Spring Turkey Harvest is over

Spring Turkey season wrapped up in Missouri on Sunday and the preliminary data is in from the Missouri Department of Conservation. The latest numbers show that hunters checked 31-thousand-798 birds between April 19th through May 9th. The top harvest counties were Franklin with 710 birds telechecked, Texas with 666, and Callaway with 639.
Young turkey hunters also harvested 2,795 birds over the youth weekend, April 10 and 11, bringing the overall 2021 spring turkey harvest to 34-thousand-593. Laclede County hunters brought in 574 birds, Camden County checked 547, Dallas County checked 346, and Pulaski County Hunters checked 457 turkeys in 2021.

Hunters harvested around 68-hundred fewer turkey this year than last. The MDC said the lower numbers can be explained by a decline in hunting participation. MDC had one report of a non-fatal hunting incident during the 2021 spring turkey season.