Dexter, Missouri - It doesn’t take a lot of land to have a big impact on local wildlife populations according to the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC). Though the words “wildlife habitat” may bring to mind vast forests, tall timber and massive wetlands, MDC Private Lands Conservationist Kara McSpadden says setting aside low production areas like field borders can make a big difference for wildlife.

“Small areas like pivot corners and field borders are good places for farmers to develop habitat for quail, rabbits and even deer,” McSpadden said.

McSpadden’s been working with Steve Jackson, a row-crop producer from Cardwell. Jackson has numerous field borders and odd field corners that he’s transitioned into wildlife habitat. He’s planted native broadleaf plants, native grasses and scattered clumps of brush in these small areas.

“I have seen more pairs of quail and rabbits this spring than I have in years,” Jackson said, adding that it’s his goal to take his grandson on a successful quail hunt on the Cardwell farm someday.

“Many Bootheel landowners wish they had quality small-game hunting on their own family farm,” McSpadden said. “Steve has proven that even with a few acres, it is very possible.”


McSpadden added that the MDC has various programs to help fund wildlife habitat development on private land.

“Most of the land in Missouri is privately owned, so if wildlife habitat was only developed on public land, our wildlife wouldn’t have enough,” she said. “That’s why is so important that we work with private landowners on the ground and financially to help transition land into areas where wildlife can thrive.”

More information on financial and technical assistance for private landowners can be found online at mdc.mo.gov or by contacting a Private Lands Conservationist. McSpadden can be reached at (573)624-5939, extension 136.

Cape Girardeau, Missouri - It’s nearly time for ruby-throated hummingbirds to depart on their annual fall migration to Central America. Before these tiny birds leave the area, the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center will host a hummingbird banding event Saturday, Aug. 29, from 8 a.m. to noon.

“This event is truly a special opportunity for children and adults to get up close to a hummingbird,” said Sara Turner, manager of the center. “If you’ve not had the opportunity to see these fragile little birds when they’re banded, then this is something that you won’t want to miss.”

Cathie Hutcheson of Makanda, Ill., will be capturing, banding, and releasing hummingbirds. She will record important information that can be used to track the annual migration of these small birds.

Many people provide needed energy for hummingbirds by growing native plants and hanging out feeders. Participants will learn how to attract hummingbirds as well as how to choose and maintain feeders which give the busy birds the needed boost for their long journey. Those who wish to attract hummingbirds to their own garden will be able to pick up free seeds for native plants that provide the preferred nectar for hummingbirds.  

Doors will open at 8 a.m. with banding beginning shortly after. The Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center is located in Cape County Park North, just off I-55 at exit 99. No advance registration is required for this program. For more information, call the nature center at (573)290-5218.

Dexter, Missouri - It’s July and local duck watchers know it’s time for the 7th Annual Greenwing Event at Otter Slough.

The Dexter Chapter of Ducks Unlimited and the Missouri Department of Conservation provide this unique opportunity each year during late July at Otter Slough Conservation Area. 

The 2015 event is Saturday, July 25^th and begins at 7:00 a.m.  This event is free and open to the public.

They will meet in the large parking lot next to Cypress Lake.  Department of Conservation biologists are going to demonstrate electrofishing techniques in Cypress Lake.  

Everyone in attendance will have a front row seat while fisheries biologists run a shocking boat along the shoreline.  Meanwhile, MDC staff and Ducks Unlimited volunteers will be checking traps for mourning doves and wood ducks. 

Any ducks and doves trapped that morning will be brought to the headquarters to be banded and released. 

They hope to capture enough birds to allow each youth to help band and release their own dove or duck.  If you have attended past events, you know that trapping ducks and doves can be unpredictable.  They currently have mourning doves and wood ducks hitting bait sites regularly so keep your wings crossed.

Regardless of trapping success, this will be an excellent opportunity to spend some quality family time in the outdoors and meet Conservation Department and Ducks Unlimited folks in person.

They have a couple of other activities planned, which are sure to be fun for everyone, and Ducks Unlimited has provided some nice items for the kids.  The day’s activities should be completed by 10:00 a.m. depending upon weather and trapping success. 

