Young turkey hunters post another good harvest

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This year’s weather and the youth

turkey harvest were nearly identical to last year’s.

JEFFERSON CITY–Fortune smiled on young hunters during Missouri’s spring youth firearms turkey season April 9 and 10, enabling them to shoot an impressive 3,898 turkeys.

This was the second year in a row of warm, sunny weather for the youth season, encouraging hunters age 6 through 15 to spend plenty of time pursuing gobblers. This year’s harvest was nearly identical to last year’s figure of 3,945. Top counties for this year’s youth season were Franklin with 101 turkeys checked, Wright and Callaway with 77 each and Polk County with 75.

Male turkeys gobble most on warm, sunny days with moderate wind. Weather across most of the state closely matched this description this year, paving the way for an excellent hunt. Youth harvests prior to 2010 ranged from 3,894 in 2005 to 2,530 in 2001, the first year of the youth hunt.

The youth season provides an opportunity for adults to focus on mentoring young hunters. The impact on the state’s wild turkey flock is minimal, since the youth harvest usually accounts for approximately 5 percent of the annual harvest.

-Jim Low-

Refuge at Peck Ranch CA temporarily closed to turkey hunting

CARTER COUNTY, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) has closed the refuge portion of Peck Ranch Conservation Area to turkey hunting for this year to permit a species restoration project. Hunters who normally hunt on the area’s wildlife refuge portion will need to make alternate plans for the 2011 spring turkey season.

According to area manager Ryan Houf, Peck Ranch’s refuge was vital to restoring the thundering gobble of the wild turkey back to the Ozark hills. Now the area has been called on again to play an important part in restoring another Missouri native species -- elk.

MDC announced the temporary closure to accommodate elk restoration activities at Peck Ranch CA this spring. Hunting will still be allowed on approximately 12,000 acres outside the marked refuge fence.

“Turkey season is a time we spend all year looking forward to and I want to thank hunters for understanding and for doing their part to help create an area free of disturbance so the newly reintroduced elk can become acclimated to their new home,” Houf said. “With these efforts, Peck Ranch Refuge will become the same success story for elk restoration as it was for the wild turkey.”

Houf worked on the elk trapping team in Pineville, KY, and is heavily involved in preparation for the elk’s arrival in late April. Houf said elk are highly susceptible to human disturbance, and the MDC wants to minimize human presence near the holding facility.

“Our primary concern is the health and welfare of the elk herd that will be acclimating to the area,” Houf said. “By temporarily closing the refuge, we are making sure we are taking every available precaution to successfully protect and restore this native species to Missouri.”

Houf said even the individuals caring for the elk will be taking great care to stay out of sight from the holding pen as much as possible. The elk can become very nervous if they hear, see or smell people nearby.

“Maintaining a calm environment while the elk are in the holding pen is essential to their safety and health,” he said.

Any type of human interaction can cause undue stress and potential injury to the elk. He added that news media or other visitors will not be allowed at the holding site while the elk are present for the same reasons.

Houf said hunters are welcome to hunt outside the refuge. Maps of the area are available at www.MissouriConservation.org or at the Peck Ranch CA headquarters. The fenced refuge area is clearly marked.

MDC established Peck Ranch CA in 1945 for wild turkey management. For the past 30 years, MDC has used diverse management techniques, including prescribed fire and timber harvests, to maintain and restore natural communities there. This has created habitat for a wide range of native wildlife, including elk.

For more information, call the Peck Ranch CA headquarters at (573)323-4249.

Missouri Department of Conservation Statewide Fishing Report

4/7/2011 at 11:34:14

**First Report of the Season**


Attention Fishing Report Subscribers:

In most streams south of the Missouri River, black bass season will open May 28, 2011, until that date all black bass in those streams must be returned to the water unharmed immediately after being caught.  For details see Chapter 6 of the Wildlife Code.

PLEASE CHECK REGULATIONS CAREFULLY: Special regulations may apply to designated portions of water bodies; some baits and lures may not be legal for all portions.



