2012 Spring Firearms Turkey Season Totals.

[Phil Lilley]

2012 Spring Firearms Turkey Season Totals.

Hunters checked 40,447 turkeys during Missouri’s regular spring turkey season, up by 2,120 from 38,327 last spring, or about 5.5 percent. The harvest of 4,319 turkeys during this year’s spring youth weekend, March 31 and April 1, brought the 2012 spring turkey harvest to 44,766, up about six percent from 2011. Youth hunters harvested 3,893 turkeys during the 2011 spring youth weekend for a 2011 spring total of 42,220.

Top harvest counties during the regular 2012 spring turkey season, April 16 through May 6, were Franklin with 852, Texas with 803 and Greene with 698.

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) recorded four non-fatal firearms-related turkey hunting incidents and no fatalities.

The bulk of birds taken during both this year’s youth weekend and regular spring season were adult gobblers with 31,813, or about 71 percent. Juvenile male turkeys (jakes) comprised almost 28 percent with 12,445 birds. Bearded hens made up one percent with 508.

Local totals are listed below.

Taney

Adult Gobbler - 319

Bearded Hen - 5

Juvenile Gobbler - 81

2012 Totals - 405

2011 Totals - 307

Five Year Average - 374

Stone

Adult Gobbler - 170

Bearded Hen - 4

Juvenile Gobbler - 61

2012 Totals - 235

2011 Totals - 242

Five Year Average - 240

Christian

Adult Gobbler - 325

Bearded Hen - 2

Juvenile Gobbler - 104

2012 Totals - 431

2011 Totals - 381

Five Year Average - 405

Douglas

Adult Gobbler - 436

Bearded Hen - 10

Juvenile Gobbler - 167

2012 Totals - 613

2011 Totals - 500

Five Year Average - 573

Ozark

Adult Gobbler - 246

Bearded Hen - 2

Juvenile Gobbler - 80

2012 Totals - 328

2011 Totals - 330

Five Year Average - 383

Turkey harvest totals by county are also available online at mdc.mo.gov/node/17396.

To report a wildlife violation or to ask a regulation question, please contact Conservation Agent Quenten Fronterhouse @ 417-294-5543.