For more information please contact Mark Reed at 573-421-3240, Otter Slough at 573-624-5821, or Mike Wilburn at 573-421-3713.

Missouri - The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is asking deer hunters in 19 central and northeastern Missouri counties to help limit the spread of a deadly deer disease through increased harvest opportunities this fall and winter. The Missouri Conservation Commission recently approved several changes to regulations for the upcoming 2015-16 fall deer hunting season that focus on slowing the spread of chronic wasting disease (CWD).

Chronic Wasting Disease infects only deer and other members of the deer family by causing degeneration of brain tissue, which slowly leads to death. The disease has no vaccine or cure and is 100-percent fatal.

“A primary way CWD is spread is through deer-to-deer contact,” explained MDC State Wildlife Veterinarian Kelly Straka. “Deer gathering and interacting in larger numbers can potentially increase the spread in an area. Young bucks can also potentially spread the disease to new areas as they search for territories and mates.”

REGULATION CHANGES

The regulation changes focus on slowing the spread of the disease in and around counties where CWD has been found. The changes will remove the antler-point restriction so hunters can harvest more young bucks. The changes will also increase the availability of firearms antlerless permits from 1 to 2 to help thin local deer numbers.

COUNTIES IMPACTED

These regulation changes add to similar measures MDC enacted in 2012 for six counties in northeastern Missouri after CWD was discovered in Linn and Macon counties. Counties affected by those regulation changes were Adair, Chariton, Linn, Macon, Randolph, and Sullivan.

The recent regulation changes add five more northeastern counties of Knox, Scotland, Schuyler, Shelby, and Putnam and come after six deer tested positive for CWD this past fall and winter in Adair County.

The recent regulation changes also include eight counties in central Missouri and come after a buck harvested in Cole County tested positive for the disease this past winter. Those counties are Boone, Callaway, Cole, Cooper, Miller, Moniteau, Morgan, and Osage.

“The challenge with CWD is that there is no way to fully eradicate the disease from an area once it has become established,” said Dr. Straka. “While we do not expect short-term population impacts from the disease, CWD is likely to have serious long-term consequences to the health of Missouri’s deer herd. Therefore, we have and will continue to focus on slowing the spread of the disease among deer in the affected areas, and trying to limit the spread to new areas of the state.”

CWD TESTING RESULTS

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reports that a total of 16 new cases of CWD were found in free-ranging deer through its testing efforts this past fall and winter. Of the 16 new cases, nine were found in Macon County, six in Adair County, and one in Cole County.

These 16 new cases bring the total number of Missouri free-ranging deer that have tested positive for CWD to 26 overall since the disease was first discovered in the state in 2010.

MDC collected more than 3,400 tissue samples for CWD testing from harvested and other free-ranging deer this past fall and winter. The Department has collected more than 43,000 tissue samples since it began testing for the emerging disease in 2001. MDC will continue increased testing efforts this fall and winter in areas where CWD has been found.

MDC is also considering regulation changes for the 2016-17 deer season that would require testing of deer harvested during the opening weekend of the fall firearms season in the 19 counties in and around where CWD has been found.

DON’T TRANSPORT CARCASSES!

Dr. Straka said that hunters can also spread the disease by transporting and improperly disposing of potentially infected deer carcasses.  She explained that CWD can be spread through carcass parts that contain brain, spinal cord, eyes, spleen, or lymph nodes.

“To help prevent the spread of diseases, such as CWD, we strongly discourage deer hunters from moving carcasses of harvested deer from the immediate area,” she said. “If possible, remove meat in the field and leave the carcass behind. If it’s necessary to move the carcass before processing, place the remaining carcass parts after processing in trash bags and properly dispose of them through a trash service or landfill.”

She added that some parts of a harvested deer are safe to move out of the immediate area.

“Items that are safe to transport are meat that is cut and wrapped, or has been boned out,” she explained. “Also safe to transport are quarters or other portions of meat with no part of the spine or head attached, hides or capes from which all excess tissue has been removed, antlers including ones attached to skull plates or skulls that have been cleaned of all muscle and brain tissue, and finished taxidermy products.”

