December 2003

Firearms deer harvest 254,367

Hunters bagged 254,367 deer during Missouri's 34-day firearms hunting season. The season consists of five segments totaling 34 days and spread out from Oct. 25 through Dec. 21. (Missouri Dept. of Conservation photo)

JEFFERSON CITY--Missouri's 2003 firearms deer season had some ups and downs, but the final tally shows that hunters bagged 254,367 deer. That is up almost three percent from last year's record harvest of 247,826.

This was the first year for the Urban Portion of Firearms Deer Hunting Season. Hunters bagged 91 deer in the St. Louis and Kansas City areas Oct. 25 and 26.

Missouri's third youth deer hunting season Nov. 1 and 2 yielded a harvest of 9,054, up 1,327 from the previous year's record.

The number of deer taken during the regular firearms deer season just before Thanksgiving each year always dwarfs the combined kill of the other deer season segments. Alternately windy, rainy and unseasonably warm weather hampered hunters' efforts during the 11-day November Portion this year, holding the harvest down to 208,940. That was 8,308 below the record set in 2002.

Armed with extra days and tags, hunters made up some lost ground during the 10-day Muzzleloader Portion of deer season, bagging a record 11,131 deer Nov. 28 through Dec. 7. That was 1,726 more than in 2002.

The nine-day Antlerless-Only Segment Dec. 13 through 21 closed out the season on an upbeat note with a harvest of 25,151 deer. That is 11,738 more than the 2002 figure of 13,446.

The Conservation Department recorded 13 firearms-related accidents during the 2003 Firearms Deer Season. Two of those accidents were fatal. The safest year in Missouri history was 2000, when the Conservation Department recorded only four firearms-related deer hunting accidents. The worst was 1986, with 26.

The number of deer taken by firearms deer hunters this year is approximately one quarter of the state's estimated deer population. Resource Scientist Lonnie Hansen said deer hunters perform an invaluable service to the state.

"Without the brake that the deer harvest applies to deer reproduction, one of two things would happen. Either we would see an awful increase in agricultural and property damage and deer-vehicle accidents, or the state would have to spend millions of dollars controlling the herd some other way. Instead, we get millions of hours of outdoor enjoyment and millions of pounds of meat on Missourians' tables."

Hansen noted that hunters aren't the only ones whose tables are enriched by Missouri's deer harvest. Each year, deer hunters donate approximately 40 tons of venison to food banks and charities statewide through the Share the Harvest program.

- Jim Low -

Commission to meet in Marshfield Jan. 23

JEFFERSON CITY--The Missouri Conservation Commission will meet Jan. 23 at the Empire Bank, 1197 Spur Drive, in Marshfield.

The Commission will meet in open session at 8:30 a.m. 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 Jan. 8.

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.

Commission officers are: Stephen C. Bradford, Cape Girardeau, chairman; Cynthia Metcalfe, St. Louis, vice-chairman, Anita B. Gorman, Kansas City, secretary and Lowell Mohler, Jefferson City, member.

-Jim Low-

Plan aims to boost trout benefits

More and better trout fishing is the goal of a new trout management plan recently approved by the Missouri Conservation Commission. A multi-million dollar boost to the state's economy is a secondary benefit. (Missouri Dept. of Conservation photo)

A trout management plan approved by the Conservation Commission last month outlines dozens of initiatives to improve and expand trout fishing in Missouri.

JEFFERSON CITY--One out of five Missouri anglers say they fish for trout. Thousands of anglers flock to the Show-Me State's trout parks, cold-water streams and trout lakes each year, bringing millions of tourist dollars with them. The Department of Conservation hopes to boost those and other benefits with a management plan aimed at expanding trout fishing opportunities.

Missouri's existing trout fishing opportunities include:
--Four trout parks stocked by the Conservation Department;
--Seven trout management areas;
--Five special trout management areas;
--Eight wild trout management areas;
--Lake Taneycomo, with a well-deserved national reputation for size and number of trout;
--Winter trout fishing programs in approximately 20 lakes in St. Louis, Kansas City, Columbia and Cape Girardeau.

The approximately 2 million trout stocked in Missouri waters each year lure nearly 140,000 Missouri residents, who spend $91 million chasing trout. Nonresidents' expenditures pump $24 million in new money into the state's economy annually. These expenditures work through the state's economy to generate more than $240 million in economic activity annually.

That's a lot of trout fishing for a state where trout don't occur naturally. The Conservation Department thinks it could be better, though. The Conservation Commission recently approved a plan to increase existing trout fishing opportunities and expand trout fishing to new areas.

