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A momentary lapse in hunting ethics can prove costly.
UNIONVILLE, Mo.--Following the hunting safety rule of shooting only after properly identifying your target can help prevent snow goose hunters from making the costly mistake of shooting swans. Although swans and snow geese both are white, several characteristics distinguish the two species. Knowing the differences can help hunters avoid fines and even jail time.
Trumpeter and tundra swans both are protected by federal law. A swan shooting that occurred in northeast Missouri Nov. 7 illustrates why it is critical to identify waterfowl positively before pulling the trigger.
A group of novice hunters in Unionville injured an adult swan and killed a cygnet, as immature swans are called, when they shot what they thought were Canada geese. Conservation Agent Anthony Kottwitz, who investigated the shooting, says the hunters took shots based only on the birds' size.
"These guys had seen a very large Canada goose taken by a friend the day before their hunting trip," says Kottwitz. "They were out just before sunrise when a small group of birds flew overhead. Because there was no direct sunlight, all they saw were silhouettes of big birds. When they realized they had shot two swans they called me to report the incident."
Because the shooting was unintentional and the hunters called the agent, the case was handled in state court. Each of the three hunters paid a $250 fine.
Kottwitz says the hunters were wise to report the accident. He says hunters who intentionally shoot protected species or who fail to report accidental shootings generally are taken to federal court, where penalties are much more severe. Under federal law, the maximum penalty for killing a swan is $5,000 and six months in jail.
With most of the snow goose season occurring when swans may be found in Missouri, learning the distinguishing characteristics of the birds is wise for snow goose hunters.
Swans' necks and wingspans are about twice those of snow geese. While snow geese average six to eight pounds, adult tundra swans weigh 18 to 20 pounds. Trumpeter swans can weigh up to 30 pounds. Swans also tend to travel in pairs or small family groups, while snow geese most often are seen in large flocks.
- Arleasha Mays -
It took the combined efforts of a deer hunter, a conservation agent, a veterinarian and a duck hunter to save the life of a bald eagle hurt in a freak accident.
WALDRON, Mo.--Each time a hunter sets out to pursue game he expects to face the choice between life and death, between shooting and not shooting. But Waldron resident Bill Tott recently found himself in the unusual position of shouldering a rifle to save a wild animal's life.
Tott went to the Missouri River bottoms just north of the I-435 bridge in southwest Platte County Dec. 12 in hopes of bringing home some venison on the last day of muzzleloader deer season. After parking his vehicle, he scanned the line of trees lining the Missouri River's eastern bank and spied a huge bird hanging upside down by one wing near the top of a lofty cottonwood.
"I knew immediately by the size it was an eagle," says Tott, "so I walked down that way. It was just dangling in the breeze, not showing any sign of life."
Nearing the bird, Tott used binoculars to get a closer look. The mature bald eagle with striking white head showed no sign of blood, not even a feather out of place, so Tott walked closer and looked through the binoculars again.
"I saw the clear membrane that eagles have to protect their eyes move," says Tott, "and I realized it wasn't dead. I got real excited."
Tott ran back to his vehicle and phoned Senior Conservation Agent Steve Nichols, explaining what he had found. By then it was 4:30 p.m., and daylight was fading fast. The bird was far out of reach by climbing or ladders, so Tott asked Nichols' permission to shoot off the branch that held the eagle's wing.
"It sounded pretty strange to me," says Nichols, "and I wasn't sure how much success he was going to have shooting the limb off. But it sounded like the bird was in trouble, and something had to be done immediately or it would be the next day before we could help. I told him I was on my way, and he could give it a try."
Tott phoned his wife, who brought his .30-06 rifle with a 4X scope. He rushed back to the tree where the eagle hung and laid down on his back so he could shoot straight up, thereby avoiding sending a bullet in a direction where it might hurt someone.
In spite of being winded from running, his first shot struck one of two branches between which the bird's wing was pinioned. The eagle flinched visibly at the rifle's report, but the 2-inch limb didn't budge.
Nichols arrived just in time to hear the first shot, and was on the scene when Tott fired again, this time at the smaller of the two branches. He scored another hit, and this time the limb fell, releasing the eagle's wing. The bird set its wings and glided to earth, where it stood. It still showed no sign of injury, but it made no move to fly away.
Nichols wrapped the bird in Tott's hunting vest, and the eagle ducked its head inside the cloth, apparently resigned to whatever fate awaited it. That fate involved a third person.
Dr. Tom Del Pico is the only veterinarian in northwestern Missouri with a permit to do rehabilitation work on birds of prey, which are protected under federal law. At the Smithville Animal Hospital Del Pico performed surgery on a cut and bruised wing and administered antibiotics. The bird, which Del Pico determined was a female, refused a high-priced meal of rainbow trout, so Del Pico had to resort to force-feedinga fairly ticklish process with a bird whose beak is made for tearing flesh.
When the supply of trout grew short, Del Pico called on a friend, a duck hunter, to sustain the bird. Force feeding was no longer necessary. "He loved that duck breast," says Del Pico.
