April 2005
"Water wolves" thrive at Pomme de Terre Lake
Friday, April 29, 2005
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| Although muskellunge are not native to Missouri, Pomme de Terre Lake in southwest Missouri offers above-average fishing for the toothy predator. The Missouri Department of Conservation is working to make Show-Me State muskie fishing even better. (Missouri Dept. of Conservation photo) |
HERMITAGE Mo.--Lurking in the waters of Pomme de Terre Lake is a fish story that keeps getting better. It's the story of the muskellunge - a sportfish that has been in Missouri for four decades and has much older roots in the country's northern waters.
Better known as the muskie, this large, toothy fish has long been a revered catch among those who ply the lakes of the northern United States and Canada. One of the species' nicknames--"the fish of 10,000 casts"--indicates that it's also one of North America's most challenging catches.
Pomme de Terre was the first Missouri reservoir where muskellunge were introduced and, according to recent data, it's still one of the best places to catch them. In April, Missouri Department of Conservation fisheries biologists sampling the 7,820-acre reservoir in Hickory and Polk counties recorded the highest muskie catch rate ever for any Missouri lake--an average of almost 15 muskies per net for each day of sampling.
Granted, recording the highest-ever muskie catch rate for a Missouri lake is a somewhat limited accomplishment: There are only five reservoirs in Missouri that have muskie populations. Another number gleaned from this spring's Pomme de Terre sampling is, perhaps, a better indicator of the quality of the lake's muskie population.
Muskie biologists across North America use a fish condition evaluation equation to grade fish. Male muskies are used in this rating system, since the weights of spawning females in the spring vary greatly. A fish with a value of 100 is considered average. The males sampled at Pomme de Terre had an overall rating of 102.6. This above-average rating is a good indicator that muskies are thriving at Pomme de Terre.
Yet another indicator of Pomme de Terre's quality muskies is that on May 20, the lake will host a Muskie Tournament Trail event. This event, which will have at least 200 boats entered, is the national organization's first event in Missouri. This confirms what a growing number of anglers in Missouri and elsewhere already know: Pomme de Terre is a great place to fish for muskies.
"The popularity and pursuit of any hunting or fishing species seems to depend upon the amount of opportunity that the species offers," said Dale Cornelius, the Missouri Department of Conservation fisheries management biologist who oversees the fishery at Pomme de Terre. "There definitely are opportunities at Pomme de Terre. I believe that muskie fishing enthusiasm in Missouri is increasing and that is partly due to the efforts and promotions of the Pomme de Terre Chapter of Muskies, Inc."
More than 150 anglers belong to the local Muskies, Inc., chapter. It is one of the largest in the country.
Of course, part of the credit for the muskie's popularity goes to the fish, itself. Esox masquinongy is not native to Missouri. However, the species tolerates a wide enough range of water temperatures to survive in several Show-Me State lakes.
Muskies are solitary fish. They spend much of their time lying concealed in cover, waiting for prey, a habit that has earned them another nickname--"water wolf."
Their reputation as efficient predators has given muskies a black eye with some anglers, who claim the large predators hurt populations of other sportfish. Research has shown this reputation to be largely undeserved. While there's no denying a muskie will snatch an unwary bass or crappie, muskies have also proven to help control populations of gizzard shad, carp, drum, suckers and other large species that have few natural predators and receive virtually no angling pressure. Muskies are selective hunters that seem to have a preference for these large non-game fish because they have high oil content. Studies have shown that, in lakes where muskies are stocked, they have little - if any - effect on largemouth bass, crappie and white bass populations, because those species are not preferred prey.
The popularity of muskies led the first stocking of the fish at Pomme de Terre in 1966. The lake was chosen because it had: --an abundance of non-game fish (shad, carp, etc.) --good, clear water quality with plenty of deep water for summer refuge from warm water --excellent habitat in the form of submerged timber, rocky shorelines and shallow areas --abundant aquatic vegetation --a drop-box overflow structure that would reduce escape of muskies from the lake during high water.
The successful Pomme de Terre muskie experiment led to other stockings at select sites around the state. Muskies are found in Fellows Lake in Greene County near Springfield, Hazel Creek Lake in Adair County near Kirksville, Henry Sever Lake in Knox County near Newark and August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area's Lake 35 in St. Charles County near Weldon Spring.
There are no documented instances of muskies successfully spawning in Missouri waters. Currently, Lost Valley Hatchery near Warsaw is Missouri's primary muskie production facility. Each spring, fisheries workers net a few egg-laden females at Pomme de Terre and Fellows lakes. They remove eggs from these fish and raise them in the hatchery. They return the adults to the wild.
Each fall, the Conservation Department releases several thousand 12- to 13-inch muskies at sites across the state.
A research project underway at Pomme de Terre Lake is evaluating the growth and survival rates of a Kentucky strain of muskie against fish reared in Missouri. Biologists want to learn which strain has the best growth potential here.
The Conservation Department also is trying to gather muskie information through its Show-Me Muskie Project. Department biologists want to know how many hours anglers spend fishing for muskies, how many muskies they catch and whether they keep or release them. This information is essential to the ongoing evaluation of the Department's muskie management.
More information about the this project is available from Fisheries Management Biologist Mark Boone, 2302 County Park Drive, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701. Muskie information is available at www.missouriconservation.org.
-Francis Skalicky-
First week's turkey harvest down as predicted
Friday, April 29, 2005
The 10.5 percent decrease during the first seven days of the three-week season was expected. It reflects the stabilization of turkey numbers statewide.
JEFFERSON CITY-Missouri turkey hunters bagged 3,032 fewer turkeys during the first week of the spring hunting season, confirming predictions from the Missouri Department of Conservation.
Missouri hunters brought 18,916 turkeys to check stations and checked another 7,070 by telephone and Internet for a total of 25,986 turkeys during the first seven days of the three-week season. That is 10.5 percent short of last year's record harvest of 29,018.
Resource Scientist Jeff Beringer, who oversees the state's turkey management program, predicted the dip in turkey harvest prior to the April 18 season opener. He says the smaller first-week harvest is not a sign of problems with the state's turkey population.
"Ever since we began turkey restoration work in 1954 we have seen steady growth in our turkey flock and a steady increase in the spring harvest. In recent years, there have been signs that the growth was leveling off."
For one thing, the ratio of young birds compared to hens seen with hens each summer has declined. Also, reproduction has been down the past two years. That has been partly because of weather during the nesting season, but also partly because the size of the flock is stabilizing.
