Get Outside

Ways to connect with nature.

Catch a Rainbow

It’s never too cold to go fishing in the Show-Me State! MDC annually stocks rainbow trout in lakes across the state. Grab your pole and catch a rainbow. For more information, visit short.mdc.mo.gov/Zps.

Sounds of Spring

Nature is starting to awaken from its winter slumber. Take a walk and listen for the sounds around you. Northern cardinals sing on sunny days. Chorus frogs are also calling. Their calls sound like a thumbnail scratched along a comb. What sounds do you hear?

Southwest Region: Firearms Basic Care and Cleaning

Saturday, Feb. 16 • 8:30–11:30 a.m. Andy Dalton Shooting Range, 4897 N. Farm Road 61, Ash Grove, MO 65604 Registration required by Feb. 16. Call 888-283-0364 or visit short.mdc.mo.gov/Zp8. All ages

Join us to learn the basics of caring for and cleaning your firearms. This program will include tips and techniques for all aspects of maintaining your firearms. You may bring your own unloaded firearm to class or use ours.

Don’t Get Burned

Fire season begins and continues through the greening of spring. Beware — if there is no snow on the ground, burning is not advised.

Natural Events to See This Month

Here’s what’s going on in the natural world.

• Coyotes are breeding — listen for their howl
• Geese migrate through Missouri
• Boxelder Bugs emerge on warm days.

Birds of a Feather

Cedar waxwings flock to cedar trees to feast on berries. They prefer any fruiting or flowering tree or shrub, so look for them in backyards, parks, or other wooded areas.

St. Louis Region: Winter Hike in the Woods

Saturday, Feb. 23 • 1–3:30 p.m. Rockwoods Reservation 2751 Glencoe Road Wildwood, MO 63038 Registration required by Feb. 23. Call 888-283-0364 All ages

Cure that cabin fever by joining us on a late winter hike at Rockwoods Reservation. We’ll hike the 3.2-mile Lime Kiln Loop for unique winter views into the continually changing forest and to catch glimpses of winter wildlife and early signs of spring. Effort = moderate to strenuous. Natural surface hiking with a couple of short, steep hills.

Find more events in your area at mdc.mo.gov/events

Renew Your Hunting and Fishing Permits Today

Annual permits expire at the end of February. Buy Missouri hunting and fishing permits from vendors around the state, online at mdc.mo.gov/buypermits, or through MDC’s free mobile apps, MO Hunting and MO Fishing.