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1. '96 Archery Deer Season Offers New Opportunities
2. Bowhunting Turns Golden in Missouri
3. Nature Scramblers Win Prizes and Chance to Win More
4. Environmental Education Conference Set for Lake Ozark
5. Outdoor Calendar
"By 1890, deer were gone from most of (Missouri's) northern and western counties. By 1910, they remained in only one or two counties north of the Missouri River, in the Mississippi Lowlands, the Ozarks and a few Northern and Eastern Ozark Border counties. The low point probably occurred around 1925, when the Game and Fish Department reported only 395 deer in 23 counties." -- Dean A. Murphy, Conservation Contrasts, Chapter 10
1. '96 Archery Deer Season Offers New Opportunities
Besides the regular limit of two deer of either sex, archers will be able to take as many as five additional antlerless deer in two new urban deer-management units.
JEFFERSON CITY -- Although the 50th anniversary of archery deer hunting in Missouri wasn't a deciding factor in writing this year's regulations, bowhunters will find plenty to rejoice about in details of the archery hunting season Oct. 1-Nov. 15 and Nov. 27-Jan. 15.
Missouri held its first archery deer hunting season in modern times in 1946. Only one county was open to hunting during the three-day season, Oct. 24-26, and only 73 hunters bought permits. The results were less than encouraging. Not a single archer bagged a deer that year.
In contrast, archers harvested 20,077 deer in Missouri last year. That is due, in part, to the rapid growth of Missouri's deer herd over the past five decades. While numbers of white-tailed deer were estimated in the hundreds in 1946, today's number runs in the hundreds of thousands. Missouri Department of Conservation Research Biologist Lonnie Hansen estimates the number at roughly 800,000 statewide.
Hansen says he expects a modest increase in Missouri's archery deer kill this year due to increased hunting opportunities, but he says it is hard to predict how many archers will take advantage of those opportunities.
This year looks even better, according to Hansen. "Our deer herd is doing quite well in most of the state," he says. "We still have areas where deer numbers can increase, but most areas, particularly those in north Missouri, are at population levels which allow additional harvest."
This year's bowhunting regulations are designed to do just that. The MDC is offering liberal harvest opportunities in two new deer management units. Unit 58 comprises Jackson County and parts of Cass, Clay and Platte counties in the Kansas City area. Unit 59 includes St. Louis County and the City of St. Louis.
Hunters who purchase archery deer and turkey hunting permits will be able to buy up to five additional permits for $5 each to hunt in these units. That means they will be able to harvest five deer (but not additional turkeys) in the new units. This is in addition to the normal limit of two deer that can be taken on the first archery deer permit, making a possible season total of seven deer. The only restrictions are that deer taken with the $5 permits in Units 58 and 59 must be antlerless, and they must be taken to check stations in the unit where they are taken.
Urban archery permits are available at the MDC Central office in Jefferson City, at the MDC metro offices in St. Louis and Kansas City, at August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area near St. Charles, at Burr Oak Woods Conservation Nature Center in Blue Springs or at James A. Reed Memorial Wildlife Area, Lee's Summit. The MDC also will allow archers to buy permits for use in Units 58 and 59 by writing to: Missouri Department of Conservation, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180 or by calling (800) 392-4115 and charging the cost to credit cards. The permits will be non-replaceable and non-refundable.
Another change in this year's archery deer hunting regulations requires archery deer and turkey hunters to wear hunter-orange Jan. 4 and 5 while hunting in Units 1 through 17, 22, 58 and 59. Firearms deer hunters will be allowed to hunt in those units on those two days, so wearing hunter orange is required for safety.
Another regulation change concerns the species of deer that may legally be taken. This year, only white-tailed and mule deer are legal game in Missouri. Other deer species, such as moose and elk, are seen in Missouri only rarely. However, moose occasionally wander into Missouri from more northerly states, and elk introduced into the rugged terrain of north-central Arkansas could conceivably cross into southern Missouri. Furthermore, these and other deer species not native to Missouri sometimes escape from captivity.
