Return to the All Outdoors
PageReturn to the MDC News
PageReturn to MDC
Home Page
1. Opening Weekend Deer Harvest Down from '95
2. MDC, Locker Plants Help Turn Deer Into Food
3. Expanded Eagle Days Schedule Announced for 1996-97
4. Tree Seedlings from State Forest Nurseries on Sale Now
5. Outdoor Calendar
"I have no illusions about the speed or accuracy with which an ecological conscience can become functional. It has required 19 centuries to define decent man-to-man conduct, and the process is only half done; it may take as long to evolve a code of decency for man-to-land conduct. In such matters we should not worry too much about anything except the direction in which we travel." -- Aldo Leopold, The River of the Mother of God and other essays
1. Opening Weekend Deer Harvest Down From '95
Wind and rain dampened hunters' ardor during the first two days of the Missouri's 11-day firearms deer season. But with favorable weather, 1996 could still be a banner year.
JEFFERSON CITY -- Strong, gusty winds blew hunters' chances for setting a new record for the opening weekend of the firearms deer season, but not by much. Despite poor weather conditions, the opening weekend harvest was 102,875. That's the second-highest opening weekend deer kill on record. The record was set last year when hunters bagged 110,191 deer.
Because weather can greatly affect hunting success, Missouri Department of Conservation Wildlife Biologist Jeff Beringer says it's too early to compare harvests.
"One reason we didn't kill as many deer this opening weekend was the weather," says Beringer. "Last year's opening weekend was cold, but the snowfall created the most ideal conditions for deer hunting that I've seen in several years. This year we had a lot of high winds, and typically deer are spooky with high winds and don't move around as much. I think with good weather we will see the harvest continue to build throughout the season."
Beringer says that the deer season is shaping up to be a good one. He describes a good season as one in which the harvest of anterless deer meets established goals in areas where deer populations are above established goals. MDC's objective for the firearms deer season, according to Beringer, is to stabilize or manage deer populations, not set records each season.
Another sign of a good season is no fatal accidents. Three nonfatal accidents have been reported so far. MDC Protection Programs Supervisor Bob Staton says two of the accidents could have been avoided had the hunters involved handled their firearms properly.
"Two of the three accidents were self-inflicted caused by hunters pointing their muzzles in unsafe directions," says Staton. "Most of these occur in or around a vehicle when they are loading or unloading a gun. They're either excited about going hunting, or tired after having hunted all day and let their guards down.
"You've got to think ahead and keep your muzzle pointed in a safe direction. That way if the gun fires accidentally you won*t harm anyone." Staton says the safest place to point the muzzle of your firearm is toward the ground.
Accidents during the firearms deer season have decreased dramatically in the past 20 years. This is due mostly to hunter education training, which teaches young hunters about safety. Hunter education training became mandatory in 1988. Another factor that has helped reduce accidents is the mandatory use of hunter-orange clothing. The solid hunter-orange hat and shirt, vest or coat required during the firearms deer season reduce hunters' risk of being mistaken for game or caught in another hunter's line of fire.
The top three deer-harvest counties this year were Macon, with 2,637 (up from 2,454 last year, when it also led the state); Howell with 2,061 (down from 2,104 last season when it ranked third in the state); and Boone with 2,006 (down from 2,035 last year when it ranked fifth).
Regionally, North-central Missouri led the state with 19,932 deer bagged. Next came Northeast Missouri with 19,272, Northwest Missouri with 13,896, West-central Missouri with 13,124, Ozarks with 10,279, Central Missouri with 9,392, East-central Missouri with 8,189, Southeast Missouri with 4,541 and Southwest Missouri with 4,250.
Hunters heading out to the field in the coming days would do well to concentrate on wooded areas. Jeff Beringer says deer are feeding on acorns in those areas. There are plenty of deer to pursue, and they should continue to be active throughout the season. Peak rut activity in Missouri occurs the second and third weeks of November.
The firearms deer season continues through November 26. A resident deer hunting permit costs $11. Nonresident permits cost $110. Hunters may kill one deer with a valid deer permit. They can take up to two more with valid bonus deer hunting permits. No one may take more than one deer without a bonus permit, and no one may take more than one antlered deer during the firearms or muzzleloading firearms deer seasons.
2. MDC, Locker Plants Help Turn Deer Into Food
Putting a deer on the ground is only the first step toward enjoying savory venison.
