Turkey season has come and gone. Were you one of the hunters braving cold weather in hopes of bagging your bird? You weren’t the only one. The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) has reported over 40,000 turkeys harvested during the spring season.
Numbers And Top Counties
Early information from MDC shows turkey hunters checked 43,380 birds during Missouri’s 2024 regular spring turkey season. The top harvest counties for the regular season were Franklin, with 940 birds harvested; Callaway, with 822, and nearby Texas, with 780.
When Was The Season?
Spring turkey season was from April 15, 2024, through May 5, 2024. Youth season lasted the weekend of April 6-7.
Youth
Additionally, young turkey hunters harvested 3,739 turkeys over the youth weekend, bringing the overall 2024 spring turkey harvest to 47,119. According to MDC, that is an increase from 2023 and the previous five-year average.
Why The Increase?
Without verifying the data, one guess for the increase in harvested numbers may be that it coincides with the ability to hunt all day on private land.