Beringer said another factor contributing to the harvest dip is weather during the first week of hunting. Conditions were good for the first five days of hunting, but the last two days of the first week, Saturday and Sunday, April 23 and 24, were unseasonably cold, with hard frosts in many areas. Rain and winds gusting to 60 mph further hampered hunters' efforts.
"All in all, this is a very respectable number," said Beringer. "Hunters could make up a little of this loss during the remaining two weeks if the weather is good. It is important to remember that 26,000 turkeys is about what we harvested for the entire season just 20 years ago. Our turkey flock remains very strong."
Counties leading harvest totals were Franklin, with 551 turkeys checked, Texas, with 517, and Laclede and St. Clair counties, which tied for third with 446 each.
Regional harvest totals were: Northeast, 3,922; Central, 3,891; Northwest, 3,643; Kansas City, 3,553; Southwest, 3,287; Ozark, 3,207; Southeast, 2,413; and St. Louis, 2,070.
One-year-old turkeys, also called "jakes," made up 23.4 percent of the first-week harvest, compared to 18.7 percent last year. Beringer noted that this is consistent with the fact that jakes made up a smaller-than-usual percentage of turkeys killed last spring.
"Fewer jakes one year means fewer two-year-old gobblers the following year. The reduced reproduction two years ago is showing up in our harvest numbers."
The Conservation Department recorded five people injured in four firearms-related turkey hunting accidents during the first week of the season. None was fatal. Five people were injured and one was killed during the same period last year.
-Jim Low-
Information packet a goldmine for Missourians with small acreage
Friday, April 22, 2005
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| Gail and Bill Seibel, left and center, recently took a walking tour of their 40-acre Cedar County farm with Private Land Conservationist Stan Sechler. The Conservation Department is giving the recently retired couple advice and help in enhancing wildlife on their land.(Missouri Dept. of Conservation photo) |
STOCKTON, Mo.--If thrills were dollar bills, Gail and Bill Seibel would be multimillionaires. There was no mistaking the excitement in their voices on a recent morning walk around 40 acres in rural Cedar County where the couple built their retirement home.
A little less than half their acreage is forested. The rest consists of old fields that have been allowed to grow up. Some of these fields are growing up in shrubby plants. Others, neglected for 20 years or more, are thickets of pole-sized hickory, locust and oak trees.
"My gosh, look at the dew on all the spider webs," exclaimed Gail.
Bill, who was pushing a wheelbarrow full of lespedeza seed, viewed things with a more practical eye.
"Have you ever seen sumac like this? It's practically a forest. I want to take out some of this and put in wildlife food plots."
Just then a bobwhite quail, one of the main beneficiaries of Bill's theoretical food plots, called in the distance. "Did you hear that?" Bill exclaimed. "They are here. They just need a little help."
Walks like this one are a payoff for the Seibels. Gail is a retired teacher who has been active in the Conservation Federation of Missouri and served a term on the National Wildlife Federation's board of directors. Bill just retired from a dual career as a outdoor skills specialist for the Missouri Department of Conservation and the host of a weekly radio show on KMOX in St. Louis. After decades of teaching others about nature, they are getting to "walk the walk."
"I keep saying, 'pinch me, pinch me,'" said Gail. "I still can't quite believe this belongs to us . . . for awhile."
Stan Sechler, a private land conservationist for the Conservation Department, accompanied the Seibels on their morning tour. Walking the 40 acres together gave the Seibels a chance to ask questions about how to make their dreams realities. Bill hopes to increase the number of quail on their land.
"I would like to have some upland game. There is one little covey on this place. I'd like to see a couple of little coveys or maybe even a couple of big ones. I would enjoy hunting them, but the big thing is to hear them and know they are around. You don't hear that 'bob-white!" call as much as you used to."
Gail is interested in rabbits. "We do some rabbit hunting, and I would love to have a little beagle. We are blessed with a lot of bluebirds here, and I'd like to make it more comfortable for them, too."
They already are working side-by-side on their dreams. Bill uses a chainsaw to thin overcrowded trees, and Gail motors around on her "Bob Villa," a 21 hp riding mower that is perfect for clearing small saplings from old fields. They use the remains of trees to build brush piles where wildlife can escape predators and harsh weather.
According to Sechler, the Seibels' land historically was savanna. A little more than half the area was covered by trees. The remainder was carpeted with native grasses, wildflowers and other annual and perennial plants. He said their 40 acres is plenty to manage intensively for quail, songbirds and other wildlife that thrive in a mixture of forest and open ground.
"Two or even three coveys is not out of the question here," he said, "and whatever you do for quail is going to benefit rabbits and a whole bunch of other animals that have similar habitat needs."
At the far end of the farm, they came to a long, narrow strip of bare soil cleared by a bulldozer to make way for a barbed-wire fence along their property line. Bill filled a hand-cranked seeder and set off down the fence row, covering the bare soil with Korean lespedeza seed. At the property corner, Gail took over.
"Might as well get started," said Bill, noting that the plants would help prevent erosion and provide high-protein food for wildlife.
Back at the house, Sechler outlined the management plan he is helping the Seibels develop. One of the first actions he suggested was converting the fescue grass that dominates most of the landscape to more wildlife-friendly cover, such as native, warm-season grasses, orchard grass, redtop, timothy and rows of shrubs 20 to 30 feet wide. Wild plum, rough-leaf dogwood, aromatic sumac and other native shrubs are available at modest cost from the Conservation Department's forest nursery.
Most of what needs to be done can be accomplished without major equipment purchases. Carefully controlled burning every four or five years will help with converting fescue to native grasses. It could be tougher to eradicate serecia lespedeza. Sechler told the Seibels that the Conservation Department has cost-share programs to help pay for herbicides to get rid of this invasive exotic plant that has little to offer wildlife.
Disking is another alternative to help make old fields productive again. "I know that's music to Bill's ears," said Gail. ""He's dying to buy a tractor." If not, Sechler said, the Conservation Department has a list of contractors who will perform wildlife-management work such as disking, burning and timber stand improvement on private land.
"The Seibel's land is typical of what new landowners find when they move to the country," said Sechler. "There is a lot of potential to have lots of different kinds of wildlife, but nothing has been done to the land in years. All the open ground has grown up, and everywhere you see rank stands of fescue too thick for quail to move in. With some time and work, this can really be a showplace."
"We have had a lot of pleasure from the outdoors in our lives," said Bill. If we can do a little bit to put back something these last few years, it will be worth the effort."
The Conservation Department has a special Country Land Care Packet that is tailor-made for new owners of rural small acreage. It contains booklets on wildlife habitat appraisal, wildlife, forest, grassland and pond management and native plants for production farmers.
