Missouri’s long-awaited spring turkey season opens Monday, and honestly, that’s the best news I’ve heard in a while. Then again, it’s no secret I’m biased toward turkey hunting.
Here’s the deal though - this season promises to be a tough one, with fewer numbers of birds roaming the state (and the entire midwest, for that matter), so hunters likely will have to put some work in the have success.
The turkey hatch two years ago wasn’t very good, and that’s what will mostly affect this season. It’s typically the 2-year-old birds which are the most vocal and get killed the most, and without as many around, hunters will be dealing mostly with older gobblers that aren’t so easy to fool.
The lower jake harvest during the recent youth season also should be seen as an indicator you’re probably not going to see many of the 1-year-olds running in to your setup.
Hunting hours are one-half hour before sunrise until 1 p.m. local time. The limit, as in the past, is two birds per season, but only one can be taken during the first week of the three-week season. If you don’t kill a bird during the first week, you still can take two during the remaining two weeks, but only one on any day.
Also, don’t forget to telecheck any bird you kill by 10 p.m. on the day you take it, otherwise you may get paid a visit by the ‘ol GW.
Last year, Missouri’s hunters killed 36,231 turkeys during the spring season, and unless hunters have to deal with crummy weather a lot during this season, I’d expect this year’s harvest to be fairly similar.
The Missouri Conservation Commission, during its most recent meeting, set the state’s fall waterfowl and migratory bird season dates.
Migratory bird hunting will kick off Sept. 1 with the dove season. As in the past, the easily limit will be 15 and the season will run through Nov. 29.
Other non-traditional seasons will be the rail season Sept. 1-Nov. 9, snipe season Sept. 1-Dec. 16 and woodcock season Oct. 15-Nov. 28.
The state’s early teal season opens a little later this year, on Sept. 12, and will run through Sept. 27. The daily limit remains the same at six.
The youth duck hunting days for the North and Middle Zones will be Oct. 24-25, and in the South Zone, they will be Nov. 21-22.
If anybody around here travels that far, the North Zone’s regular season will run Nov. 7-Jan. 5.
The Middle Zone again will have two segments, running Nov. 7-13 and again Nov. 19-Jan. 10.
South Zone hunters also will keep two segments this fall, the first running Nov. 26-29 and the second Dec. 7-Jan. 31.
The daily limit remains six ducks per hunter. Species limits are the same as last fall, except MDC has implemented an oddity for scaup: during the first 45 days of the season, hunters can take two daily. During the final 15 days, they can only take one.
Goose hunting kicks off with the early Canada goose season Oct. 3-11.
After that, the season on Canada, white-fronted, Brant, snow, blue and Ross’s will run Nov. 11-Feb. 6.
Waterfowl seasons will wrap up with the Light Goose Conservation Order running Feb. 7-April 30.
The Department of Conservation’s temporary order allowing fishing without a permit expired Wednesday, meaning you’ll need a permit now.
If you happen to fish for trout at the Bennett Spring, Montauk or Roaring River parks, a fishing permit is required but the normal daily trout tag is not. Fishing at Maramec Spring Park, which is privately owned, has been closed.