CENTRAL REGION (573) 882-8388

    LAKES

Binder: No report available.

Blind Pony Lake: No report available.

Lake of the Ozarks (Bagnell Tailwater): 48 degrees, normal, dingy; black bass season closed (catch-and-release only); white bass slow on light colored soft plastics; crappie slow on minnows and crappie jigs; catfish slow, try chicken livers, cut baits and stinkbaits.
 (Report made on 4/7/2011)

Lake of the Ozarks (Glaize): 50 degrees, dingy; black bass slow on crankbaits and dark colored soft plastic worms; white bass slow using light colored soft plastics; crappie good on minnows, crappie jigs and crappie jigs tipped with Crappie Nibbles; catfish slow on stinkbaits and cut shad. (Report made on 4/6/2011)

Lake of the Ozarks (Gravois): 49 degrees, dingy; crappie good; black bass good; catfish fair; white bass slow.


 (Report made on 4/6/2011)

Lake of the Ozarks (Niangua): 49 degrees, dingy; catfish good at 30' depth on cut shad; white bass fair; black bass and crappie slow. (Report made on 4/7/2011)

Lake of the Ozarks (Osage): 49 degrees, dingy; catfish good at 30' depth on cut shad; white bass fair; black bass and crappie slow.


 (Report made on 4/7/2011)

Little Dixie: No report available.

    RIVERS

Lamine: high, dingy; channel catfish and blue catfish good on setlines baited with minnows and cut shad between Imhoff Bridge and I-70; paddlefish snagging activity has been light, but a few small males ranging in size between 26" and 30" have been taken below De Bourgmont Access; all other species slow. (Report made on 4/7/2011)

Missouri (Middle): high, muddy; channel catfish fair on shad gizzards; blue catfish fair on cut bait.
 (Report made on 4/7/2011)

Osage (lower, at Tuscumbia): 48 degrees, normal, dingy; black bass season closed; white bass slow on light colored soft plastics; crappie slow on minnows and crappie jigs; catfish slow, try chicken livers, cut baits and stinkbaits.

 (Report made on 4/6/2011)


KANSAS CITY REGION (816) 655-6254

    LAKES

James A. Reed Area: 51 degrees, high, clear; channel catfish good; largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, redear sunfish and trout fair. (Report made on 4/6/2011)

Montrose: 60 degrees, dingy; catfish fair; crappie and black bass slow; fishing pressure light. (Report made on 4/6/2011)

Schell-Osage (Atkinson Lake): 56 degrees, dingy; all species fair. (Report made on 4/6/2011)

Schell-Osage (Schell Lake): 56 degrees, high, dingy; all species fair. (Report made on 4/6/2011)

Smithville: No report available.

Truman: 52 degrees, high, dingy; crappie fair using minnows and jigs in 10' to 25' depths near mouths of creeks and up the tributaries; warm weather should have fish moving to the banks; catfish good on flats using cut shad; white bass good up creek arms near riffles; black bass fair in the creeks and pockets; walleye fair in the major tributaries. (Report made on 4/7/2011)

Truman Tailwaters: 52 degrees, low, dingy; releasing 38,000 cfs; crappie good; catfish fair; all other species slow. (Report made on 4/7/2011)

    RIVERS

Missouri River: No report available.


NORTHEAST REGION (660) 785-2420

    LAKES

Hunnewell: 51 degrees, normal, clear; bluegill good on marabou jigs; channel catfish good on cheese bait; all other species slow. (Report made on 4/6/2011)

Long Branch: 46 degrees, normal, dingy; all species slow. (Report made on 4/7/2011)

Mark Twain: 53 degrees, normal, clear; crappie fair on jigs and minnows; channel catfish fair on cut bait; all other species slow. (Report made on 4/6/2011)

Sever: 58 degrees, normal, dingy; crappie fair on jigs 3' beneath bobbers; channel catfish fair on cut shad; bluegill and largemouth bass fair on small Rooster Tails; all other species slow. (Report made on 4/7/2011)