Also included is contact information for private land conservationists in every region of the state. These wildlife management professionals can help landowners develop management plans tailored to their land and their personal goals.
To receive a packet, visit www.missouriconservation.org, or write to Country Land Care Packet, Missouri Department of Conservation, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180.
- Jim Low -
Evidence of mountain lions still sparse in Missouri
Friday, April 22, 2005
The Conservation Department is committed to documenting cougar sightings, but in most cases the evidence just isn't there.
JEFFERSON CITY--If you consider only the number of reported mountain lion sightings in Missouri, you might conclude that the state has a thriving population of the big cats. But when you look at investigation results, the picture that emerges is more one of overexcitement and mistaken identity.
Following the first confirmed mountain lion sightings in the early 1990s, the Missouri Department of Conservation formed a Mountain Lion Response Team (MLRT) to handle such reports as quickly and accurately as possible. Dave Hamilton, who chairs the team, says wildlife experts are always ready to look at a photograph, examine a footprint or view a video. Furthermore, all agency employees have been instructed to take every mountain lion report seriously and forward information to the MLRT for immediate action.
"Last year, we had more than 150 reports that made it into our records," said Hamilton. "That number really is only the tip of the iceberg. We only document those reports where there is enough evidence to allow us to investigate. Without anything physical--things like tracks, hair, droppings, photos or video--there's nothing to record."
Hamilton is a resource scientist who specializes in furbearing mammals. It is his job to keep tabs on reports of mountain lions, which also are known as cougars.
He says the last week of March and the first two weeks in April provide a typical cross-section of mountain lion reports.
In Chariton County, the Conservation Department received several mountain lion reports that could not be verified. They got a break when landowners found a small deer with all the classic signs of a mountain lion attack. The animal had multiple bites to the throat. Its internal organs were removed from the carcass along with a lot of hair. The carcass had been dragged from the site of the kill in a field into a hidden area in a ditch, and most of the 50-pound animal had been consumed.
"All those clues clearly said 'cat,' said Hamilton. " We examined the bite marks and found a good pair of tooth marks on the back of the skull. The distance between the canine teeth was precisely bobcat size."
He said the people who reported it were sure it was a mountain lion. "That's understandable," he said. "People just aren't used to seeing bobcats kill deer, but it happens."
Another potential mountain lion report that failed to pan out came from Washington County, where some sheep were attacked. An investigation showed the animals had many bites to the face. That, said Hamilton, is typical of an attack by dogs.
Then a Cape Girardeau County hunter reported having photos of a mountain lion on a camera used to monitor deer trails. That turned out to be a dog, too.
A Warren County resident also had "deer cam" photos, but those showed a bobcat.
A 12-year-old hunter participating in the youth turkey season in Putnam County was frightened when a large animal approached him, responding to his turkey calling. He fired a warning shot over the animal's head and it fled. A conservation agent made plaster casts of footprints where the boy said a mountain lion had stood, but those turned out to be dog tracks.
Hamilton investigated a report of a cougar sighting north of Columbia, but found only dog and coyote tracks. MLRT members are investigating three reports in the Chillicothe area. Those cases have a wealth of physical evidence, including tracks, scat and video. But so far the tracks have been identified as coming from a dog, and the video shows a house cat, a raccoon, a bobcat, an otter and a fox. The scat (fecal material) is exactly the right size for a bobcat, but Conservation Department officials are having a DNA analysis conducted just to be sure.
Hamilton noted that the Conservation Department did not have a single confirmed mountain lion sighting last year. He said that is okay. The Conservation Department isn't trying to restore mountain lions to the state.
Of the 152 mountain lion reports received in 2004, 17 were found to merit field investigations.
"Most cases don't warrant an investigation because there is no physical evidence to examine," said Hamilton. "In some cases, we don't hear about the sighting until days or weeks later. After that long, physical evidence that might have enabled us to confirm the sighting usually is gone."
Five reports that were investigated were confirmed to be other animals. As in years past, dogs accounted for most of the mistaken reports (2). A yellow Labrador retriever can look surprisingly like a mountain lion in dim light, and black Labradors sometimes are mistaken for "black panthers," although no such creature exists in North America.
A pair of turkey vultures huddled in the dim recesses of a cave fooled another mountain lion reporter. One person mistook a bobcat (Missouri's only other wild feline) for a mountain lion. The remaining case turned out to be a coyote.
Of the 12 remaining cases, MLRT team members classified six as "improbable" and six simply as "unconfirmed."
Jackson and Cole counties were hotbeds of mountain lion reports, with 15 and 10 reports, respectively. Camden and Greene counties were runners-up, with nine reported cougar sightings each. The remaining 109 reports were scattered more or less randomly around the state. Christian and Taney counties, just south of Greene County, each had seven reported mountain lion sightings last year.
"It's hard to know what to make of the distribution," said Hamilton. "To some extent, it parallels population centers, so you might infer that the more people you have in an area the more reports you will get. Sometimes it seems like there is a suggestion factor at work. Once people know that others have reported seeing a mountain lion, the more likely they are to expect to see one themselves."
On the other hand, said Hamilton, the last two confirmed mountain lion sightings came from near Fulton in 2003 and Kansas City in 2002. Both those involved road-killed cougars, but if one mountain lion could find its way into those areas, why not another?
Biological evidence from three dead mountain lions that have been recovered in Missouri in the past seven years has shed little light on the mystery that surrounds Show-Me State cougars. None showed signs of having been held in captivity. Genetic testing showed all three were related to North American cats, rather than ones from Central and South America, where most captive cats have their family roots.
"The evidence is overwhelming that we do not have a wild, self sustaining mountain lion population in Missouri," said Hamilton. "In areas where mountain lions live and reproduce--Colorado, for instance--you see evidence of their presence in the form of roadkills every year. In Missouri, we have had two roadkills in the past 100 years. Is that evidence of a self-sustaining population, or just some stray individuals wandering in from the west?"
The distribution of all the sightings in the Midwest in recent years suggests the latter. So does the case of a young male cougar that was fitted with a radio collar. Its progress was tracked nearly 700 miles east from the Black Hills of South Dakota to Oklahoma just south of Wichita, Kan.
The MLRT, with wildlife professionals from several different disciplines, is responsible for ensuring rapid, effective responses to credible mountain lion reports. Confirmed sightings in recent years prove that Missouri has had a small number of mountain lions, whether they are residents or transients.
Hamilton said the Conservation Department is committed to confirming sightings when possible and providing effective management of the animals if that becomes necessary.
