Missouri Turkey Season - Never Have Understood Why It Doesnt Start Sooner.

[heathwesley]

I am in Illinois and our youth turkey season starts with the youth season on April 1st and 2nd.  Then the next weekend the season starts.  Illinois does something I like by dividing the state in two and the southern half starts a week earlier.  That has always made sense to me.  The Missouri turkey season does not start until the 18th this year and that is actually earlier then most years.  Also the Missouri season always starts on a Monday???  Never have understood that either.  So basicly people who do not have the time to take off work cannot start hunting in Missouri until 23rd of April.  Just not sure what the Missouri DNR is thinking with this. 

[stinkpickle]

I've heard that they start it on a Monday to lighten opening day traffic on public hunting areas.  Also, they start it later in April to ensure that the birds get plenty of unpressured breeding opportunities.  They take the exact approach with the firearms deer season...the harder the orange army attacks, the more deer get shot.   

Now for their 1:00pm stop time...that's just outdated and should go away.

[HogBiologist]

Sounds like they are reducing opening day pressure to allow an education and starting later to allow the first breeding peak to pass before shooting the birds.

[CSAW]

Now for their 1:00pm stop time...that's just outdated and should go away.

Amen Brother!
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[jakesdad]

The later opening is to allow the birds to breed some unpressured,unlike deer(firearms)which seems to start during the rut(to early IMHO) is what i've been told by MDC.Also the monday start days lets the hunting pressure get spread out instead of like ditch goat season where it goes from basically empty woods to the orange horde in a matter of hours.The 1pm stop time(as told to me)was to allow birds(hens on nest?) to be unpressured part of the day.Outdated?I dont know,but it seems MO has a pretty good turkey thing going.I really dont mind it the way it is.We have had great numbers in past years only dropped off the last few because of crappy spring weather.Seems the system they have works pretty well.

[heathwesley]

In Illinois we have 5 one week long seasons beginning in early April.  The state sets a quota for for each season and in each county in our state based on the estimated turkey population in each county.  This really helps to spread out the turkey hunting pressure.  You can apply to receive up to 3 turkey tags each season.  In central Illinois where we do not have near the acres of timber that say Southern Missouri has we hunt turkeys from early April until mid May and our turkey population is doing better than ever. 

[mudhen]

I've been following MoMo's turkey regs since the 70's.

In my opinion, they do exactly as they please, with the main focus being keeping a firm grasp on the kill #'s.

They are control freaks for sure.  Safety stickers on guns?  C'mon!

mudhen

[jakesdad]

The safety stickers arent a big deal,about as big as a pencil eraser and they come when you get your tags.whats wrong with one more safety item that may keep an accident from happening.As far as keeping a firm grasp on the kill #'s,what do you want them to do,turn everybody loose?people for yrs have been wanting them to change the bag limit rules to 2 bearded birds per season,any time,rather than the 1 bird the first week or one bird per day if you dont kill one the first week and they havent budged on changing it.Ive lived and hunted here in MO all my life and cant really gripe much the job on conservation dept has done overall as compared to alot of other states.We've been one of the top turkey states for a lot of years,and have had a decline in kill #'s the last few years due to bad hatches not insufficient or "outdated" hunting regs.I say its fine leave well enough alone.

[heathwesley]

Jakesdad are you from southern or northern Missouri?  I hunt in the southern half of the state and there is a lot of timber down there.  A ton of national forest.  Missouri should think about dividing the state in half into North and South and starting the south zone a week earlier.  The Monday start to me is probably the most frustrating part.  If the reason for this is to spread hunters out I dont really see that as to logical.  Your still gonna have your mad rush the following weekend when most people will finally be able to get off work and go.  I respect the game laws and anything that protects the pasttime I love so much but that does not mean I wont question them ever.  Its true we cant have a free for all out there - we must have game laws.  But I am also among those who think hunting is my god given right and not that of my government. 

[Struttin Spurs]

As much as I hate the Monday opening day I have to say it really does help spread out hunting pressure. Besides there are still three weekends to hunt. The one o'clock cut off is kinda lame but gives me a good excuse to go crappie fish or hunt mushrooms. Lol

[stinkpickle]

A big problem with leaving well enough alone is that the MDC will start losing out on non-resident license sales with the upswing of quality hunting in neighboring states that allow all-day hunting for a lower price.  Having grown up there and having hunted it my whole life also, I agree that Missouri once seemed like the turkey hunting Mecca...but after hunting other states like Iowa, Kansas, and Texas, I don't see Missouri as the premier turkey hunting destination anymore.  It's still very good...but no longer the standout it once was. 

As for the 1:00pm stop time reasoning, I've seen no evidence that afternoon nest disturbance has ever been a problem in ANY state that allows all-day hunting.  I'd bet that 90% of hunters are out of woods by noon, anyway.  Moreover, it robs school-age hunters of valuable hunting time.  I used to turkey hunt almost every day of the fall season after school, and I remember being so mad that I couldn't do it in the spring, especially since the days were longer.

As for those "Be safe" stickers.  They're good in theory, but I doubt that anyone willing to shoot at something moving in the bushes is going to notice a little yellow sticker when they shoulder the gun.   

[jakesdad]

Im from northern missouri,and yes I agree you guys in the south are far ahead of us as far as the spring arrival.I think dividing the state in half for turkey season would be a good idea.As far as the 1pm cutoff,thats the way its always been and those were the reasons I've been givin.Would I hunt all day if they changed it?Heck ya!!Does it bother me that the cutoff is still 1?No.Good excuse to look for mushrooms and take a nap and not feel like i'm missin out on something.Other states are perhaps better,not gonna argue that,and they set their laws accordingly.but im not gripin with missouri the way it is.could they do better with the regs,maybe,could it be worse,absolutely.

[Struttin Spurs]

Other states are perhaps better,not gonna argue that,and they set their laws accordingly.but im not gripin with missouri the way it is.could they do better with the regs,maybe,could it be worse,absolutely.

Yup. That's what I think too. Could do a few things different and make it a little better. But on the other hand it could be ALOT worse.

[shootumindaface]

We used to have a 4 pm stop time I miss it.. I would love a 1pm stop time, go home take a nap and not feel guilty.

[heathwesley]

I dont really have a major problem with the 1:00 quitn time.  If it was not in place I would hunt more of the day but because it is I use it to scount out new places or wet a line.  I just feel like the southern part of Missouri could start there season a week earlier.  Mostly I agree with everyone that the game laws our made with good intention. Good point by stinkpickle - I agree that MO is no longer the Mecca of turkey hunting it once was.  Not because it has declined just because everywhere else has gotten so good.  My home state of Illinois is not to shabby and I know there are better places than my home state.