Preliminary data from the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) shows that young turkey hunters in Missouri harvested 3,721 birds over the past youth weekend, April 6 and 7. Top harvest counties were Gasconade with 92 birds harvested, Osage with 90, and Franklin with 89.
Young hunters checked 2,550 birds during the 2023 spring youth weekend.
“Favorable morning weather appears to have more than made up for some windy afternoons this year,” said MDC Turkey Biologist Nick Oakley. “Youth harvest increased by more than a thousand birds compared to the 2023 youth season and was the highest harvest total since 2017. Successively better hatches over the last several years have helped the turkey population stabilize and hunters are starting to see the results of that in the field.
Get more harvest information by county at extra.mdc.mo.gov/widgets/harvest_table/.
The regular spring turkey season runs April 15 through May 5. For more information on spring turkey hunting in Missouri, visit mdc.mo.gov/hunting-trapping/species/turkey.
