November 2005
Prize-winning chef offers venison cooking tips
Friday, November 25, 2005
Missouri's reigning champion of wild-game cookery is happy to share his secrets for tender, juicy venison.
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| Slow cooking with plenty of moisture is one way to keep venison tender and tasty. (Missouri Dept. of Conservation photo) |
Carr's victory at this year's Missouri State Fair was not his first. His wild game culinary creations have taken top honors before. He says he inherited his love of hunting and fishing from his father, and his flair for cooking from his mother, who always found creative ways to cook the game her men folk brought home. His own cooking is highly experimental, which leads to some failures but lots of innovative successes, too. His recipe for corned venison is a case in point.
He starts with a large venison back strap, cut in half. This cut of meat lies on top and along each side of the deer's backbone. He has tried corning roasts and other venison cuts, but nothing works quite as well as back strap.
He soaks the meat overnight in brine made with Morton Tender Quick, a home meat cure, using package directions. After the first 24-hour soak, he drains and replaces the brine. He repeats this every day until the brine remains clear. Total brining time is five to seven days.
"I watch the meat real carefully, turning it every day," said Carr. "The brine shouldn't be too salty."
After rinsing the meat, he places it in a deep pot, adds six large carrots, four small red potatoes and four medium onions, all cut into large chunks. Seasoning consists of two or three sprigs of flat-leaf parsley, a large sprig of thyme and a teaspoon of dry English mustard. He adds enough water to cover all these ingredients and slowly (this is important) brings the water to a boil, then simmers for two hours.
Next, he cuts a large head of cabbage into quarters or eighths and arranges the pieces around the meat and other vegetables. After another one to two hours of simmering, both the meat and the cabbage should be so tender they seem to be melting.
Carr slices the corned venison lengthwise into 1/8-inch strips before placing it on a platter surrounded by vegetables and topped with the pot juices. He mixes a little dry mustard with water in a bowl and puts it on the table for seasoning.
Carr isn't hung up on shooting big bucks. "The younger the deer, the better the meat," he said. "Venison from young deer is a lot like veal." He said young deer are good for filet mignon and kabobs. His wife, also a past winner of the wild-game cook-off, turned one of the deer he shot this year into a terrific meatloaf.
Carr is sold on the health benefits of eating venison. "My wife and I are very calorie-conscious. Venison is very good for you, because it is much leaner than beef or chicken."
Meat from older deer can be tough if cooked too hot or too fast. Carr likes to put venison roasts in a crock-pot with water, lots of vegetables and a packet of dry onion soup mix and let it cook overnight on low heat. The combination of moisture and low heat keep the meat juicy and tender.
Another good choice for less-tender venison is chili. Carr said slow, moist cooking helps tenderize the meat, and the robust flavors improve the flavor of meat from mature bucks, which can be gamey. The following recipe works well with venison cuts normally reserved for burger, sausage or stew meat.
MEAT-LOVER'S STEW Fry one pound of thick-sliced bacon in a large Dutch oven until crisp. Set aside the bacon to drain and pour the grease into a separate container. Cut four pounds of venison into half-inch cubes. Brown the meat in four batches in the Dutch oven, using a little bacon grease with each batch. Set the browned meat aside.
Add another tablespoon of grease to the Dutch oven and cook a large, diced onion and three diced cloves of garlic until tender. Return the venison to the pot and add the following:
The cooked bacon, crumbled
1 cup green pepper strips or canned nopalitos-cactus pieces, drained
12 Serrano peppers, seeded or chopped
2 ten-ounce cans of Mexican green tomatoes or 3 cups of diced tomatillos
1 six-ounce can tomato paste
3 cups beef stock
1 and ½ tsp. ground coriander
5 tsp. crushed cumin seeds or ground cumin
1 and ½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. ground black pepper
Simmer for 2.5 hours, adding liquid as needed and stirring to prevent scorching. Serve with cornbread.
- Jim Low -
Conservation Department celebrates wetland areas' golden anniversary with renewal project
Friday, November 25, 2005
Rehabilitation of Missouri's historic managed wetlands will ensure waterfowl habitat and recreational opportunities for generations to come.
FOUNTAIN GROVE, Mo.-Work 50 years for some employers, and you get a gold watch and a pension. Missourians are lucky to have several conservation workhorses who want to go on working forever. All the workhorses need is a renovation.
The Missouri Conservation Commission recently approved the Golden Anniversary Wetland Initiative, a plan to renovate state-owned, managed wetland areas. The work won't be speedy or cheap. In all, the agency and its partners expect to spend $16 million over the course of a decade to ensure the areas' continued productivity.
Half a century ago, the Missouri Department of Conservation began developing conservation areas (CAs) where it could recreate a small portion of the millions of acres of wetland the Show-Me State had lost in the previous 150 years. Duck Creek CA in southeastern Missouri, Fountain Grove and Ted Shanks CAs in the north, and Montrose and Schell-Osage CAs in the southwest, were the vanguard of Missouri's wetland restoration.
Within a few years of their creation, these areas were attracting hundreds of thousands of ducks, geese and other birds that need wetlands to sustain them during their annual migrations. Resident birds, furbearers and a host of other animals and plants also found homes at these man-made wetlands. People weren't far behind, pursuing opportunities to hunt, fish, watch and photograph wildlife or just enjoy sunrises and sunsets on natural landscapes.
