Watkins Woolen Mill hosts Christmas on the Farm Dec. 1

Come join Watkins Woolen Mill State Park and State Historic Site staff as they host Christmas on the Farm from 2 to 7 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 1. Visit with costumed interpreters as you stroll along lantern lit paths to the Watkins’ family home where you will be greeted with the smell of hot apple cider and wassail and the sound of Christmas carols.

Enjoy free samples of traditional treats, the flaming of the plum pudding, reading of family letters and a visit with Father Christmas. Activities at the visitor center will include crafts for the kids and live holiday music. The event is free.

Watkins Woolen Mill State Park and Historic Site is located at 26600 Park Road North in Lawson, north of Kansas City. For more information about the event, call the visitor center at 816-580-3387.

For more information on state parks and historic sites, visit mostateparks.com. Missouri State Parks is a division of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

We went "Hunting" and Wilson is a "Hunting Dog"

We were “hunting” this morning and Wilson was a “hunting dog.” Sure!

Wilson the Huntn' Dog

My two sons and I spent our morning tromping through a beautiful ice covered conservation area that is near our home in Warren County.  That ought to narrow it down quite a bit as to where we were if you were so inclined to care.  

Wilson is one of the most loving dogs I have ever come across.  He was rescued in southwest Missouri - apparently starved and uncared for.  But, if he was ever overtly abused he is THE most forgiving creature God ever created because the sum total of his perceived purpose for existence is to be around people.  

He has one really annoying habit, and that is being impossible to train to come when called.  I can train dogs.  I am good at it if I do say so myself.  Parenthetically, I am expressly not asking for suggestions on how to accomplish this.  

As a consequence, Wilson rarely is turned loose.  As one of the most suspect wedding presents ever, when my oldest son got married in June, we gave them Wilson.  Miraculously, our son is a long distance runner, and at the end of eleven mile runs Wilson sort of stops pulling on his leash.  That is how much energy he has.

In the woods, if you turn him loose he will return when he is ready - anywhere from five minutes to a half an hour later.  So when we headed out this morning, the question was, do we keep him leashed or let him run.  The decision was - run.

By law, hunting dogs are okay where we were.  Therefore Wilson was a hunting dog today.  One minute we’d hear him a half mile away apparently having treed a squirrel and carrying on like he was going to explode.  Thirty seconds later he’d be back to check on us.  He was the happiest looking dog you’ve ever seen.

His cavorting had the effect of making it most unlikely we would actually encounter a squirrel or rabbit.  We in fact did not.

It was mighty chilly, the truck thermometer read 8 degrees when we started.  My two sons and I had an outstanding experience together, visiting and enjoying the outdoors.  We came home to a warm house and a great Christmas Eve Day, and are now a few minutes from heading off to church.

We wish everyone a Merry Christmas!

Great Time for Rabbit Hunting

Image via Wikipedia

The Christmas Holidays are a great time for rabbit hunting.  For those that get a few days or more off around Christmas, getting out for a morning or evening excursion can be a great way to work off a few calories and spend time with family and friends.

One thing to keep in mind is that Missouri's muzzleloader deer season runs from December 17th through December 27th.  While pressure and activity in the field is nothing compared to the regular firearms season, it's vital to practice safety in the field, especially if hunting on public land.  It's always the right thing to do to wear blaze orange when rabbit hunting anyway, but a must when venturing out during muzzleloader season.

There are many great public areas to hunt rabbits in Missouri.  If you have beagles or some other rabbit dog, check and make certain the area you are in allows them.  For example, Bush Wildlife area has specials regs for hunting rabbits in general and especially with dogs.  Visit mdc.mo.gov for specifics.

If you want a heads up on locating some of the better rabbit hunting conservation areas, visit the page HUNTING RABBITS ON MISSOURI PUBLIC LANDS. There you'll find great basic information on what to look for in identifying rabbit habitat.  Also, there you will find a list of conservation areas with good rabbit hunting in each of Missouri's geographical regions.

Using this research, you should be able to find an area within a one county drive or so.  If you want to look for some other areas, visit the Missouri Public Land Hunting Page.  Towards the bottom, you will find a link to pages where conservation areas are listed by county.  Also, the availability of various species are identified.  You can quickly tell whether a given conservation area has good rabbit (as well as most other game species) hunting or not.  Also, the size of the area is given as well as a link to the MDC page for that area.  We feel it's an area that every Missouri Outdoosrman or Outdoorswoman should have bookmarked for regular use.

Related articles

• Fall Hunting Seasons in Oklahoma (midwestdeerhunting.blogspot.com)
• Hunting Christmas Break in Kansas (midwestdeerhunting.blogspot.com)
• Minnesota DNR reminds hunters to not throw away unused either-sex deer permit (midwestdeerhunting.blogspot.com)
• Holiday antlerless deer season brings Christmas cheer to hunters in Oklahoma (midwestdeerhunting.blogspot.com)
• Hunters check 14,000 deer during antlerless season (missourioutdoors.blogspot.com)

A Cold Missouri Day

Image by mbgrigby via FlickrIt is cold today and getting colder as the sun goes down.  It's not cold by the standards of Alaska from where I came.  But it's the kind of cold that brings the true meaning of winterfresh flavor deep into my lungs and makes me feel younger than however old I am.  I cannot imagine ever feeling old on a Winter day.  I do know not everyone feels the way I do, and I also know I may not feel this way in a few more years.

I hiked through the woods with my son that still is at home and we jumped one of the increasingly rare grouse in the area.  Our dog who is getting old like me ran as though she were still a skinny pup.  After our half hour hike we spread some birdseed on the ground and refilled the feeders and came in.

I just got in from my second outdoor foray.  I was making certain our cars would start and getting a bit of firewood for the night.  I told myself when I was done I would stand on the lower deck and listen to the wind and enjoy a moment before coming in for the night.  As I stood there the thought crossed my mind that I was born at the wrong time.  After this thought crossed my mind I reminded myself that this was awfully easy to say when my back faced a warm house.  At least in this country, we do not face the risks as part of our daily existence that would qualify me to know if I would have been tough enough to thrive one hundred years ago.