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to MDC Home PageAll the ways of the owl are ways of softness and duskiness. His wings are shod with silence, his plumage is edged with down. - John Burroughs, "Birds and Bees and Other Studies in Nature"
Special blinds at Conservation Department wetland areas are wheelchair accessible.
McBAINE, Mo.--The Missouri Department of Conservation wants to encourage people with mobility impairments to hunt waterfowl. Toward that end, it has added wheelchair-accessible facilities at several wetland areas.
This year marks the first season that hunters who use wheelchairs can make full use of Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area, thanks to a special new hunting blind. Eagle Bluffs' area manager Jim Loveless said the blind is designed to let people in wheelchairs hunt independently.
"There is a 50-foot concrete catwalk that leads up to the blind," said Loveless. "The catwalk was built wide enough to accommodate wheelchairs. We also built the blind without benches and larger than normal so that a wheelchair can move around in it. And we've put out a spread of decoys near the blind, which is something we don't normally do. We put out the decoys so the disabled person doesn't have to set them."
Loveless said the blind was made possible through a partnership between the Conservation Department and some concerned state residents.
"This blind has a really neat history," he said. "I received a call two years ago from a gentleman who asked if we had a disabled blind. I told him no, but we had plans to build one when funding was available. I continued to put the request for a disabled blind in the budget, but the funds were not available. He called back in July and asked if it would help if someone made a donation to help build it. I told him yes and that we needed about $15,000 to build a blind."
St. Joseph physicians Michael and Phillip Acuff and their spouses made a donation that paid for the blind. It was completed just in time for the 1997-98 waterfowl hunting season. Loveless said local hunters are making good use of the special blind. On average, he said, it is used twice a week.Eagle Bluffs is just one of the Conservation Department's wetland areas with disabled accessible blinds. Bob Brown Conservation Area in Holt County has a 900-foot walkway and hunting blind. Fountain Grove Conservation Area in Linn County has a handicapped-accessible hunting blind with a 1,600-foot walkway.
Other handicapped-accessible wetland facilities are found at Ted Shanks Conservation Area in Pike County and Otter Slough Conservation Area in Stoddard County. In addition to hunting blinds many conservation areas have specially-built trails, floating fishing docks and other facilities to make them accessible to persons with limited mobility. The same accessible facilities that serve hunters and anglers are equally valuable to those who want to enjoy birdwatching, nature photography or other outdoor activities at wetland areas.
The Conservation Department has published a series of books entitled "Missouri's Accessible Outdoors." Each book details the disabled-accessible facilities available in one of 13 regions of the state. The books also contain information about whether assistance is needed to use the facilities. The books are available free of charge by contacting the nearest Conservation Department office or calling (573) 751-4115.
-arleasha mays-
Missouri hunters bring home millions of pounds of lean, high-quality meat. Turning it into first-rate table fare takes equal parts of knowledge and care.
JEFFERSON CITY--Ask a dozen Missourians what a white-tailed deer is worth, and you will get a variety of answers. For some, the primary value of deer lies in seeing them. For others, wily whitetail bucks provide a yardstick to measure woodcraft learned over the course of a lifetime. But the most tangible measure of deer's worth is their value as food-venison.
In monetary terms, venison is a big-ticket item. During Missouri's 11-day firearms deer season in November, hunters checked 186,452 deer. When the kills from archery and muzzleloader seasons and the January firearms deer hunt are added, Missouri's 1997-98 deer harvest is likely to top 220,000.
The average deer weighs about 150 pounds on the hoof and yields approximately 85 pounds of meat. That means Missouri hunters will bring home about 18.7 million pounds of venison steaks, roasts, jerky, sausage and ground venison. Multiply that figure by the per-pound price of lean red meat, and you can see that deer hunting provides a big boost to Missourians' family food budgets.
The ultimate value of venison, however, is determined in the kitchen. Conventional wisdom says that deer meat is gamey and tough, but this doesn't have to be true if you know how to prepare venison. The key is knowing that venison: 1) is extremely lean; 2) can have a strong flavor if it comes from bucks in rut or from animals under extreme stress; 3) can be tough if it comes from old animals.
The most common complaint about venison is that it is dry. Domestic cattle store fat within their muscle tissue, so their meat is self-basting. Deer, however, store fat inside their body cavities, in internal organs and under the skin. Because venison is almost 100 percent lean, it has to be cooked gently or with moist heat or larded liberally.
Dry cooking-frying, for instance-can toughen even the most succulent cuts of venison. But if you take a ¿-inch-thick slice of tenderloin, coat it with seasoned flour and then saute it very gently in butter, the results can be heavenly. The trick is to use very low heat and quit while the meat is still rare.
If you insist on having your venison steak well-done, sprinkle it with meat tenderizer. Then place it on a wooden cutting board and pound it flat with the edge of a saucer. Let it stand in the refrigerator for an hour or two before dredging in flour and cooking.
For a low-fat dish, omit the flour. Put seasonings directly on the steak and cook in a non-stick skillet with just a touch of vegetable oil spray.