JEFFERSON CITY -- About one in three people who take part in Missouri's firearms deer season manages to bag a whitetail buck or doe. It's an exciting moment, the payoff for years of planning, learning, persistence and plain hard work. It's also the beginning of a different challenge -- turning the harvested deer into something useful.
Contemplating his or her first deer kill, a hunter begins asking questions like, "What do I do now?" and "How much meat will I get?" Help in answering these questions is available from two sources -- commercial meat processors and the Missouri Department of Conservation.
The first step is to "field dress" the animal. This simply means removing the entrails. Field dressing is important for three reasons. First, it reduces the weight of the carcass by about 20 percent, making it easier to get the deer out of the woods. Field dressing removes blood and other material that can spoil meat if left in the body cavity. Finally, field dressing speeds chilling of the carcass, which also helps preserve the quality of the meat.
How much venison is on an average deer? An average field-dressed deer carcass is about 60 percent usable cuts of meat and about 40 percent head, hooves and hide. The smaller the deer, the smaller the percentage of meat. The average deer taken by a Missouri hunter weighs about 110 pounds field dressed (live weight about 145 pounds). Deer this size yield 60 to 70 pounds of meat. A really big deer -- one that weighs 200 pounds alive and field dresses at 160 pounds -- may yield nearly 75 percent of its weight to the table -- about 120 pounds of venison.
It takes more than a sharp knife to turn a deer carcass into first-rate table fare. That's what keeps meat packing companies like Tune's Locker Plant in Centralia in business. Owner Tim Schwennesen says hunters bring their deer to professional meat cutters for several reasons. Convenience is the most important.
"I think most people bring deer to us because of lack of time," says Schwennesen. "It takes time to work up a deer. After hunting Saturday and maybe Sunday, most people don't want to spend the time."
Schwennesen says lack of knowledge and experience is another reason. It takes experience to produce clean, neatly trimmed steaks and roasts. A locker plant also can turn ground deer meat into tasty summer sausage. "We have a place to hang the deer to chill the meat properly and keep it from spoiling," says Schwennesen, "and the equipment to do the job right. A lot of people don't have a place to hang a deer in warm weather or the equipment to cut up the carcass as efficiently as we can."
Schwennesen says he charges $8 to skin a deer and $45 to process and package the meat. An average deer yields about eight pounds of tenderloin, 14 pounds of roasts, 18 pounds of steaks and 20 pounds of ground venison. If the customer orders summer sausage, Tune's adds spices and 10 pounds of pork (a mix of half lean and half fat) to the 20 pounds of lean venison to produce 30 pounds of sausage. Schwennesen charges $1.40 per pound for making the sausage.
Tune's Locker Plant was the first in Missouri to take part in Share the Harvest. This program, which is supervised by the MDC, channels meat from generous hunters to needy Missourians. The program brings hunters together with civic-minded locker plant owners and sponsoring organizations like the Columbia Area Archers, which started Share the Harvest in 1991.
Sponsoring organizations find locker plants to process and freeze the meat and handle distribution of ground venison to food banks and charities. At Tune's, members of the Columbia Area Archers work outside the plant on the opening weekend of deer season, encouraging hunters to donate meat for the hungry. Since Tune's 25 employees process 1,000 deer each season, it's a good place for the project. Last year hunters donated 1,000 pounds of ground venison there.
Statewide, hunters donated about 8,200 pounds of venison to needy Missourians last year. This year, the MDC hopes the figure will top 20,000 pounds. Meat donated through Share the Harvest must be processed at MDC-approved meat lockers and distributed by approved food pantries or similar charities.
After dealing with the practical matter of meat preparation, hunters are apt to wonder how much their deer weighed on the hoof. This can vary with the size and physical condition of the deer, but adding 30 percent to the field-dressed weight gives a reasonable ballpark figure for the deer's live weight. If your deer weighed 110 pounds field dressed, it probably weighed a little over 140 pounds alive.
Missouri hunters bag enough deer to yield more than 10 million pounds of lean, red meat each year. This venison augments family grocery budgets, helps the needy and creates employment for meat locker employees. Antlers make trophies to remember the hunt by, and many hunters either tan the skins of their deer or have them commercially tanned for use as rugs, wall hangings or buckskin clothing and hunting accessories.
Besides all this, deer hunting gives Missourians a reason to get back to nature and enjoy a pursuit as old as mankind itself. That's a pretty good harvest.
The MDC has a one-page guide to field dressing, available at most MDC offices, and a 24-page booklet, "Missouri Deer Hunting," that tells how to field dress a deer, complete with illustrations. It also covers hunting strategy and equipment, butchering, recipes and hide tanning.