Like all man-made constructions, managed wetland areas wear out. Schell-Osage CA in Vernon and St. Clair counties is a good example of what aging infrastructure can do to a wetland area. Pipes there are rapidly deteriorating. Those that are not already rusted out will be soon. Meanwhile outdated, hand-operated screw-gates require constant maintenance to route water where it is needed. In addition to its age, the area is located within the flood pool of Truman lake, a location which brings complications caused by periodic flooding when the lake must be held at high levels.
Duck Creek CA in Bollinger, Wayne and Stoddard counties typifies the quandaries that can develop on aging wetland areas. Annual flooding of wetland pools has reduced the vigor of bottomland hardwood forest there, requiring a rethinking of water-level management to preserve the area's unique character.
Duck Creek's large reservoir, originally designed as a greentree reservoir and later used to catch water for distribution to wetland pools, has become a terrifically productive and popular fishing spot over the past 50 years. This requires a rethinking of water-use priorities. Meanwhile, managers struggle with the physical challenges of propping up decaying infrastructure that includes wooden water gates, rusting pipes and sagging levees.
Sometimes it isn't the wetlands themselves that change, but the land around them. At Ted Shanks CA in Pike County, the construction of locks and dams on the adjacent Mississippi River raised the water table, killing ancient forests and setting off an ecological chain reaction that ended with invasion of reed canary grass and other invasive plant species that are unfriendly to native wildlife.
At Montrose CA in Henry County, erosion from adjacent land flushed tons of sediment into the wetlands. Missouri has made amazing progress in stopping erosion the past 10 years. But before that, as much as 15 feet of gooey sludge washed into wetland pools, drastically reducing shallow-water habitat available to wildlife and making much of the area unsuitable or even unsafe for waterfowl hunting.
Conservation Department Wildlife Programs Supervisor Gene Gardner said it no longer makes sense to simply prop up the creations of an early generation of conservationists.
"We have learned a lot in the past 50 years," said Gardner. "For one thing, we have better materials and construction techniques at our disposal now. Engineers know how to build levees that will last longer, and wetland ecologists have a much better understanding of how plant and animal communities function. We could have avoided a lot of the problems we are having today if we knew 50 years ago what we do now."
Gardner said the Conservation Department intends to make use of the lessons that history, science and technology have to offer in refurbishing the state's managed wetlands. That is part of the reason for the decade-long time frame for the Golden Anniversary Wetland Initiative.
Partners in the project will include the University of Missouri, Ducks Unlimited, Missouri Waterfowl Association, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Big Muddy National Wildlife Refuge, the North American Wetlands Conservation Council, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Kansas City Power & Light Company. The Conservation Department is pursuing partnerships with other groups, too.
Another advantage to taking 10 years for the work is the availability of annual grants through the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA). This law provides for distribution of federal duck stamp proceeds to states for projects that benefit waterfowl. NAWCA grants can be used to pay up to 50 percent of the cost of qualifying projects.
Work on the Golden Anniversary Wetland Initiative began earlier this year at Fountain Grove CA in Linn County. Accumulation of sediment there has reduced the size of wetlands to half their original extent. Work now underway includes removing silt from wetland pools, upgrading water- pumping capacity and replacing worn-out water control structures.
"Maintaining our historic wetland areas is a high priority for the Conservation Department," said Gardner. "Besides the wildlife and recreation payoffs, wetlands filter pollution out of water, and they help recharge groundwater supplies. The work we do now to set up the most economical, effective wetlands possible will pay dividends to our grandchildren and great-grandchildren."
-Jim Low-
Commission to meet Dec. 15-16 in Jefferson City
Friday, November 25, 2005
JEFFERSON CITY-The Missouri Conservation Commission will hold its next meeting at Conservation Department Headquarters in Jefferson City. The Commission will meet in executive session Dec. 15 and in open session beginning at 8:30 a.m. Dec. 16.
Commission meetings are open to the public. Items to be placed on the agenda for presentations or other business should be sent in writing to Director, Missouri Department of Conservation, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180, fax 573/751-4467, at least 10 working days before the meeting date. The deadline for the next meeting is Dec. 2.
People requiring special services or accommodations to attend the meeting can make arrangements by writing to the same address, or by phone at 573/751-4115. Commissioners are: Lowell Mohler, Jefferson City, chairman; Stephen Bradford, Cape Girardeau, vice-chairman; Cynthia Metcalfe, St. Louis, secretary; Chip McGeehan, Marshfield, member.
-Jim Low-
Opening weekend deer harvest down 23 percent
Friday, November 18, 2005
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| The harvest during opening weekend of Missouri's November firearms deer season was 102,545, a 23 percent decrease from last year's record figure. (Missouri Dept. of Conservation photo) |
JEFFERSON CITY-Missouri deer hunters checked 23 percent fewer deer than last year during the opening weekend of the November firearms deer season Nov. 12 and 13. The decrease reflected conditions predicted by the Missouri Department of Conservation and weather that hampered hunters' efforts.
This year's opening weekend harvest was 102,545. Last year's figure was a record 133,136.
Conservation Department biologists predicted a smaller-than-average deer harvest this year because oak trees produced a bumper crop of acorns, which are the dietary mainstay of deer across much of the state. Hunters have best luck finding deer when acorns are scarce, because deer must travel widely to find food, and gather around available food sources. Widespread abundance of acorns means deer don't have to go far for food and are scattered.
