Dekes don't work enough here to justify toting them in/out.

They're getting smacked on the roads here

I won't disagree that numbers are down. The farm that I own with my brothers, turkey numbers have steadily declined. That's in the very eastern Ozarks. The farm that I hunt on along the river, an awesome turkey population. Somehow, some way, the birds are increasing in the SE portion of the state, in counties that previously had next to no birds. And are decreasing in areas that previously held tons of birds. I believe that there is a multitude of factors in play, and it varies by region. Maybe one of the best things that MDC could do would be to just make us a one bird state for now and limit the amount of NR tags handed out. [/quote]

MDC is catering to the Nonresident hunters by going to all day hunting.
It absolutely doubled the length of the season.
Making this move during long term population decline is absolutely ridiculous.
In our county during the peak of population, we were killing 800+ in the spring season. Now we struggle to kill 300.
They manage the stupid deer on a county basis.
Why do they try to manage turkeys on a statewide basis?
1/2 day hunting has been in place since the season was opened in Missouri in 1960.
The majority of people who wanted it are nonresidents and people who have nonresidents come to hunt.
The biologists that have been pushing this for years are nearly all originally from out of state. They have friends and family come in and hunt……….
See where this is going?
[/quote]
The MDC are a bunch of money grabbing crooks!! They could care less about the wildlife all there after is money.

I’m I have a bunch of decoys they sit in the shed and the mice chew holes in them. Im more into running and gunning but my one buddy it a sit and call type of guy.

Try something until something works is my motto and I don’t do farm birds I try not to laugh when people get a barnyard bird and call it a hunt it nowhere close to one. Yes there are dumb birds out there but some can be a real challenge.

I think something that needs to be said to put this thread into perspective is what one's view of a good size population of turkeys is? 20 in a fall flock may be a lot to someone in Pennsylvania. That is a poor flock in Northeast Missouri. Seldom will I see a gobbler strutting on a tree line out in a field along the highway. 20 years ago you couldn't drive 2 miles without seeing one. I guess it's all relative. Maybe I just happen to grow up at the peak of the cycle. Or are farming practices, habitat, and other external influences like predator control keeping the flock from regenerating? Considering that I just drove across half the country and back and didn't see a single turkey leads me to believe that it's more than an isolated pocket in Northeast Missouri.

Personally I can't say decoys work better or worse. I've probably killed an equal number without as I have with.

Ol dad

Getting in this late... Population in NW MO is bad. I would say 1/3 of what it was 20 years ago. I still believe something has/is occurring that we don't know about/haven't discovered. My current thought is lack of insects due to spraying. MDC does do a below average job and you are correct that the all day hunting is poor during a time of years long decline. Out of staters and city hunters. When the MDC has a public comment period on a topic it is a done deal and what they are proposing will happen: all day turkey hunting, elk reintroduction, antler restriction, crossbows during bow season, otter reintroduction, etc.

Well I used to stand on my cabin porch and hear birds gobbling on 7 different roosting
spots. That was down to hearing a bird or two. I went down Saturday and they were gobbling
all around s as gain and seen a lot again driving around. Hopefully they’re coming back
around here in Ohio.
There’s a strategy with using dekes and had them spook a lot of birds. Use them sometimes but
not often. I will not knock how people legally want to hunt.

It may help if you travel back roads. I almost never see them on a major highway but I occasionally see them on back roads.