Current River State Park has been in a contentious limbo since a 780-acre portion of the old Alton Club/Jerry J. Presley Center was transferred from the Missouri Department of Conservation to the Department of Natural Resources-Division of State Parks in March 2008.

Bill Bryan (midleft) takes question from Shannon Countians

At an open house/picnic on April 28, State Parks Director Bill Bryan, Deputy Director J. C. Kuessner, and other park officials addressed, then took informal questions from approximately 60 mostly local, and mostly male attendees for two and half hours.

The opening of the park has been delayed several times. The plans themselves changed between the administrations of Governors Matt Blunt and Jay Nixon. A poor economy, and drop in state park revenue resulted in insufficient funding to transform the property from small groups accommodated by the historic Alton Club facilities to the hundreds who visit a state park on a typical weekend.

Jane Lale, planning director and District Supervisor Denny Bopp cook hotdogs for the crowd

The state is still $3 million short of the $8 million needed to upgrade the infrastructure for public access. Even so, development under a plan similar to that proposed in 2008, is expected to begin in 12 to 18 months.

Road development is contested issue

And then came the issue of a rejuvenated (or new in the view of some) road which crosses state property for a mile, ends in the woods, creates a second park entrance and which was revived (or cut) by the Shannon County Road Commission in 2009 without permission or knowledge of the state park. The road crosses a fen, uses a creek for roadbed, and passes close to an area where the state wants to put a youth group camp.

The disputed road, just a few feet from Hwy. 19

The county and state attorney general’s office have been at an impasse over the road since. It escalated last spring when Chris Koster filed an injunction against and asked for damages from the Shannon County Court.

“I’d like to apologize for the way we got started on this park under a previous administration,” began Bryan. “We’re holding this open house to meet the neighbors,” he said, “and to listen to your concerns. We may not always agree, but we will listen. That’s why we’re here.”

Deputy Director J.C. Kuessner addressing the meeting in rec hall

And the locals had an earful for Bryan, mostly about the road.

“We want these roads kept open,” said Max Gorman. “We’ll help you with your state park, because otherwise we’re all going to end up with a dirty face. I remember back before the Park Service took over the state parks down here. They were nice. But we don’t want that road closed.”

Locals at Current River Park April 28. Max Gorman, seated

“Look around here,” said William Piatt. We don’t use state parks. We live here and we want it kept as it is. We’re here to figure out why every time they take a foot, we have to watch to make sure we’re not giving everything up. It wasn’t supposed to change. They promised us that. But it did anyway. So we want to know what this is going to cost us.”

All ears respectfully listened as each person had their say. William Piatt at far right.

Bryan did a little pleading: “Dealing with state parks is different. National Park Service people may be from anywhere. But we’re from here.” Gating, keying, and rerouting the primitive road away from sensitive areas were proposed.

Talking and listening: unidentified, Bill Bryan, Shannon County commissioner Dale Counts (in camo cap), J.C. Kuessner, unidentified

The residents seemed to soften a bit, but solving the road issue remains key to locals embracing the new park. “This park was bought with conservation money. That means we can still hunt here. Now, I’m older and I need to drive my truck down there in deer season. How can we be able to do that if you take away the road?” said one older man who declined to be identified.

Park will be open to managed hunting

Managed hunting has been permitted at Current River SP even when generally closed to the public, and will continue after the park is officially opened, said Park Superintendent Jim Newberry.

In this case, MDC will manage youth and regular hunts in spring and fall for turkey and muzzle-loading and regular deer hunting. Other hunting seasons will be permitted when they can be managed in a manner consistent with visitor safety, in the more remote parts of the park.

Old hunting regulations remain posted in the park.

“We are going to continue the hunting tradition here,” he said. “The local people expect it. We would have had a youth spring turkey season, except none of the kids with permits showed up. If you are interested in hunting here, you will have to apply through the MDC website, just like other youth, managed and special hunts. But it won’t be any more difficult than that.”

What the park will look like

Rumors over the years have turned the park into a high-end, high-dollar state resort park similar to those elsewhere, a limited access park utilizing the buildings for their original purposes for a few by reservation, as well as into another commercial canoe access point on the Current River.

Jane Lale, state parks director of planning and development, was on hand to answer questions, with a flipchart document still dated 2008.

Planning flipchart presented April 28 at Current River State Park

“What limits us are the [National Park Service scenic] easement, and the reality of wastewater treatment,” she said. “The highest cost of development relates to properly dealing with wastewater.”