Warm, wet weather on opening day also helped hold down the number of deer killed. Deer are less active during warm weather, and rain keeps some hunters indoors. In contrast, weather during last year's opening weekend was nearly perfect for hunting.
Hunters can make up lost ground in the remaining nine days of the November firearms deer season with favorable conditions. In 2003, the opening weekend harvest was down 16,256 compared to the 2002 opener. By the end of the season they had closed that gap by more than 6,000 deer. Long-range weather forecasts predict mostly sunny weather with cooler temperatures for most of the remainder of this year's November firearms deer season.
The Conservation Department recorded five nonfatal firearms-related deer hunting accidents and one fatality during the weekend. That is the largest number since 1994 and nearly twice the 10-year average.
The top three deer-harvest counties were Callaway with 2,144 deer checked, Benton with 2,097 and Pike with 1,885.
Regional harvest totals were: Northeast, 19,250; Central, 16,519; Northwest, 16,210; Kansas City, 11,795; Ozark, 11,726; Southwest, 11,578; Southeast, 8,048; and St. Louis, 7,418.
Antlered deer made up 47 percent of the opening-weekend harvest. Does were 39 percent, and button bucks accounted for 14 percent.
- Jim Low -
Forest nursery has more extra-large seedlings this year
Friday, November 18, 2005
The abundance of tree seedlings is good news for wildlife-minded Missourians.
LICKING, Mo.-Missourians who want to make their land more productive for wildlife have a unique opportunity to pursue that ambition this year. The Missouri Department of Conservation has a large inventory of tree seedlings, including extra-large seedlings.
George O. White State Forest Nursery at Licking has been supplying wildlife planting materials for more than 50 years. The 748-acre facility north of Licking has more than 70 species of tree and shrubs in its repertoire. Supplies of different species vary from year to year, depending on seed availability and growing conditions. A fortunate set of circumstances conspired to make this year's seedling supply especially bountiful.
"I can't think of a thing we typically grow that we don't have available this year," said Nursery Manager Greg Hoss. "We not only have lots of species and individual plants, we have an unusual number of large seedlings."
Most seedlings from the state forest nursery are less than a foot tall. Hoss and his staff usually let a small number of trees grow to larger size, allowing them to offer 3- and 4-foot seedlings of selected species.
Normally, extra-large seedlings are available in four species. This year the state nursery has large seedlings of 11 species. These include black gum, tulip poplar, green ash, bald cypress, swamp white oak, bur oak, pin oak, shumard oak, red oak, pecan and black walnut.
A new species offered this year is the Ohio buckeye. This fast-growing species can develop into a large shrub or a medium-sized tree, depending on growing conditions. It is widely planted as an ornamental landscape tree. Its leaves emerge before those of other trees in the spring. It is short-lived, but produces greenish-yellow flowers in the spring and, in the fall, glossy nuts that folk-wisdom holds are good-luck charms. The Indians roasted or boiled the meats and ground them into a nutritious meal.
Ohio buckeye is one of six species included in the forest nursery's Conservation Bundle, along with flowering and red-osier dogwood, American holly, shumard oak and eastern white pine.
Another unique offering this year is the walnut variety bundle, which contains 30 seedlings of three distinct varieties of black walnut-Emma Kay, Sparrow and Kwik Krop.
The forest nursery has trees and shrubs for wet or dry, sunny or shady locations. All are beneficial to wild animals. However, some, like blackberries and pecans, also can provide good eating for those who plant them. Others, like tulip poplar, bald cypress and silver maple, are highly decorative.
The nursery sells plants in bundles of 25 seedlings for prices ranging from $3 to $12. Orders are accepted from mid-November through April 30.
A full list of trees and shrubs available through the state forest nursery is available at www.mdc.mo.gov/forest/nursery. Call 573/674-3229 to request a catalog by mail.
-Jim Low
New groups show a flush of interest in bobwhite quail
Friday, November 18, 2005
Missouri now has two quail conservation groups and three new local organizations dedicated to restoring the bobwhite quail to its former numbers.
JEFFERSON CITY-Two organizations devoted to quail restoration have opened new chapters in Missouri, adding to the surge of interest in quail conservation generated by the Missouri Department of Conservation's quail management initiative.
To generate interest in bobwhite quail management, the Conservation Department provides private landowners with technical and financial help in creating habitat for the popular game bird. Other wild animals that share quail's habitat needs benefit, too. Citizen conservation groups figure prominently in the plan.
In recent months the nation's oldest citizen quail conservation group, Quail Unlimited (QU), has chartered two new chapters in Missouri. QU, with headquarters in Edgefield, S.C., was formed in 1981. The nation's third QU chapter was formed in Lafayette County, Mo., and it still is active. QU now has hundreds of chapters nationally, including 23 in Missouri.
The Show-Me State's newest QU chapter actually is a reincarnation of the former chapter in Farmington. The Mineral Area Chapter of Quail Unlimited was inactive for several years, but now is back in business. Chairman T. J. "Doc" Cooper is looking for members who are willing to roll up their sleeves for quail and dove conservation. For more information, call Cooper at (573) 756-3781.
