News and Almanac

Waterfowl Hunt Applications Due

Applications for 1996 public area waterfowl hunting reservations will be accepted by the Conservation Department from Aug. 15 through Sept. 15.

Application must be made on official cards available at Conservation Department wetland areas or at Conservation Department offices in Springfield, St. Louis, Jefferson City, Kansas City or Columbia.

Hunters may apply for all three areas on one reservation card. Hunters will not be given a hunting date preference, but will be awarded the first open date.

Waterfowl reservations are available only on Swan Lake, Duck Creek and Ted Shanks conservation areas. Acquisition and development of new wetland areas by the Conservation Department has increased waterfowl hunting opportunities around the state, making the reservation system unnecessary on other conservation areas.

Early Migratory Bird Seasons Likely

Mourning dove season will run from Sept. 1 through Oct. 30 and teal season from Sept. 7 through Sept. 15, if federal officials approve early migratory bird seasons set by the Conservation Commission.

Daily and possession limits were set at 15 and 30, respectively, for doves and 4 and 8 for teal in the aggregate. Shooting hours for teal will be from sunrise to sunset.

Other seasons set by the Commission include:

• Sora and Virginia rails: Sept. 1 - Nov. 9; daily and possession limit of 25.
• Common snipe: Sept. 1 - Dec. 16; daily limit 8, possession limit 16.
• Woodcock: Oct. 15 - Dec. 18; daily limit 5, possession limit 10.

Shooting hours for dove, woodcock, snipe and sora and Virginia rails are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset.

Apply for Any-Deer Permits by Aug. 31

The application period for any-deer permits ends Aug. 31. Hunters can apply at any permit vendor location.

Any-deer permit applicants must purchase a firearms or a muzzleloading firearms deer hunting permit before applying

Resident applicants can list a second-choice unit and also may apply for bonus antlerless-only deer permits.

Landowners must obtain a special landowner any-deer permit or a landowner bonus antlerless only deer permit to take antlerless deer on land they own in 1996. They can apply for any-deer permits from Aug. 1 through Oct. 15 on applications available at Conservation Department offices or permit vendor locations.

Resident landowners wishing to be considered for landowner bonus antlerless-only deer permits must submit their applications by Aug. 31. A short renewal form was mailed in July to land owners and permittees who received landowner any-deer permits in 1995.

Changes to Deer Season Rules

Higher any-deer permit quotas, new shooting hours and an extra two-day season in north Missouri are some of the changes in the deer hunting regulations approved by the Conservation Commission.

Quotas have increased statewide and in most management units. A total of 426,100 any-deer permits will be available this season, an increase of 70,850 from 1995.

Firearms and muzzleloader deer hunting will reopen Jan. 4 and Jan. 5 for hunters with unused any-deer or bonus permits only in deer management units 1 through 17 and units 22, 58 and 59. Only antlerless deer may be taken and only in the unit specified on the permit.

All deer season shooting hours will be one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset, a change from the previous 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. for firearms seasons. A table of sunrise and sunset times will be printed in the deer hunting leaflet to help hunters determine legal shooting hours.

New urban deer management units have been established in the Kansas City and St. Louis areas. Unit 58 comprises Jackson County and parts of Cass, Clay and Platte counties. Unit 59 includes St. Louis County and the City of St. Louis.

Up to five additional archery deer permits may be purchased in the two urban units for $5 each. These permits will allow the taking of up to five deer, in addition to the regular archery season limit in these two units only. Urban archery deer permits are available only at Conservation Department offices in St. Louis, Kansas City and Jefferson City.

Environmental Ed Conference Set

The Conference for Environmental Education will take place Oct. 4-6 at the Lodge of the Four Seasons, Lake of the Ozarks.

The conference is designed for teachers, naturalists, youth group leaders and anyone interested in teaching Missourians about the environment.

The Conservation Federation of Missouri is offering scholarships for teachers to attend. For information call 1-800-575-2322

For registration information, contact Ginny Wallace, Conservation Department, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, 65102.

September is Quality Water Month

Two wacky crayfish, Pincers and Detritus, are the unofficial mascots of Quality Water Month in September. These larger-than-life crayfish will be on hand at the State Fair and other events around the state to spread the quality water message.

To kick off Quality Water Month, Governor Carnahan will be at Operation Clean Stream on the Meramec River Aug. 24 to congratulate the many Missourians who volunteer their time to clean up and monitor water quality in our streams and rivers.

Look for Quality Water events near you in this section next month.

Discover Conservation At 1996 State Fair

The Department of Conservation pavilion at the 1996 state fair will be a great place for both kids and adults to visit.

As always, people can see lots of live fish, mammals and reptiles native to the state. A new prairie habitat scene and a glimpse into the history of conservation agents also will be on display.

Visitors won't want to miss the special events in the air-conditioned "Discovery Room." A slate of hands-on displays is scheduled from Aug. 15 through Aug. 18, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day, followed by a five day video festival, from Aug. 19 to mid-day Aug. 23. At 3 p.m. on Aug. 23, Glenn Chambers and his river otters will make a one-time appearance.

A grand finale on Aug. 24 offers a dazzling lineup of entertaining and educational features, including fiddler Michael J. Fraser and animal caller Ralph Duren.