Finally, all deer hunters need to familiarize themselves with new tagging procedures that go into effect this year with the point-of-sale permit system. Transportation tags no longer will be issued as a detachable part of hunting permits. Instead, tags will be provided by vendors when permits are sold. Upon killing a deer or turkey, a hunter must notch the appropriate portion of his or her hunting permit and fill in the date and time of the kill on the permit. Then the hunter must record the date of the kill on the separate transportation tag and attach it to the animal in the usual manner. A detailed explanation of this procedure, complete with illustrations, is provided in the 1996 Fall Deer and Turkey Hunting Information pamphlet, also available wherever deer-hunting permits are sold.
Hansen advises archers to pick up the fall deer and turkey regulation pamphlet early and study it thoroughly. He also encourages deer hunters to purchase their deer permits early to avoid long lines just before the season opens.
2. Bowhunting Turns Golden in Missouri
The meteoric growth of the most challenging form of deer hunting has brought a wealth of recreational and economic benefits to Missouri and the nation.
JEFFERSON CITY -- The familiar phrase "by leaps and bounds" works on several levels when applied to the history of white-tailed deer in recent times. Anyone who has surprised a group of whitetails at close range knows how well it describes their leaping, bounding departure. It also describes accurately the growth of whitetail numbers since professional, science-based deer management -- supported by popular opinion -- began in the 1930s. And it is an equally apt description of the growth of modern archery deer hunting, which began 50 years ago in Missouri.
When the Missouri Conservation Commission approved the state's first archery deer season in modern times in 1946, only a handful of hunters bought permits to participate. Archery was not a popular hobby at the time, so few people had the necessary equipment. Besides, deer had been so scarce for decades that few Missouri hunters were interested in ways to make their sport more challenging. Just seeing a deer was a significant enough event to attract the attention of news media at the time.
But the romance of hunting big game Indian-style drew a few enthusiasts, and the Missouri Department of Conservation couldn't see the harm in letting them try it. In fact, it had no effect on the deer population, as none of the 73 permit holders managed to bag a deer during that year's bowhunting season Oct. 24-26 in Crawford County. Nor did they make any inroads on deer numbers in 1947, 1948 or 1949, in spite of the fact that the season was lengthened to five, then six days. It wasn't until 1950 that one of Missouri's intrepid archers managed to down a whitetail.
In 1951, bowhunting regulations were liberalized to allow shooting deer of either sex, but hunters again failed to bag a single deer with bow and arrow. In 1952, five counties were open to archery deer hunting. In spite of the increasingly permissive regulations, only two archers bagged deer that year. In 1953 the MDC allowed archery deer hunting in 41 counties, and archers took five deer.
After this cautious start, the MDC in 1954 extended the season to a full month, Oct. 1-31, in 44 counties. That's when the leaps and bounds began. A thousand hunters equipped themselves and bought hunting permits. They bagged 22 deer.
By 1960 archery deer season ran for 76 days in 104 of the state's 114 counties, and the statewide archery deer harvest reached 263. In 1965 archers had free run of the entire state. Ten thousand of them bought tags, and they bagged 371 deer. Five years later 16,950 archery permit holders killed 828 deer, and in 1972 the archery harvest topped 1,000 for the first time.
Five years after that, it bounded over the 2,000-mark, hitting 2,199. By 1988, the archery deer kill was 10,183, with 81,213 Missourians buying archery deer permits. Last year 96,579 Missouri residents bagged a record 20,077 whitetails with bow and arrow.
That figures out to a hunter success rate of 21 percent in 1995. Compare that to success rates of 9 percent in 1985, 3.4 percent in 1975, 2 percent in 1959 and zero percent in 1949, and you begin to see how rapidly archers' prospects improved.
Nor has Missouri been exceptional in the growth of archery deer hunting. Statistics compiled by the Archery Manufacturers and Merchants Organization (AMMO) show that from 1970 to 1995, the number of archery hunting permits nationwide grew from 1.25 million to more than 2.9 million.
Data from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service show that the average bowhunter is a man in his late 30s or early 40s, with a high-school diploma and some college education. He is married, works full time and earns $40,678 per year, slightly more than the median income in the United States. The AMMO calculates archers' annual contribution to United States' economy at $9.8 billion.