Dexter is the home of another new QU group chaired by Kyle Outzts. To make a difference for quail in southeastern Missouri, call (573) 624-5505 or Jerry Eddy at (573) 624-9346.
Information about other QU chapters and programs in Missouri is available from QU Regional Director Jef Hodges, (660) 885-7057, bobwhite@iland.net. For information about QU nationally, visit http://www.qu.org/ or contact QU National Headquarters, P.O. Box 610, Edgefield, SC 29824-0610. Phone: (803) 637-5731, ext. 224, E-mail tdean@qu.org.
QU offers dozens of ways for its chapters to pursue quail restoration. These include planting bobwhite food and cover, farmer subsidies for leaving crops standing through winter, assistance for controlled burning and water site development, loan of equipment for habitat work and technical assistance for landowners interested in pursuing quail management. These programs enable QU to enhance habitat on hundreds of thousands of acres annually.
For more information about QU's Bring Back Bob quail restoration program, or landowner assistance available for quail management in Missouri, visit www.mdc.mo.gov/cgi-bin/news/arc0-2004.html or www.mdc.mo.gov/landown/wild/quail/.
There is a new quail conservation organization on the scene. Pheasants Forever (PF), headquartered in St. Paul, Minn., recently broadened its mission to include bobwhite quail. It formed Quail Forever as a division of PF focused on restoring huntable quail populations throughout the bobwhite's range. The group has chartered 16 chapters in its first three months of existence.
Quail Forever is patterned after the successful PF model, which emphasizes local chapter development, local habitat initiatives and national leadership in public policy and advocacy.
Missouri has the distinction of chartering the nation's first Quail Forever chapter. The Gateway Chapter organized in St. Louis just three days after PF announced the formation of the new national organization. Chapter founders include David Bub, Steve Fleming, Bob Davis, Jay Milhuka and John Kuhn. All are members of the St. Louis PF chapter.
"I have been hunting quail my whole life and have seen their populations plummet over the past two decades," said Bub. "Quail are in serious, serious trouble, and I believe Quail Forever is the vehicle to help prevent their demise."
To learn more about the Gateway Chapter of Quail Forever, contact David Bub at (314) 242-5264, dbub@bjpc.com.
PF was founded in 1982 and like QU has grown to more than 600 chapters nationwide. It has six chapters in Missouri. The organization proudly proclaims that 100 percent of money raised by local chapters stays at the local level to be spent on habitat development and conservation education.
"Pheasants and quail don't migrate, so we believe locally raised funds shouldn't migrate either," said PF President and CEO Howard Vincent.
Pheasants Forever's new emphasis on quail recognizes the fact that bobwhite quail and ring-necked pheasants' habitat needs overlap across much of the two species range.
"With our experience in enrolling bobwhite buffer acres and the recent completion of the Northern Bobwhite Conservation Initiative plan, the time was right for us to lend our habitat conservation expertise to help implement the NBCI," said Vincent. "We want to do what we can to make a difference for quail and quail hunters before it becomes too late."
PF promoted its senior wildlife biologist and director of field operations, Jim Wooley, to oversee Quail Forever biologists. Wooley called the Gateway Chapter startup "the first step in helping us implement the Northern Bobwhite Conservation Initiative's plan for quail recovery."
Those who join Quail Forever now have the distinction of being founding members. To learn more about Quail Forever, call (866) 457-8245, E-mail jwooley@quailforever.org, or visit www.QuailForever.org.
-Jim Low-
Shop nature for holiday gifts
Friday, November 18, 2005
Everything you need for the holiday season, including greeting cards, is available with a natural theme.
JEFFERSON CITY-Do you have more people to buy gifts for than time to shop? The Missouri Department of Conservation's online Nature Shop can help you save time and find superb gifts for the nature lovers on your list. This year's offerings include several new items.
Shopping is as effortless as logging on to www.mdcnatureshop.com. There you will find items ranging from ball caps and books to jewelry and video games.
Special items this year include a softbound edition of Birds in Missouri, 400 lushly illustrated pages covering 354 bird species. Through December, this coffee-table book is on sale for $24, a 20 percent discount.
"In Focus," another coffee-table book featuring the work of Missouri Conservationist Magazine Photographer Jim Rathert, would thrill any nature enthusiast. One-hundred seventy-five superb wildlife and landscape photos from a 30-year career bring the 120 pages to life. Rathert himself describes the book as an artistic outlet for a lifelong and intimate relationship with nature. At $18, the book is a bargain.
Fans of the Conservation Department's television show, Missouri Outdoors, will find many of their favorite episodes now on two 40-minute video tapes. Explore some of the Show-Me State's most scenic spots with host Kipp Woods, learn about plants and animals with biologists and join conservation chef extraordinaire Martha Daniels in the kitchen to cook up feasts with ingredients from nature's provender. Each video tape sells for $7.50.
If you haven't sent out holiday greeting cards yet, check out The Nature Shop's selection of six bird-themed cards, ranging from cardinals to turkey vultures. These cards sell for $8 per box of six. Also, boxes of 12 cardinal or bluebird cards are available for $8.
The 2006 Natural Events Calendar is a perfect stocking stuffer, selling for $5 and featuring 365 days of windows on the natural world. These take the form of stunning nature photos and notes about natural events from meteor showers to pileated woodpecker mating rituals.
