First day of Missouri turkey season and I'm done till next Monday. Took a 22 lb gobbler with a 10" beard at 6:30 am.

I have been trapping hard for 4 years on this property and all that effort is showing results. Turkey numbers are up a lot from just 5 years ago. Was rare to hear or see a bird. Have seen several mature gobblers and 11 Jakes over the last 2 years.

I am convinced trapping is making a difference. It's better than sitting around b_itching and moaning and doing nothing.

Coons get more bird eggs than any critter I can think of and pigs do their fair share of damage to nests and chicks of Turkeys and Quail, I trap year around for coons with 16 dog proof traps and get 2-3 Coons a day on average, I think trapping improves all bird # Rio7

I'm glad to see Kansas opened up coons year around now. I plan on putting an additional hurting on them all summer. Expecting a high body count. Our turkeys are struggling and I know its these coons, coyotes and bobcats.

^ ^ ^ ^ this ^ ^ ^ ^ absafrikenlutely ^ ^ ^ ^

Of course it is. A state biologist here told me that
years ago when we were talking about the turkeys
the state had introduced at a WMA

We have been trapping coons and other predators here for years and we are covered up with Turkeys and our Quail are doing real well if it rains a few times in the summer. Rio7

Great job. I totally agree trapping is rewarding in more ways than one.

Congrats on your gobbler. good to hear the trapping is paying off. I'm just getting started. Got 6 coons last week. I only have 3 traps. I have to get some more.

I believe the hawks are worse than any other predator on the turkey and quail population.

All Predators get a few Turkey and Quail but the Coon does more damage than any other Predator. Turkeys and Quail are like Cheeseburgers every thing eats them. Rio7

Love hearing that your hard work is paying off! I leave in about 12 hours to head up north for my boys first turkey hunt.

Predator control works if you works if you take the time and work at it.

Rio7

Thanks for doing that
I know more than a few that will not take any kind
of action against predators, and several who have
got mad at me for suggesting that they ought to
actively try to trap predators or hunt them.
It's beneficial to the fowl and animals we hunt
and for the younger people who will be the hunters
after us. Me suggesting that anybody who uses
feeders and has a problem with coons should have
a few traps out has actually made some angry.
I guess they enjoy losing their expensive corn

Coons are the easiest predator to keep in check.

Doing this


Gets you more of this


23lbs 2oz. 11 1/2” beard, one hook was 1 3/8” the other 1 1/4”

That'll motivate a guy.

I agree trapping is the key. There's environmental factors that we cannot control that affects turkeys but predator control is something that we can do.

I started a trapping regime 7-8 yrs ago, coyotes and 'coons, on the land I hunt. It took a year or so but the fawn and turkey recruitment rate has exponentially increased ever since. Trapping definitely works.

Here's a couple gobblers Ive taken this season. (2024) The top pic gobbler weighed 19lb, 10 in beard 1 inch spur. 15 yd shot.

Bottom pic gobbler weighed 23lbs, 11 inch beard 1- 1/18 spur. I also killed this gobbler with my 108 yr old 16 ga Ithaca Flues double barrel. 12 yd shot

Very nice. I have been saying I’m going to use one of my 16 ga but haven’t taken the plunge.

Our governor in SD has issued a bounty program. $10/tail of coon, possum, badger, skunk and fox capped at 500k I think. I've seen great results and my boy has really taken to it. He turned 180 tails in yesterday. I've got more pheasants and turkey than I've seen in years. Also got some partridge. Those have been rarer then hen's teeth.

Bird two down today, I'm done in Missouri. I heard 5 different birds Monday. Guys the struggle is real!! Stay after those nest predators!

Only if the other hunters with you/around you
are on board. A good many I personally know
spend lots of money trying to coon proof their
feeders spending money on coon guards for
the legs and coon proof timer cages and pricey
coon proof spinner slinger plates and other
such stuff. I've told every one that for around
the price of one of those trick spinner plates,
if they went and bought 4 dog proof coon traps
and properly achored them and set them out,
they'd be proactively working on the problem,
and with minimal care the traps will last forever plus
3 and a half days and they'll have em until they're
too old to hunt.
I've trapped way more varmints than I ever
have put a bead on

Corn feeders are the worst thing to happen to turkey populations.

How so ?

I've hunted a couple of ranches several hundred
miles to the west of here that didn't have much of
anything for the game to eat. The one place was
2 sections IIRC, and there might have been two
dozen oak trees on all of it. The rest was spindly
mesquites and prickly pear and probably 3 blades
of grass per square foot. What little food there
was had cattle and deer and swine and game
birds competing for it. If not for the lease hunters
feeding corn and protein and the ranchers
feeding the cattle, it would have been a scorpion
and rattlesnake ranch. There were a gazillion
turkeys ( all Rio Grande) and I'm fairly certain
that they were pretty grateful for the corn that
got slung out of the feeders every day. I know
the deer were. Seemed like every cactus pad
you'd look at had several deer bites out of it