AMMO surveys show that the average archer spends $955 annually on equipment, such as bows, arrows and clothing and food, gasoline and lodging during hunting trips. Special hunter-supported federal excise taxes on archery equipment pump $20 million into the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Fund. This money helps pay for wildlife research and habitat work.
Archers' activities contribute to more than just the state's economy and conservation. In recent years, archers led by the Columbia Area Archers and the Missouri Bow Hunters Association have pioneered the Share the Harvest program to help fight hunger in Missouri. Through the program, hunters work with cooperating meat packers to donate venison to help feed the needy. Local charities and food pantries distribute the food. Last year Missouri hunters donated an estimated 8,000 pounds of venison through Share the Harvest, and organizers hope to bring in at least 12,000 pounds this year.
What accounts for the phenomenal growth of archery deer hunting? Lonnie Hansen, who oversees the MDC's deer management, says it's a combination of factors.
"As deer populations have increased, firearms hunters have gotten more used to taking deer," says Hansen. "Taking deer has become easier, and many hunters have begun looking for more challenging ways to hunt. Archery certainly is more challenging."
Hansen says archery hunting also provides practically unlimited opportunity for quality recreation. "For avid deer hunters, 11 days in the woods -- 13 days in some areas this year -- just isn't enough," he says. "October is a wonderful time to be in the woods, and archers have over three months to enjoy their hunting experience."
3. Nature Scramblers Win Prizes and a Chance to Win More
Dedicated nature lovers are getting rewards for visiting conservation areas. They're also qualifying for drawings that could net them some pretty exciting prizes.
JEFFERSON CITY --Several Missourians have found that there are many rewards for enjoying Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) lands. In addition to great outdoor fun, residents from across the state have received prizes for visiting conservation areas that are part of MDC's Nature Scramble game.
Nature Scramble combines the fun of a scavenger hunt and word puzzle into one game. Participants use the Nature Scramble guide booklet to direct them to three department areas in each of four regions of the state. At each site the game participants unscramble the letters of a word puzzle posted on the area. The puzzles reveal hidden slogans for the regions. Players record the slogans in their booklet and become winners.
A lapel pin is awarded for completing the slogan for each individual region. Completing two regions qualifies game participants to receive a copy of "Missouri's Conservation Atlas," a guide to all MDC areas and two Nature Scramble insulated cups. A Nature Scramble six-pack cooler is the prize for completing the slogans for all the areas in three regions. All who correctly complete the slogans for all four regions by May 1, 1997 qualify for a grand prize -- a tote bag full of conservation gifts. These include their choice of any five MDC videos, the "Habitactics" CD-ROM game for kids, the "Missouri Nature Viewing Guide" and special Nature Scramble items. Grand prize winners also will be eligible for a drawing to win a tent, gazebo, camera or binoculars.
Twenty-seven Missouri individuals or families have qualified as grand prize winners in the Nature Scramble game. And several folks from outside the state joined in on the fun of Nature Scramble. Game participants from Kansas, Texas and Ohio have qualified as grand prize winners.
There is still time for others to participate in the challenge and excitement of Nature Scramble and be rewarded for their effort. All you have to do is pick up a Nature Scramble game booklet and complete it by May 1, 1997. Booklets are available at MDC regional service centers, the Burr Oak Woods Conservation Nature Center (CNC), Runge CNC in Jefferson City, Powder Valley CNC in Kirkwood and the Springfield CNC. To receive your free booklet by mail write to: Nature Scramble, Missouri Department of Conservation, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180.
4. Environmental Education Conference Set for Lake Ozark
From Oct. 4-6, teachers, naturalists and youth-group leaders will take the first step toward making environmental education part of every Missouri school's curriculum.
