Return to
the All Outdoors PageReturn to
the MDC News PageReturn
to MDC Home Page1. Missouri adds another flower to its natural inventory
2. Hunters need to be safety conscious
3. Courtesy, planning keys to hunting success
4. Leave nectar feeders out for unusual hummingbirds
5. Commission to meet Nov. 7 at Warsaw
6. Outdoor Calendar
To the scientist, woodcock represent a taxing challenge; to me, the very fact that they puzzle the best experts is but another of the birds' charms. Enigmas are revitalizing. Solutions, on the other hand, are often depressing. -- Guy de la Valdene, "Making Game: An Essay on Woodcock"
Monkshood, a showy flower never before seen in Missouri, turns up in the Ozarks.
EMINENCE -- When botanists think of areas with a wealth of plant species still to be discovered, they think of the tropics. But some Missouri botanists recently found there still are discoveries to be made right here at home. While conducting a biological inventory of public land near the Current River in Shannon County they discovered a genus of wildflower never before seen in Missouri, monkshood.
"It's a wildflower that is very different from any others we have in the state," says Missouri Department of Conservation Botanist Tim Smith. "It's a blue flower that has a hood at the top of the flower. It's a little like a delphinium overall, or a larkspur, except that monkshood has a distinctly different flower shape."
The remote location where the flower was discovered leads botanists to believe that the monkshood population is a native occurrence. The site is not near any old homestead where the flower could have been used as a landscape planting. Monkshood is native to Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia with the nearest previously known location in southern Indiana.
Smith says good timing played a role in discovery of the monkshood. He says the flower was in bloom at the time biologists were conducting their plant inventory. Failing to recognize the monkshood's unfamiliar looking vines and leaves, the biologists looked for a specimen with a flower or other characteristic that would help them identify the plant.
Once they found some flowering plants, they knew they had found a flower
which had never before been recorded in Missouri. Further examination of
part of a plant by George Yatskeivych at the Missouri Botanical Garden showed
that the wildflower found was
Aconitum uncinatum -- wild monkshood.
Smith says the discovery is important because, "It reminds us that there is botanical work still to be done in Missouri. It also is important to know what plants grow in the state so that we can prevent them from becoming threatened or endangered. It's part of our flora, and we are charged with protecting the diversity of the flora of the state," he says.
Smith says similar habitats near the one in which the monkshood was discovered will be examined to see if the wildflower occurs in greater numbers than initially discovered.-
arleasha mays-
Following the Ten Commandments of Hunting Safety improves your chances of a safe hunt.
JEFFERSON CITY -- The 1997 fall hunting seasons are beginning, and with them comes an obligation for hunters to reacquaint themselves with their firearms and review the rules of safe shooting.
"We like to encourage people to get their firearms out of storage and check them over before hunting," says Bob Staton, a protection programs supervisor with the Missouri Department of Conservation. "Many people have not handled their guns since the last season. They should refamiliarize themselves by going to a range and doing some shooting."
Staton notes that hunters need to think about the way they handle firearms around vehicles. "There may be a lot of excitement at the beginning of a hunt as hunters remove their guns from cars or trucks, uncase them and load them. It's often in the dark with a group of people standing around -- a dangerous situation unless the person with the gun is highly alert to what he or she is doing."
Hunters can do themselves a favor by shooting targets prior to hunting. Staton says the place to learn to swing a golf club is not on a golf course, but at a practice range. So it is with shooting. Shotgun hunters should pursue several rounds of skeet or sporting clays, while rifle hunters will want to shoot paper targets or silhouettes. This additional gun handling before hunting will lead to safer gun handling while afield.
Missouri recorded 34 hunting accidents in 1996. A significant portion of hunting accidents involve self-inflicted gunshot wounds, but last year's only hunting accident fatality was caused by a second hunter. The largest number of last year's hunting accidents, including the fatal one, were related to deer hunting. Turkey and quail hunting accidents were the next most numerous.
The leading cause of the 1996 accidents shows the importance of hunters knowing what is in their line of fire. Six accidents involved victims being covered by shooters swinging on game, and six involved victims out of sight of the shooters. Four additional accidents occurred when hunters were unloading firearms, and one accident occurred while a hunter removed or placed a firearm in a vehicle.
The Ten Commandments of Firearms Safety include:
1. Always keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction.
2. Treat every firearm as though it were loaded.
3. Always make sure the firearm is unloaded and keep the action open except when actually hunting or preparing to shoot.
4. Be sure the barrel and action are clear of obstructions and that you have the proper ammunition for the firearm you are carrying.
5. Be sure of your target before you pull the trigger.
6. Never point a gun at anything you do not want to shoot. Avoid all horseplay with a firearm.
7. Never climb or jump an obstacle with a loaded firearm.
8. Never shoot at a flat, hard surface or water.
9. Store firearms and ammunition separately and under lock and key.
10. Avoid alcohol and other drugs before and while handling firearms.-
jim auckley-
JEFFERSON CITY -- American poet Robert Frost said "Good fences make good neighbors." Bob Staton acknowledges the importance of fences in maintaining neighborly relations. But he said fences alone aren't enough to keep hunters and landowners on friendly terms. That requires responsibility and courtesy.