Thomas Hill: 55 degrees, high, dingy; small hybrid stripers good on lures that resemble shad; all other species slow. (Report made on 4/7/2011)

    RIVERS

Mississippi (above St. Louis): 45 degrees, high, muddy; all species slow. (Report made on 4/6/2011)

Salt (below Mark Twain): 45 degrees, normal, dingy; snagging for paddlefish near mouth fair; all other species slow. (Report made on 4/7/2011)


NORTHWEST REGION (816) 271-3100

    LAKES

Bilby Ranch Lake: 47 degrees, low, clear; walleye are on the dam spawning, try casting crankbaits at sunset for best action; all other species fair. (Report made on 4/6/2011)

Mozingo: 48 degrees, normal, clear; black bass and crappie good; walleye are on the dam spawning and fishing the dam at night is best; bluegill fair; channel catfish good on natural baits, cut shad, nightcrawlers and minnows. (Report made on 4/6/2011)

Paho: 45 degrees, rising, dingy; largemouth bass fair on large spinners and slow rolling in shallow water; channel catfish fair on nightcrawlers; all other species slow. (Report made on 4/6/2011)

Pony Express: 55 degrees, normal, clear; all species fair. (Report made on 4/7/2011)

    RIVERS

Grand: 48 degrees, falling, dingy; channel catfish and blue catfish fair; flathead catfish slow; all other species fair. (Report made on 4/6/2011)

Missouri (below Iowa line): 45 degrees, high, dingy; channel catfish fair on worms and dip bait; all other species slow. (Report made on 4/6/2011)

----------------------
OZARK REGION (417) 255-9561

    LAKES

Bull Shoals (East): 58 degrees, low, clear; white bass fair on jigs and minnows; crappie fair on jigs and minnows; all other species slow.  (Report made on 4/7/2011)

Norfork: 57 degrees, low, clear; white bass fair on jigs and minnows; crappie fair on jigs and minnows; walleye fair on worms and stickbaits; all other species slow.  (Report made on 4/7/2011)

    RIVERS

Big Piney (lower, Pulaski Co.): 58 degrees, high, dingy; smallmouth bass catch-and-release fishing good on soft plastic baits and jigs; goggle-eye good on small jigs and Beetle Spins. (Report made on 4/7/2011)

Big Piney (Upper): 60 degrees, normal, clear; all species slow. (Report made on 4/7/2011)

Bryant Creek: 56 degrees, low, clear; walleye fair on worms and stickbaits; all other species slow. (Report made on 4/7/2011)

Current: 60 degrees, low, clear; all species slow. (Report made on 4/7/2011)

Eleven Point: 58 degrees, low, clear; rainbow trout good on corn and prepared baits; all other species slow. (Report made on 4/7/2011)

Gasconade (middle, Pulaski Co.): 58 degrees, high, dingy; smallmouth bass catch-and-release fishing good on soft plastic baits and jigs; goggle-eye good on small jigs and Beetle Spins. (Report made on 4/7/2011)

Gasconade (upper): 61 degrees, high, dingy; all species slow. (Report made on 4/7/2011)

Jack's Fork: 59 degrees, low, clear; all species slow. (Report made on 4/7/2011)

North Fork: 55 degrees, low, clear; all species slow. (Report made on 4/7/2011)

----------------------
SOUTHEAST REGION (573) 290-5858

    LAKES

Clearwater Lake: 57 degrees, normal, dingy; crappie fair while trolling using a jig; all other species slow. (Report made on 4/7/2011)

Council Bluff: 53 degrees, normal, clear; largemouth bass fair on dark colored soft plastics and jerkbaits; crappie fair on minnows and jigs near brush piles and beaver lodges; all other species slow. (Report made on 4/7/2011)