The plan also envisions changes at the Conservation Department's five cold-water trout hatcheries. These facilities already produce approximately 1.7 million trout annually, but the agency hopes to increase this by 20 percent.

The plan includes improvements at the Conservation Department's hatcheries at Montauk and Bennett Spring state parks. These facilities currently are vulnerable to periodic flooding during heavy rains. Bennett Spring Hatchery will benefit from changes in its water supply system. Ongoing work at Roaring River Hatchery near Cassville will result in similar benefits there.

Improvements being considered at Shepherd of the Hills Hatchery near Branson include renovation of the existing brown trout rearing facility, improvement of the water recirculation system and an additional water supply line from Table Rock Dam. These improvements would help the hatchery produce more trout.


The Conservation Department is looking into using new technologies, such as direct injection of oxygen, to boost productivity at all its cold-water hatcheries.

The Conservation Department wants to increase the stream mileage available to trout anglers. The agency currently manages about 145 miles of cold-water streams for year-round trout fishing. The plan sets a goal of adding 10 miles to this total in the next five years. This could be accomplished by buying stream frontage or by acquiring easements from willing landowners.

The plan includes measures to improve in-stream fish habitat and management of stream corridors.

One strategy being considered to increase angling opportunities is to reduce the statewide daily limit from five to four trout. In trout parks, trout management areas, Lake Taneycomo and urban fishing lakes, most anglers catch fewer than the current limit each day. Lowering the limit would spread available fish out among more anglers in all trout areas.

Accessibility is another issue addressed in the trout plan. The goal is to meet the needs of all trout anglers, whether they wade, boat or fish from the bank. It also will provide more opportunities for anglers with disabilities.

Stocking of larger than average sized trout currently is confined mostly to trout parks, Lake Taneycomo and a handful of specially managed areas. This could change under the new plan, which contemplates stocking more "lunkers" in other areas, such as winter trout fishing lakes and regular trout management areas.

The plan includes provisions for working with citizen conservation groups. The Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation recently established a Trout and Coldwater Fund to afford anglers and interested organizations the chance to help with projects of particular interest to them. Money contributed to the fund will be used to underwrite easement purchases, habitat work and research projects.

Fisheries Division Administrator Steve Eder said his staff is excited about the possibilities the plan opens up. "If you could wrap up trout anglers' enthusiasm in a holiday package, it would open with a big bang," said Eder. "Missouri has been a leader in bringing this excitement to the average angler for many years, but there's much more to be done. This plan will help us extend our past successes into the 21st century."

The Conservation Department plans to survey trout anglers to discover what they like about the existing trout management program and how they want it changed. The mail survey of randomly selected fishing permit buyers and trout permit buyers will find out where these anglers fish and what species and size of trout they prefer for catch-and-release and catch-and-keep fishing. The survey also will explore their attitudes toward possible changes in Missouri's trout management.

Copies of the plan are available by calling 573/522-4115, ext. 3158. The text will be available at the Conservation Department's Web site in the future.

The Conservation Department operates trout hatcheries at Missouri's four trout parks in cooperation with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and The James Foundation.

- Jim Low -

Natural resources conference promises voyage of discovery

The annual Missouri Natural Resources Conference at Lake of the Ozarks will include a "technical trading blanket" and other Lewis & Clark themed events.

CAMDENTON-Missouri's historical tie to the Lewis and Clark expedition will be the centerpiece of the annual Natural Resources Conference at Tan-Tar-A Resort Jan. 28 through 30. The conference theme is "Voyages of Discovery for the Next Millennium."

Conference programs will include:
--Visits from President Thomas Jefferson and Capt. Meriwether Lewis, portrayed by living historians Robert Barker and Richard Cheatham;
--Keynote speaker Daniel Botkin, who will discuss the interaction of natural resources and society since Thomas Jefferson's time;
--A "Technical Trading Blanket." This informal, multi-disciplinary brainstorming session will give conference participants a chance to exchange ideas about ongoing projects and how to bring them to a successful conclusion. Call 573/468-3335, ext. 239, for more information;
--Workshops and technical sessions, including oak-pine forest management, fragmented landscapes, forest fires and social sciences, GIS/GPS data loggers, loess hills management, Missouri bats, pond management, streambank stabilization, urban wildlands issues, working with landowners and the media and undergraduate research;
--A 5K fun run;
--A student job fair (Call 573/882-8388, ext. 227, for more information.);
--Social and exhibits of equipment and supplies, a Lewis and Clark encampment, food, drinks, and a chance to win door prizes.

The conference is sponsored jointly by the Missouri Society of American Foresters, the Missouri chapters of the Wildlife Society, the American Fisheries Society and the Soil and Water Conservation Society.

