| Opening WeekThe one tom per turkey hunter on opening week of the Missouri spring turkey season was a greater detriment to those that travel to turkey hunt and more so the greater the travel distance. Those that travel to spring turkey hunt seek the most return for time spent which is more limited this first week of the Missouri season than the last two that allows two toms any two days. This causes the Missouri opening week to be largely a resident turkey hunter period. The non-resident hunter that turkey hunts this first week frequently does so incidental and after a successful Kansas turkey hunt as a means of expanding the return for cost. Work SchedulesThe next turkey hunter group were those that had vacation scheduling issues and the shorter Missouri seasonal window too constricting compared to the need to sustain an income. These hunters simply chose to turkey hunt whenever they can find the time to get away from work. In this regard MAHA was a good fit with its system of allowing all to hunt on their schedule, not ours.
Optimum WeekThe optimum return for most of the wild turkey hunters in this group when to hunt is during the last two weeks of the Missouri spring turkey season and overlap that hunt with a quick road trip to Kansas and or Iowa for another turkey hunt. The effect of these hunters is largely on the eastern ¼ of Kansas with a continuing turkey hunt on Easterns leaving the farther west Rio Grande Turkey region the domain of those that seek the Rio as a first priority. ScoutingWhen to scout has been a more frequent discussion with more turkey hunters trying to balance a combination deer and turkey scouting trip. A preferred deer scouting period favored by a good majority of the deer hunters that do scout every year is in February and March. This is a time when the foliage is down, the weather cool and pleasant, rubs are visible as are trails and sheds may be found. The primary objective during this period is deer scouting and limited turkey scouting. The turkey scouting during this time is location of hen flocks and nesting areas of tall grass or weeds. Finding such cover near a roost, crop feeding/flydown field and water makes for good potential spring turkey hunt spot. Finding a bachelor turkey group of toms and jakes while interesting will most likely not be the place to hunt for turkey season. These bachelor groups will seek out the hens that will be in their, not the toms', preferred roosts come spring breeding season. This seasonal turkey flock movement and cover preference pattern is frequently described to us by our landowners telling us when the see the turkeys on their farms. For the most part the farmers do not realize that turkeys change locations based on seasons. The landowner turkey observation comments are related to just the months when they have been observed that may be outside of spring season.
HummmmOverall, there is no way to deny the value of a Missouri turkey hunt to those that seek the best turkey hunting opportunity for the highest scoring trophy Eastern Turkey of their hunting career. With this in mind the choice of where to spend the majority of one’s time may be split between those that seek the single best scoring tom they can harvest and those that seek the most number of hunter – tom encounters. If this is the decision criteria than it is easier to decide when and where to schedule a self guided turkey hunt. Return to page 1 or 2 Missouri spring season turkey hunting Agricultural and forested turkey hunting |