Cypress Lake: 56 degrees, normal, dingy; crappie and largemouth bass slow in depths of 2'-3' using minnows and jigs; bluegill slow in depths of 2'-3' using jigs. (Report made on 4/7/2011)

Duck Creek: 59 degrees, clear; all species slow. (Report made on 4/7/2011)

Lake Girardeau: normal, clear; crappie fair on minnows and jigs; all other species slow. (Report made on 4/7/2011)

Perry County Lake: 54 degrees, dingy; all species slow. (Report made on 4/6/2011)

Robert DeLaney Lake: Crappie fair on jigs, especially black and chartreuse, live minnows and goldfish; all other species slow. (Report made on 4/7/2011)

Wappapello: low, crappie good on minnows and jigs; all other species slow.  Anglers should note the 9" minimum length limit for crappie. (Report made on 4/6/2011)


RIVERS

Black River (near Annapolis): 53 degrees, normal, clear; all species slow. (Report made on 4/7/2011)

Castor River (above Zalma): normal, clear; all species slow. (Report made on 4/6/2011)

Lower Black River (Clearwater Dam): 57 degrees, high, dingy; crappie fair on minnows and jigs around structures; walleye fair on creek chubs and jigs on the shoals; paddlefish fair; all other species slow. (Report made on 4/7/2011)

Mississippi (below Charleston): falling, dingy; catfish fair on worms; all other species slow. (Report made on 4/7/2011)

Mississippi River (Cape Girardeau): high, muddy; all species slow. (Report made on 4/7/2011)

St. Francis (above Wappapello): high, dingy; all species slow. (Report made on 4/6/2011)

St. Francis (below Wappapello): 58 degrees, high, dingy; all species slow. (Report made on 4/6/2011)

----------------------
SOUTHWEST REGION (417) 895-6881

    LAKES

Bull Shoals (West): 52 degrees, low, clear; dam/Swan Creek area: white bass fair on swimming minnows and Rooster Tails; walleye fair on jerkbait; Beaver Creek: black bass fair on jigs; walleye fair on jerkbait; white bass fair on swimming minnows and Rooster Tails; all other species slow. (Report made on 4/6/2011)

Lake Taneycomo: 50 degrees, normal, clear; upper lake: rainbow trout good on pink jig and float, orange puff balls and Rooster Tails. Lower lake: rainbow trout good on pink, chartreuse and bubblegum Power Baits and nightcrawlers. (Report made on 4/7/2011)

Pomme de Terre: 50 degrees, high, dingy; largemouth bass fair on spinning baits along submerged shoreline vegetation; crappie fair over beds in 20' of water on minnow and tube jig; all other species slow. (Report made on 4/6/2011)


Stockton: 54 degrees, high, dingy; crappie fair on minnows and tube jigs in 10' of water over beds; white bass fair on jigs upstream; all other species slow. (Report made on 4/6/2011)

Table Rock (James River arm): 57 degrees, low, dingy; crappie good on brown, red, orange, or cricket colored jigs, use 1/16th or 1/32nd oz. jigs and cast around submerged brush piles or stumps; white bass good on small white spin baits or pearl colored soft plastic minnows, use 1/8th oz. jigs and let bait sink to the bottom and then retrieve at medium pace; all other species slow. (Report made on 4/6/2011)

Table Rock (main lake): 57 degrees, low, dingy; crappie good on brown, red, orange, or cricket colored jigs, use 1/16th or 1/32nd oz. jigs and cast around submerged brush piles or stumps; white bass good on small white spin baits or pearl colored soft plastic minnows, use 1/8th oz. jigs and let bait sink to the bottom and then retrieve at medium pace; all other species slow. (Report made on 4/6/2011)

    RIVERS

Big Niangua: 49 degrees, high, dingy; black bass catch-and-release fishing slow, best on soft plastics; goggle-eye slow, best on soft plastics and jigs; trout slow, best on natural baits and Power Baits below Bennett Spring; all other species slow. (Report made on 4/7/2011)

