Tagging and Permit Procedures
Step 1
Immediately after harvest, separate the transportation tag from your permit.
Step 2
Attach the transportation tag to the game’s leg. You may now legally transport your game within Missouri.
Step 4
Write your confirmation number on your permit
Step 5
Immediately attach your permit to the game, and the checking procedure is completed. You may now process your game and transport it out of state.
2008 Missouri Hunting Permit
Use your permit to measure length of beard and spur:
- Your permit is 6 inches long.
- The signature line on your permit is 2 inches long (1 inch mark in the middle).
Note:
- Until checked, turkeys must have the head and plumage intact.
- Detaching the transportation tag invalidates the permit, so do not detach until immediately after harvest.
- The transportation tag and permit with confirmation number must remain attached to the game until processing for consumption begins.
- All turkeys must be checked before they are removed from the state.
- Turkey must be checked by 10 p.m. on the day the game is taken.
- Only the taker may possess and transport turkeys before checking.
- After checking, turkeys may be possessed and transported by anyone, but must be labeled with the taker’s full name, address and Telecheck confirmation number.
How to measure spurs
Spur length measurements help biologists keep track of the age structure of
the adult population. Please accurately measure your turkey’s spur before
checking your turkey. If you don’t have a ruler, use the signature line
of your permit, which is 2 inches long—with a 1-inch mark in the middle.
Start at the outside center from the point at which the spur protrudes from the leg scales, and measure to the tip of the spur.
Spur Length: How Accurate are You?
Hunters pride themselves in their turkey calling and getting a bird to come close for a lethal shot. But how are you at measuring your turkey’s spurs?
An adult gobbler with spur length less than 1 inch is classified as a 2 year
old, even though it is a couple months away from its second birthday when killed
in the spring season. Similarly, an adult gobbler with a 1 inch or longer spur
is classified as 3 years or older, even though it has yet to reach that birth
date. This distinction helps biologists
determine the age structure of the state’s turkey population.
The data are used to help determine regulations that maintain quality spring turkey hunting. The more accurate data you provide when checking your turkey, the better Missouri’s spring turkey hunting will be in the future.
How to tell a Gobbler from a Hen
Large size, black body and long beard are marks of the gobbler. Hens sometimes have beards, but color, size and behavior distinguish them from gobblers. Hens are smaller, brown birds with blue heads. Bearded hens produce young and help increase the turkey population.They should not be killed, but any turkey with a clearly visible beard is legal in Missouri. Hens without beards are illegal and must not be killed.The future of our wild turkey hunting depends on you.
Juvenile gobblers have spurs less than 1/2 inch long and a beard less than 6 inches long.
