25th Anniversary of the 3 Week Missouri Wild Turkey Season breaks record.
Not asking you to spend you money to join a consevation group, not asking you to buy a t-shirt and I will donate money to a research project.
I am asking you to take your time and write the Missouri Conservation Commission.
The only thing necessary for the triump of evil is for good men to do nothing. That's exactly what has happened in Missouri. it has become explotation over conservation.
Make your voice be heard a comment on Missouri 2022 Turkey Season - May 19-20, 2022 is the next meeting.
https://mdc.mo.gov/form/commissioner-contact-form?commissioner=sh
2022 Spring Missouri Wild Turkey Season now holds the record of the 2nd worst season in 25-year history of a three-week season in Missouri coming in at 33,355 plus few.
Adult Gobblers: 26,598
Juvenille Gobblers: 6,324
Bearded Hens: 400
Total: 33,355
Week 1 – around 52% of total harvest
Adult Gobblers: 13,839
Juvenille Gobblers: 3,034
Bearded Hens: 175
Total: 17,048
Week 2 plus 10,284 around 31% of total harvest
Adult Gobblers 21,985
Juvenille Gobblers 5,051
Bearded Hens 296
Total 27,332
Week 3 plus 6,033 around 17% of total harvest
Adult Gobblers: 26,621
Juvenille Gobblers: 6,334
Bearded Hens: 400
Total: 33,355
2022 Spring Missouri Wild Turkey Season ranks in worst harvest 30 out of 38 between the statewide two- and three-week season from 2022 to 1985. Missouri Wild Turkey Hunters in three weeks is barely killing more Turkeys than the half of the two-week season in the 1980’s and 1990’s.
2021, still holds the record 2019, and 2018 Spring Missouri Wild Turkey Season was the record of the worst season in history of a three-week season in Missouri.
Missouri the TURKEY HUNTING MECCA in the early 2000’s highlighted in every magazine, outdoor TV show Missouri Spring Season Statewide – As of 2021 Missouri did not make it in the top 10 of Turkey Hunting States and now become a “POTHOLE” state – Some have good population, some in decline, some almost non-existence. Which makes for a worst-case scenario for Missouri hunters and landowners to come together.
1974 and 1988 - The major objective in Missouri’s Turkey Season has been to provide maximum hunting opportunity COMMENSURATE WITH THE POPULATION’S ABILITY TO SUSTAIN HARVEST!
Harvest rates in Missouri are closely correlated to the Wild Turkey population numbers per MDC.
1998 Spring season extended from two to three weeks - WOW as the wild turkey population grows the season expanded, but as population decline nothing allowed to change! From 1960 to 2000 in Missouri as the wild turkey population grows the season expanded multiple times, with different limits and season, but as population decline nothing allowed to change!
To maintain a balance approximately 2.5 poults per hen must be produce. When this ratio drops below 2.5 a population is decline indicated and when it goes above 2.5 an increase occurs. The Adult / Juvenile ratio dropped in 1973 to 1:1.9 and that is why two bird limit was dropped in 1974.
September of 2020 – MDC staff “My speculation is that its multiple things causing it not just one and that’s about it. That’s all we can say.”
April 28, 2021 - Even though the turkey population in your area is lower than it once was, there are enough turkeys for the population to rebound given "SEVERAL YEARS" of good production. Best regards, Reina M. Tyl - Wild Turkey and Ruffed Grouse Biologist - Missouri Department of Conservation
May 10, 2021 - Wild Turkey Hens in Missouri are no longer replacing itself short term or possibly in itself lifetime. - Reina M. Tyl - Wild Turkey and Ruffed Grouse Biologist - Missouri Department of Conservation
Multiple times Missouri Conservation Commissioner Steven D. Harrison has said since his tenure that he has seen more letters from Missourians about the Missouri Wild Turkey than any other issue, but still in Missouri as the wild turkey population grows the season expanded, but as population decline nothing allowed to change!
Presented by the Missouri Wild Turkey Biologist to the Conservation Commission in 2021 if the Status Qou stated the same. That means no regulations changes to turkey season. Missouri is in Year 2.
