Share the Harvest donations top 2 million pounds

Since 1992, Missouri hunters have donated more than 2 million pounds of venison to the needy through local Share the Harvest programs. Many areas still do not have donation programs, however. For information about how to get started, visit mdc.mo.gov/hunt/deer/share/, call 573-634-2322, or e-mail mofed@socket.net.

 (Missouri Department of Conservation photo)

This year alone, needy Missourians received more than

100 tons of lean, red meat through the venison donation program.

JEFFERSON CITY— Hunters donated more than a quarter of a million pounds of venison to needy Missourians during the 2009-2010 hunting season, pushing the total for the program to more than 2 million pounds. Program coordinator David Murphy says he would like to see that much donated annually.

–Hunters donated more than a quarter of a million pounds of venison to needy Missourians during the 2009-2010 hunting season, pushing the cumulative total for the Share the Harvest (STH) program to more than 2 million pounds.  Program coordinator David Murphy says he would like to see that much donated annually.

Now in its 18^th year, Share the Harvest orchestrates the efforts of thousands of hunters, local organizations and meat processors to get ground venison to people in need. In its first year, the program collected several hundred pounds of venison. The program grew rapidly after the Conservation Federation of Missouri and the Conservation Department adopted it. Today, Share the Harvest nets more than 200,000 pounds of venison yearly.

This year’s final tally was more than 252,000 pounds. More than 5,000 hunters donated meat through more than 100 participating meat processors in approximately 74 counties.

Providing enough protein, especially meat, for needy Missourians is one of charitable organizations’ biggest challenges. Share the Harvest allows hunters to donate whole deer at little or no cost, making a mountain of lean red meat available to community food banks, Salvation Army units and other charities.

 “It’s an amazing partnership that benefits Missouri in so many ways,” says Murphy, the Conservation Federation’s executive director. “Needy Missourians get high-quality protein. The Conservation Department gets help managing the state’s deer herd. That helps reduce problems with deer-vehicle accidents and crop damage, and it keeps the deer herd healthy by preventing overpopulation.”

Murphy says there is no reason why Share the Harvest could not collect millions of pounds of venison each year. He says boosting venison donations above the million-pound mark is “just a matter of organization and fundraising.”

 “Share the Harvest is a grassroots effort at heart," says Murphy. "Local sponsors work out the practical details of where hunters bring deer, how deer get processed, how the processing is paid for and who gets the meat. We are just here to make it possible. Local people make it happen. We still have more than 30 counties without local Share the Harvest programs, and a lot of the counties that already have programs could easily support additional ones. There is plenty of room to grow."

Murphy said there still is time to organize charities, churches, civic clubs, sportsmen’s groups, meat processors, financial supporters and local news media to form a local Share the Harvest effort. For information about how to get started, visit mdc.mo.gov/hunt/deer/share/, call 573-634-2322, or e-mail mofed@socket.net.

-Jim Low-

Profile: Big Creek Conservation Area

Most of the information found in this profile is gleaned from the MDC.  The value, I hope, in doing these profiles is that I am giving the reader a synopsis of all major activities at the property.  The reader can then go to the MDC Atlas, or to do research for hunting purposes, we suggest our sister site's Missouri Public Hunting Page.

Big Creek Conservation Area is adjacent to the west side of the City of Kirksville, accessible via Royal Oaks Drive, Rainbow Basin Trail or West Michigan St.  This area is adjacent to Thousand Hills State Park and is the jumping off point for trails in the area.  The conservation area is 1064 acres and is adjoined with Thousand Hills State park for a total of just over 4,000 acres. 

Fishing

There are three ponds listed as "fair" for bass, catfish, and sunfish.  Catfish are apparently found only in Pond 6.  Bass and sunfish are found in Ponds 5,6, and 7. There are special regulations for fishing in effect for this area.

Hunting
There reportedly good populations for deer as well as squirrels, while turkey and rabbits are reportedly present in fair numbers.  At the time of this writing, regulations allowed for muzzle loader and archery deer hunting under special regulations.  There were also special regulations for other species in place as well. Portable tree stands were allowed, with the caveat that if left in place during the season they must be plainly labelled "with the full name and address or Conservation number of the owner and be removed from the area by February 1st." 

Camping
Camping is allowed in Big Creek Conservation Area.  Camping allowed on or adjacent to area parking lots. No camping along roadways. No amenities provided.

