I am looking to go on a turkey hunt in Missouri this spring. I have never been on an out-of-state turkey hunt, so I am looking for some advice/suggestions. Probably going to hunt the National Forest in southern Missouri. Does anybody have any experience there or any suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

Find a map showing very clearly public land as you'll probably want to concentrate on those areas. You may find luck banging on a few doors but I wouldn't count on finding hunting ground in that fashion. If you're going to hunt public land, be very safety minded as you'll be sharing the land with others almost assuredly. If I were to hunt public land I would probably wear blaze orange as I traveled between setups and I would NEVER NEVER EVER use a gobble call to locate birds.

I would also look into areas near Corp of Engineers type lakes/impoundments to see if there is public land surrounding it. If so, you can have a lot of fun at the lake in traveling by boat as you try to locate birds. Just land the boat and get after it. Once thing about hunting near a large body of water is that you confine the bird somewhat on directions it may travel. Beyond that you can often find pretty good lodging options at the lake as well as maybe catch some crappie for good eating. Keep in mind that MO ends shooting hours at 1pm and then 12pm after daylight savings time kicks in. Beyond that they require shot size of 4 or smaller.

That's what comes to mind unless you have any other specific questions.

Good luck,

Reed

Justin B

Maps are available from The Mark Twain National Forest Headquarter in Rolla Mo 65401 ph 573 364-4621 or online at www.fs.fed.us/r9/marktwain/recreation/index.htm

You might think about the Mark Twain National Forest just north of Bull Shoals lake. This would be in eastern Taney and central Ozark counties. This is on the Arkansas border on the South Central part of the state.

This is some pretty rugged territory but there are some big turkeys in there if you are willing to get well off the road.

You will also find some turkey discussion at
http://www.mosportsmen.com/bboard/

Justin,
There is a ton of public land surrounding Truman Lake in central missouri. Never turkey hunted there but saw and heard alot of turkeys while bass and crappie fishing there. If you have a boat you could access any of if. Additionally, there are numerous resorts with reasonable cabin rates in the area.
Steve

I hunted Missouri extensively for period of time about 10 years ago. I doubt if things have changed much. Would make the following observations.

1. The farther north you go, the more turkeys. The area around Kirksville has to be the turkey hunting capital of the world. The counties around there have 200+ turkies/square mile(that's as high as the surveys record). Considering that they are only 10-20% woodland, the turkey concentration is intense.

2. Almost any private land with turkies is either leased or posted. The farmers with small places generally lease the rights to small groups. The prices they get are huge. Ten years ago, the going rate for a spring lease was $50-100/acre. Needless to say, people paying these prices won't tolerate visitors. The larger farms often allow hunting on a daily rate basis, likely $100-150 now.

3. Hunting on public land is really crowded. The woods are literally full of hunters.

4. You really have your choice. Hunt public and have maybe a 25% chance or pay a landowner a trespass fee and almost be guaranteed a bird. That's kinda the story of MO. However, I have never seen anything like the turkey hunting available there. My advise on your first trip would be to find a farmer and pay the fee. That said, I suspect that at this point they are all booked up. You generally have to book a year ahead. A list of people offering hunting can be obtained from the DNR, or whatever they call their department. They have a resident turkey biologist in each part of the state.

Don't let anyone discourage you about turkeys in Mo. I saw five flocks coming to work this morning on public land. There are lots of good public land in SE, Mo. Check into the walk -in turkey areas especially in Iron, Madison and Washington Co. seldom see a turkey hunter there more than a 1/2 mile in and if you walk in a ways pitch a tent you will have it too yourself especially in the middle of the week) Season opens April 21 Try the Bell Mt. Wilderness area, it's good. If you are in my area a few days before the season give me a call and I will show you a few spots. 573-431-4155 (Park Hills, Mo.)

Thanks for the info guys and thank you .358 for the generous offer. I hadn't planned on going that far north, I live in Central AR and wanted to keep driving to minimum if possible. Paying a landowner is probably the best chance for success, but I plan on hunting only public land this year.

Here is my current plan, either hunt Gist Ranch CA (approx 10,000 acres) around Summersville or the Mark Twain around Fort Leonard Wood. People say hunting Mark Twain is hard, less birds but less hunters. Has anyone hunted Gist Ranch or Mark Twain? If so, I would love to hear some advice. The experience is what I am after, don't really have to kill a bird, just love to hear those long-beards in the morning.

I do a lot of pig hunting in the Mark Twain National Forest around Ft Wood and I have seen very few turkeys. I think Summersville would be better. Some of my co-workers live in Summersville or that area and they also seem to get their birds.

Justin B,

How's the hog hunting in your neck of the woods. A buddy of mine was telling me the other day that he wants to go hog hunting and that he would be willing to guide a turkey hunt in trade for a hog hunt. He lives in SE Missouri and he is a darn good turkey hunter with private land to hunt on.

Maybe if you could hook him up with a hog hunt he'd set you up with a turkkey hunt.

Hello Justin B,

Plenty of turkeys around Truman Lake and MTNF south of Fort Leanard Wood. You'll have company on the weekends and a bit on Fridays and Mondays even way back in the woods. Midweek things calm down and you can have a decent hunt.

You can scout and knock on farmhouse doors in the afternoons. Every once in awhile an ole boy who has turkeys using his farm will let you on for no more than a handshake.

Get a MDC Conservation Atlas that shows all the Conservation areas. Also get a Truman Lake map that shows their land if you head there. If you're headed to MTNF get their district forest maps that show all the forest roads and boundaries. A GPS also can come in really handy for scouting on the fly. I use my Garmin to mark gobblers I hear flying up at roost time or when I spot them after shooting time in the afternoon looking for morels.

If you can swing a boat for Truman as mentioned before you can hit spots no one has touched. You cal also float trip hunt but with a 3pm check in time a float can have you watching the clock a lot.

One area I find a lot of peace and quiet is the little conservation areas under 100 acres. Most guys overlook them and you can have the place to yourself. The turks may not hang out on the CA but if the sign shows they move through there you're in bidness.

We've also got a turkey forum where a bunch of us Mizzurah boys hang out at

http://www.jesseshuntingpage.com/forums/index.php?act=SF&f=18

Just for torture here's a pic of my game camera from our farm in NE Missouri. There's a roost where about 10 gobblers hang out and they fly down to meet the hens in the timber by the camera. We let them have their fun with the ladies and then call them in and let the air out of them.



Good luck.

Pumpkinheaver, I don't have any hogs around my place in central AR, but there are a lot of them in southern AR. I wish I could help, but don't have any access to hogs. Tell you friend to check out some of the WMA's in southern AR, heard Felthensal (sp?) has some hogs.

Spectr17, thanks for the help. I will check out Truman lake, right now I have my eyes on Gist Ranch (TX cnty), White Ranch (Howell cnty) and maybe even Peck Ranch. Got the gps and dowloadable topos with laptop, so should be ok there. I have never been hunting in MO, so it will be an experience and hopefully a good one. By the way, nice pic, I saw two different flocks on the way to work this morning. Some report some gobbling action already here in central AR.

I would suggest that you take a guest with you,... perhaps from south-central Pennsylvania,....I volunteer.

On a serious note, best of luck to you.

I heard my first gobbler of the year yesterday morning. It really has me fired-up. My wife thinks that I am crazy to get up every day at 5 am just to listen to turkeys..she doesn't know what she is missing.

cwilson

cwilson,
I have been hearing birds since early Feb around here. My wife thought the same thing, until I took her with me one time and now she wants to go with me all the time. This time of year is perfect for video taping. Been seeing the same flock everyday since Sunday. Can't wait until April.