Add a Touch of Nature to Your Holiday Gift-Giving List This Year
MDC makes holiday shopping convenient and stress-free
Have nature lovers on your holiday gift list this year? MDC has you covered!
Our online Nature Shop and six nature centers — located in Kirkwood, Cape Girardeau, Springfield, Kansas City, Blue Springs, and Jefferson City — make holiday shopping a breeze. Offerings include the ever-popular 2027 Natural Events Calendar, a variety of books, and more for all ages.
Some of MDC’s popular holiday gift ideas include:
2027 Natural Events Calendar ($9) — This annual favorite has amazing images of native animals, plants, and places, along with phases of the moon, holidays and days of recognition, daily notes about natural events, and more.
You Discover Mini Field Guide for Xploring Outside ($8.95) — Adapted from Xplor magazine, this engaging new booklet combines 13 mini field guides into a single, convenient, on-the-go guide.
Coneflower Nature Journal ($8) — This spiral-bound journal includes plenty of blank pages with simple tips to get started drawing or writing about nature.
Cooking Wild in Missouri ($16) — This favorite cookbook features more than 100 recipes for native game, fish, fruits, nuts, and mushrooms.
Strange but True ($8.95) — This fun offering was adapted from the pages of Xplor magazine and features 350 weird and wild facts and illustrations about creatures that inhabit Missouri.
A Paddlers Guide to Missouri ($9) — This 102-page, spiral-bound guide makes a great gift for canoeists, kayakers, and floaters with color photos, maps, and descriptions of 54 rivers and streams. It includes trip planning tips, equipment recommendations, paddling pointers, and more. New to the 2023 edition are maps of the upper Mississippi River from Hannibal to St. Louis and an expanded section on the Big River.
Missouri’s Wild Mushrooms ($26) — This book is a great guide for hunting, identifying, and cooking the state’s most common mushrooms.
Discover Missouri Natural Areas, Second Edition
($19.95) — This handy reference helps nature lovers experience 50 great examples of our state’s natural heritage. This edition features updated maps, text, references, and scientific names.
Amphibians and Reptiles of Missouri, Third Edition ($29) — This classic book has been updated and expanded to a 522-page illustrated guide that provides descriptions, distribution, habitats, habits, breeding, and other information on nearly 130 species of native salamanders, toads, frogs, turtles, lizards, and snakes.
For hunters and anglers on your list, give the gift of hunting and fishing permits. Buy permits from vendors around the state or online at mdc.mo.gov/buypermits.
Buy these and other items at our nature centers, through our online Nature Shop at www.mdcnatureshop.com, or by calling 877-521-8632. For nature shop hours and specific locations, visit short.mdc.mo.gov/4JV. Order early for the best selection. Applicable tax, shipping, and handling costs will apply.
First Time Afield
Janne Stein, our foreign exchange student, had the opportunity to go spoonbill snagging at the Lake of the Ozarks. As someone visiting the United States, this was his first exposure to this unique Missouri outdoor tradition, and it left a lasting impression on him.
During the trip, Janne successfully snagged a spoonbill, but what made the catch even more special was that it turned out to be a banded fish, carrying a $75 reward. The odds of landing a tagged fish like that are incredibly rare, and it added an unexpected level of excitement to an already memorable day on the water.
When Janne shared the news with his family back home, his grandfather laughed and replied with a German saying, “Der dümmste Bauer hat die dicksten Kartoffeln,” which means “The dumbest farmer has the biggest potatoes.” It added a lighthearted touch to the moment and perfectly captured the role a little luck played in such a rare and memorable catch.
This experience gave Janne a deep appreciation for Missouri’s outdoor resources and the conservation efforts that make opportunities like this possible. Thank you for the work you do in preserving Missouri’s fisheries and creating opportunities like this for both residents and visitors alike.
Submitted by Jeff Carriger
Got stories? The Conservationist staff want to hear them!
Tell us about the first time you experienced something in nature — harvesting a deer, catching a fish, hunting for mushrooms, birdwatching, etc. We are looking for memorable moments of connection and inspiration that may encourage other readers to go out and explore. These short stories will be used in this new segment, First Time Afield.
Please submit no more than 200 words at short.mdc.mo.gov/oGW.
