Regs to Remain Consistent for Catfish on Missouri's Big Rivers

MDC announced it does not recommend regulation
changes on minimum length limits and daily limits
for blue and flathead catfish in the Mississippi
and Missouri rivers and a small portion of the
St. Francis River. Shown is an angler holding a blue catfish.  

A few reg changes had been kicked around by MDC on the Missouri, Mississippi, and portion of the St. Francis Rivers for catfish. These included minimum length limits and potential limits to the number of larger fish caught (in addition to existing maximum catches). However, state biologists studies indicate the fishery is healthy under current regs, and after public input, no major changes will be made. Details are below.

For more Missouri fishing information, visit Family-Outdoors

No changes from MDC for blue and flathead catfish in big rivers

MDC does not recommend regulation changes to minimum length limits and daily limits for blue and flathead catfish in Mississippi and Missouri rivers, and part of St. Francis River.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) announced in February that it does not recommend regulation changes to minimum length limits and daily limits for blue and flathead catfish in the Mississippi and Missouri rivers and a small portion of the St. Francis River. The decision follows research by MDC and results of public input.

MDC sought public input this past summer on potential regulation changes for recreational fishing of blue catfish and flathead catfish on the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. One potential change would have established a minimum length limit of 18, 21, or 24 inches for recreational fishing of blue catfish and flathead catfish on the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. Currently there is no minimum length limit. A second potential regulation change would have maintained the current recreational-fishing daily limit of five blue catfish per day on the Missouri River but establish that only one blue catfish over 30-inches in length may be kept as a part of that limit.

MDC also sought public comments this past summer on establishing a minimum length limit of 18, 21, or 24 inches for commercial fishing of blue catfish and flathead catfish on the Mississippi and St. Francis rivers. The current minimum length limit is 15-inches.

MDC received more than 400 public comments with strong support for keeping regulations as they are.

The public input followed several years of related research by MDC. MDC population assessment studies for blue and flathead catfish in the Mississippi and Missouri rivers found that populations of both fishes were generally healthy and the fisheries sustainable under current management. MDC studies confirmed that current management approaches continue to support healthy and sustainable blue catfish and flathead catfish populations in the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, and regulation changes do not appear to be necessary to maintain these populations or prevent overfishing.

Curious How your Deer Scores? Here's a Chance to get Expert Guidance!

Hunters can have racks gathered through
harvest or shed collecting officially certified at the
Jay Henges Shooting Range Antler Scoring Day
Saturday, March 19 from 9 a.m.-noon.

Did you get a big one this year? Well, if you are curious about learning how to score those deer antlers, residents around the STL metro have an opportunity to get some guidance.  Any deer hunter would find this session of interest. 

For more information about places and methods for deer hunting, visit Family-Outdoors.

Hunters can have racks gathered through harvest or shed collecting officially certified.

EUREKA, MO.—How does this rack stack up?  It’s a question many hunters ask when admiring the antlers from a proudly harvested buck.  The Deer Antler Scoring Day at the Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) Jay Henges Shooting Range and Outdoor Education Center Saturday, March 19, can provide the answer.

From 9 a.m.-noon, hunters may bring their antler racks from the previous season, or any past season, to have them officially scored.  Shed antlers can also be brought in for scoring.  Certified scorers from Pope & Young, Boone & Crocket, and Missouri Show-Me Big Bucks Club organizations will be available for evaluation and scoring.  Hunters also have the option of dropping off antlers at the education center to be scored and picking them up later.  Representatives certified to measure other types of animals will also be on hand.

All racks must have been dried at least 60 days to qualify.  Bringing along all harvest information, such as date, time, location and method, is recommended. 

The Boone & Crocket Club is the internationally-recognized standard for judging deer racks taken with firearms from any location, while the Pope & Young Club provides the same kind of certification for antlers harvested by bow and arrow.  Missouri Show-Me Big Bucks Club recognizes trophy white-tailed deer harvested or found in Missouri, in both the typical and non-typical categories.  The club also recognizes shed antlers.

No reservations are required and there is no cost for participating.  Standard fees for certification do apply if awarded.  For more information, contact (636) 938-9548.  The Jay Henges Shooting Range and Outdoor Education Center is located at 1100 Antire Road, just off I-44, exit 269 in Eureka.

