JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Preliminary data from the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) shows that hunters checked 2,219 turkeys during Missouri’s fall firearms turkey season, Oct. 1-31. Top harvest counties were Dent with 86 birds harvested, Crawford with 82, and Washington with 72.
Perry County hunters harvested 34 birds: six adult gobblers, 10 adult hens, five juvenile gobblers and 13 juvenile hens.
Ste. Genevieve County hunters harvested 40 birds: six adult gobblers, 13 adult hends, two juvenile gobblers and 19 juvenile hens.
For current fall firearms turkey harvest results by county, go online to MDC’s website at extra.mdc.mo.gov/widgets/harvest_table/.
Hunters harvested 1,844 birds during the 2022 fall firearms turkey season. For more harvest results for past seasons, visit MDC online at mdc.mo.gov/hunting-trapping/species/turkey/turkey-reports/turkey-harvest-summaries.
“It is great to see an uptick in fall harvest,” said MDC Turkey Biologist Nick Oakley. “We saw an increased harvest during the spring season and an increase in poult production this year, so it makes sense that fall harvest would follow suit.”
Fall archery turkey hunting continues through Nov. 10 and resumes Nov. 22 through Jan. 15, 2024. Get more information about fall turkey hunting at mdc.mo.gov/hunting-trapping/species/turkey.
MDC is again asking Missouri turkey hunters to save and send feathers from the wild turkeys they harvest this fall. MDC asks hunters who harvest turkeys to mail feathers from their turkeys to MDC using a postage-paid envelope from MDC. The feathers will help MDC scientists improve research models used to monitor turkey population trends and estimate turkey numbers across the state. MDC instructs turkey hunters to save the 9th and 10th primary wing feathers and 3-5 breast feathers from harvested turkeys after Telechecking.
For a Feather Submission Form and more information from MDC, visit mdc.mo.gov/hunting-trapping/species/turkey/fall-turkey-feather-submission.