Turkey harvest numbers are down compared to the past season, officials say.
Preliminary data from Missouri Department of Conservation shows that turkey hunters checked 31,798 birds during Missouri’s 2021 regular spring turkey season, which was April 19 through May 9.
Top harvest counties included Franklin with 710 birds telechecked, Texas with 666 and Callaway with 639.
Young turkey hunters also harvested 2,795 birds over the youth weekend, April 10 and 11, which brought the overall 2021 spring turkey harvest to 34,593.
In 2020, young turkey hunters harvested 2,724 birds during the spring youth season and hunters harvested 38,734 during the regular spring season for a 2020 spring season total harvest of 41,458 birds.