Contact Information
Big Creek Conservation Area
660-785-2420
Map
Brochure

*For comprehensive research on hunting areas on Missouri public land, visit Missouri Public Hunting.  Here you will find links to pages with Missouri Conservation Areas divided by county.  These pages also list game populations present on the property.  They were designed to assist hunters to hone in on an area to hunt.  Additionally, you will find a Mark Twain National Forest Hunting page

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It’s raining records!

Closing the Missouri River to commercial

 harvest of catfish is paying hefty dividends.

MOKANE, Mo.–When it rains, it pours, according to the old saying, and July has produced a cloudburst of fishing records in Missouri. The Missouri Department of Conservation has certified three new fishing records so far this month. Two could be world records.

The first record catch came in early July, when John West, of Republic, caught a 58-pound, 10.4-ounce striped bass at Bull Shoals Lake in Taney County. The monster striper measured just a shade over 48 inches from nose to tail and had a girth of 34.25 inches. The fish inhaled a 6-inch swim bait that West, 37, was casting from the bank with a spinning rod and reel. A swim bait is a soft-bodied lure rigged with a weighted hook.

Friends introduced West to striper fishing three years ago. They were fishing together on the rainy evening of July 8. West was tired from casting the big, heavy lure and decided to make two or three more casts before starting the long trek back to his vehicle when the big striper struck. The fish felt bigger than any he had caught before. He assumed it was in the 30- to 40-pound range. His friends had caught several fish that size in recent weeks.

“He basically was fighting from the moment he hit my swim bait,” said West. “He pulled half the line off my spool before I started gaining on him.” He said his reel held 190 yards of 30-pound-test line.

“It was so foggy I couldn’t even tell where I was casting,” said West, “so I couldn’t see how big the fish was until I tried to land it and it wouldn’t fit in the net. We had to roll it up the bank to get it in, and then we all knew it was big.”

He and a friend took turns carrying the hefty fish, and when they put it in a 45-gallon cooler, it touched all four sides. That is when they knew it was “time to wake somebody up.”

They contacted Conservation Agent Quenten Fronterhouse. He and Shepherd of the Hills Fish Hatchery Manager Clint Hale certified the record.

“It took awhile for it all to soak in,” said West. “I was kind of in awe. I told my dad, if I caught a big one, I was going to grill it. But a state record, that’s a mounting trophy.”

The striped bass (Morone saxatilis) is an anadramous species, spending its adulthood in saltwater but returning to fresh water to spawn. They are not native to Missouri, but have adapted well to fresh-water reservoirs and streams. Ocean-run striped bass can grow to 6 feet long and 125 pounds.

The International Game Fish Association (IGFA) all-tackle record striped bass came from the Atlantic Ocean and weighed 78 pounds, 8 ounces. The current IGFA 30-pound line-class record for inland waters is 47 pounds, 11 ounces. That makes West’s fish a shoo-in for a world record if his catch meets the IGFA’s stringent requirements.

The second record catch – a blue catfish – came in the early hours of July 20 on the Missouri River near Columbia Bottom Conservation Area, just north of St. Louis. Greg Bernal, of Florissant, and his friend, Janet Momphard, of St. Charles, started fishing just after sunset. They fished one place until 12:30 a.m. Nothing much was happening, so they moved to another spot and anchored about 100 feet from shore. Bernal, 47, noticed that the weather was turning ugly.

“There was a serious storm blowing in, with lightning all over the place. I was ready to call it a night, but I figured I would troll around behind this dike, and see what shows up on the sonar. I spotted a couple of really big fish on the bottom in like 27 feet of water. So I decided to give it a shot until the storm got closer. I mean, who knows what could happen, and there it was! I set the hook on him at 12:45 a.m., and that reel just absolutely started screaming. He swam right under the boat, so I just kept reeling down and pulling him up. When he broke water I couldn’t believe it.”

It took Bernal only about 15 minutes to maneuver the huge fish up to the side of his 22-foot johnboat, but it took both him and Momphard another 30 minutes to hoist the fish over the gunwale.

“The first net was not deep enough,” said Bernal, “because the fish was almost 5 feet long. I finally told Janet I was not going to get it in this net. She was going to have to get the other deep net out of the front of the boat.”

Momphard lost precious moments untangling the second net from the boat’s trolling motor and other gear.