"Missouri Deer Hunting" is available in limited supplies at MDC offices statewide and may be requested by mail (although you might have to wait for another printing) from: Missouri Deer Hunting, Missouri Department of Conservation. P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180.
3. Expanded Eagle Days Schedule Announced for 1996-97
Eagle extravaganzas at six locations offer a chance to see bald eagles in the wild and up close.
MOUND CITY, Mo. -- Come out and join the Missouri Department of Conservation for a winter homecoming celebration. During the next three months MDC will celebrate the return of some of the state's most popular winter residents with Eagle Days.
Eagle Days events provide an opportunity to view bald eagles in their natural habitat as they return to their winter haunts in Missouri. The events also offer a chance to learn about the bald eagle's return from the brink of extinction. Each event includes an outdoor eagle watch with a naturalist on hand to help visitors see the eagles in their natural environs. Eagle watchers can go indoors to warm up and enjoy live demonstrations with captive bald eagles, educational displays, videos and other activities. For the outdoor part of the event, it's a good idea to wear warm clothing. Telescopes are provided, but bringing a pair of binoculars is a good idea, too.
Missouri is a favorite wintering spot for eagles because it gives them access to a plentiful supply of food. When cold weather freezes over water in northern states, eagles and waterfowl in search of habitat and food migrate to Missouri. Dead ducks and other carrion make up a major part of the eagles' diet in the winter. Fish, another major food source for the birds of prey, are readily available along Missouri's rivers in winter.
MDC has scheduled six Eagle Days events on weekends from December through February. The events will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the following locations:
Signs will be posted to direct you to program areas. For more information and a map of each location, write to: Eagle Days, Missouri Department of Conservation, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180.
Missouri has several great locations for viewing eagles so you don't have to limit your eagle watching to Eagle Days events. Prime wintering locations for eagles include Swan Lake National Wildlife Refuge near Sumner, Table Rock Lake near Branson and Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area south of Columbia. Plan a visit to one, or all, of these locations in January or February and watch for eagles perching in large trees along the edges of rivers or lakes.
4. Tree Seedlings from State Forest Nurseries on Sale Now
It isn't too early to begin planning for next spring's tree planting. In fact, now is the time to order tree seedlings from the Missouri Department of Conservation's forest nursery.
LICKING, Mo. -- As the chill of autumn turns into the crisp cold of winter, thoughts of what to plant next spring probably aren't foremost in your mind. But now is a great time for considering such things, especially if you want plants native to Missouri.
The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) offers a large variety of trees and shrubs that can help you spruce up your farm or back yard while making it more attractive to wildlife. From now through Feb. 1 Missouri landowners can order nursery stock items from MDC's George O. White Nursery at Licking, Mo.
Most seedlings are sold in bundles of 25, priced from $2 to $6. Two special bundles are available for those who want a variety of plants in smaller quantities. The Conservation Bundle contains five plants each of six species for $10. The Wildlife Cover Bundle, an assortment of 10 plants each of five species, is priced at $12. State sales tax and a $5 dollar handling fee are added to all orders.
Nursery stock application forms are available at MDC forestry district offices throughout the state or from: Missouri Department of Conservation Headquarters, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180.
Orders are filled on a first-come, first-served basis, so it's best to order early. In addition to spelling out which plants you want, the order form allows you to specify when you want the plants delivered by mail, or whether you prefer to pick them up at the nursery. MDC sends you an acknowledgment notice stating what plants it can furnish. This notice also serves as a billing statement. Seedlings are shipped after payment is received. Deliveries take place from February through May.
Contact: Jim Low (News Services Coordinator) (573) 751-4115, ext 243
HUNTING
Bag Limit
Opens Closes (Daily-Possession)
Bullfrogs 6/30/97 10/31/97 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*+# to be announced
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
1 canvasback. Daily bag for coots is
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
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 and
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) 10/13/97 10/26/97 (See Wildlife Code)
Woodcock*+ 10/15/96 12/18/96 5-10
FISHING
Trout Parks 3/ 1/97 10/31/97 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 6/30/97 10/31/97 8-16 (See Wildlife Code)
Paddlefish 3/15/97 4/30/97 2-4 (See Wildlife Code)
Nongame Fish Stream Gigging 9/15/96 1/31/97 20
(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
December 13 MDC Headquarters, Jefferson City, MO
(For additional information contact the Department Director.)
Return to the All Outdoors
PageReturn to the MDC News
PageReturn to MDC
Home Page