Beginning with this weekend's youth hunt and the regular spring season opener eight days later, hunters throughout the state will be talking some serious turkey.
Missouri's regular Spring Turkey Hunting season officially opens April 19 and runs through May 9 — bringing out hunters to gobble up the opportunity to harvest two wild turkeys for their family fare during the big birds' mating season.
"We'll have more turkey hunters in the woods during the spring turkey hunting season than in the fall," says Mike Brooks, Missouri Department of Conservation outdoor education center supervisor based in Bois D'Arc. "And this spring season marks 50 years of modern turkey hunting in Missouri."
According to the MDC, Missouri's modern spring turkey hunting began in 1960 with a three-day season (in 14 counties), during which 698 hunters took 94 turkeys.
Today, the seasons (spring and fall) involve all 114 counties in the state and more than 150,000 hunters — with more than 55,000 turkeys killed annually.
During the spring hunting season, which coincides with the annual wild turkey breeding season, hunters set their sights on bearded turkeys only, Brooks explains. "The only birds that are legal during the spring turkey season are the male birds or female birds with a beard. The bird has to have a beard to be legal."
During the spring firearms turkey season, allowable hunting methods (according to MDC regulations) include the use of a shotgun with shot not larger than No. 4 and a longbow or compound bow. All hunters using a shotgun must affix the "Be Safe" sticker to the receiver of their gun so that it will be in their line of sight when shooting.
Safety should be top priority
Hunters targeted on harvesting a wild turkey are most obviously aiming for a hit, rather than a miss.
In order to achieve optimum success, Brooks advises hunters to remember that when hunting turkeys with a shotgun, the lethal zone for a turkey is its head and neck.
Because of the popularity of spring turkey hunting, Brooks reminds hunters that safety is a top priority.
"The main thing hunters need to know when staying safe in the turkey woods is that they must positively identify their target and never shoot at sound, color or movement in the woods," Brooks says.
Hunters should protect themselves by wearing full camouflage clothing while in the woods, according to Brooks, and should never wear the colors of the wild turkey — red, white, blue or black.
"While blaze orange is not required for turkey hunting, it's a good idea to have some blaze orange — a cap or hat — to wear while moving in the woods," Brooks says, "because you really don't have any idea who else is out there and you don't know their credentials as a hunter."
Newcomers begin
With safety precautions set in place, hunters throughout Missouri will be setting their game sights on turkey come dawn of opening day.
Michelle Rudd of Billings hopes to be among them.
"I've never gone turkey hunting and I thought I'd try it this year," says Rudd, who will be accompanied by her husband and hunting-mentor, Richard.
Michelle, who has been hunting deer for the past six or so years and finally bagged one this past 2009 deer season, has some apprehensions in reserve, though.
"I figure I could barely hit the body of a deer, let alone the head of a turkey," quips Michelle, who hopes to achieve success so that she can add to the family food supply.
Learning the breeding cycle of the wild turkey can help achieve that success, according to the National Wild Turkey Federation.
"In principle, spring turkey hunting is not difficult," the NWTF states in the turkey hunting tips portion of its Web site.
"Find a gobbling turkey in the pre-dawn darkness and set up nearby. As the sun starts to break the horizon, let out a few hen yelps and sit at the ready. When the bird flies down and walks within 30 yards, take him."
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