“All the time, I’ve got this big fish on the end of my line without even being in a net. So I got him in the first net and he tore a big hole in it and so I had to get the second one and come at him from his head before we could actually get him wrapped up and try and get him in the boat.”

 Bernal’s 40-pound monofilament line held, and with the nets in place, Bernal and Momphard tried repeatedly to lift the fish. They succeeded on the fourth try.

It was 10:30 a.m. before Bernal got his fish to a certified scale to verify his catch. Fisheries Management Biologist Sarah Peper certified the record.

“We get a lot of calls from people who think they have a record,” said Peper, “but it always seems to turn out to be a different species than they thought, or it doesn’t weigh as much as they thought. As soon as we saw this fish, we were thinking it would be a state record probably and who knows, it might even be the world record. When we got it down to the feed store, Mr. (Jim) Blair was the weighmaster for our official weighing. When he kept sliding those weights over and he just kept going and going and going and going, and it finally balanced out at 130 pounds, we were all in shock. I weigh 109 pounds, so that fish was 21 pounds heavier than me.”

Peper took measurements and checked the fish for signs of how it had been taken, ensuring that it was a legitimate pole-and-line catch. The fish measured 57 inches long and had a girth of 45 inches. Then she compared its length, girth and weight against those of blue catfish of similar size to establish that the weight was credible.

Peper noted that the fish had been out of the water for nine hours and had been dead for much of that time.

“Fish lose weight after they die,” she said. “This fish may have weighed more than 130 pounds when it was alive.”

Bernal’s fish topped Missouri’s previous blue catfish record by 27 pounds. The state-record blue catfish caught by means other than pole and line is a 117-pound fish taken from the Osage River in 1964.  The current IGFA all-tackle record blue catfish is a 124-pounder taken from the Mississippi River near Alton, Ill.

July’s third record fish was a 99-pound flathead catfish caught three days after Bernal’s monster blue. Robert Neal Davidson, of Mokane, was with his father, James L. Davidson, and his 9-year-old son, Drake Neal Davidson, when he landed the fish. It was touch and go for a while, however.

Robert, 44, is a construction inspector for the Missouri Department of Transportation. He has been too busy to do much fishing lately, but he took Friday off to fish with dad and son. They took a 47.5-pound blue catfish off a pole first thing in the morning, which got all three of the anglers excited. When they got to their last line, it was under a log, with the pole bent over.

“Dad was running the boat,” said Robert, “and when he eased up alongside it, I got ahold of the line and started running my hands down it. I had no idea there was a fish on it. I thought about cutting the line, but instead I pulled the pole out of the bank, and dad backed the boat out into the river. The fish swam out from underneath that log and the fight was on.

“I’m holding onto the pole, fighting him like you would with a rod and reel but all I’ve got is this big fiberglass pole. We went half a mile downriver before I finally wore him out.

“When he surfaced, I knew I was looking at the biggest flathead I had ever seen. I gaffed him and could not get him in the boat, so I went down on my knees and stuck my arm through his mouth and gills and grabbed the rest of his body and got him over the side and into the boat. It was quite an ordeal. Without dad, we wouldn’t have gotten the fish. It was kind of a team effort.”

Young Drake watched in wonder while the two older Davidsons worked to land the behemoth.  Later he told his father he was so excited he was shaking.

Davidson caught the record flathead using a green sunfish for bait. It had a girth of 35 inches.

Missouri’s previous record for a flathead catfish caught by methods other than a hand-held line was a 94-pound fish caught from the St. Francis River in 1971. The pole-and-line record is 77.5 pounds. The IGFA all-tackle flathead catfish record (also for pole-and-line catches) is a 123-pound fish caught at Elk City Reservoir in Kansas.

The Conservation Department stopped commercial harvest of catfish on the Missouri River in 1992. Since then, several catfish in the 80- to 100-pound range have been taken by sport anglers in Missouri’s stretch of the river. Today the lower Missouri River is among the nation’s top trophy catfish waters.

“Having two state record catfish caught three days apart proves the wisdom of past management decisions,” said Conservation Department Fisheries Division Chief Chris Vitello. “The Missouri River is one of several fisheries in Missouri with the potential to produce huge catfish. Given a chance to grow, blue and flathead cats can reach sizes that make even the most experienced angler’s heart race.”

