Missouri's lowest turkey harvest since 1997

[hntr]

What do you all think is hurting the numbers the worst? I think habitat is the worst problem. Fencerows have been taken out left and right. Cool season grass has replaced native grasses. Costs of pelts is terrible as well. What can MDC do to incentivize habitat and trapping that they aren't already doing?

 

[j_volt]

We are in a bad spot with turkeys in Missouri. There is a place I started hunting in 2004 where I would commonly hear 12+ different gobblers in a typical morning. I have heard 3 or less birds the past few years.

I don't think that habitat loss is the driver. Fence row removal doesn't help, but the above mentioned place has significantly better habitat today than it did 15 years ago, but the turkeys still struggle.

I have to think that nest predators are the main issue. Fur prices are so far below the averages from 2000-2014 that it isn't even worth it anymore for trappers. I think that MDC should consider following South Dakota and creating a nest predator bounty program. There are ~500k hunting licenses sold in Missouri a year. By adding a $5 nest predator surcharge to fund the program, the state would have $2.5 million to pay out in bounty. At $10 a tail, that would be up to 250,000 removed predators. I know that funding doesn't work this simply, but it looks great on the back of a napkin.

More on predators - perhaps the MDC could help to link private landowners with trappers. I assume there are landowners that would gladly pay a trapper per tail so that the landowner doesn't have to deal with the daily checking of traps.

I am a firm believer that Missouri should go to 1 tag in the spring until we figure out what is going on. I hunt Kansas a lot, and haven't heard any push back from turkey hunters when they went from 2 tags to 1 in the majority of the state.

Also, let's get rid of fall tags, or at least prohibit the harvesting of hens in the fall. It is so irresponsible to shoot the baby makers.

I hate to say this, but I question MDC today more than ever. It seems that every interaction I have with Missouri wardens are negative (compared to the wardens that I have had encounters with in South Dakota, Iowa, Wyoming, and Montana in the past couple seasons) and the "habitat management" is questionable at best. There is a piece of public near me that was burnt by the MDC in the middle of this year's turkey season. A friend of mine sent me a photo of a turkey nest that was burnt in the controlled burn. It has to be tough for a hen to compete with both predators and government fire.

I am hopeful that this is just part of the cycle, and we are on the verge of an increase in population. Fingers crossed.

 

[ryjack70ss]

We had three gobblers on our farm. My buddy’s kid killed one in youth and he killed one in regular season. I didn’t get one within 80 yards. But we had 7 Jake’s consistently every day we hunted. But we killed 4 tons last year. So it likely goes in cycles.


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[hntr]

We are in a bad spot with turkeys in Missouri. There is a place I started hunting in 2004 where I would commonly hear 12+ different gobblers in a typical morning. I have heard 3 or less birds the past few years.

I don't think that habitat loss is the driver. Fence row removal doesn't help, but the above mentioned place has significantly better habitat today than it did 15 years ago, but the turkeys still struggle.

I have to think that nest predators are the main issue. Fur prices are so far below the averages from 2000-2014 that it isn't even worth it anymore for trappers. I think that MDC should consider following South Dakota and creating a nest predator bounty program. There are ~500k hunting licenses sold in Missouri a year. By adding a $5 nest predator surcharge to fund the program, the state would have $2.5 million to pay out in bounty. At $10 a tail, that would be up to 250,000 removed predators. I know that funding doesn't work this simply, but it looks great on the back of a napkin.

More on predators - perhaps the MDC could help to link private landowners with trappers. I assume there are landowners that would gladly pay a trapper per tail so that the landowner doesn't have to deal with the daily checking of traps.

I am a firm believer that Missouri should go to 1 tag in the spring until we figure out what is going on. I hunt Kansas a lot, and haven't heard any push back from turkey hunters when they went from 2 tags to 1 in the majority of the state.

Also, let's get rid of fall tags, or at least prohibit the harvesting of hens in the fall. It is so irresponsible to shoot the baby makers.

I hate to say this, but I question MDC today more than ever. It seems that every interaction I have with Missouri wardens are negative (compared to the wardens that I have had encounters with in South Dakota, Iowa, Wyoming, and Montana in the past couple seasons) and the "habitat management" is questionable at best. There is a piece of public near me that was burnt by the MDC in the middle of this year's turkey season. A friend of mine sent me a photo of a turkey nest that was burnt in the controlled burn. It has to be tough for a hen to compete with both predators and government fire.

I am hopeful that this is just part of the cycle, and we are on the verge of an increase in population. Fingers crossed.

I like the bounty idea. I'm in favor of going to 1 turkey in the spring and no fall season. We have someone trap our farm and he does a great job. Others that I talk to don't have time to trap, and they don't want others on their farm. I understand where they are coming from because a lot of people aren't respectful and once they get permission for something they think the permission extends to everything. I think if the conservation created some sort of trapper referral website that would be neat. To be a part of the predator bounty program they would have to be registered and landowners can rate them like they would a business or restaurant. Then someone can know that they are letting a respectable person trap their land.

 

[MallardMaster]

I don't mean to 'poo-poo' things, but I am willing to bet that this is going to be a common theme as the seasons end. I am seeing the same thing here in Michigan. The populations are significantly lower this year than in the past. We didn't even have a bad winter. A little part of me is wondering if there was an adverse effect to having record hunter numbers last season versus this season and that took a toll on the bird population. I am sure that there are other extenuating circumstances as well, but this one seems like the lowest hanging fruit.