The species, Felis concolor, was believed to be extirpated from Missouri in 1927, when the last known individual was killed in the state's Bootheel region. However, the Conservation Department has verified seven mountain lion sightings in recent years.
The first was in 1994, when a man shot a small adult female cougar in Carter County. There is considerable evidence that this was the same animal whose pelt turned up in Texas County four years later.
Mountain lions were videotaped in Reynolds County in 1996, in Christian County in 1997 and in Lewis County in 2000. In 1999, a rabbit hunter saw a mountain lion in Texas County, and the discovery of fresh cougar kills nearby confirmed the sighting. The sixth sighting was in 2002, when a motorist killed a young adult male cougar in Clay County. The following year a motorist killed a juvenile male cougar in Callaway County.
The increasing incidence of mountain lion sightings in Missouri parallels neighboring states' experience. Mountain lions used to be rare in South Dakota, but they have a well-established population there today. Nebraska is seeing them more often, and there have been verified sightings in Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa and Arkansas.
Hamilton said the Conservation Department isn't stocking mountain lions and isn't doing anything to encourage the species' return to Missouri. He said their resurgence probably is a result of growing cougar numbers in western states. As expanding populations fill available habitat, young animals must leave their home areas to find territories of their own. The Missouri River provides a convenient travel corridor for dispersing mountain lions, which are mostly young males.
Mountain lions are classified as endangered in Missouri, so they are protected by law. However, it is legal to kill mountain lions or other wildlife that threaten people, livestock or pets.
Cougars sometimes attack pets or livestock, but attacks on people are rare. They are shy of humans and normally stay away from areas frequented by people. Missourians who think they see mountain lions are encouraged to contact the nearest conservation agent or Conservation Department office.
-Jim Low-
Two dates set for Missouri River cleanups
Friday, April 15, 2005
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| Hundreds of volunteers will gather at sites along the Missouri River May 14 and Sept. 24 to help clean up their state's namesake river. For more information, visit www.riverrelief.org. (Missouri Dept. of Conservation photo) |
BOONVILLE, Mo.--Missourians looking for a way to connect with nature and do something good for the environment might want to look into Missouri River cleanup events planned for May and September.
Missouri River Relief has scheduled a trash cleanup for the reach of river around Easley May 14 and for the stretch around Boonville Sept. 24.
Cooper's Landing Marina, located north of Easley on Highway N in southeastern Boone County, is headquarters for the May event, which will feature a post-cleanup party with live music and food. Among the most anticipated features of these events is the announcement of winners of the "best and oddest" trash item contests.
The event will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 14. Participants should bring their own water and wear long pants, boots or tennis shoes and bring life jackets for any children that will travel by boat.
Scout troops, churches, civic clubs and other groups that plan to participate are asked to register in advance at www.riverrelief.org/cleanupsignup. Additional information is available at the same Web site. For information about bands, food and other aspects of the event, visit www.cooperslanding.net.
Franklin Island Conservation Area, located off Highway 40 and across the river from Boonville in Howard County, will be headquarters for the September event. Missouri River Relief will break new ground by concentrating on the Boonville to Rocheport reach of the river.
The cleanup will begin at 9 a.m. and continue until 3 p.m. Boats will ferry volunteers to river banks and islands to pick up trash. Other volunteers will pick up trash along nearby river banks, trails and roads.
River Relief also will organize an educational event for school children on Friday, Sept. 23 at Franklin Island Conservation Area. For more information, visit www.riverrelief.org, or call 573/443-0292.
The cleanups rely on volunteers to collect trash ranging from tin cans to major appliances. Turnout for the events often runs in the hundreds. The results are equally impressive.
"We normally collect several tons of trash in one day," said Steve Schnarr, coordinator for the May event. "The trash we collect pretty much covers a barge. We sort it out and recycle everything possible. It is a huge undertaking, but many hands make light work. Everyone involved shares the desire to take care of this great river, and we have a great time. Just being out on North America's greatest river is enough to make the time worthwhile."
Although volunteers provide the labor, river cleanups rely heavily on logistical and financial support from conservation-minded organizations. They provide boats, trash bags, work gloves and help coordinate the events.
Current river cleanup sponsors include the Missouri departments of Conservation and Natural Resources, Ameren-UE, Anheuser-Busch, American Compressed Steel, Bass Pro Shops, the City of St. Charles, the Great Rivers Greenway District, Lafarge North America, the Midwest Area River Coalition, REI Recreational Equipment, Tracker Marine, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Environmental Protection Agency.
- Jim Low -
Missouri youths bag record number of gobblers
Friday, April 15, 2005
Missouri's fifth youth spring turkey hunting season yielded a record harvest of 3,894 birds
JEFFERSON CITY-- Missourians age 15 years and under killed 3,894 turkeys during the state's two-day youth turkey hunting season April 9 and 10. The figure is 20 percent more than last year's youth harvest and 6 percent more than the previous record, set in 2003.
As in the four previous years of the youth season's history, no firearms-related turkey hunting accidents were recorded.
Franklin County led the state with 89 turkeys checked, followed by Laclede County with 81 and Osage County with 73. Regional totals were: Central, 637; Northwest, 585; Southwest, 569; Kansas City, 508; Northeast, 489; Ozark, 451; and St. Louis, 358 and Southeast, 297.
Adult gobblers made up 70 percent of the youth harvest statewide.
The season is open to Missouri residents 15 and younger. Those 11 and younger must hunt under the supervision of a hunter-education certified adult.
Past year's youth season harvest totals are: --2001 - 2,530 --2002 - 3,102 --2003 - 3,660 --2004 - 3,258
-Jim Low-
Shotgun patterning is one key to turkey hunting success
Friday, April 15, 2005
Checking the density and placement of your gun's pattern is one way to tip the odds in your favor.
JEFFERSON CITY-"I don't know how I missed him. I had him right in my sights, but when I pulled the trigger he took off like the devil was after him."
Eavesdrop on hunters' "shop talk" during spring turkey season and you will hear stories like this one often. Sometimes excitement or other factors account for missed shots. But often as not the answer to the question of how someone could have missed a gobbler is reflected in the words, "I don't know."
Most turkey hunters have great faith in the ability of their favorite turkey guns to drop gobblers at long distances. Yet, surprisingly few actually know how well their guns pattern at different distances and whether the shot pattern actually goes to the exact spot where they aim. Most turkey hunters don't spend time at the shooting range to determine exactly how their guns perform.
"Patterning" a shotgun provides information about three factors critical to turkey hunting success. 1. Which loads deliver the best killing patterns. 2. How far you can reasonably expect to shoot at a turkey and be certain of a clean kill. 3. Whether your shotgun delivers shot to the aiming point.