Missouri Spring Season – History of totals for the 3 and 2 week regular season – 38 years of statewide season.
Youth Season not included due to the fact youth season didn’t always exist.
2022 - Turkeys 33,322 plus - ranks 30th
2021 – Turkeys 31,800 ranks 35th
2020 – Turkeys 38,737 ranks 20th
2019 – Turkeys 36,265 ranks 25th
2018 – Turkeys 34,082 ranks 29th
2017 – Turkeys 39,283 ranks 19th
2016 – Turkeys 44,207 ranks 11th
2015 – Turkeys 43,991 ranks 12th
2014 – Turkeys 43,273 ranks 14th
2013 – Turkeys 42,220 ranks 16th
2012 – Turkeys 40,447 ranks 18th
2011 – Turkeys 38,327 ranks 21st
2010 – Turkeys 42,254 ranks 15th
2009 – Turkeys 41,830 ranks 17th
2008 – Turkeys 43,416 ranks 13th
2007 – Turkeys 44,927 ranks 10th
2006 – Turkeys 51,018 ranks 7th
2005 – Turkeys 53,849 ranks 6th
2004 – Turkeys 57,486 ranks 1st (Most Turkeys ever killed)
2003 – Turkeys 54,761 ranks 4th
2002 - Turkeys 53,932 ranks 5th
2001 - Turkeys 55,302 ranks 3rd – First youth season started this year.
2000 - Turkeys 56,841 ranks 2nd
1999 - Turkeys 50,299 ranks 8th
1998 - Turkeys 48,462 ranks 9th
1997 - Turkeys 33,216 – ranks 31st - Last Two-Week Season
1996 - Turkeys 37,708 - ranks 23rd
1995 - Turkeys 37,472 – ranks 24th
1994 - Turkeys 37,721 – ranks 22nd
1993 - Turkeys 34,342 – ranks 28th
1992 - Turkeys 33,035 – ranks 33rd
1991 – Turkeys 32,237 – ranks 34th
1990 - Turkeys 30,056 – ranks 37th
1989 – Turkeys 35,618 – ranks 27nd
1988 - Turkeys 33,187 – ranks 32th
1987 - Turkeys 35,951 – ranks 26th
1986 - Turkeys 30,965 – ranks 36th
1985 – Turkeys 24,770 – ranks 38th - 114 Counties - Two Week Season - Spring season expanded to all 114 counties
Missouri Youth Turkey Season – History of totals. 22 season of 2 days season
2022 Youth Turkey Season Total 2,881 rank 17th
2021 - Youth Turkey Season Total 2,795 rank 18th
2020 – Youth Turkey Season Total – 2,724 rank 19th
2019 – Youth Turkey Season Total – 2,546 rank 20th
2018 – Youth Turkey Season Total – 1,729 – rank 22nd - Lowest Youth Harvest
2017 – Youth Turkey Season Total – 4,012 – rank 5th
2016 – Youth Turkey Season Total – 4,167 – rank 4th
2015 – Youth Turkey Season Total – 4,441 – rank 1st - Highest Youth Harvest
2014 – Youth Turkey Season Total – 4,332 – rank 2nd
2013 – Youth Turkey Season Total – 3,915 – rank 7th
2012 – Youth Turkey Season Total – 4,319 – rank 3rd
2011 – Youth Turkey Season Total – 3,898 – rank 9th
2010 – Youth Turkey Season Total - 3,945 – rank 6th
2009 – Youth Turkey Season Total - 2,884 – rank 16th
2008 – Youth Turkey Season Total - 2,898 – rank 15th
2007 – Youth Turkey Season Total - 3,545 – rank 12th
2006 – Youth Turkey Season Total - 3,694 – rank 10th
2005 – Youth Turkey Season Total - 3,894 – rank 8th
2004 – Youth Turkey Season Total - 3,258 – rank 13th
2003 – Youth Turkey Season Total - 3,660 – rank 11th
2002 – Youth Turkey Season Total - 3,102 – rank 14th
2001 – Youth Turkey Season Total - 2,530 – rank 21st – First Youth Season
2001 First spring youth season - Research dictated that if we are to guard against overharvest of mature gobblers, the spring season must begin after the peak in breeding activity in early April.
