| ReputationMissouri spring turkey hunting as reported by our newest self guided hunters is an attractive option within MAHA’s approach to paid hunts on private lease land.
Many cite the national reputation of the Missouri high harvest rates. These harvest rates are of actual state conservation department counted birds surveyed from the state-wide check-in stations. The belief is that with as many wild turkeys as there are that the chances for success are the greatest in Missouri than in other states. Our approach to Missouri spring turkey hunting is different from that of “playing the odds”. But, first a quick review of why the Missouri is as good of a turkey hunting state as it is, is often questioned by many new to MAHA hunts.
Environmental Limiting FactorsMissouri spring turkey season is as good as it is due to the large concentration of wild turkeys throughout the state. A seemingly simple statement until examining why turkey populations exist to high numbers within one locality of the USA.
Why Missouri turkey hunting is the way it is due to many environmental limiting factors. Far more than I can accurately describe from the many turkey biology based studies read and turkey hunting and behavior seminars attended to over the years. However, the first of the two key turkey environmental factors that I do remember specific to Missouri spring turkey hunting and made a great deal of sense to me was that chick in the egg reproduction is enhanced or degraded by humidity far more so than any other condition. Missouri's geographic location it turns out has the right humidity that ensures the highest Eastern Turkey hen egg production potential. One of the facets why this makes so much sense to us locals is that in this part of the country the largest cattle feed lots, the ones that hold tens of thousands of animals, are from central Kansas and west. Any farther east and the feed lots are small and infrequent. The reasons is that from central Kansas and west the humidity is low allowing for healthy cattle when confined in large numbers in a small space. This same region of low humidity that allows for these large cattle yards is the same region where the Eastern Turkey range drops off and the Rio Grande Turkey occupies. Contrasting the Rio does not survive reproduction in Missouri where the Eastern Turkey does very well. This level of boots on the ground observations and effects on animals is the interesting point that motivated further study. The issue is that for any animal there are optimized conditions for enhanced survival/reproduction and other areas of less quality conditions, be they cattle or turkey. Knowing what those conditions are and their effects simply makes us understand why Missouri turkey hunting is as good as it is for the Eastern Turkey and why Rio Grande Turkey are where they are and so on. The second factor is Missouri's mild winters do not stress the turkeys with cold temperatures and snowfall as occurs in other locations. This allows for more effective winter food forage due to the lack of snow cover. This factor further contributes to the egg hatch potential by allowing higher year round survival of more turkeys of the year to reproduction maturity. This turkey survival string effect continues further with the young and the old hens being physically stronger after winter allowing for further enhanced egg reproduction potential in terms of the higher number and health of the individual eggs that are laid. Simply more food, less severe environmental conditions, most notably weather effects, makes for strong adult turkeys that produce strong offspring. This effect is often expressed by our non-resident do it yourself turkey hunters that the turkeys they harvest during the Missouri spring season being of heavier body weight, typically between 22 and 27 pounds, than any tom they have earlier harvested turkey hunting in their home state. This chance for a "trophy" tom or a refinement of a hunter's turkey hunting experience, is one more attraction. This is the result of the two facets of high egg hatch rates and strong turkeys makes Missouri spring turkey hunting as good as it is in terms of sheer turkey numbers and good scoring toms by weight, beard and spur.
|
