By Blake Jackson
Preliminary figures from the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) indicate that hunters harvested 45,475 turkeys during Missouri’s 2026 regular spring turkey season, which ran from April 20 through May 10.
The counties reporting the highest harvest totals were Macon with 979 birds, followed by Callaway with 926 and Franklin with 879.
Youth hunters also had a successful season, checking in 5,255 birds during the spring youth hunting weekend held April 11-12. Combined with the regular season totals, Missouri’s overall 2026 spring turkey harvest reached 50,730 birds.
“Good gobbler carryover from the 2023 hatch and a decent 2024 hatch resulted in a strong population of adult birds this year,” said MDC Wild Turkey Biologist Nick Oakley.
“While harvest was down a couple hundred birds compared to last year, harvest was still up 6% compared to harvests going back to 1998. Strong hatches lead to better hunting down the road. Managing for good nesting and brooding habitat is key to success in the field.”
In comparison, Missouri hunters harvested 51,011 turkeys during the 2025 spring season, including 4,449 birds taken by youth hunters and 46,562 during the regular season.
Photo Credit: istock-peopleImages
Categories: Missouri, General