James River (lower): 52 degrees, normal, clear; catfish fair on cut bait; black bass catch-and-release fishing fair on crankbaits and plastic worms; all other species slow. (Report made on 4/7/2011)


ST. LOUIS REGION (636) 300-1953

    LAKES

Busch Memorial Conservation Area Lake 33: 52 degrees, normal, dingy; bluegill fair on worms; black bass slow on minnows and other live baits; catfish slow on stinkbait and chicken liver; limit 4; crappie fair on plastic jigs worked slowly; please remove litter. (Report made on 4/7/2011)

Busch Memorial Conservation Area Lakes 3, 4, 5, 7, and 24: 72 degrees, normal, dingy; channel catfish slow on stinkbait and chicken liver; limit 4; stocking will begin in early May; please remove litter.



 (Report made on 4/7/2011)

    RIVERS

Big River: 59 degrees, falling, dingy; catfish slow on live bait and worms; smallmouth bass catch-and-release fishing fair on minnows and crayfish; crappie fair on white jigs with minnows; all other species slow. (Report made on 4/7/2011)

Bourbeuse (middle, lower, Franklin Co.): 61 degrees, normal, clear; channel catfish fair on worms, blood baits and cut bait;  crappie fair on minnows and jigs; black bass catch-and-release fishing slow on spin and crankbaits; all other species fair on natural baits. (Report made on 4/7/2011)

Meramec (above Sullivan, Crawford Co.): 60 degrees, normal, clear; catfish fair on prepared bait; catch & release black bass fair on plastic worms; crappie good on jigs; goggle-eye good on worms. (Report made on 4/7/2011)

Meramec (below Eureka): 61 degrees, normal, clear; channel catfish fair on worms and goldfish; carp good on corn; black bass catch-and-release fishing fair on crankbaits; crappie good on jigs with Crappie Nibbles; all other species fair on worms. (Report made on 4/7/2011)

Missouri (below New Haven): 51 degrees, high, muddy; channel catfish fair on cut baits and blood baits; bluegill fair on worms and crickets; all other species slow. (Report made on 4/7/2011)


TROUT PARKS

Bennett Spring State Park: 56 degrees, the spring level is slightly above normal and off colored; Zone 1 and 2 best lures: red and green Cracklebacks, white floss mini jig, white colored, pink and white colored and yellow and black marabou jigs, tri-colored  and pink and peach colored glo balls; Zone 3 best lures: yellow, white and cheese Power Baits, Trout Nip, and minnows.  April fishing hours are 7:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.  Our annual kids fishing day is scheduled for Saturday May 7. Activities will start at 9:00 a.m. and end at 2:00 p.m.
 (Report made on 4/6/2011)

Maramec Spring Park: 56 degrees, normal, fishing is good; the water is clear with good flow; doughbaits and putty baits are producing good numbers of fish; feather jigs in black, yellow, olive and white are also good choices. Fishing hours are 7:00 a.m to 7:30 p.m.  (Report made on 4/6/2011)

Montauk State Park: 56 degrees, the river level is normal for this time of year and steady as of 8:30 a.m. on April 7th. The water is clear. Fishing is good on all baits with the best fishing in the morning and evening hours.


For up-to-date stream conditions check  http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?07064440 (Report made on 4/7/2011)

Roaring River State Park: 57 degrees, the stream is normal and clear; orange, chartreuse and black spinners and small crankbaits are good; marabou jigs and micro jigs are still working; black, yellow, white, dark brown, tan and olive Power Bait worms and eggs are working; white, brown and fluorescent yellow eggs, white and orange worms are working; in Zone 3, nightcrawlers, corn and small Power Bait nuggets are working very well. (Report made on 4/6/2011)

Missouri Elk Restoration - Bringing Them Back Video from MDC

Schools trash litter through No MOre Trash! contest

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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.

USFWS Diving to Protect the Ozark Hellbender

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Missouri isn’t necessarily considered a vacation destination for snorkeling. However, when it comes to preserving and protecting the declining Ozark Hellbender, Missouri Ecological Field Office biologists don masks and wetsuits to find the amphibians in their natural habitats.