This last factor can be surprising. Shotguns normally are used on moving targets, and shooters develop instinctive skills to put the shot where it needs to be. But turkey hunting guns are aimed more like rifles than scatterguns. And even shotguns with double beads or sights may shoot slightly left, right, above or below the point of aim.
To find out how your shotgun performs, make several targets of paper or cardboard. They should be at least 24 inches square. Thirty-six inches is better to reveal the placement and density of the shot pattern.
Set targets up at measured distances of 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 yards, making sure they are far enough apart that they won't be hit by stray shot from other targets. Mark each target with the distance and type of ammunition being tested. Make a large, black dot in the center of each target and take careful aim at the dot when firing test shots.
After you have shot one target with each load you are testing at each distance, lay them out and compare the shot patterns. The first thing to look for is how the shot patterns are centered on the targets. If most seem to be skewed one direction from the center, you will know that you must compensate for this by adjusting your point of aim.
Next, look at the distribution of shot on each target. The pieces of shot should be close enough together to make it impossible for a turkey to avoid being hit in the skull or a neck bone by several pieces of shot. Finally, the shot should be evenly distributed to minimize "holes" in the pattern.
Believe and remember what your patterning targets tell you. Hunters like to talk about the once in a lifetime shot that killed a gobbler at 50 yards, but few shotguns produce patterns capable of consistently producing clean kills at this distance. If you find that the effective range of your shotgun is 35 yards, don't try longer shots.
SELECTING LOADS AND CHOKES
Missouri law prohibits using shot sizes larger than No. 4 for turkey hunting. No. 6 is the smallest size shot capable of penetrating turkey skulls and neck bones beyond a few yards, so the choices are No. 4, No. 5 or No. 6.
Larger shot penetrates better at longer distances, but smaller sizes deliver more pieces of shot, increasing the odds that one will strike a vital area. Calling birds in close eliminates the need for big shot and allows you to take advantage of the denser patterns provided by small shot sizes.
Hunters who use repeating shotguns can load more than one size of shot. Double-barrel shotguns have the advantage of easily selecting which shell to use. If you use a pump or semiautomatic shotgun, you can load a No. 6 shell in the chamber and No. 4s in the magazine. Switching to the larger shot for a distant bird is as easy as slipping the shell out of the chamber and sliding in shell from the magazine. However, executing this maneuver when surrounded by sharp-eyed can be tricky.
Don't get caught in the super-magnum rat race. It makes sense to use the heaviest load that your gun will fire safely, as long as the kick doesn't cause you to flinch when you pull the trigger. Flinching is a common cause of missed turkeys.
It also makes sense to use the tightest choke available in shotguns with interchangeable or adjustable chokes. But don't think that you have to buy a new shotgun just because your current scattergun has a fixed, modified cylinder choke. Good hunting skills are much more important than gear. A hunter who can call a turkey within 25 yards has a much better chance of success than one who must try to shoot a bird at 50 yards, no matter how their shotguns are choked.
A tight choke actually can be a handicap. It may encourage you to shoot at birds that are too far away. Furthermore, a super-tight choke that allows you to deck a bird at 40 yards becomes a serious disadvantage when a gobbler gets within 10 or 20 paces before you can shoot. Centering a shot pattern the size of a golf ball on the neck of a moving gobbler is much harder than hitting the same target with a basketball-sized pattern from a modified choke.
The key to killing gobblers is calling them as close as possible before pulling the trigger. Get a bird within 20 yards, and any shotgun will do the job. Fail to get the bird within 40 yards, and you run the risk of losing a wounded bird no matter how impressive your artillery.
-Jim Low-
Missouri's Outdoor Women to meet at Lake of the Ozarks
Friday, April 15, 2005
Event offers a chance to learn outdoor skills in a beautiful, comfortable setting.
CAMDENTON, Mo.--Women who have always wanted to learn how to fish, shoot, canoe, take outdoor photos and hike will have an opportunity to do just that the weekend of June 10 through 12.
The setting for the annual Missouri's Outdoor Women gathering is the Windermere Conference Center, a state-of-the-art facility on 1,300 acres at Lake of the Ozarks. Workshops will cover basic fishing, canoeing, archery, handgun shooting, shotgun shooting, rifle shooting, Dutch oven cooking and nature hiking.
The event gives women of all skill levels an opportunity to learn or hone outdoor skills from expert instructors. Registrations will be accepted until April 27 for $25. For more information, contact Regina Knauer, 417/895-6881, ext. 1068, Regina.Knauer@mdc.mo.gov or Jackie Keller, 573/522-4115, ext. 3292, Jackie.Keller@mdc.mo.gov.
For food and lodging, contact the Windermere Conference Center, 205 Volunteer Drive, Roach, MO 65787, 800-346-2215, http://www.windermereusa.org/reservations.asp.
-Jim Low-
Record turkey harvest unlikely this year
Friday, April 08, 2005
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| After nearly 50 years of growth, Missouri's wild turkey population seems to be leveling off at approximately 600,000 to 800,000 birds statewide. Evidence that Missouri is near the upper limit of its turkey population can be seen in declining numbers of young turkeys produced each spring. The Show-Me State will continue to have excellent turkey hunting, but record spring turkey harvests will be much less common in the future.(Missouri Dept. of Conservation photo) |
JEFFERSON CITY--Fifty-one years after it began, Missouri's wild turkey restoration program finally seems to be on the verge of ultimate success. That good news comes with a caveat. This may be as good as it gets.
Resource Scientist Jeff Beringer is the Missouri Department of Conservation's expert on wild turkey management. He says Show-Me State turkey hunters can expect outstanding hunting again this year and in the future. But he said it is unrealistic to expect a record spring turkey harvest, which has been the hallmark of Missouri's turkey management for 45 years.
Missouri has had record harvests 14 of the past 20 years, including last year's high-water mark of 60,744. The state's turkey flock remains robust, with an estimated 600,000 to 800,000 birds.
Then why shouldn't hunters hope to bag a record number of gobblers again? Beringer bases his prediction on several factors.
One is the fact that hunters killed fewer one-year-old male turkeys, known as jakes, during last year's spring hunting season. This means they are likely to see fewer two-year-old gobblers this year, and that is the age group that makes up the majority of each year's turkey harvest.
Another factor that points to a smaller harvest is a reduced number of young turkeys or "poults" seen with hens the last two years. Over the past 10 years, observers have reported seeing 2.1 poults per hen. In 2004, the ratio was down to 1.6 poults per hen. That means hunters are likely to see fewer jakes this year.