The bird regained strength quickly and soon was flapping its wings and vocalizing loudly, as if demanding to be set free. Del Pico worried that it might not be able to sustain the stress of flight, but he also worried about keeping the eagle in captivity. "We'd had her over a week," says Del Pico. "With birds of prey, you don't want to keep them an hour longer than you have to, so we decided to try to release her."
At a parking lot near Smithville Lake on Dec. 21, the eagle flapped its wings so vigorously that Nichols jokingly said it seemed to be trying to lift Del Pico off the ground. When released, it gave the onlookers a scare by flying erratically for 30 or 40 feet and bouncing off the ground before getting under way. At its approach, a flock of geese took flight and the eagle flew right through their midst, creating a panic. Within minutes, she was just a speck in the sky, clearly on her way back to an ordinary eagle's life.
The men responsible for the eagle's survival agreed that she was amazingly unlucky and then equally lucky.
"I'm still mystified as to how she got caught," says Nichols. "She must have flapped her wing just the right wayor the wrong waywhen she was landing or taking off from that tree to get caught between those branches. Once she fell, the dead weight of her body made it impossible to get free."
"What's amazing is that someone found her in time," says Tott. "If I hadn't come along or if I hadn't noticed her, she would have hung there all night, upside down in the cold. I'm sure it would have killed her."
"She had given up," says Nichols, "and when a bird of prey gives up it usually dies. In this case, concerned people made the difference."
- Jim Low -
Becoming an Outdoorswoman, Wonders of the Outdoor World and other programs sponsored by the Missouri Department of Conservation will make it easy for neophytes to enjoy Missouri's wealth of outdoor recreational offerings.
JEFFERSON CITY--Many people, especially women and youngsters, are interested in outdoor activities from hunting and fishing to canoeing, but don't have anyone to teach them the necessary skills. To meet this need, the Conservation Department offers a wide variety of skills courses.
The Conservation Department has a youth deer hunt program. The agency chooses up to 130 hunters with adult sponsors to hunt at the August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area or the Weldon Springs Conservation Area, both in St. Charles County. Applicants must be 11 to 15 years old. Most youngsters apply for the hunts to spend fun time outdoors with a parent, other relative or friend, learn outdoor skills and have the opportunity to harvest their first deer.
Becoming an Outdoors Woman (BOW) courses offered by the Conservation Department offer women a chance to learn outdoor skills with other women in a setting they find relaxed and congenial. Last year, the Conservation Department held one course at the YMCA of the Ozarks near Potosi and one course at the H. Roe Bartle Scout Reservation in Osceola. Two hundred women participated. The agency also offered nine Beyond BOW workshops that gave participants the chance to learn one skill or a small group of related skills. Similar classes will be offered this year.
Since 1997, the Conservation Department has been involved in Wonders of the Outdoor World (WOW), a national conservation and outdoor recreation school that provides a four-day introduction to the full range of outdoor skills and sports. Last year approximately 350 people participated, choosing among some 50 courses ranging from turkey hunting and recreational shooting to bird watching, canoeing, cave exploration and wild edibles. Sponsors held the event at Roaring River State Park in October. WOW courses will be offered again in the year 2000.
Missouri's four conservation nature centers (CNCs) also offer a wealth of outdoor-skills courses and activities each year. Recent programs have included sessions on archery, fly tying, birdwatching, sport shooting, fishing, cave exploration, wild edible plants, wildflowers, insect collecting for teachers, backpacking for beginners, snorkeling in Ozark streams, prairie tours, hiking for singles and canoeing.
Indoor activities at CNCs over the past year have included courses on outdoor photography, nature arts and crafts, waterfowl identification, wild game cookery, woodworking for wildlife, quilt blocking and nature journaling. Courses on catfishing, black-powder hunting, pistol shooting for women, turkey calling, composting, rock gardening and tackle tactics for panfish rounded out 1999 CNC programing.
For information about upcoming CNC programs contact:
--Burr Oak Woods CNC, 816/228-3766 (Blue Springs)
--Springfield CNC, 417/888-4237 (Springfield)
--Powder Valley CNC, 314/301-1500 (Kirkwood)
--Runge CNC, 573/526-5544, (Jefferson City)
For information about BOW and Beyond BOW programs, call 573-751-4115, ext. 189 or 608.
For information about the WOW program, call 417/873-5026.
- Jim Auckley
Agriculture and conservation officials are keeping a close eye on a few hotspots, but this destructive forest pest hasn't established a Missouri beachhead yet.
JEFFERSON CITYForestry officials have mixed emotions about the 13 gypsy moths captured in traps around the state this past summer. While that number indicates Missouri does not have a gypsy moth infestation, the pattern of captures points to a need for continued monitoring.
By late August traps in the St. Louis area had captured six of the destructive forest pests. Another four turned up in traps in St. Charles County and one each was caught in Clay, Taney and Laclede counties. The captures in metro St. Louis and Taney county are the ones about which Missouri Department of Conservation Forest Entomologist Robert Lawrence is most concerned.
"Each year we find at least a few in the St. Louis metropolitan area and Taney County," says Lawrence. "There is so much interstate traffic through these two travel hot spots that we probably are seeing repeated incidences of gypsy moths hitchhiking into the state. But we also are very concerned about the obvious risk of the moths establishing populations in those areas."
