Wild turkeys inhabit all of the lower 48 states, yet people come from far and wide to hunt gobblers in Missouri. Why are thousands of people willing to pay $175 for Missouri’s nonresident spring turkey hunting permits? The fact of the matter is that Missouri has some of the best turkey hunting in the nation.
This website brought to you in part by the following sponsor:
Over the past three years, Missouri’s annual spring turkey harvest has averaged more than 52,000 birds. Compare that to Illinois’ 2007 spring turkey harvest of 16,140 or Arkansas’ 11,069. Oklahoma harvested about 24,000 birds while Iowa hunters only harvested 15,483. Figures for Tennessee totaled 31,166, and Kentucky hunters took 23,600 gobblers last spring. Kansas led Missouri’s neighboring states in the 2007 spring turkey harvest with 33,913. Nationwide, Missouri’s harvest numbers where topped only by Wisconsin who had a harvest of 52,428 birds. Texas, with nearly four times Missouri’s land area, harvested about half as many turkeys as Missouri last year.
With some Missouri companies laying off employees and state government in a budget crunch, you might think that the outcome of the state’s spring turkey season would be of little economic interest. You would be wrong. The lusty cry of the wild turkey gobbler pumps tens of millions of dollars into the state economy each year.
This year, Missourians will spend more than $1.8 million on spring turkey hunting permits. More important to Missouri’s economic well-being, out-of-state hunters will shell out nearly $1.75 million for Missouri spring turkey hunting permits this year.
The economic impact of turkey hunting goes far beyond permit sales, however. Turkey hunters spend approximately $12 million in Missouri each year for shotguns, ammunition, calls, camouflage clothing and other hunting equipment. Missouri residents also spend more than $12 million on travel, food, lodging and other miscellaneous items during the spring turkey season. Nonresidents add another $2 to $3 million. In all, economic activity generated by spring turkey hunters tops $35 million annually and supports 1,500 Missouri jobs.
An economic impact model developed by the University of Missouri-Columbia shows that turkey-hunting related expenditures generate nearly $1.8 million in state sales taxes and about $1.2 million in state income taxes annually. The figures on hunter expenses come from a Missouri Department of Conservation survey of approximately 5,000 turkey hunters. Hunters provided details on turkey hunting related expenses for clothing, calls, ammunition, guns, transportation, lodging, food, land leases, taxidermy and other items.
Although Grundy County is a small, rural Missouri county, we have some of the best turkey hunting in North Central Missouri. Because of this we are visited by hunters from several different states and other Missouri counties. These hunters spend plenty of money in our community during their visit. Just ask the local motel owners, restaurants, taxidermists, grocery stores or gas stations about the increase of business during the spring turkey season. I’m sure that most of them will tell you that turkey hunting is an economic boost for our community.
The next time you see an “out of town” hunter in Grundy County, don’t curse them for “stealing your hunting spots”, thank them for helping the local economy. With the local economy as poor as it is, it’s time we start supporting the positive influences instead of condemning them.