Youth turkey season harvest tops 4,000

Good reproduction in 2011 and 2012 helped young hunters.

JEFFERSON CITY–Young hunters checked 4,332 turkeys during Missouri’s youth turkey hunting season April 12 and 13, topping the 4,000 mark for the second time in the youth

season’s 14-year history.

Top counties in the youth season were Franklin with 107 birds checked, Cedar with 96, and Webster with 92. The Missouri Department of Conservation recorded one nonfatal hunting incident during the weekend hunt.

Conservation Department Resource Scientist Jason Isabelle says the strong youth season harvest can be attributed partly to the carry-over of adult gobblers resulting from good turkey reproduction in 2011 and 2012. Favorable weather throughout much of the state during the mornings of the hunt also helped.

Missouri’s only other 4,000-plus youth season harvest was in 2012, when young hunters checked 4,319 turkeys. Hunters age 6 through 15 are allowed to take one male turkey or turkey with a visible beard during the youth hunt. Those who do take a turkey during the youth hunt may not take a second bird until the second week of the regular spring turkey season.

The 2014 regular spring turkey season runs April 21 through May 11. For more information, get a copy of the 2014 Spring Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information booklet where permits are sold or visitmdc.mo.gov/node/4051.

The Conservation Department’s First Turkey Program is a great way to memorialize a hunter’s first successful hunt. The program provides a free commemorative certificate suitable for framing. You can even add a photo of the proud hunter with his or her bird. Creating a tangible reminder of a once-in-a-lifetime experience begins with visiting mdc.mo.gov/node/10469. The same site has forms for a hunter’s first deer for youths or adults.

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Youth turkey hunting clinic offered March 30

The clinic north of Clinton is open to participants age 9 through 15.

Wild Turkeys in Field

BLAIRSTOWN – Hunters age 9 through 15 who want to learn about turkey hunting can register for a youth turkey hunting clinic March 30.

The clinic is cosponsored by the Missouri Department of Conservation and Everhart's Wilderness Lodge. It will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the lodge, which is northwest of Clinton.

The event gives young people a chance to learn from experienced turkey hunters. Participants learn about turkey hunting rules and regulations, firearms safety, shotgun patterning, choke and shot selection, calling, scouting, decoy use, and equipment. The free clinic includes ammunition and lunch.

Registration is limited to 40 youths. Each youth must be accompanied by an adult sponsor. Each adult may sponsor up to two youths. Youths are encouraged to bring their shotguns. For more information or to register, call Johnny and Linda Everhart, 660-885-5049.

Other clinic sponsors include the Missouri State and Truman Lake Chapters of the National Wild Turkey Federation, past members Westside Missouri Waterfowl Association and Clinton Walmart.

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Young hunters check 19,277 deer

The ranks of young hunters are swelling as a

result of MDC’s continuing recruitment efforts.

JEFFERSON CITY– Hunters age 6 through 15 checked 19,277 deer during the first weekend of Missouri’s youth deer hunt Nov. 3 and 4, a 17.6-percent increase over last year’s figure.

Top harvest counties for the early portion of the youth hunt were Franklin with 417 deer checked, Osage with 400 and Howell with 395. 

Resource Scientist Jason Sumners with the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) credits several factors for the increase.

“Increasing participation is probably the number-one cause of the continued increases youth harvests,” says Sumners. “We have had a youth hunt for more than a decade now, and we have seen fairly steady growth in the harvest since then. That’s partly because we have doubled the length of the season. But it’s also about the growth of a youth-hunting tradition. That, combined with very good weather conditions and a lack of acorns in southern Missouri, contributed to a nice bump up this year.”

Missouri held its first youth hunt in 2001. The season was two days long, and the harvest that year was 6,277.  For the first seven years, the youth hunt consisted of a Saturday and Sunday before the November firearms deer season, and the harvest averaged around 10,000 deer. Starting with the 2008-2009 hunting season, MDC added a two-day late portion in January.

The youth deer season is one facet of ongoing efforts to recruit new hunters. In 2001, Missouri had approximately 40,000 deer hunters under age 16. Today they number approximately 70,000. MDC also uses low-cost permits, partnerships with private mentoring programs, an Apprentice Hunter Authorization, and outdoor-skills training to encourage Missourians to take up hunting.

Last year, more than 114,000 Missourians attended 2,000-plus MDC-sponsored events with instruction in hunting, fishing, trapping and shooting sports. Low permit cost is another reason Missouri is a great place to hunt. Missouri’s $17 Resident Firearms Any-Deer Permit is a bargain compared to the average of $46.63 for equivalent privileges in surrounding states. Missouri charges only $8.50 for a resident any-deer permit for kids under age 16. Resident youths pay just $3.50 for antlerless-deer permits.

