THE 1942 STATUS OF WILD TURKEYS IN MISSOURI native stock has been built up through protection, with virtually no mixing of hybrid birds. The present density is 12.0 turkeys per township on the Eleven Points area, and 40.2 on the Wilderness area. Altogether 2,000 turkeys were liberated on or near the refuges from 1938 to 1941 inclusive. Of these, 14 per cent were on areas that in 1942 had 40-60 birds per township, 28 per cent on areas with 20-40 birds, 41 per cent on areas with 1-20 birds, and 17 per cent on range at present unoccupied. These data are not sufficient to prove that liberation of game-farm turkeys has not contributed to the turkey restoration program in Missouri, nor that it cannot contribute something in the future. Yet the inference can be drawn that restocking, even in conjunction with management practices, has so far yielded very limited results. Recent experience has shown that the native wild turkey can be successfully managed and is probably more productive and better adapted to Ozark conditions than game-farm strains. Therefore current plans for turkey management in Missouri will not go amiss if stress is placed on protection and management of the native stock still extant. Future releases should continue to be made on an experimental basis only, under conditions of good management, and with a careful record of the results. Live trapping and redistribution of native birds, a technique used successfully in Texas (5) and other states, but not yet adequately tested in Missouri, may be a practical procedure for restocking unoccupied parts of the range. SUMMARY A census of Missouri turkeys shows a slight increase in numbers but a decrease in occupied range during the past decade. The heaviest populations occur on lime soils with frequent "balds," the lowest on granitic soils. Overgrazing, overburning, slashing, and poaching are believed accountable for the decline of the species. Relief from poaching has produced prompt local gains. Remnants of native stock have responded much better to refuges than plantings of game-farm birds. Refuges must be free of disturbance to be effective. LITERATURE CITED 1. Bennitt, R. and W. O. Nagel. 1937. A survey of the resident game and furbearers of Missouri. Univ. of Missouri Studies, Vol. XII, No. 2. 2. Blakey, H. L. 1937. The wild turkey on the Missouri Ozark range. U. S. D. A. Biological Survey, Wildlife Research and Management Leaflet BS-77. 3. Bogardus, A. H. 1874. Field, cover, and trap shooting. J. B. Ford and Co., New York. 4. Dalke, Paul D. 1940. Turkeys need seclusion. Mo. Conservationist 3: 3. 5. Goodrum, P. D. 1941. Capture of wild turkeys in Texas for restocking. Pittman-Robertson Quarterly, Vol. I, No. 3. 6. Hammar, C. H. and R. H. Westveld (editors). 1937. Forest restoration in Missouri. Mo. Agric. Expt. Sta. Bul. 392. 7. Leopold, A. 1931. Report on a game survey of the north central states. Sporting Arms and Ammunition Mfrs. Institute. 8. Leopold, A. S. 1941. Report on the management of the Caney Mountain Turkey Refuge. Mo. Conservation Comm., mimeo. report. 9. Miller, M. F. and H. H. Krusekopf. 1929. The soils of Missouri. Mo. Agric. Expt. Sta. Bul. 264. 10. Mosby, Henry S. 1941. The wild turkey in Virginia. Pittman-Robertson Quarterly. Vol. I, No. 1, pp. 1-13.