"Missouri hunters have a wealth of public land where they can hunt," said Staton, hunter skills coordinator for the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC). "However, even in Missouri nine-tenths of the land is privately owned. That makes good relations with landowners indispensable to hunters."Even hunters who use public land need to be considerate of private landowners, according to Staton. When pursuing game, it is easy to cross boundaries and trespass unwittingly. That is no excuse in the eyes of the law.
"Hunters need to learn the boundaries of the areas where they hunt," said Staton. "Property lines aren't always clearly marked, and there's nothing worse than walking in unexpectedly on another hunter or a landowner at work. It makes everybody nervous."
Staton said unintentional trespassing exposes hunters to several experiences that can ruin the enjoyment of hunting. No one needs a chewing-out from a farmer, legal hassles or the increased chance of a hunting accident.
To avoid those unpleasantries, Staton suggests studying the boundaries of your hunting area on a map before heading out. Fence lines are a help, too. When you encounter a fence, it is a good idea to consider whose land lies on the other side. When in doubt, check ownership before crossing the fence.
"There are times when you might need to go on someone else's property," said Staton. "If you shoot a deer and track it to a property line, you've got conflicting obligations. You have an ethical obligation to find the deer, but you are legally obligated to get permission before going on someone else's property. Most landowners are glad to give you permission to go after a wounded deer, but they don't like finding someone with a gun roaming around their back forty unannounced."
Staton acknowledged that most hunters would find it difficult to leave a hot deer trail to hunt up a landowner. That's why he suggests spending an afternoon or two before deer season visiting the owners of land around your hunting spot. Most landowners will appreciate your obvious respect for their property rights and give you prior permission to trespass if the need arises.
If you work things right, you even might get permission to hunt some extra land. That's a much more pleasant way to meet the lord of the manor than having him investigate a rifle shot and find you field-dressing a deer in his backyard.
Landowners also can tell you if anyone will be hunting on their property. This can help you better plan your hunt and make for a safer situation.
"A lot of needless friction between hunters and landowners arises because people were in too much of a hurry to show common courtesy," said Staton. "Hunting season should be fun. Why chance getting into a squabble that will make you tense and waste precious hunting time? It's just easier and more pleasant to be a good neighbor."
-jim low-
JEFFERSON CITY -- If you leave your hummingbird feeders out late this year you may be rewarded with a sighting of a rare visitor, according to Jim D. Wilson, ornithologist for the Missouri Department of Conservation.
Wilson encourages Missourians who don't mind going to some extra trouble to leave their nectar feeders out well into Autumn.
"Missouri's regular, ruby-throated hummingbirds are usually gone by mid October, but a few rufous hummingbirds pass through later in the fall en route from the mountainous West to Florida," said Wilson. "Because they are mountain birds, they can stand colder weather and may sometimes stay in this area until December."
Wilson said the extra trouble consists of continuing to clean and refill nectar feeders and taking them in on cold nights when they might freeze and break. Even with these efforts, the chances of attracting a rarity are small.
Wilson said two violet-ear hummingbirds -- large, greenish-blue hummingbirds -- made appearances at feeders in Missouri a few years ago. This Mexican hummingbird was a new species for Missouri. Another first for Missouri was the Anna's hummingbird that showed up at a feeder in Columbia in November 1994.
Wilson said other possible late-fall visitors at Missouri feeders include the Costa's, calliope Allen's and broad-tailed. He said leaving feeders out for these species will not delay the departure of ruby-throated hummingbirds. Shortening day length tells these birds to leave by early October.
If you see any hummingbirds after Nov. 1, Wilson asks that you call him immediately at 573/751-4115, ext. 196.-
jim low-
WARSAW, Mo. -- The Missouri Conservation Commission will hold its next regular meeting Nov. 7 at the Harry S Truman Visitor Center, Truman Dam Access Road, Warsaw. The meeting will begin with a closed, executive session at 8:30 a.m. The open portion of the meeting will begin at 10:15 a.m.
Commission meetings are open to the public. Items to be placed on the agenda for a presentation or other business, should be sent to Director, Missouri Department of Conservation, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180; fax 573/751-4467. Requests must be received by noon Oct. 27. Persons requiring special services or accommodations to attend the meeting can make arrangements at the same address, or by phone at 573/751-4115.
Commissioners are: Ronald J. Stites, Plattsburg, chairman; Randy Herzog, St. Joseph, vice-chairman; Anita B. Gorman, Kansas City, secretary; and Howard L. Wood, Bonne Terre, member.-
jim low-
News Services Coordinator
(314) 751-4115, ext. 243
Return to
the All Outdoors PageReturn to
the MDC News PageReturn
to MDC Home Page