MISSOURI YOUTH SEASON GOES AGAINST THE VERY BIOLOGICAL REASON FOR THE DAY THE SEASON OPENS - The season opens Monday closest to April 21st. This corresponds to the historical records of the second peak Missouri Ozark Gobbling. This is the biological reason for the opening day.
Which may lead to the great successes in turkey population because the hens get to breed with the dominate birds with the first peak gobbling.
So Biological Reason no longer exist - Why not open the season the SATURDAY AND SUNDAY before the Monday closets to April 21st for Biological Reason! (Example too early: April 4 and 5 – 2020 Youth Season)
As the wild turkey population grows the season expanded, but as population decline nothing allowed to change in Missouri?
When the youth season was study – Only Hunter Recruitment and Hunter Retention was consider, the wild turkey population was never consider in research done in Missouri.
Nest success and poult survival are keys to turkey population trends.
Turkeys have a complex mating system. Toms begin gobbling and strutting in March to determine their pecking order before breeding begins in early April.
If the boss gobbler is killed, the others in his close group may not be able to breed hens immediately. Hens don’t just breed with the next gobbler available.
Letting dominant toms get most hens bred in late early April gives the local population its best chance at more successful nests and putting the greatest number of poults on the ground at the same time.
Jakes will try to breed, but their sperm isn’t viable.
A nest is less likely to contain any infertile eggs if the hen was bred multiple times, and by different toms, over the 10 to 12-day laying period. She will move around to visit different gobblers and breed with the most dominant ones.
Hens can store sperm for 30 days, but viability drops rapidly (which is one reason why the more she breeds, the better the odds of a successful nest). Eggs laid within a few days after breeding do better than those laid with stored sperm.
Most hens are laying at the end of April thru May. Competition to breed is most intense as hens are laying. Disturbance and disruption from hunters during this period has more impact on total poult production for the year than does hunting during the latter half of April and in May.
Reduced gobbling
As toms are harvested, gobbling activity decreases: Fewer birds to gobble, and remaining birds gobble less because of disruption to the pecking order, and disturbance from hunting.
Nesting behavior of hens stimulates gobbling to increase, but this effect is weaker than the impact of hunter disturbance, which causes birds to gobble less. Net effect is less gobbling once hunting season opens even though hens are nesting.
Hunters remove the most vocal birds. Domestic breeders do this purposefully, and it works.
Nesting issues
“Predator swamping” is when all the hens lay their nests within the same few weeks, so that predators can’t get them all before the poults hatch. Also, a shorter nesting period means most poults are equally vulnerable at the same time, “swamping” the ability of local predators to get them all before they’re able to fly.
Breeding season disruption (discussed above) causes many hens to start their nests later, and a few will not attempt to nest at all.
If a hen loses her 1st nest early, she may re-nest, but these, 2nd or even 3rd attempts usually fail to produce poults that survive to the next spring.
When hens are starting their 1st nests over the course of several weeks, the predator swamping effect is lost.
If there is a big size difference in the poults that do survive, hens are less likely to group up their poults in late summer, which also increases their vulnerability to predation
LETTERS TO THE PUBLIC
May 20, 2021 – Missouri Department of Conservation form letters sent to hundreds of Missourians in response to Missouri Wild Turkey decline.
“Because turkey abundance is driven by production, the best way to increase turkey numbers in your area is by providing the habitat turkey needs to nest successfully and raise their young. Planting native warm-season grasses and wildflowers, prescribed burning, edge feathering, timber stand improvement, creating forest openings and woodland restoration, are some of the best ways to improve nesting and brood rearing habitat.”
HABITAT
If habitat is the issue, In Missouri since the year 2000, the Missouri Department of Conservation started the Private Land Conservationist in which the job was to help the 300,000 landowners with wildlife management along with the National Wild Turkey Federation Employees in Missouri - District Biologist, Project Biologist, Project Forester, NFI Forester to help landowners with wild turkey management. So, have all these employees statewide for Missouri failed to improve habitat for landowners?
