Missouri, Tennessee, or elsewhere for first eastern?

[shatcher]

TN needs to reduce the bag limit and shorten the season.  Numbers are down in spite of a good hatch last spring.

[blake_08]

Eastern OK has Easterns and it may be closer. Of the two, Id try TN only cause I haven't hunted it yet, so not much help to you there.

I was under the impression that the numbers of easterns in Oklahoma were similar to that of Arkansas (not very good).  It would certainly keep me closer to home if I could get on one there though.

Coming from a southeastern Oklahoma resident, that is a true statement. That's why our season opens 2 weeks later than the statewide season and the whole southeast 8 county portion of the state has a 1 bird limit, combined counties. You could find a bird somewhere in the state but the density isn't what it is in the other states listed.

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[Hook hanger]

I hunt both mo and tn and it can be accomplished in either state. Mark Twain national forest has plenty of birds in it in southern Missouri.

[StruttinGobbler3]

Here in Georgia, there are no turkeys. Apparently they caught the same debilitating illness that eradicated the turkey population in Alabama.


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[fallhnt]

Having to stop at 1 o'clock would be a big adjustment for sure.  I guess if I hunted in Missouri close enough to the Kansas border, I could hunt the afternoons there.  Time is on my side this spring.  Do have a New Mexico trip on the agenda, but that's about it other than my home state.

The eastern part of KS has a one bird limit due to poor populations of birds.

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[turkey harvester]

We don't have anymore turkeys in Missouri anymore...

I'm beginning to believe that in the southern part of Mo where I live. The hog problem is getting out of control and they are taking over Mark Twain. Now if you get caught killing one on Mark Twain its a $5000 fine!!

[Fullfan]

Have been hunting Missouri for the past 28 years, just started hunting Tenn. five years ago.  Tenn. is what Missouri was 15-18 years ago. Lots of birds and 1/3 less hunters.  Knocked on many doors and was given permission also.

[MO HUNTER]

For what its worth.... MO, KS, AR (as I am familiar with these states) are seeing a huge decline in birds. I live in AR and I only hunt one or two days. We have seen the decline on our farms in MO and KS. It's just a rough go now, but birds can be found. I'd say TN would be my choice only because I have never been.

[deerhunt1988]

TN. Look at all the birds those YouTube hunting shows encountered there!

[GobbleNut]

My advice would simply be to research wherever you go very thoroughly and talk to as many turkey hunters from there that you can reach out to.  There are good places to hunt,...and lousy places to hunt,...in just about every state.  Personally, I would consider going north rather than east from TX.

[RiverRat213]

I've got plenty of private ground in Tennessee. Willing to trade an eastern for a Rio? You have access to good private ground down there?

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[James gang]

I would say tenesee for sure i hunt there myself.I have lived in southeast mo my whole life been chasin gobblers in mark twain for 35 years.
Turkey numbers are worse than ive ever seen them. They have cut thousands of acres of mark twain looks like a bomb went off didnt leave anything .I guess the $$ is more important than the deer and turkeys.if you are lucky enough to find some you will be surrounded by Arkansas hunters as soon as you get him to gobble its not first come first serve anymore like it allways has been. Im not sayin there all that way but the majority that hunt around here seems to be no respect for other hunters.We have alot of out of state hunters mississippi tennesee havent had much problems out of them though seem like pretty good guys for the most part again not sayin everyone from arkansas is like this all that being said there are still some birds here not tryin to talk you out of hunting mo good luck where ever you end up going

[Fullfan]

I would say tenesee for sure i hunt there myself.I have lived in southeast mo my whole life been chasin gobblers in mark twain for 35 years.
Turkey numbers are worse than ive ever seen them. They have cut thousands of acres of mark twain looks like a bomb went off didnt leave anything .I guess the $$ is more important than the deer and turkeys.if you are lucky enough to find some you will be surrounded by Arkansas hunters as soon as you get him to gobble its not first come first serve anymore like it allways has been. Im not sayin there all that way but the majority that hunt around here seems to be no respect for other hunters.We have alot of out of state hunters mississippi tennesee havent had much problems out of them though seem like pretty good guys for the most part again not sayin everyone from arkansas is like this all that being said there are still some birds here not tryin to talk you out of hunting mo good luck where ever you end up going

Glad I'm not the only one that is getting overrun with hunters from Ark. Been hunting Texas and Shannon Counties for the past 28 years, the past 5-6 years I have not been able to get away from them. Last year left camp @ 0300 on the first day, less than 1/2 mile from camp to where I wanted to hunt. There sat a rig from Ark.

[James gang]

 I got up and listened every morning for a month before season figured out where i wanted to go .I was sitting around 80-90 yrds from roosted birds 1.5 hrs before daylight soon as the gobbling starts here they come all over me i guess those arkansas turkeys like calling because they never quit two guys walk right past me one sits 40 yrds strait in front of me starts coyote howling then non stop calling guess they didnt realize the birds were long gone so i get up and walk out arkansas trucks parked 20 ft on both sides of my truck ( this is a narrow logging road not a parking lot at a wma) so i drive back to camp which isn't far at all 3 more arkansas trucks parked at camp not next to it i mean 20 yrds from our campers and fire.local game warden says he gets 10 complaints about arkansas hunters for every one on mo and every other state that comes here combined.I know the locals are fed up with them when you see a truck parked you go to the next spot thats how its allways been they see a truck they stop to see if your working a bird so they can try and get in between you unreal but very true

[Fullfan]

James some of the locale where we hunt have told us not to park our rigs on the timber cut roads, because when they do they shove them out of the way with their rig or log skidder. Informed us they have shoved many Ark rigs off the road and into the brush.