ShareJEFFERSON CITY, Mo – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) will soon add 35 wild elk to the Show-Me state’s recently restored herd at Peck Ranch Conservation Area. Peck Ranch is part of a 221,000-acre elk-restoration zone that covers parts of Shannon, Carter and Reynolds counties
The elk are scheduled to arrive at the refuge area [...]

Share MDC news update from Candice Davis.
ELLINGTON, Mo. – Landowners in the Missouri Ozarks have a variety of habitat types on their properties. The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) employs a variety of methods to help landowners promote wildlife habitat, including workshops where landowners and biologists meet and discuss options such as cost shares [...]

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ShareSUMMERSVILLE—Hunters who customarily use the refuge area at Peck Ranch Conservation Area (CA) will need to make alternate plans again this year, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC).
MDC closed the refuge portion of Peck Ranch CA to public access, including spring turkey hunting, in 2011. The closure was designed to prevent possible disturbance [...]

ShareElk restoration enters second year
Lessons learned in 2011 make this year’s work more productive.
JEFFERSON CITY–Missouri’s elk herd is growing on two fronts, and conservation officials express optimism that the second year of restoration work will benefit from experience gained in 2011.
Efforts to bring elk back to Missouri after a 150-year absence began in October 2010, [...]

ShareTo every story there is always another side. Sometimes many of them. Traveler can see both pros and cons of elk restoration, but one thing we are certain of: people who don’t learn from the experiences of others are condemned to repeat unnecessary mistakes.
We’ve linked to this KY3-TV (Springfield, MO) elk story

Share(MDC news release.)
JEFFERSON CITY – Conservation has a place in Missouri’s news mix every year, but 2011 will go down in history for more than the fact that the Missouri Department of Conservation began its 75th anniversary celebration in November. Forests, fish and wildlife had a particularly prominent place in 2011 news
WILDLIFE RESTORATION
2011 began on [...]

ShareBy Jo Schaper
In a report issued Dec. 28, State Auditor Thomas Schwiech reported discrepancies between actual and budgeted expenses relating to the Missouri Department of Conservation elk restoration project, and noted deficiencies in other aspects of department internal accounting performance. The department maintained an overall “Good” rating from the audit
According to the report, “The Missouri [...]

ShareText and Photos (unless otherwise noted) by Jo Schaper
While stumbling around on the internet some months back, Jo found a link to a blog of a fellow named George Weber, who literally brought elk to Lone Elk Park back in the day. Some months back, she also contacted St. Louis County Parks and was [...]

ShareSteve Patten is a birder and photographer, an Alpine Shop associate and Facebook friend of Jo’s. Steve brought our attention to these two videos “by a neighbor of mine” called comptonphotographer of elk bugling during the rut earlier this week in the Boxley Valley, near Ponca (Buffalo National River) Arkansas.
Anyone seen what [...]