Striped bass can live 30 years. Catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) live even longer. Conservation Department fisheries biologists say Bernal’s fish probably was between 20 and 30 years old. Fish continue to grow throughout their lives, and some historic accounts record Missouri River catfish as large as 300 pounds.

The Conservation Department keeps records in two categories. The “pole-and-line” category is for fish taken on hand-held lines. “Alternative methods” include trotlines, throw lines, limb lines, bank lines, tree lines, jug lines, spearfishing, snagging, gigging, grabbing (with the use of a hook) and archery.

Entry forms and rules are available at mdc4.mdc.mo.gov/Documents/72.pdf. A list of Missouri fishing records is available at http://mdc4.mdc.mo.gov/Documents/69.pdf. The Conservation Department also has a Master Angler Program to recognize notable catches that fall short of records. For qualifying lengths and weights, visit http://mdc4.mdc.mo.gov/Documents/71.pdf.

-Jim Low-

Missouri Smallmouth Fishing Information Central

Missourians Asked to Celebrate Freedom from Invasive Species July 4

Exotic plants and animals threaten America’s way of outdoor life.

JEFFERSON CITY–Under threat of attack, people rally in defense of their homeland. That is exactly what the Missouri Department of Conservation is asking citizens to do as they head to the great outdoors for Independence Day weekend.

 “Not too many years ago, you could travel around the country without too much thought about spreading pests that could devastate our natural world,” said Invasive Species Coordinator Tim Banek. “Today, we need everyone to be aware of invasive species when they travel, even short distances.”

Two prime examples, said Banek, are the zebra mussel and the emerald ash borer. Neither was found in Missouri 20 years ago. Both now have footholds here and require constant vigilance by boaters, anglers, hunters and campers to limit their spread.

In the case of the zebra mussels, preventive measures start by knowing where the fingernail-sized, black and white mollusks already are established. Lake Taneycomo, Bull Shoals Reservoir, Lake of the Ozarks, Pomme de Terre Lake, Lake Lotawana, the Osage, Missouri and Mississippi rivers and the mouth of the Meramec River all are known to harbor the prolific mussels.

Boaters and anglers who use their boats in more than one lake or stream are urged to remove any clinging vegetation, drain and inspect boats and trailers for zebra mussels and allow them to dry for at least five days before relaunching in a new location. Flushing live wells, bilges and motor cooling systems with hot water or chlorine bleach also is important. More information about zebra mussel prevention is available at invasivespeciesinfo.gov/aquatics/main.shtml.

The emerald ash borer is a green beetle that has caused millions of dollars of damage in forests across the Northeastern United States and the Upper Midwest. Its habit of tunneling beneath tree bark, coupled with Americans’ love of camping and campfires, has caused the pest to spread more rapidly than it might have otherwise. Campers who take firewood with them from one campsite to another can carry emerald ash borer larvae, which emerge and infest new areas.

Campers can avoid spreading emerald ash borers – along with other forest pests or diseases like the gypsy moth and the thousand-cankers disease of black walnut trees – by obtaining firewood in areas where they camp and burning it all before leaving. Even moving firewood from one campground to another in the same neighborhood can spread parasites and diseases. Campers who accidentally move firewood should burn it immediately.

For more information about emerald ash borers, visit www.mdc.mo.gov/firewood, or call 866-716-9974. The Missouri Cooperative Emerald Ash Borer Team also has an emerald ash borer newsletter, Borer Bite, which is available on request from joanie.straub@mdc.mo.gov. The newsletter also will be available at www.eab.missouri.edu in the near future.

Even Missourians who plan close-to-home “staycations” can unwittingly contribute to invasive species problems. An excellent example is taking fishing bait from one place to another.

“Most people would never dream that catching crayfish in a pond or stream near home and taking them to a fishing spot a few miles away could cause serious ecological problems, but it can,” said Banek. “Different crayfish species have very specific distributions. Moving one species into the next watershed can put larger, more aggressive crayfish in competition with the native crayfish and crowd them out. Over time, that leads to loss of biological diversity and undermines the stability of aquatic ecosystems.”

Worms, minnows, crickets and other bait purchased from bait shops also pose potential threats to Missouri’s wild resources. Banek urges anglers never to dump leftover bait.