If habitat is the issue, Missouri has over 2 million acres of Mark Twain National Forest, MDC Conservation Areas, and Corp of Engineer public lands in which the federal and state agencies managed for wildlife. Are all those areas Wild Turkey oasis in the state of Missouri?
Published in the Missouri Conservationist in April 1974 - 1974 - Bag limit reduced to 1 bird due to poor hatch in 1973 – History shows 500-year flood in 73. - 1974 - The Department’s major objective is the management of the wild turkey resource is to provide maximum hunting opportunity commensurate with the TURKEY POPULATION’S ABILITY TO SUSTAIN HARVEST.
To maintain a balance approximately 2.5 poults per hen must be produce.
When this ratio drops below 2.5 a population is decline indicated and when it goes above 2.5 an increase occurs.
The Adult / Juvenile ratio dropped in 1973 to 1:1.9 and that is why two bird limit was dropped in 1974.
MISSOURI RESEARCH
For the year 2000 - Note from the past Father of Wild Turkey Restoration in Missouri – MDC Biologist Vangilder - MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS - Nowhere is there an area in north Missouri of (15,000 ac) that is 70% timbered. Corn and soybean fields more than make up for the lack of trees and turkey densities in the northern part of the state are much higher than in the more heavily forested parts of south Missouri.
Average reproductive rates were much lower in the eastern Ozarks than in northern Missouri and do not appear to be sufficient to maintain population levels observed at the beginning of the study.
Biologists are sometimes forced to use data obtained from short-term, localized studies to model populations on large geographic areas. Often, the results obtained during these modeling efforts do not reflect actual changes in the population.
These types of problems are evident when comparing similar research between northern and southern Missouri. Obviously, average reproductive potential differs substantially between the 2 regions. Southern Missouri has a lower reproductive rate.
Missouri Hope is coming in another 4 years - Wild Turkey Research for the past 6 years and the next 4 years are in Northern Missouri.
THE SOLUTION IN 2026 & BEYOND – MDC Biologist “Once these questions are answered, we’ll be able to mitigate the challenges by MANIPULATIONG HABITAT to improve nest success and poult survival. This information would inform habitat management efforts on public and private lands in Missouri to increase turkey recruitment and ultimately abundance.”
So the solution is Habitat ONLY and in 2026 – They will be telling MISSOURI LANDOWNER how to manipulating habitat to improve nest success and poult survival. This information would inform habitat management efforts on public and private lands in Missouri to increase turkey recruitment and ultimately abundance.”
Missouri does have the Wild Turkey Study in Missouri on the Iowa Border – Year 1 – Only one slight issue – The same wildlife and habitat does not exist in Southern Missouri – Feral Hogs, Black Bear, Elk, Armadillo’s, or even large area of timber.
Only 21% of nests successfully hatched! Only 23% of poults surviving! - The 80s, that was closer to 46%.”
Which lower than the previous 5-year study in Northern Missouri.
Wild Turkey Biologist - 78% nest initiation and 20% nest success. Not sustainable unless adult survival is incredibly high, which we know it isn’t. Those numbers parallel nearly all of the sites across the southeast."
Why did this happen in Missouri and information from MDC Biologist
"About 75% of nests failed due to predation of the actual nest, and 8% failed due to predation of the hen that was incubating the clutch"
Per Acre Raccoon Count
1.57 per acre
2.02 per acre
3.34 per acre
Opossum Count
.65 per acre
1.11 per acre
.93 per acre
PREDATORS
NEST PREDATION IS A LIMITING FACTOR IN WILD TURKEY POPULATIONS – Every Study done Raccoons are the primary nest predator.
1940 – 1941 – 834,935 pelts harvested (most pelts sold) (over 70% were opossum and skunk pelts) most pelts sold
1979 – 1980 – 634,338 (2nd highest pelts sold - when average raccoon pelt values were estimated at $27.50.
1997 – 1998 – Over 200,000 Raccoons trapped.
To maintain a balance approximately 2.5 poults per hen must be produce. When this ratio drops below 2.5 a population is decline indicated and when it goes above 2.5 an increase occurs.
