Hey there, fellow turkey enthusiasts! Are you itching to get out in the Missouri wilderness and test your skills against the wily wild turkey? Well, hold your horses (or should we say, hold your calls?) because I’ve got all the juicy details on the upcoming turkey seasons in Missouri.
Spring Turkey Hunting Dates:
- Youth Portion: Gobble ’til you wobble during the youth portion from April 6th to 7th, 2024. This is a fantastic opportunity for young hunters to get their first taste of turkey hunting excitement.
- Regular Season: The regular spring turkey season runs from April 15th to May 5th, 2024. This is the prime time for bagging a longbeard, so get your gear ready and prepare for some thrilling encounters.
- Fall Firearms Season: If you’re still hungry for turkey action after the spring, you can head back out during the fall firearms turkey season from October 1st to 31st, 2024. This is a great chance to fill your freezer with delicious wild turkey meat.
Fall Archery and Turkey Hunting Dates:
- Archery Season: For those who prefer the challenge of bowhunting, the fall archery deer and turkey season runs from September 15th through November 15th, 2024, and then again from November 27th through January 15th, 2025.
- Firearms Seasons: If you’re a firearms enthusiast, there are several firearms deer hunting dates to choose from:
- Early Antlerless Portion: October 11th-13th, 2024 (in open counties)
- Early Youth Portion: November 2nd-3rd, 2024
- November Portion: November 16th-26th, 2024
- CWD Portion: November 27th – December 1st, 2024 (in open counties)
- Late Youth Portion: November 29th – December 1st, 2024
- Late Antlerless Portion: December 7th-15th, 2024 (in open counties)
- Alternative Methods Portion: December 28th, 2024 – January 7th, 2025
Where to Find Detailed Information:
For a deep dive into all the specifics of the upcoming turkey seasons, including regulations, permit requirements, and bag limits, head over to the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) website. You can find all the juicy details by searching for “game species” on their website. They’ve also got handy booklets available closer to the season, both online and wherever permits are sold, so you can have all the info at your fingertips.
Get Ready for Gobbling Glory:
So, there you have it, folks! Now you know when to mark your calendars for some epic turkey hunting adventures in Missouri. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or a wide-eyed newbie, the thrill of the hunt awaits. Remember to brush up on your turkey calling skills, practice your aim, and most importantly, have a blast out there in the Missouri wilderness!
Increasing deer populations lead to decision to add antlerless harvest dates
Deer populations are at desired levels in most counties, but are continuing to increase. Because of this, additional antlerless harvest is needed to stabilize those deer numbers, Isabelle said.
“Hunters will have more opportunities to harvest antlerless deer and help meet our deer-management goals if antlerless permits are made more widely available in most counties and an early antlerless portion of the firearms deer season is created,” Isabelle stated.
The new firearms early antlerless portion Oct. 6-8, 2023, will be in the same 100 counties open for the firearms late antlerless portion Dec. 2-10, 2023. See regulation details and a map of open counties on MDCs website.
According to MDC, this shift to antlerless seasons for firearms is consistent with what a number of other Midwestern states have already implemented. Prior to the November firearms season, when many hunters concentrate on obtaining a buck, the early antlerless portion will help increase the harvest of antlerless deer, Isabelle continued.
“The early antlerless portion was planned to happen during a period that will minimize conflict with archery hunters, who spend the majority of their hunting season in late October and early November as the rut approaches,” Isabelle explained.
Regulation changes include: a new firearms early antlerless portion, a new firearms CWD portion and changes to firearms antlerless permit numbers in most counties.
Hold on to your seats, there are changes coming to Missouri hunting seasons in the new year.
The dates for the 2023–2024 deer and turkey seasons have been announced by the Missouri Department of Conservation. Additionally, modifications to the deer-hunting section of the regulations have been announced. A new section on firearms early antlerlessness, a new section on firearms CWD, and modifications to the numbers for firearms antlerless permits in the majority of counties are among these changes.
The Missouri Conservation Commission approved the hunting dates and regulations changes at its open meeting Dec. 2 in Jefferson City.
The changes to deer hunting regulations were prompted by the state’s increasing deer population and the spread of chronic wasting disease, or CWD, according to a news release from MDCs Cervid Program Supervisor Jason Isabelle.
“We’re expanding opportunities for hunters to harvest deer both inside and outside of the CWD Management Zone next year due to a growing deer population in most Missouri counties,” Isabelle stated.
Missouri Turkey Season – Opening Day 2023
FAQ
What are the hunting seasons in Missouri?
|
Season
|
Dates
|
|
Bullfrog and Green Frog: Hunting
|
Jun 30, 2023 – Oct 31, 2023
|
|
Canada Geese: Hunting
|
Oct 07, 2023 – Oct 15, 2023 Nov 11, 2023 – Feb 06, 2024
|
|
Canada Geese: Hunting
|
Oct 07, 2023 – Oct 15, 2023 Nov 11, 2023 – Feb 06, 2024
|
|
Common Snipe: Hunting
|
Sep 01, 2024 – Dec 16, 2024
|
Can you take a coyote during spring turkey season?
On private lands, they may be taken from one-half hour before sunrise until sunset. Only legal spring turkey methods may be used to take coyotes during spring turkey season, and hunters must have an unfilled spring turkey hunting permit and either a Resident Small Game Hunting Permit or a Nonresident Furbearer Hunting and Trapping Permit.
When does Missouri’s spring turkey hunting season start?
Missouri’s spring turkey season begins April 15. Here’s what to know Missouri’s upcoming spring turkey hunting season is forecast to be a good one. The three-week season (April 15-May 5) comes on the heels of a youth hunting weekend that accounted for 3,721 harvested birds throughout the Show-Me State, the most in that span in seven years.
Can you shoot a Turkey in Missouri?
For maps and more details of areas listed on the following pages, contact the regional office or visit mdc.mo.gov/atlas. Statewide turkey seasons and limits apply. Longbows, recurve bows, compound bows, atlatls, and crossbows may be used. Turkey hunting with firearms is prohibited. All other statewide turkey seasons and limits apply.
Can you hunt a Turkey with a bow in Missouri?
Anyone hunting turkeys during the fall firearms turkey season may not be in possession of both a firearm and a bow. Some exceptions apply. See 3 CSR 10-7.455 of the Wildlife Code of Missouri. Valid Permits Spring Turkey Hunting Permit Allowed & Prohibited Methods Turkey: Spring: Allowed Methods Shotguns with shot not larger than No. Crossbows…