Reflections

A Morel Issue

The text and picture of "Millionaire Morels" may be somewhat misleading. The morels in the jar with the price tag of $249.99 per pound are dried. It takes about 10 pounds of fresh morels to obtain one pound of dried ones.

At the St. Louis Club, our chef purchases dried morels when fresh ones are not in season, and we pay on average wholesale about $120 per pound.

Hans Lindemans CCM, St. Louis

Mahalo Nui Loa

I wanted to let you know how much my family enjoys seeing your monthly magazine. Being in Hawaii, we find your articles teach us about the many different species that we don't have a chance to see here. I also thank my father, a Missouri native, for providing us with a subscription to your wonderful and informative magazine.

Mahalo nui loa (thank you).

Rissie Leoso-Ayres, Aiea, Hawaii

Mo Boosted

I just wanted to say thank you for your conservation efforts. It is so nice to see a state that takes such good care of its resources and offers those resources to the public. Missouri is beautiful country and I hope it will always stay that way.

Even though I moved from Missouri to Kansas a couple of years ago I still support Missouri and its conservation efforts. I was a young boy when my father first took me to Stockton Lake. To this day it is still the most beautiful scenery I've ever seen. Thanks to all the people that participate in keeping our natural resources alive.

Erick J. Eyler, Shawnee Mission,Kansas

Imposters

Thank you for the article, "Hummingbird Imposters." Even though we live in Illinois, right across the Mississippi, we often see the same wildlife featured in your magazine. Just this spring, my husband, son and I were perplexed with creatures that swarmed our honeysuckle bush. We couldn't get a good look at them in flight and they never came to rest.

They sure resembled hummingbirds, but something was not quite right. Much to our delight, the puzzle was solved when we read your article. We figured that you must have had a lot of calls about these little creatures and decided to do an article on them to help others to solve this dilemma.

Pamela Collard, Pleasant Hill, Illinois

On a hunting and fishing trip to Quebec, Canada, I had taken some photographs of insects that looked remarkably like hummingbirds. When I was a child and lived in North Carolina, we referred to these as Tobacco Flies.

As I was going through my mail I came across the June Conservationist with the snowberry clearwing on the cover. Sure enough, it was a clearwing that I had photographed.

Crystal Harper, Gladstone

Canine Creel Limit?

My dog, Shep, loves to fish. I had catfish in my pond and he caught every one in there. I was wondering if, when I take him fishing with me, he has to have a license, because he catches fish better and faster than I do. I love grabbing suckers. Would Shep get in trouble if he caught his limit, too? Would I have to buy him a license?

James Boyer, Belle

Editor's note: According to the Wildlife Code, falconry is the only approved method of taking fish with an animal. Since fishing with the aid of a dog is not allowed, the question of permits and limits is moot. When hunting with a dog, only the hunter needs a permit, and any wildlife the dog takes would be included in the hunters' limit.

Looking Back

The picture on the back cover of your July issue really brought back memories. I recall back in the early 1930s when wagonloads of Osage Indians traveled to the Osage River area to visit their former homes. Those trips must have taken months.

There may be some people left around El Dorado Springs that remember when Wah'Kon Tah prairie-or part of it-was a golf course. I remember people playing there when I was a boy. Highway 82 was a gravel road, paved with chat that shredded ancient tires.

When I came home from the Pacific after WWII, the only building at the course was still there. I remember also seeing a few green markers, and I would bet there is still some evidence of them if a person looked closely enough.

Lewis B. Thompson, Clarksdale

Moose Identification

I was paging through your July issue when I noticed an error. You say that Larry Glaze is carving a miniature moose from moose antlers. He's actually carving a bugling elk.

Paul Sutton, via Internet

Bear Fare

Your article on black bears reminded me of a funny warning I saw about grizzly bears in Montana.

It said all hikers and campers should wear little bells on their clothing and carry pepper spray in case they encounter a grizzly bear. It also warned people to watch for bear droppings at their camping and fishing sites. Brown bear droppings, it said, have seeds and berries in them, while grizzly bear droppings often contain little bells and smell like pepper.

Randy Farr, Kansas City

The letters printed here reflect readers' opinions about the Conservationist and its contents. Space limitations prevent us from printing all letters, but we welcome signed comments from our readers. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

Ask the Ombudsman

Q: I have permission to hunt deer at several different locations, but they're in different units. All are open quota units. If we're trying to reduce the deer herd in those units, why can't I get any-deer or bonus permits for both units, instead of being limited to a buck only in one?

A: Hunters are limited to only one buck, so you will still only be able to buy one any-deer permit, which may be used for a buck in any unit, or an antlerless deer in the unit designated. New this year is an option for deer hunters to buy bonus permits for units other than the one for which their any-deer permit was issued. That means a hunter can have an any-deer permit for one unit, a first bonus for another unit and a second bonus for a third unit.

Remember, bonus permits are good only for antlerless deer, and only in the units designated on the permit. Make sure your permits are issued for the proper unit-they can't be exchanged. Buy your deer hunting permits early to avoid long lines and possible delays. If you're hunting in one of the nine units that has limited quotas for any-deer or bonus permits, you must apply by August 15.

For details on the 2001 firearms deer hunting season please pick up the information pamphlet available at Conservation Department offices and permit vendors, or see mdc.mo.gov/hunt/deer/deertuk/.

Ombudsman Ken Drenon will respond to your questions, suggestions or complaints concerning Conservation Department programs. Write him at P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180, call him at (573) 751-4115, ext. 3848 or e-mail him at Ken.Drenon@mdc.mo.gov.