“We plan to turn the lodge into park offices, and remove some of the later dormitories, taking the structure back to its original size,” she said. We want to keep many of the public buildings as they are, or take them back to their original purpose, like the rec hall, and the boathouse and the barbecue house. We want to interpret what we have as what it was.”

One major change will be the draining of the upper lake, which will hold both family and camper cabins. The area which the Alton Club used and is near the river will be a day use area, and this upper lake area, nearer to Hwy. 19, and away from the scenic easement will accommodate overnight use. Regular camping, and a youth group camp are planned.

And what about the river?

“The Canoe Landing is not intended for commercial operations but for those floating to have an access to stop in and visit the park. Also, park users who have their own canoe/kayak can utilize this access for launching. This could be used as an emergency access as well,” Lale said.

Improved reproduction last year, plentiful acorns
and a mild winter all favor a rebound of turkey numbers.

JEFFERSON CITY–Mild winter and early spring weather shifts the balance a little more in favor of a population rebound for Missouri’s wild-turkey flock, but it won’t have much effect on this year’s spring turkey season, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC).

According to the University of Missouri’s Historical Agricultural Weather Database, temperatures between Jan. 1 and March 15 averaged nearly seven degrees warmer than the previous 10 years in central Missouri. The temperature at the University’s Sanborn Field in Boone County remained above freezing on 32 days during the same period, compared to just four above-freezing days in 2011.

MDC file photo

“With the good acorn crop we had last fall and the very mild winter, our turkey population is in as good of condition as you could ever hope for at this time of year,” says Resource Scientist Jason Isabelle, who is in charge of wild-turkey management for MDC. “Hens should be in great condition going into the nesting season this year.”

That is good news, but hunters are more likely to be interested in how this year’s unusual weather will affect hunting. The answer, according to Isabelle, is not much.

“The warm weather we’ve been having really does not affect wild turkeys’ breeding and nesting behavior all that much,” says Isabelle. “The amount of daylight is the primary trigger for the start of turkey breeding activities, so even though spring is certainly ahead of schedule this year, it won’t make that much difference.”

What will change, says Isabelle, is the amount of foliage on trees during turkey season. Leaves tend to absorb sound, making it harder for hunters to hear turkeys gobble. That can make hunting a bit more challenging, but Isabelle says more-developed foliage also offers hunters an advantage.

“Foliage can work to the hunter’s advantage by allowing the hunter to get set up on a gobbler without being seen. A lot of hunters prefer hunting with more foliage on the trees for that very reason.”

Isabelle said going into the 2012 nesting and brood-rearing season in good condition could help Missouri’s turkey flock build on population gains made last year. Field observations of poults (recently hatched turkeys) last summer showed the best nesting success in nearly a decade.

Even with a good crop of poults, however, Isabelle estimated the size of the statewide turkey flock at approximately 440,000 last fall. That was down approximately 30 percent from 2001. The main cause of the decrease was several years of extremely unfavorable weather during the nesting and brood-rearing period from April through June. Neighboring states’ turkey flocks have suffered similar setbacks.

“We aren’t alone,” said Isabelle. “Above-average rainfall has taken a toll on turkeys across parts of the Midwest over the past few years. Poults are susceptible to hypothermia, so cold, wet weather is very hard on them. We got a break from the weather last year, and the birds responded just as we knew they would.”

The response showed up in a whopping 98-percent increase in the number of turkeys reported in field surveys in northeastern Missouri last year compared to 2010. Turkey observations increased in nearly every region of the state in 2011, but the rebound varied widely among regions.

One of the best measures of nesting success is the poult-to-hen ratio, which provides an idea of the success of the nesting and brood-rearing seasons. Last year’s poult-to-hen ratios were up by 91 and 100 percent in northeastern Missouri and the eastern Ozarks, respectively, compared to 2010.

At the other end of the spectrum, the poult-to-hen ratio decreased by 26 percent in the Mississippi lowlands of southeastern Missouri. In Northwestern Missouri, the ratio was 17 percent higher than in 2010. The remaining five regions, encompassing the western Ozarks, the Ozark border, the western prairie region and the tier of counties just north and south of the Missouri River in eastern Missouri, recorded increases ranging from 27 to 92 percent.
To view a map showing regional results of the 2011 Wild Turkey Brood Survey Report, visit http://go.usa.gov/E8S.

Last year’s strong reproduction will boost the number of year-old male turkeys, commonly called “jakes,” available to hunters this spring. The big boost will come next year, when gobblers born in 2011 are two years old. Two-year-old males generally gobble more than jakes or older toms, and gobbling is what sets turkey hunters’ pulses racing.

