Missouri Turkey Hunting

Missouri turkey population range occupies the same agricultural regions as the better Missouri deer hunting. This same topography allows many turkey hunters an opportunity to decoy and call in their turkeys with much more eyes on their toms than what is possible in big woods turkey hunting.

Photo taken of a flock of birds working a green wheat field in the evening. We track what we see through the year so we may recommend to our first year members where to hunt for what they are after.

This same overlapping agricultural region that allows for much eyes of during spring turkey allows similar scouting advantages in preparation for that fall's deer hunting trip. Binoculars are a must bring item and east peering over ridgelines a must before exposure to the far side.

A similar effect on turkeys a occurs for deer is that this region with its large grain crop fields and mild winters make for big bodied turkey and deer and plenty of trophy racks within and without the 4 point one side restriction zone. What Mid-America Hunting Association brings to a combination spring turkey hunt and deer scouting trip is the private lease land. One one cost for all leaves little room for the deer hunter not to come out in the spring.

Missouri spring turkey season runs to 1 PM each day including Sundays leaving the afternoons free for deer scouting. While many are happy to tag one tom and spend the rest of the trip deer scouting those that want to fill both over the counter spring tags need to wait until the second and third week of Missouri's three week spring season.

Traveling Turkey Hunter

John

I wanted to get these photos to you as soon as I could. After our pre season conversation concerning the bad weather, I held off to schedule this year's hunt.

Upon my mid-morning arrival in [location deleted] I drove into a light rain, 40 degree temp and 12 MPH winds. After a morning call to the office, we discussed my options of hunting the farm that I reserved for my first hunt with the association.

Gary's reference to first farm hunted in the Association was 8 years ago.

After reaching the farm I was disappointed on finding the adjoining landowner put his property into walk-in-hunting and also burned off a 1/4 section of CRP grass to the south of my hunt site. By mid-afternoon I started scouting the property creek edges and by 5:30 I located 13 hens and 2 gobblers feeding and strutting in an alfalfa field and watching their travel pattern picked out my blind location.

Friday A.M. was calm with a heavy dew. The toms were gobbling by 6:15 and the hens were more vocal than any previous season. With toms calling to the west and south of my setup the dekes and a little calling on my part brought the birds back into the alfalfa field. The hens would approach the setup and back off into the timber, then return, this continued for over an hour. And finally they brought 2 toms with them and with a little more calling and patients this tom came into range, and it is now 9:15 and I'm heading back to the truck to take a nap.

Gary [last name deleted]

Thanks Gary for the hunting account of how the birds worked. It is always interesting reading to see how hunts went for others.

While Missouri's three week turkey season overlaps that of Kansas and Missouri the deer hunter wanting to turkey hunt an deer scout should concentrate on just that and not try to spread himself too thin with too much of an agenda the first trip or two. Once that deer hunter establishes his deer hunting areas the next season or three more time in the spring can be devoted to turkey hunting and less on deer scouting. Kt has been common in the past to observe a new MAHA member get a little greedy with all the opportunity available and try to fill both Missouri turkey tags, deer scout Missouri and then head to Iowa or Kansas and repeat all again. It can happen if all things go perfectly such as weather and all toms cooperating and most of us know a self guided hunt rarely goes smoothly on all counts al the time. A better approach is to have a plan that if given good luck and time can be extended as opportunities unveil themselves rather than believe a strict time schedule will be adhered to by nature.

An example of a Missouri plan would be to come out the first spring turkey season and turkey scout a roost or two and hunt until filling a tag. If done before the last day of the trip that is good. If the next morning is the last day of a long weekend trip than that last day should be dedicated to pure Missouri deer scouting. If luck goes well and a tom is tagged the first day, then that hunter should deer scout until finding at least 3 leases he would like to deer hunt. As a general rule to get to this 3 lease level plan a minimum of two hours walk through time for each 1/4 section (160 acres) planning to scout. Have several such leases lined up with aerials prior to departure from home and take each in turn until having three that would make a good first Missouri deer hunt. If that is accomplished take a relaxing, fill the second turkey tag hunt, for the remainder of that trip.

The final aspect of Missouri's turkey and deer hunting is that tags are statewide in both cases and available for purchase online prior to departure from home or at any local Wal-mart store readily found in many places in Missouri.

Missouri Firearms Deer

Missouri Archery

Missouri Muzzleloader Deer Hunting

Missouri Deer Hunting

Missouri Hunting Lease