Registration is $35 for members of the sponsoring groups or $50 for nonmembers. Registration after Jan. 9 is $70. Registration forms and further details are available online at www.mnrc.org or from Mike Hoffmann, 573/522-4115, ext. 3307.

-Jim Low-

Turkey project takes flight in southwest Missouri

The Conservation Department has released 360 wild turkeys in Newton and McDonald counties in recent years in an effort to establish a thriving turkey population there. (Missouri Dept. of Conservation photo)

Intensive stocking in two counties may bring the echo of gobblers' lusty calls back to this corner of Missouri.

NEOSHO, Mo. -- Although the 2004 spring turkey season is still months away, folks in southwest Missouri are already talking turkey. That's because the Missouri Department of Conservation is wrapping up a two-year study that includes the largest single wild turkey stocking project in the state's history.

"For the past several years, the wild turkey populations in Newton and McDonald counties have been on the decline," said Wildlife Management Biologist Mark Hutchings. "We aren't sure why, because the habitat is there. So we decided to do a block stocking to see if we could get the numbers up to match those found in the rest of the state."

In the past, the Conservation Department typically stocked new areas by releasing 25 to 30 birds per county. In block stockings, it releases larger numbers of birds in small areas. In Newton and McDonald counties, the Conservation Department released 360 birds at 13 locations.

Conservation Department workers banded all the stocked turkeys and fitted several with radio transmitters to track their movements.

"By tracking a certain percentage of the birds, we're hoping to learn information such as clutch size and how many young birds survive," said Hutchings. "This should give us some insight about why turkeys haven't done as well in this area as in other parts of the state."

Predators, disease, poaching or a combination of all these things could be the problem. So far, however, the Conservation Department hasn't found a smoking gun.

In 2002, most of the stocked hens tried to nest at least once. The Conservation Department monitored 32 nests. Of those, 14 were successful, with 91 eggs being laid. The average clutch size was 6.5 eggs per nest. That is just over half of normal clutch size. Hutchings attributes this to the stress the birds experienced being trapped and released.

The numbers improved last spring. Twenty-two flagged nests produced 161 eggs for an average of 7.3 per nest. Even more encouraging was this year's four-week brood counts, which showed 60 poults surviving, compared to 30 last year. Turkeys that survive the first month of life are likely to reach adulthood.

Hutchings said comments from the public also indicate that the turkeys are doing well. "Reports of turkey observations in both counties have been markedly increasing. We often have calls and e-mails from county residents telling us they are seeing turkeys, hens with poults and small gobbler groups. Plus, several hunters this past spring reported hearing more gobbling than they have heard in years."

So far, the Conservation Department hasn't found any glaring problems that would explain turkeys' previous failure to thrive in Newton and McDonald counties. The original stockings might not have been large enough to get the birds well established. The block stocking might do it.

Whatever the case, the Conservation Department seems to be making progress toward the day when seeing turkeys is commonplace in Newton and McDonald counties, and the sound of gobbles echoing through this part of the Ozarks is enjoyed by more than a fortunate few.

- Warren Rose -

Muzzleloader deer harvest tops 11,000

Hunters killed 1,767 more deer with front-loading firearms this year than they did in 2002

JEFFERSON CITY - Hunters wielding guns that load from the front end bagged a record 11,131 deer in the Muzzleloader Portion of Firearms Deer Season Nov. 28 through Dec. 7. They did so without a single firearms-related accident.

Muzzleloader hunters checked 1,767 more deer this year than last year. Howell County led the state with 301 deer killed with muzzleloaders. Franklin County was second with 243, and Texas County came in close behind with 242.

Top regional harvests came from central Missouri (1,996), the Ozarks (1,838) and northeast Missouri (1,425). Other regional totals were: southwest, 1,408; northwest, 1,244; southeast, 1,086; Kansas City, 1,058; and St. Louis, 988.

The 10-day Muzzleloader Portion is the second-longest segment of Missouri's 34-day firearms deer season. However, the number of deer killed with muzzleloaders never equals even one-tenth the numbers taken during the 11-day November portion, when hunters have their choice of modern guns or muzzleloaders. This year's November deer kill topped 207,000.

The basic characteristics of muzzleloaders haven't changed in 200 years. Modern gun hunters use factory-made cartridges that combine bullet, powder and primer in one compact, convenient package. Muzzleloader hunters must pour powder down the barrels of their weapons, ram a bullet down on top of the powder and then put a percussion cap on the firing mechanism or place a small charge of fine black powder into the flash pan in the case of flintlocks.

