by: Tyler Green-Cedar County Conservation Agent

As of 1pm on May 10, 2020, the 2020 Spring Turkey Hunting season closed. What follows is a breakdown of the turkey harvest totals for Cedar County.

This year Youth Spring Turkey Hunting Season was open from April 4 to April 5. Youth turkey hunters harvested 40 turkeys this spring which included 35 adult gobblers and 5 juvenile gobblers. In comparison, youth hunters harvested 31 turkeys in 2019 and 30 in 2018.

During the Regular Spring Turkey Hunting Season, which ran from April 20 to May 10, hunters harvested a total of 478 turkeys in Cedar County. This was broken down to include 418 adult gobblers, 7 bearded hens and 53 juvenile gobblers. For comparison, hunters harvested 414 turkeys in 2019 and 439 in 2018.

The 2020 turkey season will probably always be remembered as the COVID-19 turkey season. Statewide, we saw a decrease in nonresident permit sales but an increase of 9600 resident permits sold. This probably had something to do with a decrease in out-of-state travel and an increase of free time for many Missourians.

Questions or concerns? Contact Cedar County Conservation Agent Tyler Green at 417-327-5378