With fall turkey firearms and archery hunting seasons underway, the Missouri Department of Conservation is telling hunters it could be a challenge to get their birds.
This year's annual wild turkey brood survey shows statewide turkey production was below average, according to an MDC news release. Turkey production was higher in northern Missouri this year than in the southern part of the state.
Although this year's late spring delayed nesting, conditions during the nesting and brood-rearing periods were favorable throughout much of the state, MDC Turkey Biologist Jason Isabelle said. But this year's low production isn't surprising when considering the trend compared from previous years.
"During the late 1990s, turkey production steadily increased before declining during the 2000's," he said. "After once again increasing throughout much of the state from about 2009-14, we experienced lower production during the last three years."
With below-average production throughout much of the state, Isabelle said, fall turkey hunting will be more challenging this year.
"Because we have fewer young birds on the landscape this year, hunters are going to have to put in more time to be successful," he said. "This will be especially true in areas where we have good acorn production, which tends to shift turkeys out of open fields and into the timber, and also reduces their movements."
Isabelle noted relatively few people hunt turkeys during the fall season, which results in little competition among hunters. Unlike the spring season, when about 100,000 turkey hunting permits are purchased in Missouri, typically only about 10,000 hunters purchase fall firearms turkey permits.
Hunting hours for the fall firearms turkey season, which runs through Oct. 31, are from a half-hour before sunrise to sunset. The first part of the fall archery turkey hunting season runs through Nov. 9, and the second part runs Nov. 21 to Jan. 15. Shooting hours for the archery season are a half-hour before sunrise to a half-hour after sunset. Both seasons have a limit of two turkeys of either sex.
Details about fall turkey hunting regulations can be found in the 2018 Fall Deer and Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information booklet available wherever hunting permits are sold, from MDC offices and nature centers, or at bit.ly/2pamBwF.