The regular spring turkey season is April 16 through May 6. Regulations remain the same as last year with a few exceptions, such as changes that apply to certain conservation areas. For details, see the 2012 Spring Turkey Hunting Regulation and Information booklet, which it is available wherever hunting permits are sold or at http://go.usa.gov/EIW.

The results of the poll “Do you agree with releasing the Reynolds County mountain lion?” showed an overwhelming case for letting the lion go: 47 people voted for freedom, and only 1 person said the cat should have been kept in confinement.

Photo by Paula Barton

But mountain lions are still on people’s minds. In Senate Bill 738, introduced February 2, Sen. Bill Stouffer of mid-state Napton wants to make it legal to kill mountain lions without the animal necessarily being an immediate threat.

What do you think? You can answer here or in the poll halfway down the right hand column. As before, please leave us a short comment (see below) why you hold that position. The poll will be open for a week (Until Feb. 10) and then we’ll announce those results.

Republican Sen. Bill Stouffer, of Napton in mid-state Missouri, offered the proposal Thursday. His bill says anyone who kills a mountain lion would have to report it immediately to a state conservation agent and give up the body within 24 hours.

Photo by Paula Barton

The exact wording is: “Section A. Chapter 252, RSMo, is amended by adding thereto one new section, to be known as section 252.044, to read as follows: 252.044. Any person may kill a mountain lion in this state, provided that the killing of any such mountain lion shall be reported immediately to an agent of the department of conservation and the intact mountain lion carcass shall be surrendered to the agent within twenty-four hours.”

The story says that Missouri law is silent on the killing of mountain lions, however, according to current MDC regulations, mountain lions, bears, wolves (if any), rattlesnakes and other venomous snakes and other large native predators (excluding non-native feral hogs) are protected species, and may only be legally killed if a person, livestock or personal property is being threatened by the animal.

Missouri has had 27 confirmed mountain lion sightings since 1994, scattered around the state, with a large number in the remote sections of the Missouri Ozarks.

In January, a man in Reynolds County caught a live male mountain lion in a large cage trap. Conservation agents collected DNA samples and released the cat into the wild. The mountain lion bill is SB738.

A Traveler exclusive story on the January lion, including information on other recent lion sightings can be found online in the Traveler e-Edition, (99 cents for three day access) or you may pick up a copy at one of our many eastern Missouri newsstands.

It’s all about squirrels, and Gene Schenberg’s right to use a pellet gun against his pesky pests.

File photo by Eugene Vale

Chesterfield already has a similar ordinance on the books. Prosecution under the ordinance is tough, because another piece of the city code says residents can use firearms to protect their property.

Schenberg, and a neighbor, Gary Stein, disagree over Schenberg’s right to plink squirrels as a “firearms defense of one’s home.”

According to this story on STLToday.com, some residents feel that a squirrel exception would cause more people to shoot guns, bows and other projectile-launching firearms, and claim a “squirrel defense.”

It’s one of those cute stories that might have much larger implications.

Stay tuned.

Photo from outdoorhub.com

WILDLIFE RESTORATION
2011 began on an exciting note, as MDC employees and workers from the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources captured the first elk for Missouri’s infant elk-restoration program. The juvenile bull soon had company, as dozens of yearling bulls and cows arrived at the holding pen in the Appalachian Mountains of eastern Kentucky. Thirty-four elk made the trip to Missouri, arriving at Peck Ranch Conservation Area (CA) May 5. By June, elk were roaming Peck Ranch, and newborn calves were taking their first wobbly steps. GPS technology has enabled biologists to track individual animals’ movements and learn more about their habitat preferences. The return of elk to Peck Ranch led to a significant increase in visitation to Peck Ranch CA, bringing added tourism business to area towns. As the year ended, MDC workers were preparing for the second round of trapping in Kentucky.

In another endangered-species restoration story, MDC biologists brought 78 prairie chickens from Kansas to Wah’Kon-Tah Prairie CA in west-central Missouri last spring. Thanks to four years of reintroduction work and habitat management that includes tree removal and prescribed burning, male prairie chickens once again are booming on Wah’Kon-Tah Prairie. Like the elk, Missouri’s newest feathered residents carried radio transmitters to aid in tracking their movements. Prairie chickens once numbered in the hundreds of thousands in western Missouri. Today the Show-Me State’s population of the birds have dwindled to 100 or so, due to habitat changes.