These days, fans of traditional muzzleloaders like those used by explorers and pioneers are a minority. Most hunters opt for guns that look and handle like modern firearms. Advances in bullets, propellants and primers make newfangled muzzleloaders perform more like modern rifles. However, all muzzleloader hunters, whether they wield traditional flintlocks with iron sights or modern versions with chrome barrels and telescopic sights, get only one shot before they have to reload.

Surprisingly, technological disadvantages don't limit muzzleloader hunters' success, however. The success rate for muzzleloader hunters is about the same as that of modern firearms hunters. This is partly because they get more hunting days than modern firearms hunters. Also, many of those who hunt with muzzle-loading rifles are seasoned hunters who switched to front-loaders to renew the challenge of bagging a deer.

Muzzleloader hunters make only a small contribution to the annual deer harvest because their numbers are small. Only about 3 percent of all deer firearms hunters use muzzleloaders.

- Jim Low -

Sixth-generation farmer gets along with "wild stuff"

Jim Carlson gets a lot of satisfaction and a few adrenalin rushes each year by making his CRP acreage quail-friendly. (Missouri Dept. of Conservation photo)

With careful management Conservation Reserve Program acreage can benefit quail and other wildlife.

ST. JOSEPH, Mo.-- Jim Carlson is working to recreate an accident. That accident is the coincidence of farming practices that created the heyday of the bobwhite quail.

Farmers as late as the 1960s didn't set out to raise quail. It was just an accidental benefit of the way they did business. Farms were divided into small fields of row crops, native grass pastures and fallow fields, creating a quail buffet. Wide, brushy fencerows offered places to hide from predators and escape severe weather.

All that changed as agricultural trends gradually shifted to fewer and larger farms and larger fields. More intensive tillage pushed field edges slap up against roads and woodlots. Native, warm-season grasses disappeared to make way for corn, soybeans and forage crops that were easier to maintain. The patchwork quilt of sorghum, corn, clover, alfalfa, bluestem and small tracts of forest disappeared, replaced by vast expanses of row crops and dense fields of turf grass. Along with the patchwork went the quail.

These days, having bobwhites around is no accident, so when Carlson hears the rustle of dozens of little feet in one of his fields, he knows he's getting things right.

Carlson, 43, is a sixth-generation farmer. The 1300-plus acres he farms in Gentry County include some of his father's land, some of his own and some leased acreage. Two to three hundred acres are in row crops like corn and soybeans and about an equal amount is in pasture. The remainder, the majority, is enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP).

The CRP is a federal farm bill program. It provides cash payments to farmers to take highly erodible land out of crop production and instead plant grass, trees or other erosion-reducing vegetation. He enrolled his first CRP acreage 17 years ago, shortly after the program started.

Carlson wasn't content to leave his CRP land in grasses that were marginal habitat for quail. He interseeded some of the acreage with switchgrass. In one 90-acre field, he created a mixture of lespedeza, brome and orchard grasses and annual weeds, such as ironweed. These areas aren't very impressive to look at, but quail and pheasant seem impressed.

"When I hunt that switchgrass, I can hear the sound of quail running through the open space underneath," said Carlson. "That really gets my adrenalin going. In one 15-acre switchgrass field alone, I saw 70 or 80 pheasant roosters. That got my neighbors' attention. One of them has planted switchgrass on 200 acres of his land."

Early in the CRP's history, wildlife managers had great hopes that the program would be the salvation of quail and other ground-nesting birds. It was . . . for a while. As happened on Carlson's farm, the early growth of seed-bearing plants helped quail and other wildlife that thrive in "early successional" habitat - the kind of vegetation that develops when soil is disturbed and then allowed to grow up. Leaving these areas undisturbed allowed quail to raise their broods without the hazards of periodic mowing or grazing.

As the years went by, however, the boom turned into a bust. Conservationists discovered that without occasional disturbance, CRP fields grew so thick that quail couldn't get around in them. A few years after CRP enrollment, quail were as scarce as before.

As originally written, the CRP legislation prevented landowners from grazing, haying or otherwise disturbing enrolled acreage. Realizing the effect this was having on the land's value for wildlife, Congress made adjustments to permit some active management. Now, owners of CRP land can use prescribed burning and disking to benefit wildlife. They can mow strips of grass near field edges to provide open areas for foraging next to woody cover.

Carlson uses these tools to keep his CRP acres productive. He says it doesn't take quail any time at all to move in and begin using disturbed areas. The results have been good enough that a neighbor now lets him burn parts of adjoining property.

Carlson hasn't been content to work only on CRP land, though. He also has planted food plots of corn and soybeans to benefit quail and pheasants. Dry conditions have limited the success of these plots in recent years, so Carlson is branching out with drought-tolerant sorghum plots.