The children on your list will enjoy exploring nature through the "Just Kiddin' Around" video, ($7.50). Nature lovers ages 2 through 6 will be entranced by "Fox in the Forest," ($8), a picture book with the story of a gray fox kit that sets out one spring morning and meets all sorts of flying, crawling and running creatures.
The "Creatures in the Wild Activity Book," ($3.95), helps youngsters learn about wild creatures, their sizes, where they live and what they eat.
The Nature Shop also has books geared for adults about nearly every aspect of nature, ($3-$38), plus pewter and gold pins and earrings, ($3.50-$12), audio and video tapes and CDs about Missouri's natural and cultural history, ($5-$10) and how-to/where-to books on subjects ranging from hiking trails and float streams to duck identification and landscaping for wildlife, ($3.50-$18).
All these Nature Shop items and more are available online at www.mdcnatureshop.com. If you don't use a computer, call toll-free, (877) 521-8632, to receive a catalog by mail. Phone and internet orders are subject to shipping and handling charges and sales tax, where applicable. You can avoid shipping and handling charges by visiting Nature Shop outlets at conservation nature centers in Kirkwood, Blue Springs, Jefferson City, Springfield and Cape Girardeau.
-Jim Low-
Surprising acorn abundance could reduce this year's deer harvest significantly
Friday, November 11, 2005
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| Biologists can't explain why this year's acorn crop is so large. However, they are sure the abundance will make deer hunting more difficult and predict a reduced deer harvest in the Ozarks. (Missouri Dept. of Conservation photo) |
JEFFERSON CITY--In an age when science has laid bare many of the mysteries of the universe, you would think biologists could predict a good acorn crop. You would be wrong. Missouri is in the midst of a superabundance of acorns, a fact that amazes experts.
Each year the Missouri Department of Conservation conducts a survey to determine the abundance or scarcity of acorns. This is important because a wide array of wildlife relies heavily on the fruit of oak trees for food. Acorn counts from thousands of trees give biologists valuable information about how ducks, squirrels, deer and turkeys will fare in the coming year.
The annual survey covers the portion of the state where forest dominates the landscape, roughly half the state lying southeast of a line from Hannibal to Joplin. The result is a series of acorn-production indices broken down by region and oak tree type--red or white. Over the past 46 years, the overall index for all oak trees throughout the survey area has been 133. Last year, the number was 116. This year's overall index is 152.
Wildlife Management Biologist Dan Drees, who works in the Ozark Region, said this year's acorn crop beats anything he and others have ever seen.
"I have talked with loggers at Peck Ranch (Conservation Area) who have been working in that area 35 years, and they say they have never seen so many acorns," said Drees.
The news is similar throughout most of the survey area. The only exceptions are white oaks in the Ozark west and the Ozark Border at the western edge of the survey area. Even in those areas, the overall acorn crop was above average. In the eastern Ozarks, white oak acorn production is up 55 percent compared to the average of the last 46 years.
All this would be little more than scientific trivia except for one thing-the upcoming firearms deer season. In autumn, deer gorge on high-energy foods in preparation for winter. In forested areas, this means acorns. When acorns are scarce, deer flock to trees that did produce acorns. This simplifies hunters' work. If they can find acorns, they will find deer.
Hunting is much tougher in years of acorn abundance. Deer don't have to travel far to find their favorite food, so they spend less time on the move, and they are scattered unpredictably throughout the forest.
Drees notes that this effect already is showing up in early deer harvest statistics. At Peck Ranch, bowhunters and participants in the two-day youth firearms deer season checked 105 deer last year. This year's total was 42. Hunters must check in and out during the hunts, so complete harvest reporting is guaranteed.
Resource Scientist Lonnie Hansen is the Conservation Department's deer management expert. He said he expects this year's deer harvest to be off on account of the superabundance of acorns.
"In the past, we have seen deer harvest decreases of up to 30 percent in some Ozark counties where there were bumper crops of acorns," said Hansen. With acorns so plentiful this year, the decrease in the Ozarks deer harvest could cause the statewide harvest to be significantly lower than last year.
The 2004 combined firearms and archery deer harvest was 309,893, a record for Missouri.
Hansen said hunters need to realize that deer behavior will be different this year. "Hunters are going to have to spend less time around fields and more time in the woods where there are lots of oak trees if they want to shoot deer."
"I'll tell you one thing," said Drees, "you can't just sit on the corner of a food plot and wait for deer to show up this year, at least not in the Ozarks."
Drees is particularly surprised at the abundance of acorns because the state was gripped by a severe drought for much of the spring and summer.
"I have been shocked by this year's oak mast (acorn) crop," he said. "We had a horrific drought this spring at Peck Ranch. The period from March through June was the driest in more than 50 years. I would have predicted a total acorn failure. Yet, to my utter amazement, nature produced one of the largest acorn crops ever recorded."
Neither Drees nor other Conservation Department experts know all the factors that led to this year's acorn bounty. Resource Scientist David Gwaze, who assembles the Conservation Department's mast survey each year, said annual data point to some correlations between weather and acorn production. He said the number of red oak acorns seems to be higher two years after abundant spring rainfall, and white oaks are more productive in years with mild spring weather.
"So far we have not been able to find any discernable pattern that explains why we have good acorn production in some years but not others," said Drees. "We know some of the factors that play a role, but the combination is so complex, it is impossible to decipher."
