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1. Disabled Peregrine Falcon Has Promising Future
2. Mandarin Mudhen Consoles Luckless Duck Hunters
3. Second Segment of Firearms Deer Season Jan
4. Conservation News Tips
5. Outdoor Calendar
"When man is aware of beauty and the worth of his resources, he will naturally work to keep up what he has and improve what is damaged. Then Conservation becomes a way of life." -- Gerald Lyons, Waukegan Herald
1. Disabled Peregrine Falcon Has Promising Future
An endangered bird that suffered a disabling injury north of Kansas City probably will not fly again, but it still could contribute to the survival of its species.
MAYSVILLE, Mo. -- An injured peregrine falcon found in northwest Missouri will never fly again, but could live a comfortable life in the right adoptive home. That*s the diagnosis from Dr. Janette Ackermann, a veterinarian at the University of Minnesota Raptor Center, who has spent the past three weeks attempting to repair the dislocated elbow of the bird*s right wing.
Efforts to help the falcon began when Missouri Department of Conservation Agent Kyle Carroll received a call from a DeKalb County landowner who had found the bird on a pond dam, unable to fly. The agent took the bird to a local veterinarian, who examined the injury and splinted the wing. He monitored the bird's condition for the next three weeks but the wing remained nonfunctional.
Because peregrine falcons are listed as federally threatened under the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was contacted. FWS Agent J. D. Perrson tracked down information about the falcon through its band. The adult female falcon was banded at Hawk Cliff Raptor Banding Station in Ontario, Canada in 1992.
Perrson and Carroll say the bird might have been hurt while trying to capture prey. *When these birds stoop, or make a dive for prey, they can reach speeds over 200 mph," says Perrson. "If they collide with the prey, they can damage their wings. Because it was found in an area where there were no overhead obstructions, it is possible it may have been injured from a collision with its prey." Perrson arranged for the bird to get medical treatment at the Raptor Center. He says injured peregrine falcons are sent to permitted rehabilitation facilities for specialized care. The center in Minneapolis is the leading facility for raptors (birds of prey) and provides services free of charge. Northwest Airlines helps in the effort by transporting endangered animals to rehabilitation centers free of charge. Perrson says the combination of citizens who report injured peregrine falcons and other cooperators are important in protecting this species.
When the falcon landed in Minnesota, further examinations revealed that it had suffered a dislocated elbow. The animal was turned over to Dr. Ackermann for treatment. "These injuries are very difficult to detect but can be fixed with physical therapy if the bird gets immediate treatment," she says. "By the time it got to us the whole ligament on the dorsal side of the wing was thickened from scarring. The wing healed abnormally, with the scar tissue preventing its normal range of motion. This bird will never be able to fly." Anyone who finds an injured peregrine falcon should immediately contact a conservation agent, who will take it to a veterinarian. The veterinarian can x-ray it and determine treatment or stabilize it and send it to a specialized facility for treatment. "Sometimes people think that just because a bird is eating it's doing okay," says Ackermann, "but that's not always the case. Red-tailed hawks will eat even if they are severely injured, because they become deathly ill if they miss a meal. Birds heal faster than mammals and can heal abnormally without the proper treatment. It's best to get the bird to us so we can diagnose it and give it proper treatment."
There is good news to report about the injured falcon. Ackerman says its calm demeanor makes it a good candidate for adoption. It could end up living out the remainder of its life in a zoo or a wildlife education facility. Or it might go to a captive-breeding program where it would produce young peregrine falcons for reintroduction into the wild. Programs of this kind have supplied falcons that were released in Kansas City and St. Louis in recent years.
Ackerman says the Raptor Center has strict requirements for adoption. It gathers information and photos on potential homes to determine whether the birds will receive adequate care and will be comfortable. The center treats about 1,000 birds each year. Ackermann says many that cannot be released are adopted.
2. "Mandarin Mudhen" Consoles Luckless Duck Hunters
Here's a recipe that turns the widely scorned but ever-available coot into first-rate table fare.
JEFFERSON CITY -- Duck hunting is like fishing in at least one way . . . the best action always takes place the day-before-yesterday or a week from Friday. You always remember the days when mallards fly as thick as mosquitoes in August. But truth be told, those days are less typical than the ones when nothing flew at all.
It's bad enough sitting in a cold blind all day without having a single bird come within shotgun range. Going home with nothing for the table adds insult to injury. There is a solution to this second disappointment, but to take advantage of it, you have to get over an ingrained duck-hunting prejudice. That's right, we're talking about the "C-word."
Few waterfowl hunters will stoop to shooting a coot. The lowly bird has drab plumage and lacks a proper, flattened duck beak. Coots are more prone to comical, frantic paddling than flight. And their flesh is widely reputed to live up to the unkind nickname "mud hen."
Disparaging words about the coot's sporting attributes are fair, but insults aimed at its palatability are simple slander. Hunters faced with the choice between going home empty-handed and taking home some tasty meat would do well to consider bagging a handful of coots before picking up the decoys.
Shooting a limit of 15 coots isn't difficult. In fact, that's one of the hurdles that principled waterfowlers have trouble getting over. It's hard to make a coot fly, and shooting a "sitting duck" is synonymous with poor sportsmanship. Coots can be flushed into the air if you catch them at close range, but be prepared to shoot quickly. Even in full flight, they seldom get more than a foot above the water's surface, and they'll dart behind the first bit of available cover.
Coots are smallish, so their wings and drumsticks don't add much to the larder. You can dispense with laborious scalding and plucking. When you bag a coot just split the skin, take the breast meat and place it in a sealable plastic bag.