Moist cooking is the easiest way to ensure that venison doesn't dry out. But a venison roast can be dry and tough even if you immerse it in water before popping it in the oven. The key here is not to overcook the meat. Use a 300-degree oven, check the meat frequently, and remove it as soon as it is cooked enough to eat. For smaller cuts, brown the surface of the meat briefly in a frypan, then add sliced onion, seasonings and a cup of water. Cover tightly and cook over very low heat until tender. For killer gravy, remove the meat and keep the pan drippings on low heat. Dissolve a tablespoon or two of flour or corn starch in cool water and add slowly to the pan until the drippings thicken. Add salt to taste and pour over the meat.
Larding sounds fancier than it really is. The simplest, most popular and tastiest way to do it is to cover every exposed meat surface with strips of bacon. This adds fat and prevents loss of moisture. It also adds wonderful flavor, especially if you use smoked bacon. You still have to be careful not to overcook, though.
Venison jerky can be the consistency of shoe leather. For tender jerky, freeze the cuts you intend to use, then let them thaw until the meat starts to soften. If you cut the meat while it still has ice crystals inside, you will be able to make very thin, even slices. Be sure to cut across the grain, so muscle fibers are cut into short lengths.
After slicing, marinade overnight in a mixture of soy or Worcestershire sauce, pepper, garlic, meat tenderizer and any "secret" spices you favor. If you plan to cook it in the oven rather than a wood fire, add liquid smoke to the marinade. Cook on wire racks at very low heat until the meat is thoroughly dried. You can leave it moist if you have storage space in the freezer.
Meat from large, mature bucks in rut can have a strong, even objectionable taste. Slicing thin and soaking overnight in buttermilk or vinegar water will help, but beyond that your best bet is to use highly-seasoned recipes. Tangy sauces heavy on wine, vinegar and tomatoes are a good bet. Oriental dishes with soy sauce and garlic work well, too. Smoke improves almost any wild meat, and "Ol' Hatrack" is no exception. In extreme cases, try tomatoey oriental sauces with garlic and liquid smoke.
A good cookbook is extremely helpful in making the best use of venison. The "NRA Members' Cookbook" has a wealth of venison recipes. It is available for $7.50 plus shipping from National Rifle Association, Sales Department, P.O. Box 5000, Kearneysville, WV 25430-5000. Phone 800/336-7402.
A perennial favorite in the Show-Me State is "Cy Littlebee's Guide to Cooking Fish and Game." It is available at Missouri Department of Conservation regional service centers and nature centers statewide for $3 plus tax.
-jim low-
Conservation officials are using computer technology to reach landowners where they live.
REPUBLIC, Mo.--Folks who visit feed stores in southwest Missouri have been surprised at what they found there lately. They come for a pickup load of chopped corn, spend a little time punching up options on an interactive video screen and leave with a load of forest management information.
The video, which features touch-screen technology, is the Missouri Department of Conservation's way of making forest stewardship user friendly, according to Management Forester Frances Dilsaver.
"The Southwest Missouri Resource Conservation and Development surveyed landowners and discovered that something like 87 percent of landowners had no idea that the Conservation Department has programs to help people manage their forest land," said Dilsaver. "That's a pretty awful awareness level. A person who doesn't know isn't going to come into our office. This is something we can put out where they will find it."
So far, said Dilsaver, about 350 inquiries have been made of the computer kiosk that houses the interactive video. Besides dispensing information about the Conservation Department's Forest Stewardship Incentive Program, the kiosk records how many people activate the computer and how many punch up information about each of eight stewardship practices for which cost-share assistance is available.
"We have had about 12 'hits' at each of the 10 locations where we have placed the machine," said Dilsaver. "So far we have sent out 43 letters to people who entered their names and addresses. That is 43 people we probably wouldn't have reached any other way."
The Forest Stewardship Program covers more than just forest management. The computer kiosk offers landowners information about financial incentives that are available for eight management practices available. The Conservation Department pays up to 75 percent of the cost of tree planting, timber stand improvements and agroforestry-growing trees and crops or forage on the same land. Other items for which financial assistance is available include drawing up land stewardship plans, protecting and improving stream corridors and completing soil and water conservation and fish and wildlife enhancement projects.
Private Lands Specialist Wayne Wittmeyer, who oversees the incentive program, said the Conservation Department may expand the use of computer kiosks to other parts of the state if it leads to increased use of the agency's forest management services.
"With almost nine-tenths of the state's forest land in private ownership, it's tremendously important to get information about good forest management to private landowners," said Wittmeyer. "Professional foresters can help, but the health and productivity of Missouri's forests ultimately will be determined by the individual land-management decisions made by citizens. We need to use every means of getting information into their hands."
Eligibility for the Forest Stewardship Incentive Program is limited to landowners with 10 to 1,000 acres of forest or a combination of forest and other wildlife habitat. To learn more, contact Wayne Wittmeyer, Missouri Department of Conservation, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180. Phone (573) 751-4115, ext. 627.
-jim low-
News Services Coordinator
(314) 751-4115, ext. 243
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