MDC asks all participants to observe current local social distancing and masking guidelines.  Bringing and wearing face coverings is encouraged when appropriate.

Waterfowl Hunting Program from MDC

 

MDC will offer a free virtual
waterfowl hunting class
from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 16.

Missouri Department of Conservation photo

Family-Outdoors has quite a bit of information on hunting of many types, including waterfowl. But the expertise from the MDC is hard to beat.  Check out this online offering on February 16th.

Learn about strategies and gear for hunting ducks and geese 

Chillicothe, Mo. – Missouri has numerous public waterfowl hunting opportunities at wetlands and lakes, including those on conservation areas. The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) will offer a free virtual waterfowl hunting class from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 16. This class will teach the equipment and strategies needed to be successful hunting ducks and geese.

MDC conservation areas offer places to hunt waterfowl. Planning now will help hunters prepare for the 2022-2023 waterfowl seasons. The class will cover where to hunt, waterfowl ecology and biology, firearms, equipment, and hunting strategies. Instructor Adam Brandsgaard, MDC conservation educator, will also explain waterfowl hunting season regulations and purpose.  

This class is open to all ages. Registration is required. To register, visit https://short.mdc.mo.gov/44f.

Raptor Program for Missouri Kids - 3rd Grade and Up

 This might be a really great program for home school kids, or anyone. MDC reccomends it for 3rd graders and up, but it might be ok for younger and well...here is the information.

Students third grade and up can explore the incredible abilities of birds of prey at two free online programs.

A peregrine falcon.  MDC is partnering with
 the World Bird Sanctuary to present two free
 virtual Raptor Basics school programs on
March 7 and 8 from 10-10:30 a.m.

St. LOUIS, Mo.—Hawks, falcons, owls . . . they’re all raptors.  These birds of prey live fascinating lives and possess amazing abilities that make them unique among the world of birds.  The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is teaming up with the World Bird Sanctuary (WBS) to present two free online Raptor Basics statewide virtual school programs in March.  The programs are designed to help students gain a better understanding of and appreciation for Missouri’s raptors. 

The Raptor Basics programs will take place 10-10:30 a.m. on Monday, March 7 and Tuesday, March 8.  The programs are geared for 3rd grade and up.  They will explore questions like what is a raptor?  How is a raptor different from other birds?  How do they hunt and where do they live?  Students will learn the answers to these questions and more. 

These programs are free but require advanced online registration at https://short.mdc.mo.gov/ZvM.  Teachers should select the day of their preference.  One teacher per classroom is required to register using the registration link for their students to attend these virtual programs. WBS will send out the Zoom link to all registered classroom teachers prior to the program date. Each program can accommodate up to 500 computer logons.

These programs are made possible by an education cooperative agreement between MDC and the WBS and are free for school classes to attend.  For over 40 years, the World Bird Sanctuary has helped restore the bald eagle, peregrine falcon, and American barn owl from near extinction.  They strive to support birds through education, conservation, and rehabilitation.

Virtual Program on Raptors from MDC

 

Powder Valley Nature Center presents An Evening with Raptors virtually Jan. 28

This popular annual event will continue this year in an online format.

KIRKWOOD, Mo—Bird buffs, falcon fanciers, and anyone enraptured by raptors is invited to meet the objects of their admiration online during this year’s An Evening with Raptors virtual event.

The annual An Evening with Raptors hosted by the Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center will be held virtually again this year on Friday, Jan. 28 from 7-9 p.m.  The event is free and is open to all ages. 

It’s the ultimate partnership between man and bird.  The sport of falconry goes back thousands of years and you can learn about it at An Evening with Raptors virtual event.  “Several area falconers will gather virtually to offer the rare chance to observe and learn about these fascinating feathered hunters,” said MDC Assistant Nature Center Manager, Robyn Parker. “They will also explain how viewers can get started in this age-old sport themselves,” she added.

The falconers will display their falconry tools, hoods, and other equipment, as well as live birds – the same birds that they use in their sport. Participants will also have the chance to ask the falconry team questions through the WebEx online chat feature.