One of the St. Louis captures came from Laumeier Park, where eight were trapped last year. Others were within a mile or two of sites where gypsy moths were captured in the St. Louis area in 1998. The Taney County capture site is in the same area where gypsy moths were caught in 1997 and 1998.
Trapping gypsy moths is a monitoring tool, not a control method. Traps are baited with female moth pheromones, which attract males. Lawrence says repeated sightings can provide early warning that a gypsy moth population may be developing. To determine if an infestation is developing, trapping efforts are increased the following year in areas where captures occur.
"All those locations where we found moths this year, we'll trap more intensively next year," Lawrence says. "The amount of trapping we normally do varies depending on the risk in a given area. In most areas, we set from one trap per eight square miles to one trap per square mile. Where we've captured moths in the previous year, we will set one trap per one quarter square mile. It's watchful concern. We're glad the numbers are low, but we're concerned that some areas continue to have moths each year."
Damage the moths can cause to the health of Missouri's forests are among the reasons for the entomologist's concerns. Oak trees, which dominate the state's forested areas, are a primary food source for gypsy moths. Each gypsy moth caterpillar consumes about nine square feet of leaves before changing into an adult. Their appetite, along with the insects' tremendous reproductive capacity, could be very destructive to the state's forests.
A gypsy moth infestation also could be damaging to the state's economy. Damage to forests could make the state less appealing to visitors, causing the loss of tourism dollars. Homeowners could be forced to spend large amounts of money ridding their yards of caterpillars and their droppings and replacing trees killed by the moths.
The insects also pose a potential health risk to humans. Lawrence says at epidemic levels the caterpillars create large amounts of waste that could contaminate water sources, and hairs from the caterpillars can aggravate respiratory and allergy problems.
Gypsy moths have been moving westward since their introduction in Massachusetts in 1869. Populations of the moths have been established east of a line from Wisconsin to North Carolina. They are expected to become established in Missouri in about 15 years. Lawrence says that date could be delayed or hastened, depending on efforts to slow their spread.
Missourians who travel to infested areas can help forestall the moth's arrival by ensuring they do not inadvertently bring the insects into the state. Gypsy moths lay velvety, tan-colored egg masses on anything in their paths during July and August. State residents who travel to the eastern United States and the upper Midwest during those prime vacationing months should check vehicles or other items exposed to the outdoors before returning home.
The federal government has joined efforts to slow the expansion of gypsy moth populations. Funds are being made available to reduce populations in infested areas. Lawrence is optimistic that efforts to slow down the spread of gypsy moths will give Missourians time to prepare for the eventual arrival of the forest pests. He says good preparation could lessen the damage the pests cause when they arrive.
"There are several things we can do to give our trees better chances of surviving a gypsy moth infestation," Lawrence says. "Keep your trees well watered during droughts and avoid compaction around the roots. Don't plant trees too close to driveways and walks. Since we know gypsy moths prefer oaks, planting a variety of trees will help. Use other hardwoods, pines and cedars along with the oaks. Making trees more healthy will help them survive."
- Arleasha Mays -
Economic woes half a world away mean low fur prices and next to no trappers.
JEFFERSON CITY--Officials with the Missouri Department of Conservation are predicting the lowest fur harvest since World War II. And they say the state's already burgeoning numbers of raccoons, beavers and otters are likely to continue growing as a result.
Last year Missouri trappers sold 210,000 raccoon pelts. Conservation Department Wildlife Research Biologist Dave Hamilton says that was well below average, but it's likely to look like a banner year compared to the 1999-2000 harvest. He says he will be surprised if this year's raccoon harvest tops 60,000.
The problem isn't a lack of raccoons. Data from two different population surveys show the animals' numbers continuing a long-term climb. Hamilton estimates the state's raccoon population at 1 to 2 million. Numbers of coyotes, beavers and most other furbearing species also are high.
The reason for the plummeting fur harvests in the face of burgeoning furbearer numbers is a lack of trappers, or to be more precise, a lack of trappers willing to run trap lines.
The Conservation Department reports that trapping permit sales stood just above 2,400 in mid-December. Hamilton says annual trapping permit sales have ranged from 3,500 to 13,000 over the past 20 years. During the past five years, it has varied from 4,500 to 6,000. Trapping season ends Jan. 20 for most species. Hamilton says that only a handful of trappers can be expected to buy permits in the next month, so the number of trappers active in mid-December is essentially all there will be this season. "This year's trapping permit sales are going to be the lowest since the 1950s," he says.
Hamilton says the sharp drop in trapper numbers this season and the previous two seasons is directly related to economic troubles in the Russian Federation. "Russia is the leading purchaser of raccoon pelts in the world," says Hamilton. "When their economy ran out of gas two years ago demand for pelts went flat, and it has gotten even worse since then. Furs picked up by North American buyers two years ago are still sitting in warehouses. Some people are willing to buy top quality furs on speculation, knowing that the market will pick up again eventually. But raccoon pelts from southern Missouri won't find buyers this year at any price."
