All Outdoors, November 13, 1998

2. Regulation changes aim at better goose management

4. Commission to meet in Jefferson City Dec. 10-11

"There is this about a chill November: It makes one appreciate a fireside. And there is this about a hearth: It calls for small company, for companionship"-Hal Borland, New York Times

1. Fall turkey harvest up from '97

A good nesting season boosted this year's bag.

JEFFERSON CITY-Hunters bagged 15,253 wild turkeys during Missouri's fall firearms turkey hunting season Oct. 12-25. That's a hopeful sign for those who plan to hunt in Missouri's 1999 spring turkey season. The 1998 fall turkey harvest topped last year's figure by 3,461 birds.

Even more significant than the number of turkeys harvested is the large proportion of young birds in the harvest total. The number of juvenile birds in the fall harvest is a good measure of the success of the previous spring's turkey nesting season. This year, juvenile turkeys made up 60 percent of the fall harvest.

The proportion of juvenile turkeys in this year's fall harvest was highest in the Ozarks, where nearly seven out of ten birds killed were hatched last spring. That, says Missouri Department of Conservation Wildlife Research Biologist Larry Vangilder, is a lot of juveniles.

"We knew from our spring brood survey that we had a pretty good hatch," says Vangilder. "The large number of juveniles in the fall bag shows that a lot of the birds that hatched this spring made it through the summer."

The brood survey Vangilder mentioned consists of observations of how many poults-newly hatched turkeys-were with hens. This year's survey showed an average of 2.6 poults per hen, a 37 percent increase compared to the previous five years.

Missouri's wild turkey flock got a double boost this year. Abundant food brought birds into the nesting season in excellent condition, and weather put the icing on the cake. The winter of 1997-98 was relatively mild; spring came early, and minimal rain during the turkey hatching period allowed lots of young birds to survive.

Vangilder says researchers at Peck Ranch Conservation Area in Carter County saw something last spring that had never been documented before.

"One of the radio-tagged hens we were tracking made four nest attempts. She lost the first three to predators, but what is remarkable is that she was in such good condition that she was able to renest three times. We've seen hens make three nest attempts before, but never four."

Vangilder received a report from central Missouri of a turkey hen starting a nest in the middle of July. That kind of nesting persistency increases production.

"This is very good news for spring turkey hunters," says Vangilder. "There's going to be a lot of jakes (year-old male turkeys) running around in the spring. They could make up 35 percent of the spring harvest. Birds from this year's strong hatch will carry over into future years, so we can expect to see lots of mature gobblers in the spring of 2000 and beyond several years."

Leading this year's turkey harvest were Macon County, where hunters checked 449 birds, Laclede County with 414, and Howell County with 374. Regional totals were led by Northeast Missouri, where hunters checked 3,040 birds, Northwest Missouri with 2,696 birds and West-central Missouri with 2,250.

The Conservation Department recorded two hunting accidents during the fall firearms turkey season. Neither was fatal.

- Jim Low -

2. Regulation changes aim at better goose management

Waterfowl managers would like hunters to have more chances to take

Canada geese from abundant populations while protecting those in decline.

JEFFERSON CITY-Hunters may be puzzled by apparent tinkering with regulations on Canada geese. These changes make sense when you know that Missouri has four separate Canada goose populations that look alike. These distinct populations differ drastically in their ability to sustain harvest.

One group is the giant Canada geese that live in Missouri and the rest of the Midwest year-round. Another is the Mississippi Valley Population (MVP) which fly north to nest in southern Hudson Bay and return south for the winter. The third group is the Eastern Prairie Population (EPP), which nest in the area around west Hudson Bay. The fourth flock is the Tallgrass Prairie Population (TGPP) that migrate to near the Arctic Circle to nest and migrate to Missouri early in the fall.

Breeding populations of giants and TGPP were high and production was good in 1998; however, EPP numbers dropped by about 100,000. Giant and TGPP geese are plentiful enough to sustain a good harvest. The challenge for waterfowl managers was to allow continued hunting of these birds while reducing the harvest of EPP and MVP geese.

To achieve this goal, they examined data gathered from Canada goose leg bands recovered by hunters over the years. These data reveal when geese from each population usually are found in different parts of the state.

Waterfowl managers discovered that EPP geese, which used to be most plentiful in the Schell-Osage and Swan Lake waterfowl hunting zones, now are found throughout much of Missouri. They also discovered that EPP geese arrive in Missouri later than giant Canada geese from other states and TGPP Canadas.

To take advantage of this fact, they increased the number of days when Canada geese may be hunted in October and November and reduced the number of legal hunting days in December.

"Waterfowlers have a long history of commitment to good conservation policies," says Conservation Department Wildlife Research Biologist Dale Humburg. "It's frustrating to be in a blind in December, when Canada geese are thick, and not be able to shoot them, but I know goose hunters will be willing to pass those shots if they understand the reason for the season and bag limit changes."

- Jim Low -

3. Call *OGT to report poachersJEFFERSON CITY-Dropping a dime on poachers just got easier. Cellular phone users served by Southwestern Bell now can touch *OGT to get a toll-free connection to Missouri's Operation Game Thief hot line.

The increasing number of people who carry cellular phones in their cars constitute a huge network of mobile observers. Some hunters even carry cellular phones to their deer stands, making it possible to report illegal activities from perches in trees.

"We're excited about the boost this service can give our toll-free poaching hotline," says Dave Beffa, protection administrative supervisor for the Missouri Department of Conservation. "Spotlighters, road hunters and other game thieves will be looking over their shoulders more than ever now."

- Jim Low -

4. Commission to meet in Jefferson City Dec. 10-11

JEFFERSON CITY-The Missouri Conservation Commission will meet Dec. 10 and 11 at Conservation Department Headquarters, 2901 W. Truman Blvd. in Jefferson City.

The meeting Dec. 10 will begin at 2 p.m.The open meeting Dec. 11 will begin at 10 a.m., following a closed executive session.

Commission meetings are open to the public. Items to be placed on the agenda for presentations or other business should be sent in writing to Director, Missouri Department of Conservation, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180; fax 573/751-4467. Requests must be received by Nov. 30. People requiring special services or accommodations to attend the meeting can make arrangements at the same address, or by phone at 573/751-4115.

Commissioners are: Randy Herzog, St. Joseph, chairman; Anita B. Gorman, Kansas City, vice-chairman; Howard L. Wood, Bonne Terre, secretary; and Ronald J. Stites, Plattsburg, member.

- Jim Low -