Saturday, January 2, 2016

MDC seeks info about poached bull elk found at Current River

MDC is investigating the death of a bull elk that appears to have been shot and had its skull plate and antlers removed.
SHANNON COUNTY, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is investigating a dead bull elk recently found along the Current River in Shannon County and asks the public to report any related information to the Department’s Operation Game Thief hotline at 1-800-392-1111.
According to MDC preliminary information, the elk appears to have been shot and the skull plate and antlers were removed with a chainsaw. The rest of the carcass was left intact.
Conservation agents were informed of the dead elk on Tuesday, Dec. 29, by a hiker on an area along the Current River. MDC agents went to the location and confirmed the report.
MDC staff have transported the carcass to the Department’s Conservation Research Center in Columbia for further investigation, including a necropsy, which is an autopsy of an animal.
Any and all information that could assist in this investigation is welcomed by MDC. Calls can be made to local MDC agents or to the Operation Game Thief hotline. Information can be given anonymously or a name maybe be given for a possible reward of up to $1,000 in the case of criminal activity.
The dead bull elk was one of approximately 130 animals that are part of the Department’s elk restoration and management efforts. The remaining elk can be seen at the Department’s Current River Conservation Area and Peck Ranch Conservation Area in the Missouri Ozarks. Learn more about Missouri’s elk at mdc.mo.gov/node/10141.

Hunters harvest 11,061 deer during Missouri's alternative-methods portion of deer season

Top harvest counties were Franklin with 260, Howell with 247, and Texas with 235.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Preliminary data from the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) shows that deer hunters in Missouri harvested 11,061 deer during the alternative-methods portion of the 2015-2016 Missouri firearms deer-hunting season, which ran Dec. 19-29. Of the total harvest, 2,994 were antlered bucks, 1,594 button bucks, and 6,473 does. Top harvest counties were Franklin with 260 deer harvested, Howell with 247, and Texas with 235.
The harvest total for last year's alternative-methods portion was 11,067 and consisted of 2,851 antlered bucks, 1,503 button bucks, and 6,713 does.
For 2015 harvest totals by county and season portion, visit the MDC website athttp://huntfish.mdc.mo.gov/hunting-trapping/species/deer/deer-harvest-reports under “Telecheck: Deer and Turkey Harvest Data.” For past season numbers, visit the same link under “Deer Harvest Summaries.”
Deer hunting continues for this season with statewide archery hunting through Jan. 15 and the statewide firearms late youth weekend Jan. 2-3.
During the alternative-methods portion of firearms deer season, hunters are allowed to use muzzle-loading firearms, center-fire pistols, air-powered guns, bows, crossbows, or atlatls.
Missouri offers some of the best deer hunting in the country, and deer hunting is an important part of many Missourians' lives and family traditions. Deer hunting is also an important economic driver in Missouri and gives a $1 billion annual boost to the state and local economies. For more on Missouri deer hunting, go online to the MDC website atwww.mdc.mo.gov and click on Hunting/Trapping at the top of the home page.

MDC to hold Discover Nature - Fishing event on June 8

Families will get a chance to learn about the fun of fishing at a Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) Discover Nature Fishing program ...