer-hunting-related topics, including nonresident permits and prices.

The approved recommendations were also based on the Department’s use of deer population simulations, biological data, and harvest information.

"The goal of the Conservation Department's deer management program is to use research-based wildlife management combined with public input to maintain deer population levels throughout the state that provide quality recreational opportunities while minimizing human-deer conflicts," said MDC Deer Biologist Jason Sumners. "As deer populations in Missouri have changed over the last 75 years, so have our management strategies. In modifying the hunting-season structure, our aim is to achieve a deer population that is biologically and socially acceptable while also promoting hunter participation, recruitment, and retention."

DEER HUNTING IN MISSOURI

Missouri offers some of the best deer hunting in the country, and deer hunting is an important part of many Missourians' lives and family traditions. Deer hunting is also an important economic driver in Missouri and gives a $1 billion annual boost to the state and local economies.

According to MDC, more than 90 percent of land in Missouri is publically owned so landowners are essential to creating and maintaining wildlife habitat on private land. The Department works with more than 25,000 landowners in Missouri to help them manage their land for wildlife, such as deer and turkey.

For more information on deer and turkey hunting, visit mdc.mo.gov and click on Hunting/Trapping on the MDC homepage.

Related articles

• MDC and CFM encourage deer hunters to Share the Harvest (missourioutdoors.blogspot.com)
• State obtains land in McDowell County for elk restoration (mysanantonio.com)
• Outdoors: Fall turkey hunting is a new challenge (waynepost.com)

Hunters checked 6,158 turkeys during Missouri's fall firearms season

Hunters checked 6,158 turkeys during Missouri's 2015 fall firearms turkey season Oct. 1 - 31. Last year's fall firearms turkey harvest total was 5,680. Pictured is a young male turkey.

Harvest up from 2014 total of 5,680.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) announced that hunters checked 6,158 turkeys during Missouri's fall firearms turkey season, which ran Oct. 1 - 31. Last year's fall firearms turkey harvest total was 5,680. Top harvest counties for the 2015 fall firearms turkey season were Dent with 210, Greene with 159, and Franklin with 148.

Fall archery turkey hunting continues until Nov. 13 and then resumes again from Nov. 25 through Jan. 15, 2016.

For fall firearms turkey harvest results by county and type of bird, go online to the MDC website at extra.mdc.mo.gov/widgets/harvest_table/.

Related articles

• MDC and CFM encourage deer hunters to Share the Harvest (missourioutdoors.blogspot.com)
• Mother Nature starting to work on fall foliage (fox2now.com)
• App lets users track and share hot spots for fall leaf viewing (ky3.com)

Spring turkey harvest up for fourth year in a row

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reported that turkey hunters checked 43,991 birds during Missouri’s 2015 regular spring turkey season April 20 through May 10.Young turkey hunters ages 6 – 15 years harvested 4,441 birds during the 2015 spring youth season, April 11-12, bringing the overall spring 2015 turkey harvest to 48,432.

Top harvest counties during regular season were Franklin with 897, Texas with 858 and Saint Clair with 771.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reported that turkey hunters checked 43,991 birds during Missouri’s 2015 regular spring turkey season April 20 through May 10. Top harvest counties were Franklin with 897 birds checked, Texas with 858, and Saint Clair with 771. Young turkey hunters ages 6 – 15 years harvested 4,441 birds during the 2015 spring youth season, April 11 and 12, bringing the overall spring 2015 turkey harvest to 48,432.

The 2014 overall spring turkey harvest was 47,605 birds. The 2015 overall spring harvest is the fourth consecutive increase since 2011, when the combined youth and regular season harvest was 42,226. Spring turkey harvest totals by county are available athttp://mdc.mo.gov/node/30565.

MDC recorded four firearms-related spring turkey hunting incidents during the 2015 regular season and none during the youth weekend. One of the incidents was fatal. Two involved shooters who mistook other hunters for turkeys.

Missouri’s turkey harvest continues to be among the highest in the nation. MDC restoration efforts from past decades have taken this popular game bird from the brink of extirpation in the state by the 1950s to an estimated sustainable population of more than 300,000 birds today. 

In addition to permit sales revenue, economic estimates show that Missouri turkey hunters spend more than $125 million each year on travel, food, lodging and hunting equipment, which in turn generates millions in local and state sales tax revenue.

Turkey hunters can commemorate their first harvest by creating an MDC First Turkey certificate suitable for framing at http://mdc.mo.gov/node/10469.

Related articles

• MDC staff to speak at Explore the Outdoors: Kansas City (missourioutdoors.blogspot.com)

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.

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

50 Years of Turkey Hunting in Missouri

We hope everyone is getting exccited about opening day!  We wish you all the best, and most of all, be safe.  Your turkey hunting success is predicated on, most importantly, everyone coming home safely.