Falconry is the art of training raptors—birds of prey like hawks and falcons—to capture wild game, so that bird and trainer essentially become hunting partners. The use of falconry can be traced back to 700 B.C.E., and by some accounts even farther back in time. 

An Evening with Raptors is a free WebEx event, but advanced registration is required for each person attending. To sign up, participants should go to https://short.mdc.mo.gov/4kv.  Attendees will receive an invitation by email from the MDC Event Management System with a WebEx program link 24 hours before the program. It’s recommended to check junk mail folders if no email is received.

Program registrants should note that families now have the option to link their children’s accounts to their own which will streamline the program registration process.  Once a group account is set up, parents will be able to register their children to an event without having to logoff and login for each person.  This allows parents to register an entire family or select family members to an event at the same time. 

Stay informed of MDC latest programs by going to the MDC St. Louis regional events page at https://short.mdc.mo.gov/ZP6.

MDC offering help for those wanting to Use Native Plant Species

 I reckon a lot of folks don't think too much about the problems associated with invasive species...not the awesome benefits that you can get by instead using native species on your property.  Find out how you can make native species work for you through the MDC...

MDC offers free native plant garden workshop July 19 at Clinton

A monarch butterfly caterpillar munches 
on whorled milkweed plant in the new
pollinator garden at MDC’s Clinton Office.
 Photo by Kathy Hetherington, 
Missouri Department of Conservation

Learn how to make native wildflowers thrive in landscaping

Clinton, Mo. – Native wildflowers are blooming on the prairies and they can also brighten a home garden. The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) will offer a free workshop on gardening with natives from 8:30 to 10 a.m. on Monday, July 19, at the MDC Clinton Office, 2010 S. Second St. The teaching spot will be the new native pollinator garden at the office.

“This program will showcase our new native garden for pollinators and teach folks about how to plan, plant, and maintain a garden using prairie wildflowers and grasses,” said Ginger Miller, MDC conservation educator.

MDC staff will offer tips on planning, planting, and maintaining a native garden bed. Participants are invited to work alongside staff working in the garden. Bug spray and hand tools will be provided, or visitors may bring their own. All those registered in advance will take home a packet of native seeds and knowledge about gardening with them.

This program is open to all ages. Registration is requested. Families or groups may be registered together. COVID-19 precautions will be followed. To register, visit https://short.mdc.mo.gov/ZVh.

To learn more about native plant gardening, visit https://short.mdc.mo.gov/ZV7.

MDC to offer virtual program on how snakes eat July 29

Two-Headed Ratsnake

Learn interesting facts about how snakes consume their food and see a two-headed snake eat.

BRANSON, Mo. – For a snake, eating is usually a jaw-dropping experience.

Learn interesting details about how snakes eat and watch a two-headed snake get fed July 29 at a free virtual Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) program “Snake Feeding: Featuring a Two-Headed Snake.” MDC’s Shepherd of the Hills Conservation Center staff will offer this program July 29, from 1-2 p.m.

Among the snakes that will be fed during this online program will be the two-headed western ratsnake that has been housed at the Shepherd of the Hills Conservation Center since it was found by a family in Stone County in 2017. Though the feeding of the two-headed snake will be the highlight of the online program, people who register for this event will learn that even snakes having only one head utilize some unique adaptations to consume their prey. Participants will be able to watch Shepherd of the Hills staff feed several snakes that are kept at the Conservation Center.

Contrary to what’s often said, snakes cannot detach their lower jaw. However, due to incredible jaw flexibility, a snake can open its mouth wider than its body and swallow prey that is large in relation to its mouth and head. To put it in human perspective, some of the larger prey items snakes can consume would be the equivalent of a human swallowing a basketball. This unique form of eating has benefits. Because such a large quantity of food can be consumed at one time, some mature snakes in the wild can get by with eating once every several weeks. Swallowing items larger than their heads also helps snakes to provide benefits to humans by being able to eat mice and rats.

People can register for this online program at:

https://mdc-event-web.s3licensing.com/Event/EventDetails/173822

Though this program is free, registration is required to participate using the link above. Registrants must provide an e-mail, so a program link can be sent to them. This program will include a chat-based question-and-answer period where participants can interact with the presenters.