According to Hamilton, raccoon pelts were bringing $2 to $5 in mid-December. Fox and beaver pelts were bringing slightly higher prices, and otter pelts were selling for around $35. But most trappers never catch an otter, and running a trap line doesn't make economic sense if the species that make up the bulk of the catchraccoonsare practically worthless.
For the past three years, Missouri trappers have taken about 1,000 otters annually. Hamilton says he will be surprised if this year's otter harvest tops 500.
The trend in furbearer population data from recent years suggests that Missouri will see a continued increase in numbers of raccoons, beavers, coyotes and other species whose populations trappers normally help keep in check.
"We used to think that disease outbreaks would keep raccoon and other furbearer populations from rising very high," says Hamilton. "But over the past few years, with the harvest down, raccoon populations have continued to rise dramatically. Maybe we just haven't passed the disease threshold. I don't know how much higher they can go."
- Jim Low -
Conservation biology and leadership are the primary topics.
JEFFERSON CITY--The Conservation Department, the University of Missouri-Columbia and Quail Unlimited are looking for 25 high-school students and six teachers interested in hands-on training in wildlife management for the 2000 MO Quail Academy June 11-16 at Central Methodist College in Fayette.
Students work alongside biologists conducting quail management and research. They also explore career opportunities. Participating teachers learn alongside the students while serving as chaperones and earning free college graduate credit.
High school freshmen and sophomores are eligible. They must have grade-point averages of 2.5 or higher and complete a hunter education course before attending the academy.
Applications must be returned by March 15. They are available from 4-H youth specialists, high school principals, counselors and biology or agriculture teachers. Conservation Department or soil and water conservation district offices also have applications. Or write to Quail Unlimited, 382 NW Highway 18, Clinton, MO 64735.
- Jim Low -
Picture a fish and win a prize.
JEFFERSON CITY--Aspiring wildlife artists can get national exposure for their work through the State-Fish Art Contest sponsored by Wildlife Forever of Minnetonka, Minn.
Contestants in grades four through 12 enter by submitting artwork of their state fish. Missouri's state fish is the channel catfish. Winning entries appear for one year on America Online.
Entries must be accompanied by official entry forms and must be postmarked by March 31. For contest rules and entry forms, call toll-free 877/347-4278 or e-mail
- Jim Low -
Efforts to make outdoor recreation available to all Missorians has won the Conservation Department kudos from the Governor's Council on Disability.
JEFFERSON CITY--Missourians don't let disabilities stop them from going outdoors. The Conservation Department tries to mirror this can-do attitude in programs and facilities that welcome the disabled, and the Governor's Council on Disability recently recognized the Department's accessibility efforts with a Community Enhancement Award.
The award recognizes successful efforts to include people with disabilities in employment, education, recreation and community activities. Jerry L. Case, a member of the Conservation Department's citizen Disabled Accessibility Advisory Council, nominated the Department for the award. "Recreation is for everyone," said Case, "and the Department of Conservation demonstrates that through its many efforts to make programs available to people with disabilities."
Case said the Conservation Department has given high priority to recreation for people with a broad range of disabilities as well as in employment. It allocates a sizable portion of its budget and staff resources to designing and building new facilities or retrofitting existing ones to include people with disabilities. Such facilities include fishing areas, boat ramps, rest rooms, shooting ranges, nature trails and exhibits throughout the state. The Conservation Department also works to make people with disabilities aware of these facilities through publications, videos and a 13-booklet series, "Missouri's Accessible Outdoors," listing accessible Conservation Department facilities statewide.
For more information, call 573/751-4115, ext. 161.
- Jim Low -
Missouri's new law against leaving the scene of a firearms accident originated in a domestic incident, but the principle applies equally well to hunting accidents.
JEFFERSON CITY--Conservationists from the public and private sector agree that a new law making it a crime to leave the scene of a firearms accident is a good way to encourage people to do the right thing.
Section 577.068 of the Missouri Revised Statutes, which went into effect Aug. 28, makes it a crime for a person who shoots another person to leave the scene without giving his name, address and driver's license number to a law enforcement officer. If a conservation agent or other law enforcement officer isn't available on the scene, the shooter must report to the nearest police station or law enforcement officer. The law specifically allows the shooter to leave the scene to obtain medical help for the victim. The first offense under the law is a class A misdemeanor, but subsequent offenses are class D felonies.
At least two Missouri hunters already have been charged under the law. In one incident, a man was struck in the head by shotgun pellets while turkey hunting at Davisdale Conservation Area in Howard County. The shooter, a 63-year-old hunter, fled the scene but investigators with the Missouri Department of Conservation tracked him down using witnesses' accounts and ballistic information.
The other incident involved a 27-year-old man who accidentally shot a hunting companion while deer hunting Nov. 15 in Cole County. The two were hunting together, and the shooter took his injured friend for medical treatment, but initially denied involvement in the accident. But investigators for the Conservation Department and the Cole County Sheriff's Department discovered evidence that contradicted the two men's accounts of the mishap, and they eventually admitted making false statements.
