MO. turkey numbers

[slayerrd]

I agree with you 100% Burford. If anything they should let you southern boys start a week or 2 earlier.

[Prohunter3509]

I will say this, if they cut us back two weeks and 1 o'clock hunts it would help us out on birds big time,
80's and early 90's were a boom for us ,too much hunting pressure and you can't buy a p.m. Gobble,
All day hunts with our bird numbers dropping is idiotic and no tagging

[HookedonHooks]

The fact that you are dictating the birds populations and harvest to be primarily based of hunting pressure is rather idiotic and somewhat ridiculous. It is evident the last few years we've had an all time low for nesting conditions, the springs have been weird every year, and a whole week or more of the season is always washed out. This combined is what contributes to the numbers dwindling, and lack of hunters killing birds. My father works for the MO Dept. of Conservation, and while he is a damage bioilogist, he gets the inside scoop on a lot of things. Longer seasons next year are very likely to come, while the argument did involve hunting pressure, that wasn't the main factor. It's as simple as the season is only three weeks, and only half days of hunting, even if they did manage to peg the prime of breeding season as they always attempt to, they're still usually off by a weekish on one end, and add that to another week of bad weather, and most hunters only get a week of good hunting. If they have a job, only one weekeend. That is the issue that the Dept. is currently wrestling with, not worried about tons more out of staters if they open it up all day.

[Ozarks Hillbilly]

I feel for the most part the MDC's main concern is the all mighty dollar. All day hunting would be more appealing to out of state hunters. I think the cost of a out of state tag is one of the highest in the country. I don't know just still a little bitter about all of the millons they have spent on Elk in my area that no one wanted and will never get to hunt yet our quail habitat and population is all but non existent.   

[tha bugman]

rain been tough on them for sure

[Forked lighting]

We have all day hunting in N.C. but after noon hunting is tough hardly ever hear a bird gobble  don't care much for it been hunting them for 50+ years the birds havent been gobbling good for me last couple of years hardly ever get on a hot bird think all these coyote has a lot to do with it they only couple a couple times in tree an a couple on ground tough to kill a bird when they act that way . I called up 3 long beards this year killed 2 the only 1 that gobbled I missed

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[Rzrbac]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned our hog problem. It seems our turkey numbers have went down since I started seeing more hog sign. I'm hunting SEMO and would agree with a lot of folks who point toward poor nesting conditions but I can't help but think the hogs have taken a toll on our birds as well.  I've been hunting for over 30 years and I accept the fact the we aren't gonna have hunting like we did in the 80's and 90's but I certainly feel like we can do better.  It seems like the numbers have really dropped since 2006 or so.

I have talked to one GA hunter who blames poultry farming for decrease in their turkey numbers in his location.  He believes disease is transmitted through using the manure for fertilizer.

If our numbers haven't dropped as much as I think, I can certainly say the amount of gobbling is way down. Maybe the birds have just adapted but I doubt that's the case.  The most I heard during season was 2 different birds gobbling and that was only on 2 mornings and from the limb for just a few times. The bird I killed gobbled 3 times, the bird I missed gobbled 0 times.

[Hooksfan]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned our hog problem. It seems our turkey numbers have went down since I started seeing more hog sign. I'm hunting SEMO and would agree with a lot of folks who point toward poor nesting conditions but I can't help but think the hogs have taken a toll on our birds as well.  I've been hunting for over 30 years and I accept the fact the we aren't gonna have hunting like we did in the 80's and 90's but I certainly feel like we can do better.  It seems like the numbers have really dropped since 2006 or so.

I have talked to one GA hunter who blames poultry farming for decrease in their turkey numbers in his location.  He believes disease is transmitted through using the manure for feow rtilizer.

If our numbers haven't dropped as much as I think, I can certainly say the amount of gobbling is way down. Maybe the birds have just adapted but I doubt that's the case.  The most I heard during season was 2 different birds gobbling and that was only on 2 mornings and from the limb for just a few times. The bird I killed gobbled 3 times, the bird I missed gobbled 0 times.

Thats an interesting thought on the hogs. I wondered the same thing when I lived in Louisiana and we had very few birds.  Then I hunted in Texas where the hogs were even thicker, but so were the turkeys.  I do know hogs are very detrimental to wildlife, but not sure the extent on turkeys. 
I have also often thought about poultry production and spreading litter on the fields, but nearly every farm I hunt in Missouri has turkey litter spread on it and has for the past 20 years.  Maybe all it takes is one outbreak of a particular strain to do damage.  Not saying it couldn't happen, but two of my best properties actually have turkey barns on them, and the barn managers are actually concerned about the wild turkeys being too close to the domestics.
I am not computer savvy enough to post up the links, but I do know there is a pretty extensive  five year study being done on radio collared birds in Missouri.  I believe it is in its third Spring.  I understand the early findings are that hunting mortality may be far lower than previously believed.  Hopefully by the time it is concluded we will have better data to understand the population fluctuations in Missouri.