Wild Turkeys On The Decline in Missouri

(Jefferson City) Hopefully the weather will be more favorable for the regular spring turkey hunting season compared to Missouri’s youth turkey hunt that took place Saturday and Sunday with big winds and chilly mornings.

The regular turkey season gets underway Monday, April 17th and goes through May 7th.

Unfortunately, National Wild Turkey Federation district biologist John Burke says the turkey population is decreasing in Missouri which has been the top state for hunting the wild turkey.

Burke says there are many reasons for the turkey population decline in the Show-Me State.

Locally, during this past weekend’s youth hunt, Ste. Genevieve County had 48 birds harvested.

Dent and Perry counties had 38 each. 29 turkeys were harvested by young hunters in Washington County, followed by Crawford with 27, Jefferson had 25, Bollinger and St. Francois counties had 19 each, Iron had 8 and Reynolds County only had 6 turkey harvested by young hunters.

The top county in the state was Osage with 71.

The total number of turkey harvested by youth over the weekend was 2,550.

Last year, 2,881 birds were harvested.

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