"These two cases have received quite a bit of media attention, so many people will assume the new law was written specifically for hunting accidents," says Bob Staton, Protection Programs Supervisor for the Conservation Department. In fact, says Staton, the bill was authored by State Rep. Marvin Singleton (R-Seneca), as a result of a domestic incident in which a young man was left without help following a shooting accident and died.
"The principle is the same, regardless of whether the circumstances involve hunting," says Staton. "People who are involved in shooting accidents often get scared; there is a natural tendency to want to run away. This law recognizes that in those situations you have a responsibility, first to help the victim and then to help law enforcement personnel figure out how the accident happened."
Staton said the Conservation Department supported the legislation, as did hunters. Charlie Davidson, assistant executive director for the Conservation Federation of Missouri, said his organization supported the law, too.
"A moral sportsman would never leave the scene of a firearm's accident in which he or she was involved," says Davidson, "nor should anyone else. This law simply and wisely makes that precept Missouri law."
The two cases filed against hunters under the law have not come to trial yet. Class A misdemeanors are punishable by up to one year in jail. The maximum sentence for a class D felony is a term of five years.
- Jim Low -
The Conservation Federation and the Missouri Conservation Agents Association have programs to help aspiring conservationists.
JEFFERSON CITY--The Conservation Federation of Missouri (CFM) and the Missouri Conservation Agents Association (MCAA) have scholarships for college students in conservation-related fields of study.
CFM provides financial help to college students each year from the Charles P. Bell Conservation Scholarship Fund. The CFM also has scholarships for school or youth group conservation projects to promote conservation education or projects to protect the natural resources. Applications are due by Jan. 15. For application forms or more information, write to Conservation Federation of Missouri Charitable Trust, 728 West Main Street, Jefferson City, MO 65101-1534 or call toll-free 800/575-2322.
The MCAA also is accepting applications for two college scholarships. Any Missouri college undergraduate or high school student entering college may apply. The application deadline is April 1. Application forms for the MCAA scholarships can be obtained from high school counselors, college financial aid advisors or conservation agents or by writing to MCAA, 223 Dix Rd., Apt. 46, Jefferson City, MO 65109.
- Jim Low -
You can express your love of the outdoors with vanity license plates and benefit conservation at the same time.
JEFFERSON CITY--Suppose you could express your love of nature while also contributing to better conservation programs in Missouri. Now suppose you could do it while renewing your vehicle license plates.
That's exactly what the Missouri Motor Vehicle Bureau will offer in the first-ever Conservation License Plates. Conservation-minded Missourians can choose from three designslargemouth bass, white-tailed deer and bluebird. Along with the colorful background design, buyers get to choose a personalized, six-digit license plate number.
The Conservation License Plate costs $25, all of which goes to the private, nonprofit Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation, which uses the money for local conservation projects, such as outdoor classrooms, and acquiring and protecting wildlife habitat. The Motor Vehicle Bureau charges an additional $15 for the personalized plate number.
"HUNTER," "4WLDLF," "BRDMAN," "O2FLOT". . . the possibilities for inscriptions are limited only by your imagination. Conservation License Plates make affordable, personalized gifts for parents, children, friends, teachers or anyone who treasures the outdoors.
To get an application for Conservation License Plates, send in the card found in the January Conservationist. For more information about the plates and the work of the Foundation, contact Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation, P.O. Box 366, Jefferson City, MO 65109. Phone 573/634-2080 or toll-free 800/227-1488.
- Jim Low -
Bowhunting hits the recreational mark for many Missourians.
JEFFERSON CITY--If you think the only aim of bowhunting is to harvest game, you couldn't be farther off the mark. A recent national survey of bowhunters revealed that the opportunity to spend time afield was the overwhelming reason people choose to hunt with a bow and arrows.
The survey was conducted by Responsive Management, a Virginia-based public opinion polling and survey research firm that specializes in fisheries, wildlife, natural resource, outdoor recreation and environmental issues. Respondents said that enjoyment and relaxation derived from being outdoors were the biggest draws for participating in archery hunting.
Eighty-six percent of those surveyed said they bowhunt to be close to nature and 78 percent said they bowhunt because it is relaxing. The high degree of skill required to be a successful bowhunter adds to the sport's appeal. Seventy-eight percent of bowhunters say the challenge of the sport motivates them to bowhunt.
Other reasons hunters choose to go afield with bows and arrows include the desire to put meat on the table (53 percent) and spend time with family and friends (47 percent). A minority of hunters (27 percent) said they bowhunt to bag a trophy animal.
Bowhunters are very dedicated to their sport. Most active bowhunters (92 percent) practice shooting bows in nonhunting setting for an average of four years before they start hunting. Once they go afield they spend an average of 19 days and more than $4,000 per year participating in the sport.
The bowhunting survey was sponsored by the Federal Aid in Fish and Wildlife Restoration Fund and the Archery Manufacturers and Merchants Organization.
- Arleasha Mays -
Efforts to repair the Conservation Department's "upground" reservoir pay off as the public fishing lake fills with water.
KENNETT, Mo.--The Missouri Department of Conservation says its experiment with public lakes in the state's Bootheel region is finally paying off. Combs Lake, once plagued by a leaky bed, is holding water and is ready for fish stocking.