LAKE OZARK, Mo. -- Environmental educators will be the ones taking lessons next month when they gather at the Lake of the Ozarks for the Conference on Environmental Education. The goal of the conference, set for October 4-6 at The Lodge of the Four Seasons, is to connect educators, environmental information and other resources that are available to help them in their jobs. "The conference is geared toward people who teach others about the environment," says Ginny Wallace, Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) environmental education officer. "We are fortunate to have many organizations and agencies that offer resources, but many educators are unaware of what's out there or don't know who to call to get it. One of the things we want to do at this conference is build a network that connects people with the resources they can use to teach about the environment." The Missouri Environmental Education Association is the network being established to keep track of resources throughout the state and to provide educators with the means for tapping into those resources. The association's organizational meeting is set for 4 p.m. Oct. 5. Wallace encourages all who are interested in supporting environmental education in Missouri to attend the meeting.
Hands-on workshops addressing a wide range of environmental topics will be held throughout the weekend conference. Topics range from energy efficiency in schools to water quality to using children's books to teach awareness, to the state's new Show-Me Standards, to grant writing. Another goal is to connect educators with each other. Conference participants plan to establish a Missouri environmental education association to accomplish this goal. The association's organizational meeting is set for 4 p.m. Oct. 5 at the conference. Wallace encourages all who are interested in supporting environmental education in Missouri to attend the meeting, even if they cannot participate in the entire conference.
A coalition of state and private agencies that include MDC, the Missouri Departments of Agriculture, Elementary and Secondary Education and Natural Resources, the Conservation Federation of Missouri and Union Electric are sponsoring the Conference on Environmental Education. Missouri Lieutenant Governor Roger Wilson has been invited to attend. Wallace estimates an attendance of about 500 people.
Several nationally known educators will lead sessions at the conference. One of the nation's leaders in the field of global environmental change, Stanford University Biological Sciences Professor Dr. Stephen Schneider, will discuss how to think globally and act locally. Dr. Rosalyn McKeown-Ice, Director of the Center for Geography and Environmental Education at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, will lead a discussion on increasing environmental literacy. And the New Hope Productions CenterStage Children's Theatre will present its award-winning musical fable "To Save the Planet," which teaches about the environment and what we can do to help it. The 32 member cast also will conduct a workshop on how youth can be more involved in efforts to preserve and improve the environment.
Ginny Wallace says she's confident that the conference can help strengthen Missouri's environmental education efforts. "The ultimate goal for all of this is to help educators provide children with the tools they will need as adults for making difficult decisions we need to be making in order to balance growth and development with our quality of life. I want the children to get a good foundation so they will to be able to look at all sides in an issue and make intelligent decisions that will benefit them," says Wallace.
Registration for the conference has closed. However, a limited number of on-site registrations will be taken on a first-come, first served basis. The on-site registration fee is $150. For more information on the Conference on Environmental Education contact Susan Bourk at the University of Missouri Conference Office (573) 882-8320.
HUNTING
Bag Limit
Opens Closes (Daily-Possession)
Bullfrogs 6/30/96 10/31/96 8-16 (See Wildlife Code)
Common Snipe*+ 9/ 1/96 12/16/96 8-16
Coyotes 5/ 6/96 3/31/97 Some restrictions during
deer season. (See Wildlife Code)
Crows 11/ 1/96 3/ 3/97 No Limit
Deer/Turkey (Archery) 10/ 1/96 11/15/96 See Regulations, available mid-July
11/27/96 1/15/97 See Regulations, available mid-July
Deer (Firearms) 11/16/96 11/26/96 See Regulations, available mid-July
Deer (Muzzleloader) 11/16/96 11/26/96 See Regulations, available mid-July
12/ 7/96 12/15/96 See Regulations, available mid-July
Deer 1/ 4/97 1/ 5/97 Open only to hunters with unfilled
(Firearms & Muzzleloader Any-Deer Bonus Deer Tags for
in units 1-17, 22, 58 & 59) open units. See Regulations
Dove*+# 9/ 1/96 10/30/96 15-30
Ducks and Coots*
North Zone 10/26/96 12/14/96 Five ducks daily with no more
Middle Zone 11/ 2/96 12/21/96 than 4 mallards (no more than 1 female),
South Zone 11/23/96 1/11/97 2 wood ducks, 2 redheads, 1 pintail,
Youth-only Duck Hunting Dates 1 black duck, 1 hooded merganser or
North Zone 10/19/96 10/19/96 1 canvasback. Daily bag for coots is
Middle Zone 10/26/96 10/26/96 15. Possession limits are twice the
South Zone 11/16/96 11/16/96 daily limit.
