1. Hunters Bring Home 12 Million Pounds of Venison
2. Mini-Owls, Maxi-Finches Promise Birding Bonanza
3. St. Louis to Host Second Outdoor Ethics Conference
4. U.S. Supreme Court Backs MDC In "Takings" Suit
"When one tugs at a single thing in nature he finds it attached to the rest of the world."-- John Muir
1. Hunters Bring Home 12 Million Pounds of Venison
The harvest of 186,000 deer means 12 million pounds of high-quality, low-fat meat on the table for hunters and needy Missourians.
JEFFERSON CITY -- Near-perfect weather and an extra two days of hunting opportunity helped Missouri hunters bring home more than 12 million pounds of venison in the 1995 firearms deer season.
Initial statistics from Missouri's 300-plus stations showed a statewide harvest of 186,596 deer during the 11-day season. That is 24,476 more than Missouri's previous firearms deer-harvest record of 162,120, which was set during the nine-day 1994 hunting season.
The number of hunting accidents in this year's firearms deer season started out low with only one firearms-related accident reported during the opening weekend. The toll remained low, reaching only seven non-fatal accidents and no fatalities by the end of the season. That ties the record for the least deer hunting accidents set in 1963 and 1993.
Counties leading in this year's harvest totals were Macon, with 4,524 deer checked; Howell, with 3,703 checked, and Boone, with 3,664. Other high-scoring counties included St. Clair, 3,477; Texas, 3,460; Linn, 3,378; Benton, 3,039; and Callaway, 3,014.
Regionally, North-central Missouri topped the list with 33,851 deer. Northeast Missouri was second with 31,669 deer checked. The competition for third place was a dead heat, with Northwest Missouri posting a score of 25,573 deer and West-central Missouri coming in a nose behind, with 25,570. Other regional deer harvest totals were: Ozarks, 19,266; Central Missouri, 17,104; East-central Missouri, 14,576; Southwest Missouri, 10,370; and Southeast Missouri, 8,617.
Data gathered by the Missouri Department of Conservation in past hunting seasons show that the average deer taken by hunters weighs about 130 pounds on the hoof. Field dressing (removing the entrails to prevent spoilage) reduces the weight by about 22 percent. Field-dressed, the average deer weighs about 100 pounds. Removing hide, bones and other inedible parts leaves 60 to 70 pounds of venison. So, the edible portion of a deer usually is about 65 percent of its field-dressed weight.
Leaner than the leanest ground beef, venison is low in fat and delicious. If valued comparable to lean ground beef -- about $2 a pound -- Missouri's 1995 deer harvest is worth about $24,597,000. The hides from many Missouri deer are sold for making buckskin clothing and hunting accessories, increasing the economic value of the renewable resource.
Besides providing high-quality fare for hunters' tables, this year's deer harvest will benefit needy Missourians, too. The Share the Harvest Program, sponsored by the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), makes it easy for hunters to donate venison to food pantries and other charitable organizations.
Last fall, deer hunters donated more than 1.5 tons of lean, savory venison to help Missourians who were having trouble making ends meet. That figure could mushroom this year due to the enormous increase in numbers of deer killed and increasing involvement of civic organizations, meat processors and local food pantries.
Although Share the Harvest is a statewide program, it is organized and operated at the local level. A Share the Harvest project typically begins with a civic club or sporting group. The first step is to find at least one deer processor and one charitable agency -- perhaps a Salvation Army community center or food pantry -- to participate in the program.
Then the organizing group contacts the local conservation agent. The agent provides information and advice and ensures that both the packing house and charitable organization meet MDC guidelines.
After receiving written approval, the organizing group can begin soliciting venison donations. This usually is done by contacting local news media and by approaching hunters when they bring deer to the packing house to be processed. Most donations come during the firearms deer season, since that is when most deer are bagged. The success of local Share the Harvest programs depend on how well they are publicized and the cooperation of the deer processor.