When you get home, bone each breast to produce two steak-like fillets. Pierce these along their full length with a table fork and place them in a covered casserole. Then add enough teriyaki sauce to cover the fillets. You can substitute equal parts of soy sauce and white cooking wine. Add a dash of ground black pepper and clove of diced garlic for each breast and mix well. Cover and place the casserole in the refrigerator anywhere from an hour to overnight. If you have more than a couple of breasts, stir occasionally to help the marinade reach all the meat.
Before cooking, add a small can of mandarin orange slices, with juice, to the casserole. Place in the oven at 300 degrees. When the marinade boils, (45 minutes to an hour) the meat will be moist, tender and fully cooked. Save the marinade and add it to water for cooking rice. Or, you can put it in a sauce pan on low heat and thicken it with a mixture of water and corn starch to make gravy that's to die for.
If you like your game with a smoky flavor, you can roll each fillet up, wrap it with a slice of bacon and secure it with a toothpick before tossing it on the grill. Don't cook the rolls directly over very hot coals or let them dry out. You want about the same degree of doneness as you like in a good beefsteak.
That's all you need to know to be able to enjoy a savory game meal after even the worst duck hunt. The next time you go to buy steel shot shells, you'll no longer be shy about asking what is the optimum load for coot hunting.
3. Second Segment of Firearms Deer Season Jan. 4-5
Hunters with unused any-deer and bonus permits for some management units in north Missouri will get to hunt in those units Jan. 4-5, thanks to a two-day deer season approved last May.
JEFFERSON CITY -- When the Missouri Department of Conservation opened the first firearms deer hunting season under modern regulations in 1946, hunters had just three days to hunt, they were restricted to just one county, and they could take only antlered deer. This year they enjoyed 11 days of hunting in all 114 of Missouri's counties. And it isn't over yet. This year's season still has two days to go in much of northern Missouri.
The 1996-97 deer season approved by the Conservation Commission last May includes hunting for antlerless deer only in Deer Management Units 1 through 17, plus Units 22, 58 and 59 Jan. 4 and 5. To participate, hunters must have unused any-deer or bonus permits for these units.
DeeCee Darrow, wildlife programs supervisor for the MDC, says the extra two days of hunting in Units 1 through 17 and 22 are designed to increase the deer harvest in parts of northern Missouri. Further growth of the deer herd in that area would increase conflicts with crop growers to unacceptable levels. Units 58 and 59 are in the Kansas City and St. Louis areas, where further growth of deer numbers would lead to increased conflicts between deer and suburban landowners, not to mention increased frequency of deer-vehicle accidents.
Darrow said that hunters with both modern and muzzle-loading firearms are eligible for the hunt Jan. 4 and 5, but only if they have unfilled any-deer or bonus permits for one of the specified units. Hunters will only be allowed to use the permits in the units for which they were originally issued.
"Other than being able to take only antlerless deer, the deer hunting regulations remain the same as outlined in the 1996 Fall Deer and Turkey Hunting Information booklet," says Darrow. "Hunters who failed to draw any-deer or bonus permits are not eligible for the January hunt. Neither are hunters with no remaining unused any-deer or bonus permits or those who received any-deer or bonus permits for units other than those specified."
Copies of the deer-hunting regulations booklet are available at no cost from hunting permit vendors statewide.
Limited time and space won't allow inclusion of the following stories in full.
Goose Season Dates Listed Incorrectly in Missouri Game & Fish Magazine
An article in the December issue of Missouri Game & Fish Magazine incorrectly reported that the hunting season for Canada geese in Missouri's North Waterfowl Zone runs from Oct. 26 through Dec. 14. Those are the dates for duck hunting in the North Waterfowl Zone. The correct dates for Canada goose hunting in the North Zone are Nov. 29, 1996 through Jan. 19, 1997.
Additional details about waterfowl hunting seasons and other regulations can be found in the 1996-1997 Migratory Bird Digest, available wherever hunting permits are sold.
Outdoor Ethics Resource Guide Available from Izaak Walton League
Missourians interested in promoting better outdoor ethics -- in themselves and others -- have a new resource at their disposal, thanks to the Izaak Walton League of America.
"Promoting Responsible Behavior: A Resource Guide to Outdoor Ethics-Related Programs," is a 60-page report summarizing 11 outdoor ethics programs around the United States. The material provides a starting point for educators and outdoor groups interested in promoting better outdoor ethics. Copies of the resource guide are available for $6 from: Izaak Walton League of America, 707 Conservation Lane, Gaithersburg, MD 20878-2983.
Shooting Sports Foundation Offers Information on Hunters' Role in Conservation
Hunters have played an active and at times pivotal role in the North American conservation movement since its beginning. That role is documented in "The Hunter in Conservation," a 120-page book from the National Shooting Sports Foundation.
The book consists of five essays, titled, "The Ultimate Act of Wildlife Conservation," "The Hunter and Conservation," "The Un-endangered Species," "Placing Hunting in Perspective" and "What they say About Hunting." Copies are available for $2 to as little as 85 cents each, depending on quantity ordered. Order forms are available from NSSF, 11 Mile Hill Road, Newtown, CT 06470-2359.
Handbook Takes the Guesswork Out of Pond Management
Landowners who wonder how to build new fishing ponds, how to manage them for the best possible fishing and how to deal with common pond problems, such as excess vegetation, leaking dams and muddy water, now can have the answers to such questions at their fingertips.
The Missouri Pond Handbook collects in one place the answers to almost every imaginable question about ponds. How to choose a pond site, how to prepare it, what kind of fish to stock, how many to stock, where to get them, how many to harvest, how to deal with various fish diseases and parasites . . . all this and more are found in the book.
The handbook is available from: Missouri Department of Conservation, Pond Handbook, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180.
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
January 15 MDC Headquarters, Jefferson City, MO
(For additional information contact the Department Director.)
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