In November, the St. Louis Zoo and MDC announced the first successful captive breeding of hellbenders in the world. The decade-long cooperative effort yielded more than 180 baby hellbenders, which will be reared to maturity before being released in streams where they were found historically. Rivers in south-central Missouri and adjacent Arkansas once supported up to 8,000 Ozark hellbenders. Today, fewer than 600 exist in the world—so few that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service added the amphibian to the federal endangered species list.

FISHING RECORDS
· Twelve-year-old Hayden Crouch of Bradleyville set the first Missouri state fishing record of 2011 by gigging a 1.5-pound gizzard shad on Beaver Creek in Taney County. It also was the first state record for that species.
· Gene Swope, Excelsior Springs, was snagging for paddlefish with grandsons Garron Grass and Justin Swope near the Old Oar House Inn at Lake of the Ozarks on April 23 when he snagged a 106-pound bighead carp. A 35-minute tussle ensued. When Swope finally brought in the 4-foot, 8-inch fish, it took the combined strength of all three anglers to wrestle it into the boat.
· Derek S. DePew of DeSoto set Missouri’s first-ever record for highfin carpsucker when he shot a 1-pound, 6-ounce specimen during a bowfishing tournament on the Meramec River May 21.
· Bruce Cunningham of Fordland was fishing for striped bass for the first time in his life when he hauled a 60-pound, 9-ounce striper from Bull Shoals Lake. Later he recalled that his younger brothers had convinced him to join them on the fishing trip, saying “You’re not going to believe this until you try it.” Bull Shoals is a striped-bass mecca right now, thanks to a one-time stocking by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission in 1998. That year, a mix-up resulted in the stocking of 19,000 striped bass.
· Eric Whitehead of Puxico was bowfishing with his wife, Sara, from a boat on Wappapello Lake in Wayne County on Oct. 8 when he shot 9-pound, 15.5-ounce spotted gar.
Missouri is renowned for its fishing resources. The International Game Fish Association reports 17 current world records from Missouri. The oldest is a 2-pound, 2-ounce green sunfish caught in 1971. The newest is an 8-pound, 3-ounce shortnose gar caught in 2010.

More information about Missouri fishing records is available at mdc.mo.gov/fishing/reports/records.

UNUSUAL WILDLIFE SIGHTINGS
In November, a pair of whooping cranes turned up near Neosho, giving birdwatchers there a rare glimpse of this federally endangered species. In December, bird lovers across the state reported sightings of trumpeter swans, the largest waterfowl species in the world.
In December, hunters at Eagle Bluffs Conservation area reported taking black-bellied whistling ducks, a species normally not seen farther north than the extreme southern United States. Hunters and bird watchers in several parts of Missouri reported trumpeter-swan sightings.
Also in December, Missouri experienced the largest number of snowy owl sightings on record. Snowy owls normally inhabit the high arctic region of Canada and Alaska. However, in years when populations of their prey – mainly lemmings – crash, the birds are forced to travel south. Missouri experienced such mass migrations, known as irruptions, in the 1970s and 1980s, but the current phenomenon far exceeds previous ones.
Snowy owls are similar in size to great horned owls, which are common in Missouri. However, snowy owls are much lighter colored and have rounded heads. Most of the snowy owls in Missouri now are juveniles, and many may be near starvation. They are not accustomed to automobiles, and often land on highways and fail to flee at the approach of cars.
MDC confirmed 14 mountain lion sightings in 2011. That is more than all previous confirmed sightings combined. Three of the cougars were killed by hunters or landowners. All three were juvenile males, which supports the theory that cougars seen in Missouri are mostly young males dispersing from established populations to the west. Since 1994, MDC has documented mountain lion sightings in 17 counties. Missourians are encouraged to call the nearest MDC office and report mountain lion sightings with physical evidence, such as photos, tracks, hair, scat or prey showing signs typical of a mountain lion attack. For more information, visit mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/wildlife-sightings/mountain-lions.

Following is a month-by-month recap of other 2011 conservation news.

JANUARY
A harvest of 1,292 deer during the late youth portion of deer season pushed the firearms harvest to 231,513. The archery deer harvest put Missouri’s 2010-2011 deer harvest over 270,000.

FEBRUARY
MDC held open-house forums at its cold-water fish hatcheries to alert anglers and boaters to the threat posed by Didymosphenia geminata, an alga also known as didymo or “rock snot.” Didymo forms large, thick mats on the bottom of lakes and streams, smothering other aquatic lift. Didymo has been found just south of the Missouri-Arkansas border in the White River. The most likely ways for didymo to spread into Missouri is via recreational equipment such as boats, lifejackets and fishing gear, particularly porous-soled waders.
A regulation prohibiting the use of waders or footwear with felt or other porous soles in trout parks and other specific trout waters goes into effect March 1. To find out how to convert felt-soled waders to comply with the new regulation, watch the video at http://bit.ly/rRLejr.
Adapting waders is just one step toward solving the problem of spreading rock snot. It still is vital to check and clean or dry all waders and all other gear that have had contact with the water.