The saga of Combs Lake began with the Conservation Department's desire to provide public fishing opportunities in the Bootheel, whose geology makes lake building problematic. Fertile clay soils deposited over tens of thousands of years by the meandering Mississippi River are underlain by deep deposits of porous layers of sand and gravel. This rules out digging holes in the ground and letting them fill with water.
Instead, the Conservation Department built a circular levy on the flat landscape, using the impermeable clay topsoil as a liner for what is called an "upground" reservoir.
Combs Lake was to provide 150 acres of lake fishing at Little River Lake Conservation Area in Dunklin County. But problems emerged soon after the Conservation Department began filling the lake. Water was draining out through previously undetected sand-filled fissures, making it impossible to bring the lake to the desired depth of 8 to 10 feet.
Following through on its commitment to provide fishing opportunities in and around Kennett, the Conservation Department huddled with the engineering firm that helped design the lake and devised a plan to fix the leaks.
Rather than try to find each leak and plug it, the Conservation Department excavated the entire lake bed one section at a time and removed sand wherever it was found. The remaining clay was put back and packed down, and each section was tested for water-tightness as it was completed. When the entire lake bed had been rebuilt, the lake was refilled. After two months of standing full, there is no evidence of leakage.
The extra work needed to fix Combs Lake provided some bonuses. Sand removed from the lake bed was used to create submerged berms that will serve as fish-attracting structure throughout the lake. And digging clay soil from other parts of the conservation area to fill sand fissures allowed the Conservation Department to enlarge nearby wetlands from 180 to 200 acres.
Plans call for stocking Combs Lake with approximately 7,500 black crappie, 75,000 bluegill, 7,500 redear sunfish and 15,000 largemouth bass fingerlings. An initial stocking of 1,000 catchable-sized channel catfish will permit opening the lake to fishing some time next spring.
Combs Lake has a boat ramp with courtesy dock, parking area, fishing dock and privies.
- Jim Low -
Wildlife will benefit from recovery of a native plant community n Ozark ridges.
VAN BUREN--They aren't resurrecting dinosaurs with DNA in the manner of a Steven Spielberg movie, but biologists and foresters will be recreating a lost world at the Peck Ranch Conservation Area in the south-central Ozarks.
The Conservation Department plans to recreate a pine savanna plant community on about 600 acres of land at the conservation area. Shortleaf pine trees and little bluestem grass will grow in an open setting that was common when explorers first came to Missouri.
"It's a community restoration project, and shouldn't be confused with a pine plantation," says Larry Houf, a wildlife regional supervisor with the Conservation Department. "We are putting this plant community back in place where it originally was. The loss of it occurred when the big pine trees were cut back at the turn of the century. Scarlet oak got the upper hand, and pine didn't get a chance to regrow."
Houf adds that fire, which once played a role in keeping savannas open, was removed by fire protection that began in the 1930s and 1940s, so the system was not able to recover. The Conservation Department wants to return the complex of pine and little bluestem grass to the area to improve wildlife habitat. Deer, turkey, quail and songbirds will all benefit from the replacement of these natural elements of the plant community.
The plan will return what is now predominantly scarlet and black oak forest to its original mix of plants that existed there before 1880. The Conservation Department will do this by harvesting black and scarlet oaks, many of which are dead or dying from a condition known as "oak decline." Longer-lived trees like white oak and post oak will not be harvested.
Prescribed fire, sometimes called controlled burning, also will be used on the area. The open ridge tops where the changes are planned once were sites of frequent fires, and prescribed fire will help in the recovery of the system. Conservation managers hope that, following this change, remnant pines, grasses and other native herbaceous plants will flourish on their own. If the pines don't spring up as expected, managers will plant native pine seeds.
The Conservation Department will use information about soils and topography to establish the boundaries of the area where the pine-bluestem savanna will be encouraged, rather than cutting trees in large blocks. If the change to this community is successful, it may be used on other conservation areas in that part of the state where shortleaf pines were once abundant. The USDA Forest Service and The Nature Conservancy are using similar techniques on property they manage.
In planning the project, fisheries, forestry and wildlife managers worked together to protect unique natural features and water quality. The Conservation Department will leave buffers of undisturbed forest around ponds and cave openings and along stream corridors. Loggers will be required to follow best management practices.
A similar treatment is being used in Arkansas to create habitat for the red cockaded woodpecker. Where lands have been managed for the pine-bluestem savanna community, visitors can see long distances through woods that once had thick undergrowth and provided little food for wildlife. Now, in spring and summer, the land under the pine trees has bluestem, Indian grass, desmodium (commonly called beggar lice) and partridge pea. Though the efforts in Arkansas are directed at woodpeckers, other wildlife is flourishing.
For years, Smokey Bear has warned of the dangers of wildfires. That's still true, but controlled burns on areas like Peck Ranch mimic the frequent fires that historically swept ridge tops. Most of these fires were set by American Indians and even early settlers. Once the unhealthy scarlet and black oaks are removed, controlled fires can be used to open up the forest floor. Sunlight that then can reach the ground will encourage a rich variety of vegetation that provides food and shelter for wildlife, and a lost world will be revitalized.