Missouri – Just one Example of the primary egg eater of Wild Turkeys
Poult: Hen Ratio - Year -Raccoon Pelts Sold/Registered
2.6 1998 200,000
2.3 1999 107,267
2.3 2000 55,254
2.1 2001 50,254
1.7 2002 110,603
1.6 2003 103,550
1.6 2004 102,448
1.2 2005 116,396
1.6 2006 84,654
1.0 2007 122,155
1.1 2008 118,166
1.2 2009 122,155
1.1 2010 49,290
1.7 2011 109,586
1.7 2012 158,356
1.3 2013 138,865
1.7 2014 134,715
1.5 2015 85,497
0.8 2016 34,758
0.8 2017 32,106
0.9 2018 26,340
0.9 2019 22,562
1.0 2020 24,652
Now add in Bobcats, Coyotes, Opossum, Skunks, Foxes, and Crows, etc., etc. who population has only increased since the dismal fur markets relying on China and Russia.
2021 - The number of bald eagles in the lower 48 U.S. states — a population once on the brink of extinction, has quadrupled in the last dozen years to more than 316,000, federal wildlife officials – common sense tells you that Hawks and Owls must me at an all-time high. Multiple videos exist showing eagle and hawks attacking turkey decoys.
August 21, 2021 Wildlife biologist for the Missouri Department of Conservation “I’ve been doing this for 18 years now, and when I started, we were just starting to see armadillos around. We really were telling people, ‘We will get a couple harsh winters, and they’ll die off. They’re just not well equipped to survive our winter. They don’t store fat well.’ We were proven wrong about that, and I don’t say that anymore. Around 10 years ago, I stopped telling people that.”
What she does not say – NO study exist in Missouri with Wild Turkey hens are very susceptible to nest abandonment when flushed from the nest by a predator. Intentional flushes of known nests shows that upwards to 50% of all hens abandon their nests after only one contact.
Hens that don't abandon after the first event almost never, as high as 85%, suffer more than (2) flushes from the nest. Even the Tennessee Game Warden Video in 2021 shows Armadillo harassing hen on nest.
FAMED Tennessee biologist Jack Murray – “If you don’t have hens, you won’t have any gobblers and if you don’t have gobblers, you don’t have hunters.”
Missouri Department of Conservation Quail Biologist - if 6% of the quail are making thru the breeding season it just COMPOUNDS THE NUMBER OF NEST AND NEST SUCCESS. Waterfowl Hens and Pheasant Hens are limited in harvest, only Wild Turkey in Missouri does this not apply. Except for 1960 thru 1978 when Missouri as the wild turkey population was still growing and not able to sustain hen harvest.
Missouri as the wild turkey population grows the season expanded, but as population decline nothing allowed to change!
States Changes Turkey Regulations
Combating declining wild turkey numbers with new regulations – Per State
Not sure what other states have made changes.
1. Kansas – 2020 – Reduce Bag Limits, reduce fall season days.
2. Tennessee – 2021 – Reduce Bag Limits and season lengths
3. Mississippi – 2022 - Non-Resident Turkey Licenses went up and application required.
4. Oklahoma – 2022 – Reduce Bag Limits
5. Alabama – 2022 - Alabama: changed opening date, reduce bag limit, prohibit the use of decoys during the first 10 days of the spring season.
6. Georgia – 2022 – Reduce Bag Limits, change opening date
7. Arkansas - 2022 - regulations proposals Reduce the statewide bag limit on turkey to one bird (beginning in 2023);
8. Ohio - Reduce Bag limit and number of days in fall.
9. Kentucky – 2022 - Removed fall hens from harvest, reduced bag limit on public lands
Habitat, Seed Coatings, Logging, Pesticides, Over Harvest, Predators land and air, modern weapons, and equipment whatever the reason does not really matter in Missouri.
What is the Missouri Wild Turkey Solution – HOPE – Unfortunately HOPE is not a strategy or a good turkey management policy”
Hope that a gobbler breeds a hen,
Hope if the hen lives to lay eggs,
Hope if the hen hatches the eggs,
Hope if the poults live to become adults,
Hope that the population will increase.
Missouri Non-Resident Turkey Hunters for the 3 week season, Success 1 bird, Success and 2 bird for the past 5 years and overall season rankings for 2 and 3 week season for past 38 years.