 

[Zappaman]

Here in East Central Kansas- turkey are down the last few years. A lot of farmers and ranchers I talk with seem to think it's bad timing on weather more than anything else. But who knows really.

On the other hand, deer are at an all-time high here this year (while they were down a few years back- but not by much). I didn't hunt spring turkey because my freezers are FULL of deer and Texas pig. Still got my tom from last spring in the freezer- time to cook him up

 

[woods89]

I'm in south central MO here, and on public land the last 5 years have been trending significantly downward. I don't know what the answer is. This year was tough for me, very few gobbling birds to be found. My tags went unfilled. It really is nothing like it was 10 years ago in my area.

We do have a ton of nest predators on the landscape. I'd be all in favor of a bounty program. I'd also like to see us go to one tag in spring and no season in fall.

MDC has burned places during nesting time around here as well. I'd love to hear their reasons for it as I don't understand why.

 

[browning2480]

I read an article fromMDC saying it was due to less hunters. Tag numbers were down white a bit from last year. Not sure how true that is

 

[woods89]

I read an article fromMDC saying it was due to less hunters. Tag numbers were down white a bit from last year. Not sure how true that is

This isn't scientific, but from talking to people in my area I think the decline in birds has taken a lot of people's enthusiasm. Thus, less tag holders.

 

[Ace12]

MDC will always have some bs excuse for their mismanagement. I haven’t talked to anyone from Missouri who hasn’t said turkeys are on a steady decline for almost a decade now
As much as I don’t want to go to one tag, I get it. I do think nest predators are a huge problem. Including chicken hawks. They are everywhere and unfortunately protected

 

[Erict]

Here are charts for NY (top) and PA (bottom). NY seems to think it may be a biological problem but they have not identified it yet. We used to be Spring - 2 bearded birds, Fall - 2 birds, now we are 2/1 with a much shorter Fall season.

MEATEATER did an article on this topic a few years ago.

I remember the good ole days when I would have my first bird on the ground by 6 AM opening day, and be done by 7 AM the next day.

 

[Thess87]

I’m in se Kansas and same here last 5 years it’s just plummeting. I haven’t heard anyone complain about going to one tag. In fact in my area I wouldn’t be upset if they shut it down for a while if they had a plan of improvement in place.

 

[Sccritterkiller]

Overall pop is down here in SC evident by tag allocations over the last few years..used to get 5 tags, then 3, now you only get one tag that is valid 1st 10 days of season, the other 2 tags aren't valid till 4-11.

IMO it's a combo of nest predators and raptors. Nobody is trapping anymore. I am also finding several dead turkeys killed by owls and hawks every year where I hunt. Whole turkey with its head missing.

 

[Newtosavage]

What do you all think is hurting the numbers the worst? I think habitat is the worst problem. Fencerows have been taken out left and right. Cool season grass has replaced native grasses. Costs of pelts is terrible as well. What can MDC do to incentivize habitat and trapping that they aren't already doing?

I haven't seen anyone mention fire ants yet. These buggers are responsible for the disappearance of more native wildlife than most people realize and they are only going to keep marching Northward as the climate continues to warm.

Or, we could just keep blaming the state wildlife agencies. Because there's nothing like a good easy scapegoat when you're presented with a complex problem.

Fire ants in Missouri

Today's Farmer magazine is the voice of MFA Incorporated, a Midwest farm supply and marketing cooperative. Each issue contains feature articles examining techni

todaysfarmermagazine.com

 

[j_volt]

MDC has burned places during nesting time around here as well. I'd love to hear their reasons for it as I don't understand why.

MDC is so well funded due to sales tax that they are overstaffed with biologists with nothing to do besides burn things.

 

[EastMT]

My old man had a bunch sneaking into his bird feeder at the farm house in NW MO all winter. Said the numbers looked so poor he was just going to watch them this year, not taking any


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[woods89]

I haven't seen anyone mention fire ants yet. These buggers are responsible for the disappearance of more native wildlife than most people realize and they are only going to keep marching Northward as the climate continues to warm.

Or, we could just keep blaming the state wildlife agencies. Because there's nothing like a good easy scapegoat when you're presented with a complex problem.

Fire ants in Missouri

Today's Farmer magazine is the voice of MFA Incorporated, a Midwest farm supply and marketing cooperative. Each issue contains feature articles examining techni

todaysfarmermagazine.com

No fire ants here yet, thank goodness.

I don't want to be too hard on MDC, because I think they do a lot of good work, even if I don't always understand what they do. I'm a fan of their efforts on the black bear and elk front. What does bother me though is that it appears that with turkey management it is just business as usual without a lot of acknowledgement that we have a problem. Hopefully there is work being done that I'm not aware of.

 

[woods89]

My old man had a bunch sneaking into his bird feeder at the farm house in NW MO all winter. Said the numbers looked so poor he was just going to watch them this year, not taking any


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I know some people doing the same thing.

 

[EastMT]

In all honesty I wonder if it doesn’t have to do with the price of hides. A lot of my family ran trap lines for the last 20 years, coons by the hundreds, fox, coyote etc. a few bobcats. I know most of my uncles buddies would send several hundred coons to auction as well.

I know coons love eggs, with a lot less trapping I think that could be a large issue.

 

[Grit2]

I'm in agreement with there being a predator problem. There are a TON of coons everywhere. Not sure how a turkey nest can survive the pressure. I'm an amateur but hunted hard this year and had 1 in range and busted another off the roost at 630am that was dead quiet. Otherwise I didn't even see a hen.

I'd love to trap but hard to watch traps daily when you live in the burbs.