“Just about everyone has thrown live worms or minnows into the water at the end of a fishing trip, thinking they will feed the fish, but we know better now. Invasive species sometimes slip into the bait supply chain and once they are loose, they can multiply.”

He said the same is true of worms, which sometimes are imported from as far away as Canada.

“The only safe thing to do with live bait is to send it to the landfill,” said Banek. “If there is a receptacle with a plastic bag at the boat ramp, you can put unused bait there. Otherwise, take it home and put it out with the rest of your trash.”

You can find more information about how to prevent the spread of invasive species at mdc.mo.gov/landown/invasive.htm.

-Jim Low-

MISSOURI PUBLIC LANDS HUNTING
CAMPING IN MISSOURI'S WILDERNESS AREAS
MISSOURI TROUT FISHING

Drawings for Missouri Managed Deer Hunts Set to Open

Managed deer hunt applications open July 1, close Aug. 15

Hunters can apply for nearly 100 archery, muzzleloader and modern

firearms hunts, including events for youths and hunters with disabilities.

JEFFERSON CITY–Deer hunters have until August 15 to apply for almost 100 managed hunts on public land from mid-September through January.

The Missouri Department of Conservation holds a drawing to determine who gets to participate in special managed deer hunts at conservation areas, state parks, national wildlife refuges and nature preserves. The application period opens July 1 each year. The hunts are open to Missouri residents and nonresidents.

This is the first year that applications must be made online. Wildlife Management Chief Mike Schroer said advancing technology permitted the switch to an exclusively web-based application process.

“With the growth of Internet access through home computers, laptops, smart phones and other technology, most hunters have Internet access – if not at home, then through family, friends, hunting partners or community locations such as public libraries,” said Schroer. “We encourage hunters to take advantage of these connections to apply for managed hunts.”

Types of hunts include archery, crossbow, muzzleloader, historic methods and modern firearms – plus youth hunts and hunts for persons with disabilities. Hunt dates, locations and other details will be listed on the managed hunt application Web page, mdc.mo.gov/hunt/deer/managed.htm. Details about managed hunts also are available in the 2010 Fall Deer and Turkey Hunting booklet, which is available from permit vendors statewide.

Hunters may apply individually or as groups of up to six, except for youth hunts. Youths may apply singly or with one other youth. Applicants need a nine-digit Conservation ID number for each hunter to complete the application process. If you do not have a Conservation ID Number, call 573-751-4115 to obtain one.

The Conservation Department will post drawing results at the same website Sept. 14. Successful applicants also will receive area maps and other information regarding their hunt in the mail.

Resident or nonresident managed deer hunting permits are required to take part in managed hunts. These permits will be available to successful applicants after Sept. 14 from any permit vendor statewide.

The Conservation Department implemented a preference point system in 2007 to give unsuccessful applicants for managed deer hunts an advantage in future drawings. Preference points are like extra pieces of paper in a hat. Hunters who apply for the first time or who were drawn for hunts the previous year have only one piece of paper with their name on it in the hat. Those who entered but were not drawn the previous year get an extra piece of paper in the hat for each unsuccessful year. For example, a hunter who was not drawn four years in a row would have five pieces of paper in the hat the fifth time he or she applied.

-Jim Low-

FIND PLACES TO HUNT ON MISSOURI PUBLIC LAND

Battling Invasive Species in Missouri

Image via Wikipedia

Missourians can help protect our state from devastating invaders

The potential effects of invasive plants, animals and diseases on the state’s economy and outdoor resources are incalculable.

JEFFERSON CITY MO – Will you be camping this summer? Boating or fishing? Planting trees or other landscaping? If so, the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) encourages you to help save the Show-Me State’s forests, fish and wildlife resources, along with our economy, from an army of invasive species. 

Missouri’s location in the middle of the continent makes it a crossroads for travelers of all kinds, including a growing number of exotic plants, animals and diseases. Among the better-known invaders are the zebra mussel, gypsy moth and bush honeysuckle. But, the list is much longer. Here are some other key culprits:

Emerald ash borer

These penny-size green beetles were first discovered in southeast Missouri in 2008. They have already killed more than 50 million ash trees in 14 states, including Missouri.

Ash trees make up approximately 3 percent of forests and 14 percent of urban trees in Missouri. In some neighborhoods and parks, that figure reaches as high as 30 or 40 percent.

