Van Buren, Missouri - Ensuring the population stability of a popular wildlife resident is the primary reason behind the upcoming closure of the refuge area at the Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) Peck Ranch Conservation Area.

Peck Ranch Area’s refuge will be closed April 1-July 1 to minimize stress and human interference during the elk calving period. Peck Ranch is home to 125 elk, the majority of which roam on Peck Ranch’s 11,500-acre refuge.

The spring closing of Peck Ranch’s refuge has been an annual occurrence since MDC’s elk restoration project began in 2011. Public access will still be allowed to the approximately 12,000 acres of the area that are outside the area’s marked refuge fence. (Peck Ranch Conservation Area encompasses more than 23,000 acres in Shannon and Carter counties.) Peck Ranch’s elk-viewing automobile route is included in the area that will be closed to the public.

Peck Ranch’s refuge will also be closed Oct. 10-11, Oct. 24-26, Nov. 14-24 and Dec. 5-6 to accommodate deer hunting opportunities during those time periods.

For more information, call the Peck Ranch Conservation Area, 573-323-4249 or MDC’s Ozark Regional Office in West Plains, 417-256-7161. People can also get information about the Peck Ranch Area online at the “Atlas” feature of MDC’s website.

Fundraiser To Help Local Students Perform at Six Flags of Mid America

Dexter, Missouri - If you possess the incredible talent and ability to answer bizarre, off the wall questions, then you should have been at the Church of Christ activity building this Friday nigh.  The T S Hill Middle School choir group tested everyone's general knowledge by hosting a fundraising trivia night.

The event was well attended with over 60 organizers, student workers and participants forming over seven trivia teams for the fun filled night of competition.  The night consisted of 100 questions split over ten rounds of various categories.  Many of the questions were difficult enough to make a Trivia Crack junkie scratch their heads.

Tonight's event was a make up date of a previously scheduled event that was cancelled due to inclement and snowy weather.    There were plenty of snacks and desserts on hand for the crowd. 

Jamie Sepulvado, Dexter's middle school choir teacher, helped to organize the event to help pay for an upcoming trip her choir group will be taking to St. Louis to perform at Six Flags Over Mid-America.  The trip, scheduled for early May of this year, will have several Missouri schools performing and competing in a choral competition.

If you would like more information or would like to support their upcoming trip, please contact Jamie Sepulvado at [email=jamies@dexter.k12.mo.us.

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Dexter Bearcats Prepare For A Great 2015 Spring Sports Season

Dexter Missouri - Spring was in the air around Dexter High School today as the Spring sports teams all gathered for their annual media day.  Local news sources and the high school media departments were on hand to capture the sports team  and individual photos.

Due to the inclement weather, the media event was changed to Southwest Elementary School gymnasium immediately following the end of the school day.  All for Spring sports were looking their best in full game day uniform.

The following teams were involved:

Immediately following the media event, all teams returned to their normal practice schedule.  Many of the schedules begin this coming weekend and the first of next week for each team.

Stay tuned as the ShowMe Times will highlight each team in upcoming articles.

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Jefferson City, Missouri - Missouri turkey hunters can expect a good spring season overall according to the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC). The spring turkey hunting season starts with a youth-only weekend April 11-12 for young hunters ages 6-15. The regular spring season runs April 20 through May 10.

“Hunters should generally expect similar opportunities as those during the past several seasons,” said MDC Turkey Biologist Jason Isabelle. “Two-year-old gobblers won’t be as abundant as they were in 2014 in most areas due to lower poult production in 2013, but carry-over from previous years should provide some great hunting.”

Isabelle noted that MDC offers turkey hunting opportunities on more than 500 conservation areas and the state’s diverse landscapes mean turkey numbers often vary by region.

“With good poult production from 2014, jake numbers should be up in northern Missouri this spring, but harvesting an adult gobbler will continue to be a bit more challenging given the decline in bird numbers that the region experienced during the mid-to-late 2000s,” he said.

“Turkey numbers in the Ozarks have been relatively stable for the past several years and the eastern Ozarks has had some of the state’s best turkey production,” Isabelle said. “With good poult production in recent years, we’ve started to see turkey number increase in several southern Missouri counties. Good gobbler numbers and an abundance of public land make this region a good choice for hunters. The western Ozarks and border region further west are likely to have some of the top harvest counties in the state this year.”

He added that prospects are also good for the River Breaks region, which lies just south of the Missouri River and west of the Mississippi River from Osage County east to Jefferson County and south to Cape Girardeau County. “This region encompasses some of the state’s best turkey habitat, and its counties consistently rank among the highest in spring turkey harvest,” he said.

Find detailed information on harvest limits, allowed hunting methods, hunter education requirements, permits, MDC hunting areas, tagging and checking procedures, regulations, and more in MDC’s 2015 Spring Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information booklet available from MDC offices and nature centers, other places where permits are sold, and online at mdc.mo.gov/node/4066

HUNTING SAFETY

Isabelle stressed that hunters can avoid the main cause of turkey-hunting incidents: mistaking or being mistaken by another hunter for game.

“Most turkey hunting incidents involve hunters who fail to positively identify their targets,” said Isabelle. “Before pulling the trigger, be absolutely certain that what you are shooting at is not only a turkey, but a legal turkey, which would be a male turkey or a turkey with a visible beard during the spring season.”

He also advised hunters to wear hunter-orange clothing when moving through woods or fields, particularly when hunting public land, and to always know the locations of all members of a hunting party. “Many turkey hunting incidents actually involve members of the same hunting party,” said Isabelle. “If you’re hunting with someone else and you split up, be certain you know where your hunting partner will be.”

FIRST TURKEY CERTIFICATES

MDC hunting certificates are great ways to memorialize a hunter’s first deer and turkey harvests. Visit mdc.mo.gov/node/10469 to create free commemorative certificates.

Dexter, Missouri - Pancakes and waffle breakfasts are a big part of the Lion's Club culture and tradition.  The Dexter Lions Club held their annual Waffle Day at the Sacred Heart Fellowship Hall today with many area residents coming out to take part in the event. 

Club members began to arrive as early as 4:00 AM to begin preparations for their 6:00 AM crowd.  The breakfast ran until 10:00 AM this morning and provided waffles, sausage, coffee and milk for only $5.00.

Brett Miller, the Lions Club President for 2015 shared, this is "another successful waffle day on the books.  A special thanks to all the support from the community and the men of Dexter Lions Club for making it happen."

Well over 250 members of the community came out on this rainy Saturday to enjoy the breakfast.  Many families and friends made it their morning get together to start their weekend.

The Dexter Lions Club is a fun filled civic organization that quietly makes a difference in the community of Dexter.  Their members are your everyday community minded guys ....

"We are very involved in the community", noted President Miller.   "We promote giving the gift of sight by providing eye exams, lenses and frames to those in need throughout the Dexter area."

You can help the Dexter Lions Club by donating your old eye glass frames to this program.  Dexter Family Eye is a local drop off location for your old frames, or contact one of the club members.

"We also donate to various veterans groups, support our local schools with donations to the goodwill games, Missouri Boys and Girls State, Project Prom, and many other causes that enrich the youth within our community", added Miller. 

You will also want to mark your calendar for the July 25th as the Lions Club will be hosting its annual golf tournament at Hidden Trails Country Club.  And of course, you will always find members involved with the Stoddard County Fair cooking up the fair favorites, funnel cakes. 

"It's an honor to serve with great men and give back to a great community", noted Miller.