Staff at MDC facilities across the state are holding virtual programs. A listing of these programs can be found at mdc.mo.gov/regions.

MDC offers women’s basic handgun workshops near Hartsburg

Preregister today to attend this free program on Dec. 13.

HARTSBURG, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) invites women to attend a free workshop near Hartsburg on the basics of handguns and shooting.

The class will take place 6–8 p.m. on Dec. 13 at Ammo Alley, LLC, 11562 Callaway County Road 395, south and east of the Highway 63 bridge over Cedar Creek.

Women will learn handgun parts and operation, ammunition, handgun safety, and shooting fundamentals. Participants will receive classroom training and one-on-one shooting instruction in a climate-controlled indoor shooting range.

MDC offers this workshop and classroom instruction free of charge.  However, Ammo Alley requires a $10 range fee from each participant, to be paid directly to Ammo Alley.

MDC will provide handguns and ammunition. Participants are welcome to bring their own, unloaded, cased handguns to the class, but will be required to provide their own new, factory ammunition (no reloads).

Women ages 14 years and older are invited to register for this workshop, however, participants younger than 18 years old must be accompanied by a parent or guardian who also registers for the workshop.

“Women are the fastest-growing group of gun owners in the U.S.,” said MDC Outdoor Skills Specialist Justin McGuire. “This workshop is designed to help women become more comfortable with handguns and improve their shooting abilities.”

Space is limited to the first 16 registrants. Register for this workshop by visiting mdc-event-web.s3licensing.com/Event/EventDetails/163184.

For more information, contact McGuire at 573-815-7901, ext. 2866, or Justin.McGuire@mdc.mo.gov

New Dade County conservation agent on familiar turf

Sarcoxie native Jeremy Edwards grew up fishing, camping at Stockton Lake.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – When Jeremy Edwards begins his duties as Dade County Conservation agent on Sept. 1, he will be patrolling an area he knows well. A native of Sarcoxie in nearby Jasper County, he grew up fishing and camping at Stockton Lake and is looking forward to helping protect the resources of that area that he has enjoyed since he was a youth.

“I love the outdoors and I want to protect the fish, forest and wildlife natural resources we have in this state,” he said. “If we work together to properly manage and protect these resources, future generations will be able to enjoy them like we do.

Prior to his Dade County assignment, Edwards was one of two conservation agents in Shannon County. In addition to his enforcement duties, Edwards has been involved with trapping and eradicating feral hogs, elk restoration and black bear trapping and tagging. He graduated from Missouri Southern State University in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.

Edwards said he is looking forward to getting to know and working with the people of Dade County. He can be reached at Jeremy.Edwards@mdc.mo.gov or (417) 955-2389.

Conservation agents work to stop wildlife trafficking

MDC asks for help to report poaching and wildlife trafficking.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) are working together to stop wildlife trafficking. Wildlife trafficking consists of poaching or taking of a protected or managed species to sell for profit. This includes buying or selling living or dead animal parts such as bones, skins, meat, and other products in violation of state or federal laws.

From the United States and Canada to Eastern Europe, China, and Africa, wildlife trafficking is a worldwide problem with some cases having roots in Missouri. It has been noted that wildlife trafficking once was predominately a crime of opportunity committed by individuals or small groups.  Currently that has changed to international criminal cartels that are well structured, highly organized, and capable of illegally moving large commercial volumes of wildlife and products.

Thousands of wildlife species are threatened every year by illegal wildlife trafficking globally. From killing elephants in Africa for their tusks to poaching rhinos for their horns, these represent just a few of the targeted species for international wildlife traffickers.

In response to this crisis, Presidential Executive Order 13648 was created to establish a task force and implement a plan to combat wildlife trafficking. The plan centers on three objectives: strengthening enforcement, reducing demand, and expanding international cooperation.  This cooperation includes several wildlife trafficking investigations taking place in Missouri.

What MDC is doing

Conservation agents have had a big role in working to stop wildlife trafficking both locally and globally. Missouri conservation agents have been fighting illegal caviar trafficking from paddlefish poachers on Lake of the Ozarks, Truman Lake, and Table Rock Lake for years.