- Jim Auckley -
This year's November firearms deer harvest was down by nearly 10 percent from last year, but deer hunting injuries fell by 50 percent.
JEFFERSON CITY--The harvest deficit that emerged during opening weekend of Missouri's 1999 firearms deer season persisted throughout the 11-day hunt, but hunters had a safer season than last year, with only half as many firearms-related injuries reported.
This year's firearms deer kill of 175,925 fell 18,745 short of last year's figure. The drop in deer harvest for the season mirrored the pattern set during the opening weekend, when hunters bagged 94,481 deer16,025 fewer than in 1998.
Hunters took less of a toll on themselves, too. The Missouri Department of Conservation received reports of seven non-fatal hunting accidents and one fatality, compared to 14 nonfatal accidents and one fatality last year.
Counties reporting the largest deer kills were Macon with 3,635, Boone with 3,490 and Howell with 3,104. Northeastern Missouri led regional totals with 34,324 deer checked, followed by northwestern Missouri with 29,419 and west-central Missouri with 25,570. Central Missouri hunters checked in 21,743 deer.
Conservation Department officials attribute the drop in deer harvest to a variety of factors, led by unseasonably warm weather. Throughout the season, daytime high temperatures ranged from the 60s to the 80s.
"Warm weather doesn't change deer's mating behavior, but it certainly can change their feeding behavior," says Conservation Department Wildlife Research Biologist Lonnie Hansen. "Deer don't need as much energy to survive in warm weather, so they don't eat as much, and that means they don't move around as much."
Nevertheless, Hansen says he is surprised that hunters didn't make up some of the opening-weekend deficit during the following nine days of hunting. Unseasonably warm weather should have encouraged hunters to spend more time afield, increasing their chances of encountering deer. On the other hand, says Hansen, knowing that they could stay outdoors may have led some hunters to pass up does and small deer, hoping for a shot at a trophy. An outbreak of hemorrhagic disease in the northwestern part of the state may have contributed to a lower deer kill there.
There is little mystery about what caused the substantial drop in deer harvest in the Ozarks. Hunters posted astonishing success there last year, thanks to a scarcity of acorns. The shortage of this staple deer food concentrated deer where food was available, making them easier to hunt. The bumper crop of deer taken in the Ozarks last year was largely responsible for boosting the statewide harvest to a new record despite a disappointing season in northern Missouri. But it left fewer deer for hunters this year, and a normal acorn crop made them even harder to find.
"Firearms deer season isn't over," noted. Hansen. "We still have nine days of hunting with muzzleloaders statewide under liberalized regulations, and hunters who haven't used any-deer and bonus tags by January have three days of hunting in 23 units in the northern half of the state. There's still time to make up some of the difference between this year's harvest and last year's, though it doesn't seem likely that they will kill enough deer to catch up to last year."
- Jim Low -
The success of one of the most ambitious conservation actions in North American history hinges on landowners' willingness to let hunters on their property.
JEFFERSON CITY--Hunters helping to stabilize the number of snow geese need the cooperation of Missouri landowners. Without that cooperation, waterfowl and people who love them could pay a high price.
Snow geese have grown so numerous in recent years that they are damaging their nesting habitat and threaten to cause permanent ecological damage to themselves and other species. Because of that, federal regulators have allowed the Conservation Department to loosen hunting regulations for "light geese," which include snow, blue and Ross' geese.
Enormous numbers of snow geese gather in small areas to feed on cropland. However, they seldom use the same field for more than a day or two before moving on. So snow goose hunters must search out fields geese are using and get permission to hunt where the birds are. Without the cooperation of landowners who are willing to let them use harvested crop fields for a few days at a time, snow geese are virtually impossible to hunt.
Snow goose hunting is hard work, requiring the use of hundreds of decoys. Hunters who pursue light geese have a lot invested in the activity, and generally are courteous and safe, since they depend on landowners' goodwill. Even landowners who don't normally grant hunting privileges to strangers might reconsider if large numbers of snow geese move into newly planted fields, gobbling up sprouting wheat or other crops.
The liberalized snow goose regulations are working. Missouri hunters took 80,500 snow geese during the 1998-1999 season, almost twice the previous state harvest record. In the Mississippi Flyway, which includes Missouri, the snow goose bag was up more than 50 percent last year. Figures for the whole Central Flyway also were up.
The harvest figures are good news in light of the fear that North America's snow goose flock could be headed for disaster. Light geese feed by grubbing, or pulling up and devouring the roots of plants. With record numbers of geese, this grubbing has damaged vast areas of once-lush tundra where the birds nest. The geese are literally eating themselves out of house and home. They also are damaging habitat that is important to shorebirds and other waterfowl like Canada geese.
Biologists believe the population explosion of snow geese occurred largely because of the rapid spread of farming for winter wheat, soybeans and rice. These crops are plentiful in the birds' wintering areas in Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana and other southern states, providing unusually favorable winter food supplies so the birds enter the nesting season in superb condition.
To control the birds, regulators allowed hunters to use electronic calls and eliminated bag limits last season. They also permitted the use of unplugged shotguns and allowed hunting until one-half hour after sunset in a "conservation action" after the regular hunting season closed. Congress recently approved a similar conservation action for spring, 2000.
