CARTHAGE, Mo. — Hunters harvested 12 turkeys in Jasper County during Missouri’s October firearms portion of fall turkey season, according to preliminary figures from the Missouri Department of Conservation.
The county’s harvest included four adult gobblers, six adult hens and two juvenile gobblers.
Statewide, Missouri hunters checked 1,633 turkeys during the Oct. 1-31 season. Greene County led the state with 56 birds harvested, followed by Laclede and Perry counties with 42 each.
The statewide harvest was down from 1,950 turkeys checked during the 2025 fall firearms season, a decrease of approximately 16%.
Missouri Department of Conservation Turkey Biologist Nick Oakley attributed part of the statewide decline to unusually warm temperatures during the first two weekends of the season. A wet spring also affected turkey reproduction and survival.
The wet conditions hurt nest success and poult survival, leaving “fewer young birds on the landscape this fall,” Oakley said.
Fall archery turkey hunting continues through Nov. 13 before resuming Nov. 25 and running through Jan. 15, 2027.