Hunters can donate any amount of venison, from one pound to an entire deer. The packing house grinds the donated meat and places it in special bags. In most cases, hunters pay for processing the meat.
"It's a ready-made service project," says MDC Protection Programs Supervisor Dave Beffa. "There's not a lot of work involved, other than paperwork. The organizing group is required to keep a record of every hunter who donates meat."
To encourage other groups to join them, the Missouri Bow Hunters Association has published a booklet of guidelines about setting up deer-meat donation programs. Copies are available from:
Dennis Ballard
17200 North Route V
Sturgeon, MO 65284
Phone: (314) 696-3202.
2. Mini-Owls, Maxi-Finches Promise Birding Bonanza
The appearance of tiny saw-whet owls in Missouri and spectacular evening grosbeaks elsewhere may presage a particularly interesting winter for birdwatching enthusiasts.
JEFFERSON CITY -- Watch your backyard bird feeders extra carefully this winter, and take time to look closely among the boughs of pine and cedar trees. You may be rewarded with a glimpse of some birds seldom seen in the Show-me State.
Brad Jacobs, a wildlife ecologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation, says Missourians who put out feeders filled with sunflower seeds have a better-than-average chance of seeing evening grosbeaks this year. And searching through trees in natural cedar groves or Christmas tree plantations might very well turn up a tiny northern saw-whet owl.
"Sightings of these birds in Missouri are rare," says Jacobs, "but they aren't completely random. The chances of seeing them are much greater in some years than in others."
Jacobs says both the evening grosbeak and the saw-whet owl are prone to "irruption," spectacular mass movements southward in fall and winter of birds, due to a lack of food in their customary home area.
Take the evening grosbeak, a member of the finch family. It resembles the goldfinch, a bird familiar to those who maintain bird feeders. But unlike the goldfinch, male evening grosbeaks retain their spectacular yellow, white and black plumage year-round. They are nearly twice as big as goldfinches, too, making them almost impossible to miss.
In spite of this, few Missourians ever see evening grosbeaks. That's because they live far to the north, mostly in Canada. But when evening grosbeak populations boom, or when the seed-bearing plants they depend on for food fall prey to frost or insects, the birds have little choice but to become nomadic, wandering all over the eastern half of North America in search of seedier pastures.
"Evening grosbeak irruptions seem to be on a long cycle, with invasion years sometimes 10 years apart," says Jacobs. "The last time we had widespread sightings of this species in Missouri was in the winter of 1985-86. It's hard to say for certain what circumstances cause an irruption, but when it happens the results can be spectacular."
Jacobs, who is president of the Columbia Audubon Society, says evening grosbeaks can be abundant in one neighborhood, mobbing feeders by the hundreds, while people a few miles away never see a single one. He says the most likely months for evening grosbeak sightings in Missouri are April through the middle of May.
Jacobs heard about what may be the early signs of an evening grosbeak bonanza this year from other Audubon Society members. He also learned of evening grosbeak sightings in the Eastern U.S. through "Birding on the Web" a bird-watching hotline on the Internet.
Information about sightings of saw-whet owls has come from bird rehabilitators in Kansas City and St. Louis. Only a handful of persons and organizations are licensed by the federal government to care for sick or injured birds of prey in Missouri. An unusual number of the pint-sized owls have arrived at such facilities this year. Earlier in the fall, bird banders from Michigan and other parts of the Midwest reported seeing more of the owls than usual.
The northern saw-whet is the smallest owl species in eastern North America. Its size (seven or eight inches tall), big, yellow eyes, round head profile and habit of roosting in the same spot day after day make it easy to identify. Saw-whets are entirely nocturnal, so they are seldom seen except by those who go looking for them in evergreen tree groves.
Northern saw-whets seldom see humans in their arctic haunts, and consequently they have little fear of people. They are remarkably tame, sometimes allowing observers to pick them up from their perches. The species' name comes from the resemblance of its call to the sound of a saw being sharpened. This call is seldom given in the winter, however, and few people today know what the sharpening of a saw sounds like, anyway.
