Missourian achieves grand slam of wild turkey hunting

A successful hunter tags his turkey with a hen and gobbler decoys in the background. (Submitted photo)

When the 2016 spring turkey season opened Monday, Kevin Hess, Springfield, had a pocket full of memories of past hunts. None of his many hunts pleased him more than bagging his first Florida-Osceola bird.

That turkey completed his getting a Wild Turkey Grand Slam, meaning he has now taken all four species of turkeys: Eastern, Rio Grande, Merriam and finally the Osceola. He said, "I have been thinking about going after the slam for a long time. The Florida turkey took some time before everything fell in place, but it was worth it."

The Osceola species of wild turkey is also called Florida Wild Turkey because it is known for its location. It is only found on the Florida peninsula and is found nowhere else in the entire world. Because of that, it is extremely desired by out-of-state turkey hunters in order to make a Grand Slam. The Osceola is similar to our eastern turkey except it is smaller and darker shaded. The feathers are brighter and not bronze like the eastern.

Hess started hunting turkeys when he was 10-years-old. This year he will have started his 47th opening day in the Ozark woods. He took his Rio Grande birds in Kansas and Oklahoma, the Merriams in Nebraska and New Mexico and the Easterns in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Mississippi. He has seen Missouri grow into one of the top turkey hunting states in the nation. He recalled how the population of wild turkeys in the state grew over the years, peaking in the 80s. He said, " Turkey hunting in Missouri is as good as it gets."

The veteran turkey hunter was president of the Springfield Sho-Me Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation for 15 years and is now on the state board of the NWTF. He said, "Turkey hunting is an addiction, but there is a lot more to turkey hunting than getting your bird. There have been hunts when I might find morel mushrooms and while picking them I would hear a gobble and return to hunting turkeys. April is a great month to be in the woods and see nature come to life."

The hunting outlook for the spring season looks good. Turkey numbers are increasing in the Ozarks. The hatch two years ago in much of the state experienced good population in 2014. A large number of jakes, 2-year-old birds, went unharvested last year so an increase in the number of gobblers this spring is expected.

Since the first modern day season, back in 1960, the turkey population has undergone a transition during the past decades. In the 1970s and 80s, the population was expanding very rapidly. It wasn't unusual to see flocks of turkeys that numbered close to a hundred or more. But as habitats became crowded, predators found east pickins and disease was spread more quickly putting the breaks on the expanding population. It is unlikely that the turkey population will increase to the peak populations of the 70s and 80s, but Missouri's turkey flock will see years when factors will reduce or show improvement in their numbers. Missouri continues to be among the highest in the nation each year in the harvest of wild turkeys.

Kevin Hess, with the largest turkey he has taken. He shot the big bird, which weighed more than 27 pounds, during the recent turkey season in Kansas. (Submitted photo)

Veteran Missouri turkey hunters know that there are a lot of ways to mess up a hunt. The most common way is lack of patience and lack of scouting which is vital to success. Every hunt is different, even in Missouri where there is plenty of prime turkey hunting spots ---- success rates aren't that great.

Wild turkeys have incredible vision, that is what keeps them alive. They also have very good hearing. When it seems like everything is going against the hunter, any mistake gives the big bird an added advantage. A successful turkey hunter has to be able to adapt to changing circumstances.

There is no way that every time you go out you will get a turkey. Hunters learn from each hunt and when things change they need to adapt to the situation.