MARCH
MDC launched the new e-Permits system March 1, enabling hunters, anglers and trappers to purchase, print and immediately use most permits. By the end of the year, MDC had issued more than 140,000 permits online, an increase of nearly 400 percent from the same period in 2010. When fully implemented, e-Permits will reduce the cost of issuing permits by approximately $500,000 annually.
Between March and April, MDC held 15 workshops at locations around the state to get hunters’ ideas about waterfowl zone boundaries and season timing for the next five years.
MDC completed efforts to salvage timber downed by windstorms in 2007 and began timber harvests in the second phase of its 100-year Missouri Ozarks Forest Ecosystems Project (MOFEP). The project is designed to discover how different management practices affect the entire forest ecosystem, including plants, animals and soil.

APRIL
Conservation agents worked alongside emergency personnel conducting flood evacuations and rescue work in southeastern Missouri in April. The agents and their boats were priceless assets in flood-relief efforts. One rescue involved Direct TV employee Jason Wahl, of East Cape Girardeau, IL, who was plucked from atop his flooded van by Conservation Agent Mic Plunkett
Conservation Agent Eric Heuring and Butler County Fire Department personnel rescued 13 people between 3 and 10 p.m. one day.
MDC fisheries workers netted wild-spawned pallid sturgeon from the Missouri River. The pallid sturgeon is an endangered species that state and federal wildlife agencies have been working to recover. Those efforts involve stocking hatchery-reared pallid sturgeon and trying to figure out what habitat changes might be limiting the animals’ reproduction. Finding pallid sturgeon in the wild enables biologists to gather important information about habitat preferences and add genetic diversity to captive-breeding efforts.
MDC published, Discover Missouri Natural Areas, offering Missourians a glimpse of the Show-Me State’s ecological diversity with profiles of 50 natural areas. This and other MDC publications are available at mdcnatureshop.com/.
Also during the year, the Conservation Commission approved the designation of 398-acre Fern Nook Natural Area on Little Black Conservation Area in Ripley County, 13-acre Great Spirit Cave Natural Area In Pulaski County and 1,280-acre Western Star Flatwoods Natural Area on the Mark Twain National Forest in Phelps County.

MAY
MDC opened a new Kansas City regional office on May 2. The office at 12405 S.E. Ranson Road near Lee’s Summit consolidates services for greater efficiency and improves services for visitors at the James A. Reed Memorial Conservation Area.
MDC workers provided food for deer and turkeys stranded by floodwater at Towosahgy State Historic Site in southeastern Missouri in May, helping them survive until they could find natural forage again.
Bear trapping got underway in southern Missouri as MDC continued its intensive effort to gather information about Missouri’s growing black-bear population. To date, 47 bears have been captured with foot snares and box traps, fitted with GPS transmitters and released back into the wild.
The study, which is being funded through the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s Wildlife Restoration program with help from Safari Club International; will provide information about the movement patterns, population densities, habitat preferences and overall numbers of Missouri bears. Data from the study will enable MDC to scientifically manage bear populations through regulated hunting, so that bears continue to thrive and expand into suitable habitats with minimal human conflict.

Two-hundred and eighty-six youths in grades 4 through 12 represented Missouri at the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) national tournament, competing against 6,445 archers from 33 other states. For more information about the Missouri National Archery in the Schools Program, visit www.missouriconservation.org and search “MoNASP.”
Hunters checked 42,226 turkeys during the spring turkey season.
MDC chainsaw crews and conservation agents were in the thick of relief work following the disastrous tornado in Joplin. They cleared roads for emergency personnel and then helped with rescue and clean-up efforts. That work continues, as MDC foresters help the city assess and replace lost trees.

JUNE
June found Missourians investing in earplugs, as most of the state experienced a major emergence of periodical cicadas. When a brood emerges, as many as a million noisy male cicadas can gather in trees over a single acre and join in a piercing chorus of mating calls. Their combined voices create an unforgettable din, drowning out lawnmowers and making normal conversation impossible.