The reduced poult-to-hen ratio suggests that Missouri's turkey flock is stabilizing. Beringer said the number of birds might still "ebb and flow" from year to year, but he expects it to stay somewhere near its present level.
Finally, Beringer notes that hunters enjoyed perfect hunting weather during most of last year's spring turkey season. Less favorable weather this year could contribute to a significantly smaller harvest.
"It's pretty reliable that about half the spring turkey harvest occurs in the first week of the season," said Beringer. "We have been lucky with the weather in recent years, but eventually we will see the other extreme. If it happens this year, it could limit the harvest even further."
Although Beringer doesn't expect this year's harvest to top 60,000 as it did for the first time last year, he says it probably still will be in the mid 50s.
"We have an amazing turkey resource, one that almost any other state in the nation would love to have. By national standards, there is no such thing as a bad year for turkey hunting in Missouri."
Beringer offers turkey hunters the following advice about how to adjust tactics this year. "You will have to be more patient when working gobblers, as there will be a higher proportion of older birds this year. Below-average hatches the last two years means fewer two-year-old gobblers and jakes and more mature, experienced birds. They will be a little harder to hunt."
Missouri was one of the first states to bring back the wild turkey, whose numbers were decimated nationwide by more than a century of unregulated market hunting and manmade habitat changes. In 1954, Conservation Department workers began trapping turkeys in the few places where they had survived and released them in areas with suitable habitat.
The birds responded with surprising vigor, repopulating their old haunts rapidly. One of the biggest surprises was how they thrived in the northern half of the state. Until citizens convinced the Conservation Department to try restoration in the northern tier of counties, biologists believed there was too little forest there to sustain the birds.
Hunters bagged a mere 94 birds during the first modern open season in 1960. In 1986 the spring harvest topped 30,000. It has been more than 50,000 each of the past six years.
"The problem with such an outstandingly successful program is that you start to expect a record harvest every year," said Beringer. "In the real world, that's impossible. There has to be an upper limit somewhere."
Conservation Department officials have been predicting the inevitable turkey harvest plateau for several years. In 1997, Beringer's predecessor looked at the past three years' harvest figures and predicted that the state's spring turkey harvest would stabilize in the neighborhood of 37,000. Even then, poult-to-hen ratios were declining from the 42-year average of 2.7. With that figure now dwindling almost to replacement level, the state's turkey population may, finally, be reaching equilibrium.
Exactly when and at what level Missouri's turkey harvest levels off may be debatable. What is certain is that Show-Me State hunters have it good. In the past 20 years, the hunter success rate--the number of turkeys taken divided by the number of hunters--has increased from 25 to 35 percent. Some years it has climbed as high as 39 percent.
One way Missouri tracks regional turkey populations is by asking people to report the number of young turkeys they see during June, July and August. The Conservation Department is trying to improve the reliability of this annual survey. Bowhunters who are interested in participating can send a postcard with their name and address to Jeff Beringer, 1110 S. College Ave., Columbia, MO, 65201 or e-mail him at jeff.beringer@mdc.mo.gov.
One of the best things about turkey hunting in Missouri is the wealth of public hunting areas throughout the state. To find one of the hundreds of conservation areas near you, visit www.missouriconservation.org and check out the online Conservation Atlas. For information about the more than 1.5 million-acre Mark Twain National Forest, visit www.fs.fed.us/r9/marktwain/.
- Jim Low -
Turkey season length, bag limit unchanged
Friday, April 08, 2005
Hunters will find this year's spring turkey season identical to last year's, aside from the starting and closing dates.
JEFFERSON CITY-Missouri's spring turkey season holds no surprises other than those the turkeys themselves spring on hunters. Season length, bag limits, tagging requirements and other details are the same as last year.
The season gets underway with the youth season April 9 and 10. This is the fifth year for the youth hunt. Last year more than 20,000 Missouri residents 15 and younger took part in the season and killed more than 3,000 birds.
Youth-season hunters can take one bearded bird with either a Youth Deer and Turkey Hunting Permit or a Resident Spring Turkey Hunting Permit. If hunting on their own property, they can hunt with a Resident Landowner Spring Turkey Hunting Permit. See the 2005 Spring Turkey Hunting Information booklet for details about bag limits. The booklet is available wherever hunting permits are sold.
The regular season remains three weeks long, running from April 18 through May 8. As in recent years, the bag limit is two. Only one turkey may be taken the first week of the season. Hunters who don't bag a turkey during the first week can take one turkey a day, up to the season limit of two, during the last two weeks of the season.
One change in this year's spring turkey season is that all hunters are eligible to check turkeys through the Missouri Department of Conservation's Telecheck system by calling 800/314-6828. Use of Telecheck is optional during the spring turkey season. Hunters also will be able to check turkeys at check stations, which are listed in the turkey hunting information booklet. However, this is the last time check stations will be open. Starting this fall, hunters will be required to check deer and turkey using the toll-free telephone number or via internet at www.missouriconservation.org.
This also is the first year when landowning turkey hunters will receive no-cost spring turkey hunting permits from permit vendors, rather than getting them through the mail or using a farm tag. Owners and the immediate family of those who own five or more acres can obtain their permits from any permit vendor statewide. People who lease and live on five or more acres and their immediate families also may qualify for no-cost permits.
The 2005 Spring Turkey Hunting Information booklet omitted some important information about checking procedures. Turkeys brought to check stations must be checked: --by the hunters who killed them. --in the counties where taken or in an adjoining county. --between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. Central Daylight time on the day taken.
-Jim Low-
Celebrate Kids Fishing Day at Missouri's trout parks
Friday, April 08, 2005
These events are the perfect way to discover the excitement of catching rainbow trout.
JEFFERSON CITY-Kids' Fishing Day events at Missouri's four trout parks next month offer a great opportunity for youngsters to experience the fun of trout fishing, learn skills to make them more successful and take home some conservation knowledge.
All four parks will observe Kids' Fishing Day May 14. The events are open to children 15 and younger. Adults may help young anglers, but only one pole may be used between the helper and the child. Adults are not allowed to fish by themselves.
MONTAUK STATE PARK
Children 15 and younger will have a chance to catch fish and learn about fishing from 6:3 a.m. to 8:15 p.m. at Montauk State Park (SP), east of Licking. Event sponsors are the Missouri departments of Conservation and Natural Resources, Wal-Mart and Hooked on Fishing International.
Young anglers can pick up free trout tags at the hatchery office from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. May 13 or on the day of the event. A section of the spring branch from the Civilian Conservation Corps spillway to the Sycamore Hole will be reserved for the youth anglers. Volunteers will be on hand to help. Children are encouraged to bring their own fishing equipment.