Nominate Missourians for MDC Master Conservationist Award and Missouri Conservation Hall of Fame
The Missouri Conservation Commission and MDC recognize Missourians who make outstanding contributions to conservation and are accepting nominations through Dec. 31 for their Master Conservationist Award and the Missouri Conservation Hall of Fame.
Anyone can submit a nomination, which should include a statement describing the nominee’s accomplishments and a brief biography. A screening committee meets annually to consider nominees, with the commission conveying final approval.
The Master Conservationist Award honors living or deceased citizen conservationists, former MDC commissioners, and employees of conservation-related agencies, universities, or organizations who have made substantial and lasting contributions to the state’s fisheries, forestry, or wildlife resources, including conservation law enforcement and conservation education-related activities in the state. Get more information on the Master Conservationist Award and nomination form at short.mdc.mo.gov/ofB.
The Missouri Conservation Hall of Fame honors living or deceased citizen conservationists, former MDC employees, and other conservation-related government agencies, universities, or organizations — including conservation law enforcement and conservation education-related activities — who changed the landscape of conservation in the state of Missouri in the field of fisheries, forestry, or wildlife resource management. Get more information on the Missouri Conservation Hall of Fame and nomination form at short.mdc.mo.gov/ZyG.
Nominations must be submitted by Dec. 31 to the Missouri Department of Conservation, Attention Julie Love, 2901 W. Truman Blvd., PO Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180 or emailed to Julie.Love@mdc.mo.gov.
Coyote Hunting
by Ashley Edwards
The crisp autumn air means local hunters are heading back into the timber. While white-tailed deer may dominate fall headlines, true conservationists know the pursuit never actually stops. Late winter brings with it muddy miles of antler shed hunting. Spring shifts the focus to green-up scouting. And late summer demands the sweat of hanging tree stands and cultivating lush food plots.
Yet, there is a shadow season often left out of the mainstream outdoor narrative — predator species hunting.
Predator hunting, which includes coyote hunting, is rapidly gaining traction across the state. Since you can hunt for coyotes most of the year, coyote hunting offers a fast-paced experience that gets you into the woods when other big game seasons are closed.
And in Missouri, coyote hunting takes an exciting turn after dark.
Equipment:Certain specialized equipment is permitted for use after dark, including night vision and infrared technology, thermal imagery devices, and artificial light sources. Electronic or mouth calls can be used during the daytime all year, and at night from January 1 through September 30 (excluding the prescribed spring turkey hunting season).
Season: You can hunt coyotes year-round with no limit on take. This year, MDC extended the night vision and thermal imaging season from two months (February through March) to nine months (January through September). This extension provides hunters additional opportunities and landowners access to additional tools in response to predator conflict. During turkey season, you can hunt coyotes ONLY during legal turkey hunting hours. On private lands, that’s half hour before sunrise to sunset. On public land, that’s half hour before sunrise to 1 p.m. Coyote hunting restrictions apply during April, spring turkey season, firearms deer season, and firearms elk season.
Engaging in this sport after sunset requires a high level of responsibility and a deep understanding of local safety ordinances. Coyotes are smart predators that require skillful calling, a precise set up, and focus. With their sharp senses, they typically circle downwind, meaning that just a whiff of your scent in the wrong set up could end your encounter.
So, if you feel like you are not out in the woods enough, coyote hunting could be a great activity to get you out there, even after dark. You may even learn some new skills and take your harvest to the fur trade.
For more information, including restrictions and permits required, consult A Summary of Missouri Hunting and Trapping Regulations online at short.mdc.mo.gov/44v.
Title
Answer:
Belted Kingfisher
The belted kingfisher is a stocky bird with a long bill, short tail, and big head. Both males and females have a shaggy crest atop their heads, which serves an important purpose. It can be raised or lowered, signaling the bird’s mood to mates and rivals. The crest makes the head appear larger, scaring off predators. Belted kingfishers perch over water to catch fish. You will often hear their loud rattle before you see them.
And More...
This Issue's Staff
Editor – Angie Daly Morfeld
Associate Editor – Larry Archer
Photography Editor – Ben Nickelson
Staff Writer – Kristie Hilgedick
Staff Writer – Joe Jerek
Staff Writer – Dianne Van Dien
Designer – Marci Porter
Designer – Kate Morrow
Photographer – Noppadol Paothong
Photographer – David Stonner
Artist – Matt Byrde
Circulation – Marcia Hale