He also has curtailed mowing around ditches and fencerows to provide more cover for game birds. He has noticed an increase in the number of quail coveys he finds in these areas, proving the value of such cover adjacent to CRP land.

"I kinda try to get along with the wild stuff," Carlson says of his quail-management approach. "I'm just trying to carry on what was here before me."

That's good news for quail. Even better news is the fact that the Carlson family has a seventh generation of farmers in the making. Jim's son, Jake, is studying agricultural education at Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville. He already is following his dad's example, farming a little on his own.

-Jim Low-

ATV misuse causes problems at conservation areas

All-terrain vehicles have a place in the outdoors, but careless or deliberate abuse can damage soil, water and others' outdoor fun.

JEFFERSON CITY--Missourians who think all-terrain vehicles are harmless might be surprised if they visited conservation areas where the machines have been used carelessly. Wallowed out roads, hillsides eroding to bare rock and muddy streams tell a different story.

Two years ago, conservation agents Mike Loe and Danton Letterman were patrolling Little Sac Woods Metro Forest in northern Greene County. A fresh snowfall made it easy for the pair to spot evidence of ATV abuse.

"We saw where two ATVs had driven around the locked gate in a parking lot to get onto a service road into the area," said Loe. "Sac Woods is clearly posted against ATV use. It's vulnerable to serious erosion problems. ATVs, horseback riding or even bicycle riding can start erosion that is extremely difficult to stop."

Driving along the service road, the agents found chewed-up ground where the pair of ATV riders had deliberately spun their wheels "doing doughnuts" through fields and woodlands, across wildlife food plots and up and down a pond dam. Damage to the dam was extensive.

The agents tracked down the ATV riders. When ordered to stop, the two fled in separate directions. Loe and Danton each followed one on foot. Both riders initially refused to stop, but the agents arrested both violators a short time later.

"Because it's close to Springfield, this area sees a lot of use by hikers, bird watchers, campers and hunters," said Loe. "ATV riding is totally incompatible not only with the thin soil on the area, but with other people's recreational use. These two didn't give a hoot about the land or other people."

Similar incidents take place each year on conservation areas (CAs) all over Missouri. Conservation Department workers report ATV violations at areas as diverse as Stockton Lake in Dade County and Shannon County's Sunklands CA, the site of state-designated natural areas that are among the most unique and fragile in Missouri. They say some people's attitude is that one ATV won't do much damage, and they are entitled to enjoy conservation areas in their own way.

"That's nonsense," said Wildlife Division Administrator Dave Erickson. "If your chosen way to enjoy nature destroys resources and others' enjoyment, you definitely are not entitled to do it on public land."

Erickson said ATV use that might be appropriate on private land doesn't work on public conservation areas. This is partly due to the large number of people who have access to such areas, multiplying ATV damage. He also noted that ATV use is incompatible with many other activities that take place on conservation areas.

Even one ATV traveling through sensitive areas can have devastating effects, according to Erickson. The tearing action of studded tires under the weight of the machine and its rider can kill rare plants and animals and set erosion in motion.

Another problem is that one set of tracks into an area invites others to follow. Soon a new road has been established. An example of this follow-behind phenomenon is visible at Haysler A. Poague CA in Henry County. Off-road vehicles there have left a hillside irreparably scarred by eroded gullies.

In areas where erosion doesn't occur, soil compaction can be just as serious, killing off natural plant and animal communities. Particularly damaging is riding ATVs across or in streams. Populations of smallmouth bass, trout, goggle-eye sunfish and the animals they feed on suffer when ATV tires churn up stream bottoms, muddying the water and destroying habitat. Examples of this type of damage are evident in Reynolds County, where off-road drivers once treated the clear, beautiful Black River and its tributaries as if it were their own personal mud hole. Conservation agents there issue 10 to 20 citations annually for vehicle use in streams. Violators pay fines of up to $200 plus court costs.

"Owning a vehicle that's capable of traversing rugged terrain isn't a license to do so," said Erickson, "even if ads on TV and in magazines show people doing it."

Missouri has public areas set aside especially for ATV riders. These include:
--Finger Lakes State Park in Boone County, 573/443-5315.
--St. Joe State Park, 8,238 acres in St. Francois County, 573/431-1069.
--Sutton Bluff Recreation Area in Reynolds County, 573/729-6656.
--Chadwick ATV and Motorcycle Area in Christian County, 417/683-4428.

Conservation Department personnel sometimes use ATVs for maintenance and other management activities. Such use is limited to necessary functions and is confined to the least sensitive travel paths.

-Jim Low-