Caviar is a delicacy created by preserving fish roe in special salts. According to MDC, about 20 pounds of eggs or more can be harvested from a large, pregnant paddlefish.

“Caviar prices in illegal or black markets vary,” MDC Protection Division Chief Larry Yamnitz said. “A common black-market price is about $13 an ounce. Therefore a single large female paddlefish with about 20 pounds of eggs is carrying about $4,000 worth of potential caviar for black market sales.”

MDC agents, USFWS, and other state wildlife agencies have successfully stopped more than 100 people from Missouri and eight other states, from trafficking paddlefish eggs from Warsaw (Missouri) in order to sell them as caviar. Currently, 240 out of 256 state charges have been completed through the court system with more than $61,000 in fines and court costs collected. Some federal cases are still on going.

“It’s important that our conservation agents were a part of this because this is just one example of Missouri’s wildlife being exploited for commercial gain,” Yamnitz said. “If MDC didn’t put a stop to this, it could have wiped out Missouri’s paddlefish.”

Missouri also played a role in another large, nationwide criminal investigation. The investigation continues, but so far it has led to 41 arrests, 30 convictions and the seizure of smuggled elephant tusks and rhino horns with street value of more than $75 million.  Some of the rhino horns seized in the investigation were trafficked through a Macon (Missouri) resident.

“Wildlife trafficking also includes the illegal transportation of captive cervids, such as whitetail deer, across the U.S. This illegal movement of animals significantly increases the risk of spreading wildlife diseases such as Chronic Wasting Disease,” Yamnitz said. “Our agents are actively involved in several investigations involving this around the state.”

The Show-Me-State also has a healthy ginseng, turtle, and snake populations. The international demand for such species makes Missouri a prime location for illegal wildlife trafficking for those also.

Yamnitz added that illegal wildlife trafficking investigations are complicated and often take months to even years to complete. From conservation agents going undercover and dealing with intense situations to filling out paper work and using hi-tech video surveillance, agents have to be prepared for anything when dealing with illegal wildlife trafficking.

How the public can help

MDC encourages the public to report any wildlife violation or concerns of wildlife trafficking to a local conservation agent or by calling MDC’s Operation Game Thief hotline at 1-800-392-1111. If an individual provides information to MDC and it results in an arrest, that individual may receive a reward. The Conservation Federation of Missouri assigns the reward based on the severity of the violation involved. Rewards range from $50 to $1,000 or more.

If an individual would like to help more, MDC encourages them apply to become a conservation agent. MDC is accepting online applications through Aug. 29 for its next class of conservation agent trainees. Selected candidates will undergo 26 weeks of intense training in all facets of law enforcement and resource management. Learn more about becoming an agent on MDC’s website at http://on.mo.gov/2aKSu7d. 

Related articles

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• Making a Comeback: California Island Foxes are No Longer Extinct (natureworldnews.com)

MDC will offer free Prairie Day event Sept. 17

Visit Wah'Kon-Tah Prairie near El Dorado Springs for tours and exhibits  

El Dorado Springs, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) will host a free Prairie Day event 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 17, at Wah’Kon-Tah Prairie near El Dorado Springs. Tallgrass prairie is a diverse ecosystem of native grasses, wildflowers, upland streams, insects and wildlife. Prairie Day will offer wagon tours of the prairie, wildflower walks and conservation exhibits.

Co-host for the event is The Nature Conservancy. Much of the Wah’Kon-Tah Prairie Conservation Area is owned by the Conservancy but managed by MDC in a partnership. The St. Clair County Cattlemen’s Association will provide food concessions.  Representatives of the Osage Nation will discuss the tribe’s historic ties to the Upper Osage Grasslands.

MDC staff will discuss the role prairie plays today, whether it’s preserving the iconic grassland birds like the prairie chicken, conserving plant diversity, boosting wildlife habitat or providing a place to learn how conservative grazing can be used to improve wildlife habitat.

Wah’Kon-Tah Prairie and the nearby Taberville Prairie hold remnant flocks of prairie chickens, which are endangered in Missouri. But the key to those flocks surviving is the native grasses and wildflowers that provide food and good places to nest, raise broods, hide from predators and survive winter. The same warm-season grasses and forbs also can provide summer grazing forage or winter hay for livestock. Bobwhite quail and other ground-nesting birds also benefit from prairies or the use of native grasses and forbs in pastures.