Regulatory adjustments are an initial step in trying to reduce the population. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also is changing the way it manages national wildlife refuges in the mid-continent region to make them less attractive to snow geese. In addition, the Fish and Wildlife Service is considering non-lethal means, such as harassment of geese during nesting season and destroying eggs, though these approaches are restricted by the size and remoteness of the Arctic habitat.
"Hunting is our best option," says Dr. Bruce Batt, chief biologist for Ducks Unlimited and chairman of the Arctic Goose Habitat Working Group. "Through hunting we can reduce the population without wasting this valuable resource. Hunters have always been the most devout conservationists. And, in an ironic way, this is the perfect avenue for hunters to practice conservation and show respect for this magnificent species. These new regulations and a commitment from North America's hunters could help prevent a wildlife crisis."
Several groups object to efforts to control light geese. The Humane Society of the United States is critical of relaxed hunting regulations. The animal rights group challenged the conservation action unsuccessfully in federal court earlier this year. Congressional approval of the conservation action will allow the Fish and Wildlife Service to proceed with the spring, 2000 conservation action while it completes a court-ordered environmental impact statement.
Strong support for the conservation action has come from a diverse coalition that includes the National Audubon Society, the National Wildlife Federation, Ducks Unlimited, the Ornithological Council and the American Bird Conservancy.
Hunters have harvested about 800,000 snow geese per year for the past two years. Wildlife managers estimate that harvesting two to three times as many birds will be necessary to bring the population under control.
- JimAuckley -
An excise tax that hunters asked to pay 62 years ago has brought several game species from the brink of extinction and continues to pay for research and habitat work that benefits hundreds of species of wildlife.
JEFFERSON CITY--While hunters may describe their outdoor experiences as "priceless," it is easy to put a dollar figure on the benefits hunting provides wildlife. Through purchases of firearms, ammunition, archery and other hunting equipment, hunters contribute nearly $4.5 million to conservation in Missouri annually.
That's how much the Missouri Department of Conservation received from the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Program, also known as the Pittman-Robertson Act, this fiscal year. The money comes from federal excise taxes on firearms and other hunting equipment.
The wildlife restoration program was initiated by hunters and conservationists in 1937, a crucial time for the nation's wildlife. Industrialization and increased hunting and poaching were causing drastic declines in wildlife and wildlife habitat nationwide. To reverse that trend, hunters sought federal legislation to levy an 11 percent excise tax on sporting arms and ammunition, with the tax proceeds to be appropriated to state restoration programs. The Pittman-Robertson Act went into effect Sept. 2, 1937.
The law has been amended twice. In 1970, Congress added a 10 percent tax on handguns, with half the proceeds dedicated to hunter education programs and shooting range construction and maintenance. Two years later, an 11 percent excise tax on archery equipment was established to further boost wildlife restoration.
Despite a threefold increase in the number of licensed hunters and increases in other pressures on wildlife and wildlife habitat since 1937, states have restored many dwindling species, acquired millions of acres of habitat and educated millions of hunters with funds provided by the Pittman-Robertson Act.
Missouri's booming white-tailed deer herd is evidence of the wildlife restoration program's impact. The state's deer population has grown from about 400 in 1925 to approximately 850,000 today. The Pittman-Robertson Act has been instrumental in achieving similar successes in restoring Canada geese, wild turkeys and other species.
Money collected under the program pays as much as 75 percent of the cost of a variety of conservation programs. This year in Missouri, Pittman-Robertson funds paid $2,783,107 for wildlife management programs and $1,595,968 for wildlife research.
A similar law, the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Fund, finances aquatic conservation projects and programs. This program was set up under the Dingell-Johnson and Wallop-Breaux acts. Those laws, supported by anglers and equipment manufacturers, established excise taxes on fishing equipment and marine fuels. Missouri's share of the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Fund amounts to more than $7.8 million a year. The Conservation Department uses this money to build hatcheries and other facilities and to produce and manage fish.
Ironically, most hunters and anglers have no idea that they are largely responsible for the recovery of many fish and wildlife species. A survey conducted by Responsive Management of Harrisonburg, Va., in August showed that fewer than one in ten people who buy hunting and fishing equipment realize that the price of these goods includes a federal excise tax for conservation.
"I don't know whether to think that's good news or bad news," said Conservation Department Outreach and Education Division Administrator Kathy Love. "On one hand, outdoors people obviously aren't troubled by the tax. On the other hand, if they aren't aware of it, they can't have the sense of ownership and pride they deserve for having done such important work."
Love said the fact that the taxes were proposed and supported by the hunters and anglers of a generation ago probably accounts for the fact that awareness of them now so low.
Focus group surveys indicated widespread support for the taxes once hunters and anglers understand the programs. "This is good news for manufacturers, who stand to gain by advertising that the purchase of their products supports habitat conservation," Love said.
"I think it's important for consumers and manufacturers to know about these programs, because from time to time someone tries to divert the funds for other purposes. It would be a pity to lose one of the most successful conservation programs of all time just because people forgot about them," said Love.
- Arleasha Mays
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