JULY
July saw the publication of MDC’s latest book, Cooking Wild in Missouri. The book immediately garnered acclaim for its blend of diverse recipes outdoor lore and lush illustrations. Serious “foodies” appreciate the effort to promote locally grown, seasonal foods, including wild game and fish, nuts, berries and mushrooms. It can be purchased for $15 at MDC nature centers and regional offices, or you can order online at www.mdcnatureshop.com.
Surveys conducted during the summer showed that 23 lakes and the Gasconade River, all considered at high risk for zebra-mussel infestation, were free of the destructive invasive mollusk. MDC checks high-risk waters, along with less at-risk waters, for zebra mussels each year.
The only Missouri waters currently known to have zebra mussels are Lake of the Ozarks, Lake Taneycomo, upper Bull Shoals Lake, Lake Lotawana in Jackson County, the Missouri and Mississippi rivers, the lower Meramec River and the Osage River below Bagnell Dam.
Knowing which lakes and streams have zebra mussels empowers Missourians to avoid spreading the invasive mussel. For more information on zebra mussels and other invasive species, visit www.missouriconservation.org.

AUGUST
The Missouri River remained at flood level throughout the summer, due to unusually heavy snowfall in the Rocky Mountains the previous winter coupled with record rainfall in the river’s upper watershed in the spring. The high flows breached many levees, taking a heavy toll on farm communities and conservation areas in the flood plain.
Meanwhile, much of the rest of Missouri was suffering a drought. Dry weather was a mixed bag for Missouri wildlife. Wetland areas in west-central Missouri went dry, limiting waterfowl habitat. For quail, turkeys and other ground-nesting wildlife, however, a dry summer was a welcome change from the record-breaking rains of 2008 through 2010. MDC’s annual survey of turkey reproduction showed the best nesting success in 10 years. Dry weather also helped MDC make substantial progress on construction projects, including wetland renovations at Duck Creek CA and improvements to fish-rearing facilities at Bennett Spring Hatchery.
Missouri’s endangered prairie chickens also got a major lift from dry weather, along with continued refinement in MDC’s grassland-management techniques. Hens on MDC-managed prairies experienced a nesting success rate of nearly 80 percent.
Conservation agents sprang a trap on catfish poachers in August, arresting hand-fishers who target large catfish as they guard eggs in nesting cavities. They also pulled 142 illegal “noodling” boxes or containers from Truman Lake.
The Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation (MCHF) launched a successful fundraiser to improve the fishing and viewing platform just upstream from the scenic bridge at Bennett Spring State Park. As of Dec. 28, MCHF had raised more than $38,000 toward its $45,000 goal. Donations can be made at www.mochf.org, or by sending checks to MCHF, PO Box 366, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0366. Donations should be marked “Bennett Spring Platform.” Donors at $1,000 and above will receive a framed print of the 1995 Missouri Trout Stamp signed and numbered by wildlife artist Chuck Witcher. The print features a beautiful brown trout. The trout stamp of the same number is also mounted with the print. A permanent plaque at the structure will recognize donors at two levels, $1,000 and $5,000 and above.

SEPTEMBER
MDC held a dedication ceremony for the McGee Family CA. The CA, comprising nearly 1,000 acres near Plattsburg, was a bequest from Kansas City businessman Thomas F. McGee Jr., to be preserved as a natural area and enjoyed by the public.
Missourians celebrated National Hunting and Fishing Day at workshops sponsored by MDC at its staffed shooting ranges around the state. The events are part of MDC-sponsored management programs and hunting seasons that have made Missouri the nation’s leader in hunter recruitment. A survey commissioned by the National Shooting Sports Foundation showed Missouri had the highest hunter-replacement ratio in the nation.

OCTOBER
Missouri got a new state record in October, when a 48-foot-tall tree with a trunk girth of 23 feet was certified as the new state champion white mulberry (Morus alba). Philip Moore’s farm in Cass County is home to the tree, whose average crown width is 57 feet. A list of Missouri state champion trees is available at http://1.usa.gov/tqbBPS.

NOVEMBER
Nov. 3 marked the 75th anniversary of Missourians’ historic vote to establish an apolitical conservation agency under the direction of a four-person commission appointed by the governor. Seventy-one percent of Missouri voters approved Proposition 4, the largest margin of any constitutional amendment before or since.
Six schools cut ribbons on Fuels for Schools projects. The ceremonies commemorated new biomass thermal energy heating systems built with $6 million in grants under the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act and administered by the USDA Forest Service. Besides reducing schools’ heating costs, the projects will help create healthier, more productive forests by providing a market for material removed during timber-stand improvement work.
Hunters checked 190,089 deer during Missouri’s 11-day November firearms deer hunt, surpassing the 2010 figure. The Show-Me State’s robust firearms deer harvest is proof of a healthy deer herd that provides economic as well as nutritional and social benefits to all Missourians. Deer hunters spend approximately $700 million on their sport annually, generating more than $1 billion in business activity. In all, deer hunting supports 11,000 Missouri jobs.
Luke Boenker, 54, of Maryland Heights, became the first hunter in modern times to take a deer in Missouri using an atlatl, an ancient spear-throwing device. He harvested a four-point buck just after 4 p.m. on Nov. 12 while hunting from a tree stand on private property in St. Louis County.
More information about the atlatl and related events are posted at the World Atlatl Association webpage, www.worldatlatl.org. To learn more about atlatl activities in Missouri, contact Missouri Atlatl Association president Ron Mertz at devoemertz@sbcglobal.net.