As the national lead for the Ozark Hellbender, biologist Trisha Crabill provides a voice for the amphibian. Conducting research in the field and at the St. Louis Zoo, Crabill is on the forefront of protecting the uniquely named Missouri species. She spends long days away from the office, swimming in cold and well-oxygenated streams in search of Ozark Hellbenders in the wild. She brings several tools along with her to aid in the search, like dive lights to spot the animal under bed rocks.

She sometimes has to be more creative when attempting to flip over large rocks while diving. “With physical lifts, sometimes I have to be creative with using the environment around me as an aid,” Crabill said.

Amphibians are usually described as more “cool and slimy,” rather than “warm and cuddly.” Ask Crabill about the Ozark Hellbender, and she presents a different perspective.

“There is a perception that they are icky or gross,” she said. But she believes their reputations aren’t deserved. “There are really so many interesting things to learn about them.”

When Crabill isn’t looking for the species in streams, she is partnering with the Missouri Department of Conservation and the St. Louis Zoo to investigate the reasons behind the disappearing numbers of the Ozark Hellbender. 

“There’s a huge lack of recruitment,” Crabill said. “You don’t see many young out in the wild.” To combat the rapidly declining numbers, Crabill works with the Missouri Department of Conservation and the zoo to augment wild populations through captive breeding and head-starting young.

Using techniques like “sperm cryopreservation,” which is freezing the amphibian’s sperm to help produce more young in captivity, she is hopeful the Ozark Hellbender benefits from her work in the field, at the zoo and in the office.

Courtesy:

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Missouri Fishing

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Missouri still turkey-rich despite tough break

This year’s spring turkey hunting forecast includes a couple of bright spots.

JEFFERSON CITY–Hunters in northern Missouri can expect to see a few more jakes during the spring turkey season, and hunters statewide will have more mature gobblers to hunt this year. Otherwise, the 2011 spring turkey hunting forecast from the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) looks a lot like those for the past few years.

Missouri’s spring turkey season opens April 18 and runs through May 8. The youth season is April 9 and 10. Details about bag limits and other regulations are found in the “2011 Spring Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information” booklet, which is available from permit vendors statewide or at www.mdc.mo.gov/node/4066.

Resource Scientist Jason Isabelle, MDC’s resident turkey expert, says he expects this year’s turkey harvest to be slightly lower than last year’s. He said the 2011 turkey season will be defined by two factors. One is a diminished but still robust turkey population. The other is the poor hatches that have occurred during the past several years.

“Our turkey population unquestionably is down in parts of the state from where we were five years ago,” said Isabelle, “but it’s still enough to make us the envy of most other states.”

Turkey harvest figures and spring population estimates compiled by the National Wild Turkey Federation back up Isabelle’s analysis.

                               2010 Spring Harvest       2011 Turkey Population

Wisconsin                47,722                           not available

Missouri                  46,000                           308,000

Pennsylvania            42,478                          360,000

Tennessee               37,000                          310,000

Kentucky               36,000                           220,000

Oklahoma              37,000                          123,500

Arkansas               10,000                          100,000

Nebraska             20,000                           not available

Iowa                    not available                   not available

“I find those numbers very heartening,” said Isabelle. “Even with some challenging hunting conditions in parts of Missouri the past few years, it’s clear to see that we still have some of the best turkey hunting found anywhere in the country. Our turkey population is still very robust, and it will increase when we have a few years of good production.”

However strong it might be compared to other states, Missouri’s turkey population continues to suffer from several years of poor reproductive success, partly as a result of cold, wet weather during the nesting and brood-rearing season. The heaviest blow fell in 2007, when a freak Easter freeze killed eggs in the nest and stopped mating activity cold across most of the state. But the record rainfall of 2008 and 2009 was just as rough on turkey reproduction in many areas, and 2010 was not much better.