Prairies are also simply beautiful to look at, either across the open horizons, or by observing the plant diversity during a hike. Prairies also harbor wildlife such as songbirds, deer and turkeys.

For information about Prairie Day, call 417-876-5226. Information and a map for Wah’Kon-Tah Prairie Conservation Area is available at https://nature.mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/places/wahkon-tah-prairie. To learn about prairie in Missouri, visit http://mdc.mo.gov.

Related articles

• Take a walk on the wildflower side (missourioutdoors.blogspot.com)
• Lead, Follow or Get Out of The Way (triplepundit.com)
• Sunrise over the preserve behind Evans Prairie Country Club (villages-news.com)

Be Bear Aware Wild Webcast -- Sept. 8

Jeff Beringer MDC Bear Biologist 

Black bears are one of Missouri's largest animals. Missouri Department of Conservation's (MDC) Bear Biologist Jeff Beringer gets up close and personal with bears almost on a daily basis. Beringer's job consists of trapping, collaring, examining, and conducting research on Missouri's black bears. Listen to what Beringer and other MDC staff have to say about Missouri's black bears during MDC's free mid-afternoon Wild Webcast.

Join us on Thursday, Sept. 8, from 2-3 p.m.CST to learn about the history of

Mary Cheney 
MDC Assistant Natural History Biologist 

Missouri's black bears, how large the Missouri black bear population is and if it's still growing, the importance of being bear aware, and the Black Bear Research Project. This MDC Wild Webcast will feature a conversation with MDC experts, include plenty of pictures, and then be open for questions from webcast participants.

SAVE YOUR SPOT NOW to learn:

• History of Missouri's black bears;
• Location and population of Missouri's black bears;
• Importance of being bear aware; and
• The Black Bear Research Project.

REGISTER TODAY for Be Bear Aware.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR for this future MDC Wild Webcast:

• CWD and Missouri Deer on Oct. 13 from 6-7 p.m. CST

Related articles

• REMINDER to Discover Nature with MDC at State Fair starting this week (missourioutdoors.blogspot.com)
• Black bear totals on rebound (triblive.com)
• DNR discusses recent black bear sightings in Indiana (wthitv.com)

Numbers matter in Missouri’s feral hog fight

MDC regional hog coordinator compares the past, present and future of the feral hog problem.

PIEDMONT, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and its partners can’t help but look at the numbers when it comes to feral hogs. Mark McLain is MDC’s feral hog team coordinator for the southeast region. When he added up the number of hogs trapped over the last two years, he realized those weren’t the only hogs that were taken off the land.

The southeast region hog team trapped 1,453 hogs in 2015 and 1,707 hogs so far in 2016. Add in the reproduction factor of feral hogs and the impact is huge.

“If half of those hogs were female, which is usually the case, and those females had two litters this year with an average of six piglets each, that’s almost 19,000 feral hogs that would’ve been destroying our southeast Missouri habitat and crops in 2016 if we hadn’t done anything,” McLain said.

“One hog can destroy an entire field in one night, so imagine what 19,000 hogs would’ve done,” he said.

McLain became the region’s feral hog coordinator in 2011, but the feral hog problem wasn’t new to him then. Feral hogs have roamed Missouri’s southeast region for more than 25 years, according to McLain, after misguided sportsmen illegally released hogs for hunting purposes in Wayne, Reynolds and Iron counties. MDC has locked arms with multiple agencies and partners in an organized effort to eradicate the hogs that have spread across the region and into other areas of the state. These cooperative efforts are paying off.

Partner government agencies include MDC, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Department of Agriculture – Wildlife Services (USDA), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service and Department of Natural Resources. Other organizations involved in Missouri’s feral hog fight are the Missouri Farm Bureau, National Wild Turkey Federation, Quail Forever, Quality Deer Management Association, Quail and Upland Wildlife Federation, Missouri Corn Growers Association, Missouri Soybean Association, Missouri Pork Association, Missouri Cattlemen’s Association, Missouri Agribusiness Association, Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation, and Missouri Farmers Association.