Furbearers 11/20/96 1/20/97 No Limit
Geese and Brant
Blue, Snow and Ross' Geese*+# Daily bag limits include no more than
North and Swan 10 blue, snow or Ross' geese; 2
Lake Zones 10/26/96 1/19/97 Canada geese; 2 brant; and 2 white-
2/17/97 3/9/97 fronted geese. Possession limits for
Middle and Schell-Osage Canada geese, brant and white-fronted
Zones: 11/ 2/96 11/ 7/96 geese are twice the daily limit. For
11/29/96 3/ 9/97 blue, snow and Ross' geese, the
South Zone 11/23/96 3/ 9/97 aggregate possession limit is three the
White-fronted Geese and Brant daily limit.
North Zone 9/28/96 10/ 6/96
10/26/96 11/ 3/96
11/29/96 1/19/97
Swan Lake Zone 10/26/96 11/ 3/96
11/29/96 1/19/97
Middle and Schell-Osage
Zones 11/ 2/96 11/ 7/96
11/29/96 1/31/97
South Zone 11/23/96 1/31/97
Canada Geese
North Zone 9/28/96 10/ 6/96
10/26/96 11/3/96
11/29/96 1/19/97
Swan Lake Zone 10/26/96 11/ 3/96 (Unless a quota of 5,000 geese is
11/29/96 12/29/96 reached before Dec. 29; a daily limit
of 10 shot shells.)
Middle Zone 11/ 2/96 11/ 7/96
11/29/96 1/31/97
Schell-Osage Zone 11/29/96 1/ 7/97
South Zone 11/23/96 1/31/97
Groundhogs 5/ 6/96 12/15/96 No Limit
Pheasants &
Gray Partridge 11/1/96 1/15/97 (See Wildlife Code)
Quail 11/1/96 1/15/97 8-16
Rabbits 10/1/96 2/15/97 6-12
(may include only
2-4 swamp rabbits)
Ruffed Grouse 10/15/96 1/15/97 (See Wildlife Code)
Sora and Virginia Rails*+ 9/ 1/96 11/ 9/96 25-25
Squirrels 5/25/96 1/15/97 (See Wildlife Code)
Teal*+ 9/ 7/96 9/15/96 4-8
Turkey 4/21/97 5/ 4/97 1 bearded bird per week
Turkey (Fall Firearms) 10/14/96 10/27/96 (See Wildlife Code)
Woodcock*+ 10/15/96 12/18/96 5-10
FISHING
Trout Parks 3/ 1/96 10/31/96 5-10
Trout Parks 11/8/96 2/ 8/97 Catch & release Fri., Sat.,
(Winter Tag Required) Sun. 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Trout Management Areas Open All No Closed 5-10 (See Wildlife Code)
(Trout Permit Required) Year Season
Trout (Trophy and Wild) Open All No Closed 3-3 (See Wildlife Code)
Trout Management Areas) Year Season
(Trout Permit Required)
Black Bass
(streams, specified zone) 5/25/96 2/28/97 6-12 (See Wildlife Code)
(impoundments) Open All No Closed (See Wildlife Code)
Year Season
Bullfrogs 6/30/96 10/31/96 8-16 (See Wildlife Code)
Paddlefish 3/15/97 4/30/97 2-4 (See Wildlife Code)
(See Wildlife Code for creel limits on other species.)
TRAPPING
Beaver 11/20/96 3/31/97 No Limit (See Wildlife Code)
Coyotes 11/20/96 2/15/97 No Limit (See Wildlife Code)
Furbearers 11/20/96 1/20/97 No Limit (See Wildlife Code)
___________
*Hunters of migratory birds are required to have a migratory bird
hunting permit in addition to other appropriate permits (See Wildlife Code).
+Subject to final federal approval
#Complete waterfowl details will be found in the Migratory Bird Hunting Digest,
to be available from permit vendors and MDC offices in early October.
CONSERVATION COMMISSION MEETING
September 20, Hiatt Regency, Kansas City, Mo.
(For additional information contact the Department Director.)
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