The good news, such as it is, took the form of slight improvements in nest success in the past two years.

“Production was up about 8 percent statewide in 2009 compared with 2008, so there should be a few more 2-year old gobblers in the woods this spring,” said Isabelle.

He said statewide wild turkey reproduction was about the same in 2010 as in 2009, but MDC did record some encouraging regional differences. Production was up 14 percent in northeastern Missouri and 34 percent in the northwestern portion of the state. Consequently, hunters in these regions should find more jakes than they did last year.

Hunters concerned with not hearing as many gobbling birds in their area may consider passing on jakes this spring, said Isabelle. “The more jakes that make it through the season, the more 2-year old gobblers there will be to hunt next year.”

“Two-year-old toms tend to be the most active gobblers,” said Isabelle, “and most hunters gauge the quality of hunting by the amount of gobbling they hear. Due to the relatively poor hatches that we’ve had the past few years, a larger proportion of our mature gobblers now are 3 years or older, and older birds are generally harder to fool. But if you outsmart one of those birds, you certainly have something to be proud of.”

Isabelle mentioned a few items that hunters should know before this year’s spring turkey season. Most significant is the change in tagging procedures under the new e-Permits system. E-Permits makes permit buying more convenient, allowing hunters to purchase turkey hunting permits using home computers and print and have the permits in hand immediately.

Tagging is different under e-Permits, because the self-adhesive transportation tags that formerly came with deer and turkey permits are gone. Instead, the permit itself is the transportation tag now. Hunters must notch the month and date on the edges of the tag that correspond to the date they killed a turkey and attach the notched permit to the bird.

The new tagging procedure requires care to protect permits from moisture or tearing. MDC suggests that hunters carry permits in zipper-type sandwich bags and use string, tape or other material to attach permits to harvested game. Hunters still must check turkeys through the Telecheck system by 10 p.m. the day the bird is killed.

Another of Isabelle’s noteworthy items is an error in the “2011Summary of Missouri Hunting and Trapping Regulations.” The summary of youth turkey hunting regulations on Page 19 says that young hunters who shoot turkeys during the youth season may not harvest a second turkey until April 26. The correct date is April 25. Information in the spring turkey booklet is correct.

Hunters also need to know that the refuge portion of Peck Ranch Conservation Area (CA) is temporarily closed to hunting and all other activity because of elk restoration work there. The portion of Peck Ranch CA outside the marked refuge fence – approximately 12,000 acres in all – remains open to hunting and other activities.

“We know this is an inconvenience for turkey hunters,” said Isabelle. “We hope they will remember the historic role Peck Ranch played in Missouri’s amazingly successful turkey restoration program and bear with us as we work to restore another native species to that part of the Ozarks.”

Finally, Isabelle mentioned that specific regulations for some CAs have changed this year. Those changes are outlined in the “2011 Spring Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information” booklet. He urges hunters to get copies of the booklet before the season and double-check the regulations on CAs where they plan to hunt.

Isabelle says better times are ahead for Missouri turkeys and turkey hunters.

“One of the things that we’ve learned about wild turkey populations is that they are dynamic in nature. They can increase fairly rapidly when conditions are favorable. I know this is cold comfort to hunters when we are several years into a population slump, but it’s true. With a couple years of improved spring weather, we can expect increases in production, and an increase in the state’s wild turkey population.”

Isabelle said he hears from hunters who want MDC to shorten turkey season or reduce bag limits, but those measures simply won’t help at this time.

“Production drives Missouri’s wild turkey population,” he said. “I know it seems logical to think that more restrictive regulations will help the population recover, but the truth is that those measures have little effect in situations like we are in right now. MDC will continue to monitor the turkey population very closely, and will be ready to make regulatory changes if we think that they would help the population. For right now though, we just have to be patient and wait for Mother Nature to deal turkeys a few good hands. That is the only thing that is going to turn things around.”

-Jim Low-

PUBLIC HUNTING GROUND