DECEMBER
Missouri River Relief closed the year of Big Muddy Clean Sweep with a total of more than 60 tons of trash removed from the Missouri River by volunteers. The sweep included 1,201 bags of trash,15 tons of scrap metal, 493 automobile tires and five messages in bottles.
The Conservation Federation of Missouri (CFM) organized Missouri’s Water Summit as a follow-up to the 2009 Summit on the Future of Missouri Outdoors. The summit theme was “Missouri’s Water Realities: Deepening Our Water Wisdom and Mobilizing for Action.” The top priority identified during the summit was to develop a simple, unified water awareness campaign that connects with all Missouri citizens. Other summit results, including videos of speakers and panel sessions, are available at www.confedmo.org/watersummit.

The Conservation Commission set Nov. 10 as opening day for the November deer season.
Three Summersville men shared MDC’s statewide 2011 Logger of the Year Award. Jay Duncan, Gene Fiske Sr. and Gene Fiske Jr. of J&G Logging received multiple nominations and were hailed by State Forester Lisa Allen for their use of best practices to harvest timber in ways that are economically, ecologically and socially sustainable. The statewide Logger of the Year award is the highest honor loggers can achieve in Missouri.
-Jim Low-

Feral Hog photo courtesy agrilife.org

This is a heads-up courtesy of Jo’s friend Matt Tenny, from the Sullivan Independent News. The Hamilton Valley is a remote area of Meramec State Park, off Hamilton Hollow Road south of the main portion of the park, and just down the road from where this wild hog was killed after attacking cattle and a local resident’s truck, according to the linked story.

Hamilton Valley is frequented by park hikers, and until the recent cave closures, many cavers. The Lahmann family, who dispatched the approximately 600-lb sow on their property, are long-time residents of the area.

If you encounter a feral hog, the best bet is to leave the area, giving the animal a wide berth and report it to local authorities. If one charges unexpectedly, your best temporary safety is in a substantially sized tree until it leaves the area.

Blue Ridge Parkway, one unit that might be opened to hunting. NPS photo

Hunting and trapping are already allowed in designated locations of ONSR. Fishing is restricted from springs and spring branches, but otherwise permitted under state regulations. The rationale for the bill is: “opportunities to recreationally fish, hunt, and shoot are declining,” and that “depresses participation in these traditional activities, and depressed participation adversely impacts fish and wildlife conservation and funding for important conservation efforts.”

There is opposition to the measure from wilderness advocates such as The Wilderness Society, on the grounds that some such areas should be preserved in a pristine condition without the influence of man. Some non-national-park or monument areas, are urban, and likely to continue under the hunting, fishing and trapping bans. Congress currently authorizes hunting in 63 areas and trapping in 52. The actual taking of fish or animals is under state jurisdiction; it is only up to the Dept. of Interior to permit or not permit the activity under those regulations. It is unclear what effect opening those areas to hunting would have on animal collectors. At this time, the collection of animals is prohibited, unless specifically authorized for scientific purposes under a NPS special permit.

Some public lands managed by NPS have ambiguous rules in their enabling acts, with fishing, hunting or trapping not specifically prohibited nor allowed.

For further information or analysis, see National Parks Traveler commentator Kurt Repanshek’s article.

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) Telecheck database shows that hunters checked 7,077 turkeys during the fall firearms turkey season Oct. 1 through 31. Top harvest counties were Greene, with 209 turkeys checked, Franklin with 194 and Henry with 175. Juvenile turkeys made up 58.2 percent of the total, up from 55.5 percent last year.

This year’s fall firearms turkey harvest is 1,150 more than last year, a 19.4-percent increase. MDC Resource Scientist Jason Isabelle credits weather for the jump in fall turkey harvest.

