In 2002, the St. Louis region yielded 1,350 turkeys. The top counties that year were Jefferson (763), St. Charles (388) and St. Louis (199).

Almost all of the public hunting land in Franklin County is found in the southern half amid the oak/hickory forest typical of the River Hills region. At 4,045 acres, the biggest area in the county is Meramec CA, the west boundary of which is formed by the Meramec River. Little Indian Creek CA offers 3,939 acres; Long Ridge CA offers 1,815 acres.

Lincoln County has a fair amount of public land, its flagship areas being the B.K. Leach and William R. Logan CAs. Bordering the Mississippi River, B.K. Leach CA contains 1,413 acres; Logan CA offers 1,798 acres. For turkey hunting, Logan is probably the better of the two.

In Crawford County, good turkey numbers are found at Huzzah CA and Woodson K. Woods Memorial CA. Huzzah CA spans 6,225 acres, while the Woods area covers 5,600 acres.

In 2002, the MDC's Kansas City region covered a much smaller area. Consequently, the region's harvest was only 1,337 turkeys, most of which came from Clay (426), Jackson (422) and Cass (262) counties.

By far, the most popular and productive turkey hunting area in Benton, Henry and St. Clair counties would be the 54,000 acres of the Harry S Truman Reservoir Wildlife Management Lands. Most of this acreage is accessible only by boat or foot, but the turkey habitat is exceptional, as is the hunting.

In St. Clair County, you can also find good turkey populations at 8,633-acre Schell-Osage CA and 1,728-acre Linscomb CA.

In 2002, Laclede County produced 1,103 turkeys and Cedar County 745; Webster County gave up 741.

Outside the national forest, public hunting opportunities in Laclede County are sparse. The biggest area is Bear Creek CA, which contains 720 acres divided among four separate parcels.

Likewise, public hunting opportunities in Cedar County are limited to the immediate shoreline surrounding Stockton Lake. Limited turkey hunting opportunities are available also at 415-acre Bluff Springs CA. In Webster County, you can find turkeys at 840-acre Compton Hollow CA and 640-acre Niangua CA. Compton Hollow is about seven miles south of Marshfield; Niangua is about three miles northeast of Marshfield.

In 2002, the Central Region produced 5,486 birds. However, the region was divided administratively into three separate regions, two of which have been absorbed into other regions, so its numbers don't correlate to those of 2003. The top counties that year were Boone (902), Montgomery (710) and Callaway (591).

Miller County has only one public hunting area, but it's a dandy - the 4,782-acre Saline Valley CA. This is classic Ozark hill country, with deep hollows, flat ridges and a healthy mixture of forest, crop fields and grassland. It has a lot of turkeys, but it's rough, rugged and hard to hunt.

In Gasconade County, what public hunting is available will be found primarily at 1,435-acre Canaan CA. In Maries County, you're pretty much limited to 1,819-acre Spring Gap CA.

In 2002, Texas County yielded up 1,216 birds, while Howell County produced 955.

Most of the public hunting land in Texas County lies on a sizable chunk of the Mark Twain NF. In addition, there's also the 11,164-acre Gist Ranch CA. The Mark Twain NF also provides ample hunting opportunities in Howell and Phelps counties. Howell County is also home to the 6,614-acre White Ranch CA, while Phelps County has a large portion of the Woodson Woods CA.

In 2002, Perry County gave up 649 birds, followed by Ste. Genevieve (634) and St. Francois (619).

Public hunting opportunities in Perry County are limited to a tiny section of the Mark Twain NF, 818-acre Seventy-Six CA and 554-acre Red Rock Landing CA.

Unless you own some private land or know someone who does, finding a place to hunt in St. Francois County is tough. The only public land is a section of the Mark Twain NF on the southeastern tip. Ste. Genevieve County's southern tip offers generous public hunting opportunities on a large tract of the Mark Twain NF. There's also the Magnolia Hollow CA, whose 1,751 acres feature forest and old fields.

Looking ahead, Missouri has plenty of turkeys, as well as plenty of places in which to hunt them. Best of all, you can find birds on all of the MDC's conservation areas that allow hunting.

Speaking anecdotally, I saw a lot of young turkeys during my travels around the state last fall, and I always see a lot of adult birds. While driving a back road in southern Morgan County in September, I saw three flocks of young-of-the-year birds, numbering between six and 12, within a quarter-mile of each other, and all on the same piece of property.

While we Missouri turkey hunters may not set another record this year, we can probably look forward to another 50,000-bird harvest this year. You won't beat that anywhere else.