Those factors include:
LATE FREEZES--A cold snap can kill oak flowers, decimating a given year's acorn crop.
WIND-Oak trees need wind to carry pollen from male flowers to female ones. Unusually still weather can result in poor fertilization.
RAIN AND HUMIDITY--Wet weather also can impair pollination distribution. However, very dry weather, coupled with windy conditions also can hurt production by causing female flowers to dry up before pollination occurs.
TREE LOCATION--Trees on ridges may be less vulnerable to freezing and get better exposure to pollinating wind. As a result, acorns are most abundant on ridges in some years.
DROUGHT--Too little rain during the growing season can impair a tree's ability to make acorns, even if flowers survive and pollination occurs. However, if this was ever going to make a difference, it should have this year.
TREE SPECIES--Oak trees are divided into white and red families. Acorns on white oaks mature in one year, so unfavorable conditions during the flowering or growing season effect that year's crop. Red-oak acorns take two years to mature, so the results of bad conditions are not apparent until the following year.
INDIVIDUAL BIOLOGICAL CYCLES--Even if all the preceding influences remained stable from year to year, trees would produce more acorns some years than others. This is due to internal cycles, with lean years following good crops.
"Those are just some of the factors we know about," said Drees. "A lot of other things probably influence acorn production, like conditions that favor the growth of beneficial or harmful fungi in the soil, tree diseases and parasites. The interaction of all those factors makes predicting acorn production practically impossible."
Rather than being dismayed by the complexity of the problem, Drees finds it reassuring that some things are beyond human understanding, let alone control.
"It is wonderful that we can put men on the moon and bring them back, but we still can't predict how many acorns there will be each year. Mother Nature doesn't give up her secrets easily."
-Jim Low-
Officials say duck hunters' risk from bird flu is minuscule
Friday, November 11, 2005
Health experts recommend normal precautions against wildlife-borne diseases.
JEFFERSON CITY--With avian flu in the news almost every day, it was only a matter of time until someone thought to ask if migratory birds might spread the disease to North America. Health and wildlife officials call this "extremely unlikely." They say hunters should simply take the same precautions when handling ducks and geese as they do with other game.
Health officials worldwide are carefully monitoring the spread of an influenza virus, called H5N1, that originated in Asia and has, directly or indirectly, caused the deaths of millions of domestic birds there. The disease has spread to other parts of the world, and has caused a small number of human deaths. So far, the virus has only infected humans through contact with birds. What worries health workers is the possibility that avian flu could become better adapted so it can spread from human to human.
Duck season opened Oct. 29 in Missouri's North Zone and will continue through January in southern Missouri. That means thousands of Missourians will be coming in contact with migratory birds. Although it is theoretically possible for wild fowl to carry bird flu to different parts of the globe, including North America, experts downplay this possibility.
"Missouri duck hunters should not be overly concerned about the H5N1 virus," said Andy Raedeke, a resource scientist for the Missouri Department of Conservation. "That strain of avian influenza has not been found in the United States. Ongoing surveillance together with what we know of the disease and bird movement patterns leads the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to conclude that it is extremely unlikely migratory birds will carry avian flu from Asia to the United States this fall or winter."
Raedeke said the National Wildlife Health Center is not sure infected wild birds can migrate and spread the H5N1 virus to new locations.
Ducks and geese are susceptible to several types of diseases and poisoning that can cause significant die-offs when birds are crowded together during migration. Whenever such events occur, the Conservation Department collects dead birds and works with federal agencies to learn what caused the deaths. This routine surveillance continues, and state and federal officials are making special efforts to coordinate disease-monitoring efforts.
"We always appreciate reports from citizens who notice bird die-offs," said Raedeke. "But it is important to know that dying birds don't necessarily mean bird flu has arrived. There are several much more likely causes."
Although there is no recognized bird flu risk associated with hunting waterfowl in North America, health officials recommend basic hygiene measures, primarily hand washing, when handling bird carcasses.
Raedeke said he wears rubber gloves when cleaning ducks at locations without water. It makes cleanup much easier.
Health officials also recommend that hunters avoid touching their eyes, eating or smoking during or after cleaning game, until they can wash their hands with soap and water. Knives and other equipment and surfaces that come in contact with game should be washed, and all game should be cooked thoroughly (160°F internal temperature).
For more information about avian influenza and wildlife diseases, visit: www.nwhc.usgs.gov/research/avian_influenza/avian_influenza.html, www.aphis.usda.gov/lpa/pubs/fsheet_faq_notice/fs_ahavianflu.html or www.ducks.ca/aboutduc/news/conservator/261/bot1.html
-Jim Low-
Fall firearms turkey harvest up for second year in a row
Friday, November 11, 2005
With the entire month of October to hunt, Missourians killed more than 13,000 birds.
JEFFERSON CITY--Hunters killed 13,308 turkeys during the fall firearms turkey season, bettering the past two years' harvests, but still falling short of a record.
This year's harvest topped last year's mark by 1,565, but fell 1,179 short of 2002's record harvest.
Franklin County led county harvest totals with 245 birds checked. Not far behind were Laclede and Webster with 241 each. Other counties that broke the 200 mark were: Macon, 224; Adair, 208; Cedar, 210; Howell and Greene with 206 each; and Pettis, 202.