The adult beetles nibble on ash foliage but cause little damage. However, the larvae feed on the inner bark of ash trees, disrupting the tree's ability to transport water and nutrients, eventually killing the tree.

The MDC is working with other state and federal agencies to help stop the spread of the beetle. A quarantine is in effect in Wayne County that restricts movement of hardwood firewood, ash nursery stock and other untreated ash wood products out of the county.

You can help prevent the spread of this deadly invader by not transporting firewood. Get firewood where you will burn it, and burn it all before you leave.

Thousand cankers disease

This infection of walnut trees is caused by the walnut twig beetle and a fungus it carries. It affects many types of walnut trees to varying degrees, but is lethal to black walnut. It is killing black walnut trees in at least eight western states.

The beetle bores into walnut trees and the fungus then forms thousands of growths, called cankers, under the bark. These cankers disrupt the tree's ability to transport water and nutrients, and can eventually kill it.

Missouri is home to more than 55 million black walnut trees and is the nation’s leader in black-walnut nut production. Missouri is also one of the largest producers of black walnut wood products. While the disease has not yet reached Missouri, estimates of potential damage to the state’s economy -- through the loss of nuts, wood products and planting stock -- could annually exceed $135 million.

The Missouri Department of Agriculture has banned the importation of “raw” walnut wood products, such as firewood, green lumber and nursery stock, from states where the disease has been found. The quarantine does not include nuts, nutmeats, bark-free, kiln-dried lumber and finished products, such as furniture. 

Again, don’t transport firewood. Get it where you will burn it, and burn it all.

Rusty crayfish

This invasive species has been spread from its native range in the Ohio River basin by anglers and bait dealers. Its aggressive nature and fast growth rate enable it to displace native crayfish, reducing the biological diversity of Missouri streams. 

You can help by not dumping bait. The Wildlife Code of Missouri prohibits the release of unused bait into waters where it did not originate and prohibits the sale and possession of this invasive crayfish.

Chinese mystery snail

This large Asian mollusk already inhabits several Missouri streams. It competes with less robust native snails, which are important parts of the food chain. Chinese mystery snails are on Missouri’s list of prohibited species and are illegal to possess.

You can help by not dumping aquarium water or contents into Missouri’s lakes and streams.  Dispose of unwanted aquarium animals humanely and deposit them in your trash.   

Northern snakehead

This 2-foot-long Asian import has gained a foothold in southern Arkansas and could spread north into Missouri. It can travel cross-country to new waters, sports a mouth full of needle-sharp teeth and devours game fish, such as bass, sunfish and catfish.

Asian carp

This species has multiplied dramatically since invading the Missouri and Mississippi rivers about 20 years ago.  They compete with important native aquatic filter feeders and can eventually take over bodies of water. Their impact on Missouri’s commercial fishing industry and sport fishing still is largely unknown, but could be devastating.

Spotted knapweed

This non-native member of the aster family takes over pastures and roadsides, rooting out native plants and ruining pastures for cattle. The 2-foot-tall perennial, bedecked with attractive, fringy pink blossoms, probably arrived in the United States in the late 1800s in contaminated hay or seed from Eurasia. Since then, it has spread to more than 45 states, including Missouri. Unlike aster species native to Missouri, spotted knapweed’s roots produce chemicals that are toxic to other plants, killing native species. It is bad news for wildlife and livestock because it is not a good food plant.

It was designated a noxious weed by the Missouri legislature in 2008.  You can help by controlling it on your property.

Purple loosestrife

Native to Europe and Asia, purple loosestrife was first brought to North America in the early 1800s. This attractive but highly invasive plant turns diverse, healthy wetlands into impenetrable stands of vegetation largely useless to native Missouri wildlife. Native wetland plants die out due to shading from the tall, dense purple loosestrife stands.

Purple loosestrife is included on Missouri noxious weed list.  You can help by controlling it on your property.

Common and cutleaf teasel

This pair of prickly thistles from Europe has been in Missouri for more than 100 years, but has multiplied dramatically in the past 10 years. It was introduced to North America, possibly as early as the 1700s, because the prickly stem was used in the textile industry to raise the nap of woolen cloth. Teasel’s unusual -- and by some perspectives, attractive -- flower heads have led to its use as a horticultural plant, in flower arrangements and in the craft trade. These are extremely aggressive plants that can take over livestock pastures and open fields, displacing even a thick stand of fescue.