The Apprentice Hunter Authorization costs $10 per year and allows people 16 and older to buy hunting permits for two consecutive years without having to complete hunter-education training first. Authorization users must buy the appropriate hunting permits. They also must hunt in the immediate presence of a licensed hunter 18 years or older who is hunter-education certified or exempt from the hunter-education requirement due to age.

Missouri’s hunting tradition is essential to managing the state’s deer herd. It also contributes substantially to the state’s economy. Deer hunters spend approximately $700 million on their sport annually in Missouri, generating $1.1 billion in business activity and supporting 11,000 jobs.

The Conservation Department makes it easy to create a lasting reminder of a young hunter’s first deer. An official First Deer Certificate, complete with congratulations and signature by Conservation Department Director Robert L. Ziehmer, is available at mdc.mo.gov/node/10469. To create a certificate suitable for framing, you need only fill in the hunter’s information, print the form and add a photo.

Next on Missouri’s deer-hunting calendar is the November portion of firearms deer season Nov. 10 through 20. This portion normally accounts for approximately 80 percent of the state’s firearms deer harvest.

-Jim Low-

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Regular spring turkey harvest totals 40,447

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Youth weekend adds 4,319 for an overall spring 2012 total of 44,766.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo – Hunters checked 40,447 turkeys during Missouri’s regular spring turkey season, up by 2,120 from 38,327 last spring, or about one percent. The harvest of 4,319 turkeys during this year’s spring youth weekend, March 31 and April 1, brought the 2012 spring turkey harvest to 44,766, up about one percent from 2011. Youth hunters harvested 3,893 turkeys during the 2011 spring youth weekend for a 2011 spring total of 42,220.  

Top harvest counties during the regular 2012 spring turkey season, April 16 through May 6, were Franklin with 852, Texas with 803 and Greene with 698.

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) recorded four non-fatal firearms-related turkey hunting incidents and no fatalities.

The bulk of birds taken during both this year’s youth weekend and regular spring season were adult gobblers with 31,813, or about 71 percent. Juvenile male turkeys (jakes) comprised almost 28 percent with 12,445 birds. Bearded hens made up one percent with 508.

Turkey harvest totals by county are available online at mdc.mo.gov/node/17396.

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Youth turkey harvest up

Hunters checked 4,319 turkeys during Missouri’s two-day youth turkey hunt.

JEFFERSON CITY–Wonderful weather and an uptick in statewide turkey population helped young hunters to a successful youth spring turkey hunt.

Each year, the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) sets aside a weekend before the main, three-week spring turkey season for hunters age 6 through 15. The early date sometimes means youngsters must hunt in chilly weather. That has not been the case for the past two years, and it certainly wasn’t this year, with high temperatures pushing into the 80s across most of the state. Rain wasn’t in the forecast, making conditions perfect for turkey hunting.

Young hunters took advantage of the situation to check 4,319 turkeys, up from 3,898 in 2011. Top harvest counties were Franklin with 119 turkeys checked, Osage with 93 and Callaway with 81.

The youth harvest has increased slowly since youngsters had their first separate hunt in 2001. That year’s total was 2,530. This year’s was the highest so far, up 9.5 percent from the previous high of 3,945 in 2010.

Missouri’s wild turkey flock gained a little ground last year, thanks to favorable nesting and brood-rearing conditions. While this increase and good hunting weather contributed to this year’s harvest, MDC Resource Scientist Jason Isabelle said the increasing popularity of the youth season probably was at least as important a factor.

“The youth hunt is a wonderful opportunity for adults to focus on giving young hunters a good experience,” said Isabelle. “Turkey hunters are passionate about their sport, and they get a lot of satisfaction from sharing it with youngsters. It actually enhances the enjoyment of turkey hunting.”

This year’s youth turkey season started earlier than normal to avoid a conflict with the Easter holiday. The main spring turkey season opens April 16 and runs through May 6. Regulations remain the same as last year with a few exceptions, such as changes that apply to certain conservation areas. For details, see the 2012 Spring Turkey Hunting Regulation and Information booklet, which is available wherever hunting permits are sold or at http://go.usa.gov/EIW.

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Schools trash litter through No MOre Trash! contest

Image via Wikipedia

Boys & Girls Club of Sedalia Middle School wins grand prize.

JEFFERSON CITY Mo  –  Almost 690 students from 33 Missouri elementary and middle schools helped fight litter by participating in the 2011 “Yes You CAN Make Missouri Litter Free” trashcan-decorating contest.

The annual contest is sponsored by the Missouri Departments of Conservation (MDC) and Transportation (MoDOT) as part of their ongoing “No MOre Trash!” campaign to raise awareness about litter and to discourage littering.