Regional harvest totals were: Northwest, 2,211; Southwest, 2,198; Northeast, 1,942; Central, 1,840; Kansas City, 1,665; Ozark, 1,371; Southeast, 1,148; St. Louis, 933.
The Missouri Department of Conservation recorded two nonfatal firearms-related hunting accidents during the season Oct. 1 through 31. None were reported last year.
This is the first year for a full month of fall firearms turkey hunting in Missouri. The season previously ran for two weeks in late October.
-Jim Low-
Natural Resources Conference set for Feb. 1-3
Friday, November 11, 2005
The conference theme is "Managing the Public's Trust Amid Competing Voices.
CAMDENTON--Several hundred professional forest, fish and wildlife managers will gather for their annual conclave Feb. 1 through 3 at Tan-Tar-A Resort at Lake of the Ozarks. Citizen conservationists are encouraged to attend the conference, too.
The theme of this year's meeting is "Managing the Public's Trust Amid Competing Voices." Colorado Attorney Susan Horner will deliver the keynote address about the evolution of the public-trust doctrine that underpins wildlife management in the United States. Also on the agenda is author and University of Calgary Professor Emeritus Valerius Geist, who will talk about turning wildlife-management theory into application.
The conference also features dozens of sessions of general interest, technical sessions, a job fair, exhibitors, a 5-K fun, meetings of the four sponsoring professional societies and an awards banquet. For more information, visit www.mnrc.org.
-Jim Low-
Youth deer harvest tops 10,000 again
Friday, November 04, 2005
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| Hunters ages 6 through 15 checked 10,860 deer during the Youth Firearms Deer Season Oct. 29 and 30. Experts with the Missouri Department of Conservation attributed the 10 percent decrease in youth deer harvest to a superabundance of acorns, which caused deer to be more scattered and less active. (Missouri Dept. of Conservation photo) |
JEFFERSON CITY-Young hunters brought home more than 10,000 deer during Missouri's two-day youth firearms deer season, the second-largest kill in the season's five-year history.
Hunters ages 6 through 15 checked 10,860 deer Oct. 29 and 30, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation. That is a 19 percent decrease from 2004.
This is the first year that the harvest has declined since the youth season began in 2001. Previous youth harvests were: 2001; 6,277; 2002, 7,580; 2003, 9,054; 2004, 13,466.
This year's top 10 harvest counties were: Osage, 264; Callaway, 234; Macon, 222; Franklin, 219; Pike, 218; Howell, 199; Ripley, 193; Oregon, 189; Lincoln, 188; Boone, 184.
Conservation Department Resource Scientist Lonnie Hansen said hunters have more difficulty finding deer in years when acorns are abundant. He said this year's acorn crop is the largest he has ever seen, and this could account for the decreased youth deer harvest.
This year's youth deer harvest included 6,346 (58 percent) antlered deer, 1,389 (13 percent) button bucks and 3,144 (29 percent) does.
The youth deer harvest makes up approximately 4 percent of Missouri's annual deer harvest. More than 71 percent (approximately 270,000) of the deer taken in Missouri each year are killed during the 11-day November portion of firearms deer season. The remaining harvest comes from archery deer season and the muzzleloader and antlerless firearms deer seasons.
Hunters age 6 through 15 can participate in the Youth Portion of Firearms Deer Season. If they do not have hunter education certification and are using a Youth Deer and Turkey Hunting Permit, they must hunt in the immediate presence of a properly licensed adult hunter who has a valid hunter education certification card. Landowner youth age 15 and younger hunting on their own property are exempt from these requirements.
This is the second year when nonresidents could participate in the Youth Portion of the Firearms Deer Season. The number of youngsters who actually took part in the youth hunt is impossible to calculate, because the same permit is used during spring turkey season and the other segments of firearms deer season. The permit is good for one deer and one turkey.
"This youth season is one of several opportunities Missouri offers to encourage youngsters to take up the sport," said Hansen. "It allows adults to teach kids about safety, hunting ethics and woodcraft without the distraction of hunting themselves. It is part of the reason Missouri leads the nation in hunter recruitment."
This year's youth deer season saw the first reported firearms-related hunting accident in the youth hunt's five-year history. A 13-year-old hunter shot himself in the hand when picking up his rifle.
- Jim Low -
Ground blinds can create unseen dangers
Friday, November 04, 2005
It is legal to hunt in an unmarked blind, but it isn't smart.
JEFFERSON CITY-Bill Bellm was hunting on public land in Barry County on opening day of the 2004 firearms deer season when another hunter entered the area. The man disappeared behind some brush and never reappeared, which puzzled Bellm.
A little while later, a deer appeared, and Bellm shot it. The deer ran a short distance, and Bellm considered taking another shot to ensure a kill. But the animal's path ran across the last place he had seen the other hunter, so he held his fire.
"It's a good thing I did," he said. "When I went over to tag my deer, here this guy came out of his blind. I said 'Oh, my gosh, I didn't even know it was there.'"
If Bellm had not seen the other hunter arrive, he might have unwittingly put the other hunter at risk. The incident worried Bellm so much, he called the Missouri Department of Conservation to suggest a regulation change to require hunter orange markings on ground blinds.
Ground blinds are increasingly popular among deer and turkey hunters for several good reasons. They allow hunters to change positions and stretch without being seen by deer. They are easier to move than tree stands. Furthermore, they are easier to get in and out of than tree stands, and they eliminate the risk of falls.