Again, these are noxious weeds so it is important to control them if you find them on your property.

Feral hogs

These “hogs gone wild” destroy wildlife habitat and private property, compete with native wildlife for food, and can pose a threat to humans, pets and domestic livestock through the spread of disease.

Small populations of free-roaming domestic hogs have been part of the Missouri countryside since the days of open range. These isolated populations were kept in check by local hunting efforts.

The situation took a turn for the worse in the 1990s when hog hunting for recreation began to gain popularity. People started raising and releasing  European wild boars for hunting on private land. Some escaped, or were intentionally released on public land, and crossbred with existing free-roaming swine.

These “hogs gone wild” are prolific breeders and their numbers are growing at an alarming rate. Left unchecked, feral hogs will spread throughout Missouri, causing million of dollars in agricultural, environmental and property damage.

MDC is working with other state and federal agencies to control feral hogs on public lands, and is helping private landowners trap and kill them.

MDC encourages hunters to shoot feral hogs on sight.

It is against the law to release any type of hog on public land in Missouri. Report releases, sightings and kills to your local Conservation office.

For more information on these and other alien invaders, and how to help control them, contact your local Conservation office, or visit www.missouriconservation.org and search “invasive species” or a specific invader.

Missouri Hunting Information

Ailing Oak Trees

Oak galls won’t cause much permanent damage

A little TLC is all that most affected oaks need to recover.

ROLLA, Mo.–Oak trees across a broad swath of Missouri are experiencing an unusual outbreak of a common parasite. Tree experts say the parasite is not fatal to healthy trees, even though the condition can look awful.

The Missouri Department of Conservation is receiving numerous reports from St. Louis to Branson of oak trees turning brown. The problem is especially severe in the area around Rolla, Lake of the Ozarks, Springfield and Table Rock Lake.

The main cause of the problem is a wasp of the family Cynipidae. These tiny wasps deposit their eggs on emerging leaves in the spring. As the eggs hatch and young wasp larvae begin feeding, leaves develop brown spots that grow into “galls.” Each of these button-like growths, which are about the size of a pinhead, provides food and shelter for one wasp larva. In severe cases, entire leaves turn brown over much of a tree.

“It looks worse than it really is,” said Conservation Department Resource Scientist Rob Lawrence. “Some people mistakenly think a tree has died when it turns brown. However, it is extremely rare for oaks to die from this insect. Only a few trees that are in serious decline before infestation are likely to succumb.”

Lawrence said trees that have been stressed in recent years by ice or wind damage are more vulnerable to declining health if they lose most of their leaves to gall damage. If most of a tree’s leaves turn brown or drop by early summer, it may produce a second flush of leaves. This added stress can lead to a long-term health decline.

Lawrence, a forest entomologist, urges tree owners not to cut down infested oaks. He said all that most trees need to recover is a little tender loving care, including supplemental watering during dry weather  and possibly fertilizing next spring. Tree owners also can help minimize the severity of future outbreaks by burning or composting fallen leaves.

Avoiding any further injuries, such as wounds from lawn mowers or trimmers, is important for all trees, but especially those that already are stressed by previous storm damage. The use of pesticides is ineffective on the current gall damage.

Most jumping oak galls eventually drop to the ground. They get their name from the larval wasps’ habit of moving violently, causing the entire gall to jump. This causes them to settle into vegetation and soil crevices, where they are more protected.

Winter weather is one factor that helps determine how prevalent jumping oak galls are from year to year. Fewer jumping oak gall larvae survive in winters with repeated wide temperature swings, which encourage them to emerge early. Larvae survival is better in years when winter temperatures are more constant. Extended snow cover also helps the larvae survive by insulating them from cold.

More information about jumping oak galls is available at mdc.mo.gov/22967.

Although jumping oak galls are the main cause of oak trees turning brown, they are not the only cause of leaf discoloration in oak trees. Fungus infections also are causing some problems this year. Like the galls, this problem seldom is fatal to oaks. No actions are needed to help trees recover, other than those noted above.

-Jim Low-

Galls caused by tiny wasp larvae are causing leaves on oak trees from Rolla and Lake of the Ozarks to Springfield and Table Rock Lake to turn brown. The damage is temporary, however. Most trees recover on their own, but tree owners can help by watering during dry weather and fertilizing next spring.

 (Missouri Department of Conservation photo)

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