The contest encourages classes from kindergarten through eighth grade to join the fight against litter by decorating and displaying a large trash can with the “No MOre Trash!” logo and a litter prevention message using a variety of creative mediums. The winning school from each of three competition categories (grades K-2, grades 3-5 and grades 6-8) receives a $100 award. First-place winners are then eligible for a $500 grand prize and a trophy.

The Sedalia Middle School Unit of the Boys & Girls Club of West Central Missouri won first place for the Grade 3-5 category, and was selected as the grand-prize winner.

According to Boys & Girls Club Site Director Patricia Patrick, the eight participating students chose the theme, “Blast Trash Out of This World” and created a rocket ship out of a metal trashcan.  Students used recycled cardboard boxes for the ship’s wings and recycled chicken wire with foam insulation for the nose cone. Donated bed risers served as thrusters and the accompanying sign was made from soda cans and recycled wood flooring.  Students painted details on the rocket and sign with acrylic paint. The can will be on display in the Boys & Girls Club room at the school and was featured at the “Rockets and Wheels” expo sponsored by the Boys & Girls Club of West Central Missouri during national Boys & Girls Clubs week March 20-26.

Fredericktown Elementary’s second-grade afterschool Learning Zone students won first place for the Grade K-2 category.

The 14 students were guided by teachers Carol Stephens and Melissa West and chose the theme, “Beauti-Fly Our City.” The group created a butterfly trash can from various recycled materials including used water bottles collected by students and used aluminum foil from the school cafeteria. Students created the paper mache head of the butterfly from old newspapers donated by the school library along with donated paint, glue, pipe cleaners and other supplies. A local business donated Styrofoam scraps for the wings, which students decorated with donated tissue paper, paper and paint. The can is on display next to the main office at the school.

Osage Middle School’s  eighth-grade gifted students won first place for the Grade 6-8 category.

According to teacher Karen Blevins, the seven participating students were inspired by the 75^thanniversary of the game Monopoly. They created a No MOre Trash! version called Trashopoly with Mr. Monopoly front and center holding a No MOre Trash! pencil as his cane. A replica of stops from the original game board wraps around the top of the can with local street names replacing original locations. Additional images of Mr. Monopoly, along with game pieces made from recycled poster board, promote the No MOre Trash! theme.  Monopoly money decorates the top of the can. The can is on display in the teachers’ lounge to collect soda cans from the vending machine. The cans will be recycled to help pay for uniforms for the schools’ Special Olympics participants.

Participating schools were:

GRADES K-2 ENTRIES

·         West Englewood Elementary (Kansas City)

·         Hale Elementary

·         Fredericktown Elementary 

·         Pleasant Hope Elementary

·         Sherwood Elementary (Springfield)

·         Home School (O’Fallon)

·         East Lynne Elementary

·         Home School (Farmington)

·         Oak Grove Elementary (Popular Bluff)

GRADES 3-5 ENTRIES

·         West Englewood Elementary (Kansas City)

·         Linn County R-I (Purdin)

·         Pleasant Hope Elementary

·         Sedalia Middle School

·         Sherwood Elementary (Springfield)

·         Hale R-I

·         St. Paul School

·         Washington West Elementary

·         Wellsville-Middleton R-I

·         S. M. Rissler Elementary (Trenton)

·         West Elementary (Jefferson City)

·         Kingston Elementary (Cadet)

·         Mark Twain Elementary (Hannibal)

·         East Lynne Elementary

·         Running Fox Elementary (Kahoka)

·         Hillsboro Intermediate

·         Rock Port Elementary

·         St. John’s School (Villa Ridge)

GRADES 6-8 ENTRIES

·         Washington Middle School (St. Louis)

·         Sedalia Middle School

·         Hale R-I

·         Willow Springs Middle School

·         Bolivar Middle School

·         Kingston Junior High (Cadet)

·         Ava Middle School

·         Southwest Middle School (Washburn)

·         Lakeview Academy (Jefferson City)

·         Osage Middle School (Lake Ozark)

·         Smithton Middle School (Columbia)

·         Couch School (Myrtle)

“The contest is a great way for kids and schools to learn about how litter harms our environment, and to get involved in litter prevention and cleanup,” explained MDC No MOre Trash! Coordinator Joe Jerek.

Jerek encouraged others to get involved in litter prevention and cleanup through Missouri’s annual No MOre Trash! April Trash Bash.  The month-long event, sponsored by MDC and MoDOT, encourages individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities to pick up litter, educate others about litter, conduct a litter-free activity and encourage friends and family to participate.

For more information on No MOre Trash!, including the April Trash Bash, call 888-ASK MODOT(888-275-6636), or visit www.nomoretrash.org.