Missouri's 2018 spring turkey season, in most hunter's minds, was a long and difficult one, with frequent poor weather, below-normal bird densities, little gobbling and mostly unresponsive gobblers when you could find one.
To say the season, which ended Sunday afternoon, was a bummer would be a pretty big understatement, and the harvest certainly reflects it.
Hunters killed 34,055 turkeys statewide over the three-week period, falling far short of the 39,239 taken in 2017 and marking the worst total since 1997, when 33,044 birds were taken during a two-week season.
The harvest record was set in 2004 when 56,882 turkeys were killed.
"It was a tough season all around," said Missouri Department of Conservation Resource Scientist Jason Isabelle.
Low bird numbers caused by two successive poor hatches in 2016 and 2017 were part of the problem, Isabelle said, but the late spring, with cold and windy weather early on, also was a big factor.
"We just started off in a pretty big hole," he said.
This year's jake harvest, at 14.7 percent of the total, is a direct reflection of last year's poor nesting success.
Locally, all but one county ended up below last year's numbers, though some were surprisingly close.
In Butler County, hunters took home 110 birds, short of last year's 127.
In Stoddard County, 190 turkeys were tagged. Over the same period a year ago, they took 235 birds.
Wayne County's turkey harvest of 335 actually topped last year's take of 309.
Just 10 turkeys were killed this spring in Dunklin County, down from 13 a year ago. The total earns Dunklin County the unwanted distinction of having the lowest harvest in the state (and it's Bootheel neighbor, Pemiscot County, had the second lowest with 22).
In Ripley County, 223 turkeys were tagged, nearly identical to the 225 taken last year.
In Carter County, hunters took home 204 turkeys compared to 214 last spring.
The top counties in the state this spring were Franklin with 760, Texas with 732 and Laclede with 657.
Two non-fatal accidents were recorded during the season, one when a hunter mistook another for a turkey and the other when a hunter's shotgun discharged into his foot.
Unfortunately, next spring's season could play out similarly, or even worse, as far as bird numbers go because both the 2016 and 2017 hatches were so low. That means if we don't have a warm and dry May and June, there will be very few birds around in 2019 less than 4 years old.
"The prospects for the 2019 season don't look good," Isabelle stressed. "Even if we do have a good hatch, it will be a couple years before we see the effects."
Sadly the decline in turkey numbers and hunter success isn't limited to Missouri, either. Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky, Kansas, Nebraska and others have all seen similar drops lately.
Isabelle said MDC is working on some various turkey population models to determine if any regulation changes would be helpful or not.
"Protecting the resource is the most important thing," Isabelle said.
Up Again
You didn't expect the lakes to stay down long, did you? Right on cue, both Clearwater and Wappapello lakes rose again after last Thursday's rain, though the rises weren't really dramatic.
Wappapello crested late Sunday at around 365.4 feet, while Clearwater topped out the same day at 506.97 feet. Both now are on a slow fall back to normal.
Crappie fishing remains good, with some nice-sized fish being taken.
"Lot's of guys are catching them shallow," said Charlie Brotherton, who noted Wappapello Lake is right around 70 degrees. However, he caught some good fish Tuesday in 11.5 feet of water.
Brotherton also thinks the crappie spawn may be just about over.
"It looks like the females have already laid their eggs," he said.
Other anglers also have told him bass fishing has been good, and given the water temperature, there could be some good white bass fishing in the far upper reaches.
Top Anglers
Thirty-two teams fished Sunday's Angler's Choice tournament at Wappapello Lake, and at the end of the day, the team of Goodpasture and Fischer stood above the rest with a stringer weight of 17.34 pounds. They were boosted to the win with the day's big bass, which weighed 5.1 pounds.
Taking the second spot was Pyles and Dennis with 13.52 pounds, and third place went to Breckenridge and Cheatam with 11.23 pounds.
Fourth place was earned by Carpenter and Slinkard with 9.16 pounds, and rounding out the top five spots was the team of Young and Holmes with 8.73 pounds.
In all, almost $4,800 in prize money was handed out.
The Angler's Choice circuit will fish again on June 3.
Archery Shoot
The Indian Creek Bowhunters organization will hold its monthly 3-D archery shoot Saturday at the Missouri Department of Conservation range off County Road 546, northeast of Poplar Bluff.
Shooters can register and begin shooting any time between 8 a.m. and noon.
As always, participants can shoot for fun or compete in one of several trophy classes.
The cost to shoot will be $10 for those in the fun class and $15 for anyone competing in a trophy class. Children age 12 and under can shoot free of charge.
If you need more information on the club, give Tony Harwell a shout at 573-718-7135 or Brad Massey at 573-785-0647.
Crappie Tournament
If you'd rather spend Saturday morning fishing, the Wappapello Crappie Club will be hosting a tournament beginning at 7 a.m.
You can launch from anywhere on the lake, but the event will be based out of the Sundowner ramp, and that's where the weigh-in will take place beginning at 3 p.m.
If you need more information, call Charlie at Sundowner Marine at 573-222-8622.
Canoe Paddle
Also on Saturday, the Mingo National Wildlife Refuge will be hosting a free canoe paddling trip along the Mingo River.
The float will begin at 9 a.m. at the Flat Banks area and travel toward Monopoly Marsh through the refuge's designated wilderness area.
A limited number of canoes and paddles, along with life jackets, will be available for loan during the event, or you can bring your own. Kayaks also will be allowed.
Because space is limited, pre-registration is required for those wanting to participate, and you can do so by calling Visitor Services Ranger Debbie Koenigs at the refuge visitor center at 573-222-3589 or emailing her at deborah_koenigs@fws.gov.
Banquet Reminder
Finally, don't forget Saturday evening's 20th annual Three Rivers Buglers/Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation banquet at the Black River Coliseum.
The doors to the event will open at 5 p.m., with a steak dinner from Tasteful Creations to follow.
Games and raffles, plus both silent and live auctions are on the bill, and several guns will be given away over the course of the night.
The event usually is very well attended, so tickets may be hard to get this close to banquet time. If you need tickets, give Lenard Wagganer a call at 573-718-5030 or Rick White at 573-429-3967.