“Our team is dedicated and determined to make a bad situation better,” McLain said.

One of the ways the situation has improved is in trapping technology. McLain said the first traps that were used were corral traps with three 16-foot long panels and a three-foot wide rooter gate. It worked well, but they’ve found what works better.  Corrals were enlarged to four or five panels and six-foot drop gates, which meant more hogs would enter the trap faster because of the larger opening. These larger traps obviously caught more hogs, meaning an entire sounder of hogs could be caught at one time. This was important because hogs are adaptive and would spread out to other areas and avoid the traps later if they weren’t caught the first time in the trap.

The latest trap design is even better, according to McLain. The BoarBuster and Falling Panel Trap are suspended in the air and very fast. The BoarBuster is wirelessly triggered with video surveillance. The trapper can watch the video from a cell phone and wait to drop the panels the moment the entire sounder is inside the trap.

“These are efficient and we can catch hogs sometimes as soon as four hours after we set it up,” McLain said. “Thirty-eight hogs in a trap at once is our record.”

Trapping as many hogs as possible at one time is important considering the amount of traps available versus the need. MDC and the USDA work with landowners to teach them how to tend hog traps on their own land, so the dedicated five hog-trapping employees can continue to trap on public lands and assist new landowners who call in with hog damage.

“Last year we helped 144 landowners,” McLain said. “This year, so far, we have helped more than 80 new landowners in our region who’ve reported hog damage. We tend to have around 100 new landowners each year who call for help and we have approximately 60 hog traps out over the southeast region.”

The amount of landowners reporting damage demonstrates improvements in another aspect of the feral hog fight – public awareness.

“People are hearing from the news and seeing billboards about how to get help removing feral hogs from their property,” McLain said. “We’re doing everything we can to inform the public not just about the problem of feral hogs, but what to do if they have damage or see hogs on their land – and that’s contact MDC.”

McLain said landowners should immediately report feral hog sightings to MDC online atmdc.mo.gov/feralhog [make link live in GovDelivery]or call their local MDC or USDA office. McLain also said word of mouth has been very effective in spreading the word about hogs.

“Hearing that a neighbor has hog damage motivates landowners to action,” McLain said. “Thoughtful neighbors will warn each other and do what they can to help each other avoid the experience of hog damage.”

Overall, McLain said he knows there is a lot of work ahead in the fight against feral hogs. However, the high numbers caught by improved traps, the number of partners working together and the number of cooperative landowners point towards a hopeful future of eradicating feral hogs in Missouri.

MDC seeks public input on towersites across central Missouri

Public can comment through Aug. 31 on draft management plan. 

COLUMBIA, Mo. — The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is in the multi-year process of updating Conservation Area Management Plans and is seeking public input on how conservation areas are important to Missourians.  A draft management plan for the Department’s Central Region Towersites is available for public review through Aug. 31. To preview this draft management plan and share comments online, visit www.mdc.mo.gov/areaplans. 

Towersites provide MDC a means for detecting wildfires and allow the public limited access for hunting and wildlife viewing opportunities. Towersites covered in this management plan include Branch Towersite, Camdenton Conservation Service Center, Freeburg Towersite, Proctor Towersite, and Rocky Mount Towersite. 

Statewide, MDC conservation areas cover almost one million public acres for the purpose of restoring and conserving forest, fish and wildlife resources, and for providing opportunities for all citizens to use, enjoy and learn about these resources. Most Missourians are within a 30-minute drive of an MDC conservation area.

Conservation Area Management Plans focus on natural resource management and public use on conservation areas. The plans do not address regulations on hunting, fishing and other area uses, which are set by the Conservation Commission and enforced under the Wildlife Code of Missouri. MDC will consider all ideas received and will work to balance the issues and interests identified with the responsibility of managing areas for the present and future benefits to forest, fish, wildlife, and people. Decisions on which ideas to incorporate into area plans and on how to best incorporate them will be based on the property’s purpose, its physical and biological conditions and capabilities, the best roles of the property in its local, regional and state-wide context, and on the professional expertise of MDC staff.

Related articles

• MDC invites youth to dove clinic and hunt at Prairie Fork Conservation Area Sept. 2-3 (missourioutdoors.blogspot.com)