“Our turkey flock has had a hard go for the past few years,” said Isabelle. “Cold, wet weather kept down nesting success from 2003 through 2005. We got a break in 2006, but then we had that amazing Easter freeze in 2007. 2008 was the wettest year in Missouri history, and 2009 and 2010 weren’t much better. All that took a toll on turkeys and other ground-nesting wildlife.”

Isabelle said this year’s spring and summer floods were tough on turkeys in the Missouri and Mississippi river valleys, but unusually dry weather throughout most of the state gave turkeys their first real break in five years. Surveys conducted during the summer showed a significant increase in the number of poults, as young turkeys are known.

This year’s statewide hatch of 1.7 poults per hen was the best since 2002. In Northeast Missouri, this year’s poult-to-hen ratio of 2.1 was the best it’s been since 2000. Most of Southeast Missouri also experienced a much-improved hatch this year, with the region’s poult-to-hen ratio also exceeding 2 poults per hen.

Isabelle said he expected an uptick in the fall turkey harvest, based on the improvement in nesting success. He also anticipated increased sales of fall turkey-hunting permits as hunters noticed the increased number of young turkeys in the woods. MDC sold 14,717 fall firearms turkey hunting permits this fall, compared to 13,736 last year.

Isabelle said he is encouraged by the increased fall turkey harvest and cautiously optimistic about prospects for the 2012 spring turkey season and beyond.

“This is a good first step,” said Isabelle. “We have always known that turkey numbers would rebound once the birds got a break from the weather. We still have a long way to go, but if the weather continues to be more normal we can hope for continued improvement in our turkey numbers.”

According to Isabelle, it is unlikely Missouri will ever see the numbers of turkeys it had in the late 1990s and early 2000s. That high-water mark was the culmination of a restoration program in which turkeys were reintroduced into areas where they had been absent for decades. Turkey populations expanded rapidly until they encountered “biological resistance” from predators and other limiting factors. From that peak, turkey numbers decreased slightly to sustainable levels.

“We are going to see the return of more abundant turkey numbers again,” said Isabelle. “As long as we have enough habitat, Missouri will have a great turkey resource. But wildlife populations always have peaks during periods of favorable conditions and valleys like the one we are experiencing at the moment.”
(MDC news release.)

Pass on the passion and respect Missourians have for hunting! From buying a call to determining how to dress your game for cooking and taxidermy mounting, we’d like to help from start to finish. We’ll cover the basics of firearm hunting and bowhunting with a few tips and tricks of our own. Find out where to hunt, how to choose the best equipment, how to identify on the fly and so much more. Bring your family and friends to help us pass on the importance of conservation and preservation of southeast Missouri’s best natural areas.

Check out our list of huntin’ camp activities and stations:
Hunting Our Conservation Areas—Natural History Biologist Bob Gillespie will be on hand to answer your questions about southeast Missouri public hunting areas

Nature Calls—Jake Hindman will help you choose and use the right call to increase your chance of success in the field—whether you are deer hunting, duck hunting turkey hunting or predator hunting [Traveler has an article on Jake in the November issue, and a sample of his calling ability is online through our e-Edition, page 1.]

Taxidermy—Taxidermist Michael Goodwin will be available to best help you with tips on how to preserve your wildlife for taxidermy

Primitive Hunting—AJ Hendershott will help you learn how the land was hunted years before modern firearms were available

Duck ID—Fisheries Biologist Mike Reed will be on hand to test your skills on the fly

Selecting the Right Firearm and Regulations—Outdoor Skills Specialist Dee Dee Dockins will provide information about how important gunfitting is to making a responsible, accurate and consistent shot every time
Bowhunting—The Bowhunters Association will assist you in learning the ins and outs of bowhunting
Cooking Wild Game—Mark Goodwin will show you how to cook your game so that your whole family will enjoy it! Follow your nose to our kitchen and taste some of the best wild game Missouri has to offer.
Laser Shot and Hunter Ed—Jerry Dippold will help you try your hand at our virtual huning game. Will you make the responsible and ethical decision?
OGT (Operation Game Thief) Trailer—Nature Center Volunteer Michael Fiehler will be on hand to explain how OGT is a program where responsible and ethical hunters can report game violations
Flintknapping—Nature Center Volunteer and master flintknapper “Arrowhead Fred” Bollinger will be demonstrating this primitive skill. See how tips for arrows were once made from the master himself.
There will also be folks from NWTF (National Wild Turkey Federation), Trail of Tears Retriever Club and Delta Waterfowl on site for you to visit.
You won’t want to miss this second annual event to celebrate the joys of hunting! Call the nature center at 573-290-5218 for more information. We look forward to seeing you at huntin’ camp!