However, ground blinds have their own hazards, and these are not confined to firearms-related hunting accidents. Joan McKee of Jefferson City relates a story of an encounter with a deer hunter on her family farm in Hickory County in September of 2004. She was driving around checking on fields she had sprayed to get rid of lespedeza. Rounding a corner in a strip of woods, she came on a camouflaged blind right in front of her.
"I was looking out in the field, but I kind of caught it out of the corner of my eye," said McKee. "If I had had my head turned a little more the other way, I would have run right over him."
She stopped, got out of her vehicle called "Anybody in there?" A bowhunter emerged. He said a mutual acquaintance had told him it was okay to hunt on McKee's land. "I ended up giving him permission to hunt if he would just call first, so I knew he was there," said McKee. "But it kind of shook me up. I could have killed him."
In response to Bellm's suggestion, the Conservation Department's Regulations Committee discussed the possibility of changing the Wildlife Code to address the issue. "We had a thorough discussion of the request to require hunter-orange markings on ground blinds," said Conservation Department Assistant Director John Smith, who chairs the committee. "In the end, the decision was not to change regulations."
Instead, said Smith, the Conservation Department hopes to educate hunters who use ground blinds to use good judgment in the field.
Some ground blinds have mesh windows that permit hunters outside to see the orange clothing of those inside. However, hunters who use ground blinds would be wise to mark them with hunter orange.
Missouri has required deer hunters to wear orange clothing since 1980. This requirement and hunter education, which also became mandatory in 1980s, have dramatically reduced the number of deer hunting mishaps. From 1981 through 1990, Missouri averaged 18 firearms-related deer hunting accidents per year. That included an average of 2.3 fatalities per year. Over the past 10 years, the averages have been 9.2 accidents and 0.9 fatalities per year.
Deer don't have color vision, so wearing hunter orange or putting it on a blind does not hurt hunters' chances of shooting deer. Putting a piece of orange material on each side of a ground blind does tell others you are there and reduces the likelihood of getting hurt.
-Jim Low-
2006 Natural Events Calendar on sale
Friday, November 04, 2005
This year's calendar is a feast for the mind, as well as the eye.
JEFFERSON CITY-Entertainment, education and eye candy all are found in the 2006 edition of the Natural Events calendar from the Missouri Department of Conservation.
The 23-page, 10x14-inch calendar covers Missouri's natural year in loving detail. This year's cover features an ultra-close-up photograph of a brilliant green and purple grasshopper. Between the covers are more than 30 color photos. As always, the selection includes intimate wildlife portraits by A.D. Daniels and Conservation Department Wildlife Photographer Jim Rathert and stunning seasonal landscapes by Bob Ball and Pat Whalen. May's featured photo shows a mother opossum covered from head to toe with clingy babies.
Next year's calendar features an illustrated page exploring the shapes and purposes of bird beaks. On the back cover is a slightly racy photo and explanation of green frog's romantic embrace. Daily entries call attention to natural events ranging from meteor showers and wildflower blooming dates to long-tailed weasel breeding season.
The calendar costs $5 and is available at Conservation Department nature centers and regional offices statewide. You can also order copies through The Nature Shop online at www.mdcnatureshop.com/mdc.cg or by calling toll-free (877) 521-8632. To request a catalog with the calendar and other nature-themed items, write to MDC Nature Shop, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180, or send e-mail to publications.staff@mdc.mo.gov.
-Jim Low-
Arbor Day Poster Contest open to fifth-graders
Friday, November 04, 2005
State winners get cash and advance to the national competition.
JEFFERSON CITY-Missouri fifth-graders looking for artistic outlets can take part in the 2006 National Arbor Day Poster Contest.
The theme for this year's contest is "Trees are Terrific*In All Shapes and Sizes." The Conservation Department sent contest information packets to public and private schools in October. Home-school teachers and others can request packets from Donna Baldwin, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102, donna.baldwin@mdc.mo.gov.
Missouri Arbor Day contest entries are due by Feb. 17. The state winner receives a $50 savings bond and a framed certificate from Forest ReLeaf of Missouri. A 6- to 12-foot tree is planted in the their honor at their school. The winner often attends the signing of the Missouri Arbor Day Proclamation at the Capitol in Jefferson City.
Participating teachers receive free curriculum materials, including in-depth lesson plans, hands-on activities and contest information. Each school's winning poster advances to statewide competition. The winning state entry goes on to the national contest.
The national winner, along with two parents and his or her teacher, receive an expense-paid trip to the National Arbor Day event in April. The national winner also receives a $1,000 savings bond. The winning teacher gets $200 for classroom materials.
"Students across Missouri can learn about trees and their relationship with our environment and how trees can make a difference" says Robert Krepps, Missouri State Forester. "By participating in the contest, students have a great opportunity to learn how they, as citizens, can make a difference in their lifetimes for enhancement of forest health and the well-being of their environment."
Contest sponsors include the Conservation Department, Forest Relief, the Missouri Community Forestry Council, the National Arbor Day Foundation and Toyota Motor Corporation. The purpose is to educate youngsters about the importance of planting and caring for trees.
For more information about the National Arbor Day Foundation or for educational materials, visit www.arborday.org.
-Jim Low-
