Fall turkey season encounters shortage of birds

With just over a week left of the fall turkey season, hunters are finding a shortage of birds this year. Hunting can be difficult unless you are one of the lucky ones who get a chance to flush a flock.

It's a great time of year for outdoor-minded people. The recent weather conditions have made it great for just being outside. Fall color is nearing its peak, fishing is good and hunting seasons are opening.

Remembering the time when I had one of those nearly perfect hunts that you need once in a while to offset all those trips when things don't go as planned.

Knowing there were turkeys in the area, although not having seen any recently, I picked an open field within walking distance of home to set-up for a short hunt. While enjoying the experience of being in the woods I set out a couple of decoys, and settled back to make some fighting purr calls waiting to see if anything would happen ---- it did.

A curious old tom came up to see what was going on and when he came within 30 yards in the open field, he became the main dish in our Thanksgiving dinner next month.

That old gobbler became the 129th Missouri wild turkey in my 50 plus years of hunting turkeys since that first season opened back in 1960.

I recall, back then it took awhile before I entered the first bird in my hunting log because of the new kind of hunting that became available.

While growing up in Carrollton, Mo., wild turkeys were something you read about at the first Thanksgiving. At that time no one would have thought there would be huntable numbers of this majestic bird.

Today, Missouri is the leading state in turkey numbers and they are scattered throughout the entire state.

The final number of birds taken during this fall won't be available until the close of the season, but its a safe bet that there will be more birds taken than the number of birds in the state not too many years ago, in fact, there are more turkeys in the state than in precolonial days with an estimated population nearing a half million.

This year, Jason Isabelle, turkey biologist for the Missouri Department of Conservation, said, "only 29 percent of hens were observed with poults which indicated poor nesting success. Despite a poor hatch, there are still more turkeys on the landscape than many areas compared to five years ago." Given the poor hatch, fall turkey hunting is more challenging this year.

This fall, having fewer young birds in the state has resulted in hunters having to put forth more effort to be successful, especially in areas that has produced good acorn production.

During the last five years turkey numbers have be increasing in the Ozark border and Ozark West regions. Typically Missouri turkey hunters purchase around 15,000 fall firearm permits which is far from the 100,000 spring number of turkey hunters.

Normally the fall hunters look for a flock of birds, then bust them up and wait for their return to flock together later. They don't have the advantage of hearing a gobbler sound off to locate where the bird is. Other hunters like Robert Davis, Nixa, said, " I enjoy fall turkey hunting because there aren't as many ticks to bother you, there are fewer hunters and you may hunt all day compared to a half-day hunt in the spring."

This last weekend anglers were active as well. The area lakes with the temperature hovering around 80 degrees fishermen were taking advantage of the great October weather.

Many anglers had success including Jerry Thompson, Warrensburg, who caught a limit of white bass and 14 crappie while fishing on Pomme de Terre Sunday. Thompson said, " It was great just to be out on such a nice day. We were camping and decided to go fishing, catching all the fish was a big bonus.

Earle Hammond reported that the annual muskie tournament held on Pomme De Terre saw some big fish caught including a 45.75 inch, a 45 inch, two 42 inchers and several 39 inch fish.

With the fall color, great weather and good fishing, I don't think it could get any better. Most everyone would agree.