Education is also part of Kids' Fishing Day. Throughout the day, seminars will be held on topics related to trout fishing, fly tying, fly casting, and other topics. A stream table exhibit will demonstrate principles of erosion and stream conservation. Hamburgers, hotdogs, and soda will be provided from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for participating children.
New to Montauk's Kids' Fishing Day is the Show-me Missouri Fish Mobile Aquarium. The 40-foot, 3,200-gallon aquarium gives spectators a window on fishing techniques and fish native to Missouri.
Event organizers will hold drawings for door prizes throughout the day.
Volunteers are needed to help with this event. No fishing experience is needed. To volunteer call the 573/548-2585 or e-mail Tom.Whelan@mdc.mo.gov.
BENNETT SPRING STATE PARK
At Bennett Spring SP, west of Lebanon, kids can fish free from 6:30 a.m. to 8:15 p.m. May 14. Participants will receive goodie bags with conservation information.
The event at Bennett Spring SP will feature live presentations from 9:00 a.m. until 2 p.m. These will include fly tying, fly casting, fish cleaning, basic camping skills, the Nature Center Touch Tank, an exhibit from the World Bird Sanctuary, a virtual fishing simulator and much more. Lunch will be provided for children from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Participating youths also will qualify for door prize drawings held throughout the day. For more information, call 417/532-4418.
MARAMEC SPRING PARK
The Conservation Department, the Maramec Spring Trout Fishermen's Association and The James Foundation are sponsoring Kids' Fishing Day at Maramec Spring Park. Kids fish free and the park will waive the customary parking fee for cars with children 15 and younger inside.
The entire upper half of the spring branch will be reserved for youth anglers. Rainbow trout will be stocked throughout the day to help ensure fishing success. Maramec Spring Trout Fishermen's Association members and Missouri Department of Conservation staff will help kids with fishing. Youngsters must bring their own fishing poles.
The Maramec Spring Trout Fishermen's Association will hold fishing contests from 6:30 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. Trophies will go to the winners of a casting contest at 11 a.m. Free hotdogs and soft drinks will be provided while supplies last.
Prizes to be given away in drawings throughout the day include bicycles, 50 fishing rod and reels, fishing equipment, savings bonds and more.
Exhibits, contests and activities will entertain participants in the Maramec Spring event from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. in the area around the registration tent. These include making fish-print T-shirts, critter stamping, a stream table, taxidermy, photographs, aquatic bug identification and games. Fly-fishing demonstrations and classes will be held on the stream.
Kids who want to fish must pick up free fishing tags and goody bags at the Millfield Shelter next to the fishing area. Tags and goody bags will be available May 13 and 14. The first 1,500 kids to arrive will receive a special Kid's Fishing Day sports bottle.
Maramec Spring Park will open at 5:30 a.m. May 14. Fishing will begin at 6:30 a.m. and continue until 8:15 p.m. For more information, call 573/265-7801.
Maramec Spring Park, owned and operated by The James Foundation, is located on Highway 8 about six miles east of St. James, Missouri.
ROARING RIVER
Young anglers will have a chance to catch fish and learn about fishing at two Kids' Fishing Day events at Roaring River SP's Kids' Fishing Days. Events will be held 6:30 a.m. to 8:15 p.m. May 14 and 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Aug. 20 at the park south of Cassville.
Youths can pick up free trout tags and goody bags at the hatchery office any time May 13 and 14. Part of the park's fishing area will be reserved for young anglers, and volunteers will be on hand to help them. Children are encouraged to bring their own fishing equipment. Free hotdogs and soda will be available from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Participants can tour the hatchery and attend seminars on fish preparation and cooking, knife sharpening, knot tying, fly tying and casting, jig tying, how to fish Roaring River and other subjects. Hatchery tours will provide insights into raising trout. Youngsters also can take part in hands-on activities such as making their own "Hooked on Fishing at Roaring River" Tee shirts and wildlife head bands.
Those who attend two classes will receive prizes. Those who attend a fly-casting class will be entered in a drawing for a complete fly-fishing outfit. There will be prizes for the biggest fish and the biggest stringer, too.
Volunteers are needed to help with this event. Individuals wishing to volunteer do not need to be experienced anglers. If you would like to help out with Kids' Fishing Day, or for more information, call 417/847-2430.
The events at Roaring River are sponsored by the Missouri departments of Conservation and Natural Resources, the Emory Melton Inn and Conference Center, Jim Rogers, Mid-West Flies, Les Jacobs Ford, MAKO Fly Fishing Club, Wal-Mart, Able 2 Products, Luck-e-Strike, Freedom Bank, Commerce Bank, Security Bank, Tim's Fly Shop and many other local merchants.
Information about other upcoming youth fishing events is available online at http://www.mdc.mo.gov/events/kidfishdays/.
-Jim Low-
Plant nectar flowers now to attract summer hummers
Friday, April 01, 2005
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| Hummingbirds soon will make their annual appearance in Missouri. Information about the progress of their migration is available at www.hummingbirds.net/map.html (Missouri Dept. of Conservation photo) |
JEFFERSON CITY*April is a month of anticipation for nature lovers. Turkey hunters look forward to hearing the first gobble. Mushroom hunters scour the woods in search of the first morels, and anglers anticipate the arrival of hefty--and tasty--female crappie on spawning beds. For backyard bird feeders in Missouri, April brings the arrival of ruby-throated hummingbirds.
Hummingbirds are among the world's most fascinating creatures.
Consider these facts: --Hummingbirds' wings beat 75 times a second, creating the sound for which they are named. --They can fly up to 60 mph. --Their wing muscles are larger in proportion to their bodies than any other birds. --They are the only birds able to fly upside down and backwards. --In spite of weighing only about one-eighth of an ounce, some ruby-throated hummingbirds migrate nonstop across the Gulf of Mexico each spring and fall. --They live up to nine years, much longer than most animals their size.
Ruby-throated hummingbirds have shimmering emerald-green plumage on their heads and backs. Males sport dazzling scarlet throat feathers. During courtship, males perform a U-shaped flight like a roller coaster over females to attract their attention.
Males and females stay together only for mating. The female builds a walnut-sized nest of lichens, spider webs and plant fluff near the tip of a downward-sloping branch beneath a canopy of leaves. Nests usually are 15 to 20 feet above ground and often are near water.
Females incubate their two white, peanut-sized eggs without help from males. The eggs hatch about two weeks after laying, and fledglings leave the nest two to three weeks later.