MDC is considering regulation changes for the 2016-17 deer season that would prohibit the movement of carcass parts from the 19 counties in and around where CWD has been found and prohibit the importation of certain cervid carcass parts into Missouri.

AVOID FEEDING DEER

Dr. Straka added that MDC strongly discourages hunters and others from feeding or providing salt and minerals to deer.

“Feeding and mineral sites can concentrate deer from a broad area and place them in very close proximity to one another,” she explained. “This can increase the transmission of the disease.”

A regulation that prohibits the feeding of deer and placement of consumable products -- such as salt and mineral blocks -- that are intended to concentrate deer is already in effect in Adair, Chariton, Linn, Macon, Randolph, and Sullivan counties.

MDC is considering a regulation change for the 2016-17 deer season that would expand that regulation to include the 13 additional counties in northeastern and central Missouri in and around where CWD has been found.

PUBLIC COMMENTS WELCOME

MDC welcomes public comments on the regulation changes under consideration for the 2016-17 deer season. Comment online at mdc.mo.gov/node/6.

DEER HUNTING IN MISSOURI

Missouri offers some of the best deer hunting in the country, and deer hunting is an important part of many Missourians' lives and family traditions. The continued spread of CWD in Missouri is likely to reduce future hunting and wildlife-watching opportunities for Missouri's nearly 520,000 deer hunters and almost two million wildlife watchers. Deer hunting is also an important economic driver in Missouri and gives a $1 billion annual boost to the state and local economies.

DEER HUNTING DATES

Fall deer hunting season dates are as follows.

Archery: Sept. 15 to Nov. 13 and Nov. 25 to Jan. 15
Urban Firearms: Oct. 9 to 12
Youth Firearms: Oct. 31 to Nov. 3 and Jan. 2 and 3, 2016
November Firearms: Nov. 14 to 24
Antlerless Firearms: Nov. 25 to Dec. 6
Alternative Methods: Dec. 19 to 29

Missouri - The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) announces that Missouri hunters, anglers, and trappers may use electronic images of permits on mobile devices as legal, valid permits beginning July 30. Prior to this, hunters, anglers, and trappers had to have paper copies of permits on them when pursuing these activities.

For fishing permits and most hunting permits, an electronic image of the permit -- such as a PDF (Portable Document Format) -- on a mobile device will be sufficient. The exceptions are for deer and turkey permits.

Use free MO Hunting mobile app for deer and turkey permits

Deer and turkey hunters must void their permits after harvesting related game animals and report their harvests using the Telecheck harvest reporting system. A simple electronic image of those permits is not sufficient to complete this process. MDC’s free MO Hunting mobile app takes care of these requirements.

MO Hunting enables Missouri hunters, anglers, and trappers to purchase, view, show, and store current hunting, fishing, and trapping permits and associated details. It also shows permits purchased during the previous year. MO Hunting also lets deer and turkey hunters electronically void their permits and Telecheck their harvests directly from the app. MO Hunting even uploads Telecheck confirmation numbers back to the mobile device and enables hunters to view details on all deer and turkey they have previously checked.

MO Hunting is available in the Google Play and iTunes stores. Get MO Hunting and learn more about the app at mdc.mo.gov/mobile/mobile-apps.

Deer and turkey tagging still required if hunters leave game

Deer and turkey hunters must still tag their harvested game if they leave the immediate presence of the harvested animal. Hunters using paper permits may simply attach the voided permit to the animal’s leg. MDC suggests sealing the paper permit in a zip-top bag and attaching the bag with string, wire, or tape. Hunters using the MO Hunting app must attach a label with their full name, address, permit number, and date of harvest to the deer or turkey’s leg if they leave the animal unattended.

Additional labeling requirements

After being Telechecked, harvested deer and turkeys may be possessed, transported, and stored by anyone when labeled with the permit or any label that includes the full name and address of the hunter, date taken, and Telecheck confirmation number.

Get more information on hunting, fishing, and trapping from MDC online at mdc.mo.gov.