Records from years past show that evening grosbeaks are more likely to be seen in the Ozarks than in northern Missouri. The reverse is true of the owls. Northern saw-whet owls may linger in Missouri as late as March before flying north to nest. Following invasion years, a few northern saw-whets may nest in areas far south of their normal range, including wooded areas along the Mississippi River in northeastern Missouri.
You can increase your chances of seeing grosbeaks by keeping bird feeders filled with sunflower seeds. They also like fruit, so apples and oranges that are no longer deemed fresh enough for human consumption can be added to feeder fare.
3. St. Louis to Host Second Outdoor Ethics Conference
Missouri's leadership role continues as the Izaak Walton League plans an Outdoor Ethics Conference in Missouri for the second time.
ST. LOUIS -- St. Louis is the place to be this April for all who are interested in the future of outdoor recreation in America. The city has been chosen as the site of the 1996 Izaak Walton League of America (IWLA) National Outdoor Ethics Conference April 18-21.
The conference will address five issues regarding outdoor ethics. Included on the agenda are examinations of: how our expectations of outdoor experiences affect our behavior; how outdoor recreationists' behavior affects management of wildlife and natural resources; and what can be done to promote responsible outdoor recreation.
IWLA officials say the 1996 National Outdoor Ethics Conference also will assess progress made since the organization's last conference in 1987.
Up to 500 hunters, anglers, hikers and other outdoor enthusiasts are expected to attend the meeting at the St. Louis Frontenac Hilton. The hotel is offering conference participants special room rates of $74 per night. The registration cost is $150 for those paying before March 1 and $165 dollars after that date. The fee includes three continental breakfasts, three lunches, conference materials and a copy of the conference proceedings.
For more information on the conference call or write Laury Marshall, IWLA Outdoor Ethics Program, 707 Conservation Lane, Gaithersburg, MD 20878-2983, (301) 548-0150 extension 218.
4. U.S. Supreme Court Backs MDC In "Takings" Suit
The nation's high court rules says the Missouri Department of Conservation should manage the state's fish and wildlife for all Missourians, not just a few.
JEFFERSON CITY - The U.S. Supreme Court has reaffirmed the authority of the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) to protect the state's fish and wildlife.
That validation came last month when the high court refused to hear an appeal of a ruling allowing MDC to ban commercial fishing at King Lake. Lower court rulings stated that MDC's ban was not a public "taking" of private property.
The case stemmed from action taken by MDC in 1983 prohibiting the owner of the lake, the Christopher Harris Trust, from conducting commercial fishing there. MDC Legal Counsel Jane Smith says constitutional and statutory mandates allow the Conservation Commission to establish regulations prohibiting commercial fishing in waters of the state.
Those laws give title of all wild fish to the state and entrust MDC with the protection of those fish.
Smith says there is no argument that the fish were state property because they came from a state waterway. The damming of Lost Creek in 1969 created King Lake and waters from Lost and Willow Creeks continue to flow in and out of the lake. "Our regulations say fish that flow free to and from state waters are state fish," says Smith. "Even though the Christopher Harris Trust bought the property containing the lake, they could not claim those fish."
In 1984 the Harris Trust sold the 888-acre tract containing King Lake to MDC for $750,000. That amount was $129,000 more than what was paid for the land in 1980. After the sale, Brown Harris II, trustee of the Christopher Harris Trust, filed an inverse-condemnation suit against MDC.
The lawsuit charged MDC with depriving the trust of the economic potential of the property. Conservation officials argued that, despite the state's ban on commercial fishing, the trust profited from selling irrigation and boating rights on the lake, as well as hunting and farming rights on the land. The court denied compensation to the Harris Trust when evidence showed MDC's actions only affected the regulation of state-owned fish and did not prevent Harris from making money from the property.
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