Hummingbirds feed almost exclusively on nectar from flowers. However, males reach nesting areas before females and sometimes arrive before many flowers are in bloom. They sustain themselves on sap oozing from woodpecker holes.
For protein, hummingbirds eat small insects and spiders. This is particularly important to young, growing hummers.
Hummingbirds are as important to some flowers as the flowers are to them. Studies have shown that trumpet creeper, a flowering vine, depends almost exclusively on hummingbirds to carry pollen from one flower to the next, allowing the plants to produce fertile seeds.
Ruby-throated hummingbirds are intensely protective of favorite food sources. They make fierce dives to drive off interlopers, chattering and screeching in high-pitched voices all the while.
Knowing all this, it is no surprise that millions of people put out hummingbird feeders to entice the tiny birds for a closer look. The most effective way to attract hummingbirds is with a combination of nectar-producing flowers and artificial nectar feeders.
Hummers instinctively explore red, orange or yellow objects to see if they contain nectar. Once they discover a reliable food source, they add it to their daily regular feeding routes.
Any container with a splash of red will serve as a nectar dispenser. Commercially produced feeders come in a wide range of designs and prices. You can make your own out of an empty one-pint milk carton by cutting large openings in the sides about an inch above the bottom. Fill the reservoir with sugar water, tie a bit of red yarn to the top, and you are in business. You also can fill a shallow glass with nectar and float a strawberry in the middle. The red fruit will attract hummers as well as flies to supplement the birds' diet.
To make artificial nectar, add one cup of sugar to four or five cups of boiling water and stir until completely dissolved. Red food coloring is not needed as long as you have a little red on the dispenser.
Cleaning dispensers every few days gets rid of mold and bacteria that are unsightly and unhealthy for the birds. Replace nectar at least weekly or sooner if it becomes cloudy.
Nectar-producing plants include cardinal flower, jewelweed, royal catchfly, fire pink, trumpet creeper, red buckeye, columbine and wild bergamot (also known as bee balm, horse mint or Monarda). These are the most natural hummingbird foods, since they are native to Missouri.
Non-native nectar producers include mimosa trees, azalea and flowering quince bushes, snapdragon, salvia, morning glory, impatiens, begonia, petunia, nasturtium, hollyhock, gladiola and geranium.
If bees and wasps discover your nectar feeder, you can install a mesh guard, either bought at a hardware store or made of small-mesh hardware cloth. Ants also can be troublesome. They can be discouraged by coating the feeder hanger with petroleum jelly.
Don't use insecticides on or near nectar-producing flowers or artificial nectar feeders. These can find their way into nectar and insects with fatal results for hummingbirds.
Hummingbirds usually arrive in extreme southern Missouri around the second week in April. It takes them another week or two to reach the state's northern counties.
Lanny Chambers of Fenton maintains a Web site with daily updates on the spring ruby-throated hummingbird migration in the eastern United States and Canada. Visitors to www.hummingbirds.net/map.html not only learn when they can expect to see the first hummers, they get access to a wealth of information about hummingbird biology and behavior, plus feeding tips.
Missouri's first reported hummingbird sighting of 2004 came on March 28 in Farmington. This year's migration seems to be proceeding more slowly. As of March 29, the sighting nearest to Missouri was in southwestern Tennessee.
-Jim Low -
New approach to crappie fishing nets state record
Friday, April 01, 2005
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| Skipper Antley, who lives in Drexel, caught a 3-pound, 3.4-ounce black crappie Feb. 25 using an untended fishing device known as a yo-yo. The fish set a Missouri state record and might stimulate interest in yo-yos, which Antley said are very popular in his former home state of Louisiana. (Missouri Dept. of Conservation photo) |
DREXEL, Mo.--Missouri anglers who aren't acquainted with yo-yos might want to take a pointer from Skipper Antley. He used one to land a black crappie so hefty it brushed aside the former state record.
Antley landed the 3-pound, 3.4-ounce fish Feb. 25 at a private lake in southwestern Cass County, about 25 miles south of Kansas City. The previous record of 3 pounds, 1 ounce had been on the books for nearly 10 years.
The type of yo-yo Antley was using wasn't a child's toy, but a bona fide fishing device. It consists of a spring-loaded reel in a circular housing. After tying the device to a tree or other anchor, the angler pulls out enough line to reach the water, then baits the hook and leaves the yo-yo in place, returning periodically to check for fish and replace stolen bait.
The idea is similar to a bank line or limb line. However, a yo-yo has an advantage on these other methods. When a fish snaps up the bait, the yo-yo's spring-loaded reel snaps back like a window shade. The mechanical jerk sets the hook in the fish's mouth, and the spring mechanism provides enough play to prevent the hook from tearing loose.
"I moved here from Louisiana, and down there everybody uses yo-yos," said Antley. "Mostly you use them at night. It's a big-time teenage sport. You set out 50 or 60, then sit by the campfire and go out every hour or so to check them. I didn't know if they were legal in Missouri, so I never used them here before."
Earlier this year, Antley learned that yo-yos are legal in Missouri. The only difference from Louisiana is that you can't use more than 33 at a time. So Antley took his sons, Dayton, 11, and Jacob, 8, to the lake to show them how yo-yo fishing is done.
"It was a good lesson," Antley said. "They were really excited when they saw that fish."
The fish measured nearly 17 inches from nose to tail. Black crappie tend to be more thickset than white crappie, and this one had a girth of 14.5 inches.
Antley said yo-yos are useful in the winter, when crappie and other fish are not biting as aggressively as in warm weather. Leaving the bait in one place for an extended time lets fish take their time deciding to bite.
He baits his yo-yos with shiner minnows. During daylight hours, he sets the line a foot or more underwater, because fish are wary of daytime predators. At night, when fish are bolder, he suspends bait fish an inch or two below the surface. Predatory fish like crappie hear the splashing of the bait fish and come to investigate. When they suck in the bait, they are hooked.
"I'd say you hook them about nine times out of 10. You don't lose your bait without catching a fish very much. A lot of times at night you can hear the 'zing!' when a yo-yo trips."
To qualify as a state record, fish must be taken by legal methods and be species that are included on the state record fish list. If no record has been entered for a particular species and method, the first record must meet the minimum weight set for that species in the Conservation Department's Master Angler program.
Record fish must be weighed on certified scales with Conservation Department personnel present. The species must be verified by a Conservation Department fisheries biologist. Finally, a color photo of the fish is required.
A complete list of Missouri state fishing records is available online at www.missouriconservation.org. Rules and entry forms also are available online, along with details of the Master Angler program.
- Jim Low -
