Bald eagles are starting to nest across southeast Missouri and can be seen along area waterways.

Puxico, Missouri - The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and U.S. Corps of Engineers have canceled the Eagle Days event scheduled for Friday, Feb. 1, and Saturday, Feb. 2, at MINGO National Wildlife Refuge, Duck Creek Conservation Area (CA) and Wappapello Lake, due to the current federal government shutdown.

“It’s unfortunate that we had to cancel the event, but people may still drive onto these and other areas to view eagles on their own,” said Sara Bradshaw, a MDC education consultant and one of the Eagle Days organizers. “The eagles are active on the areas and viewable in several locations with the use of binoculars.”

Eagles are starting to nest across Southeast Missouri and can also be viewed at Ten Mile Pond CA or anywhere along the Mississippi River and other waterways. Bald eagles are usually seen near lakes, rivers, and marshes as they forage for fish or carrion. The bald eagle’s return to the lower 48 states is a continued conservation success story. Although historically about 20,000 pairs nested in the United States, by the 1950s only about 3,000 pairs were nesting. Today, over 10,000 pairs nest in the United States annually, including about 200 in Missouri, as of 2010.

Mature bald eagles have a dark brown body with white head and tail, which makes identification simple. The large, hooked bill, strong talons, and irises of the eyes are yellow. Females are larger than males, but otherwise the sexes look alike. In flight, bald eagles soar on rising warm air currents on flattened wings, not holding them V-shaped. Juveniles are all brown, with white speckles. Adult bald eagles can grow up to 36 inches in length with a wingspan of up to 84 inches.

Top counties: Franklin with 4,021 deer checked, Howell with 3,858, and Callaway with 3,695.

Preliminary data from the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) shows that deer hunters in Missouri harvested a near-record 199,427 deer during the November portion of fall firearms deer season, Nov. 10- 20. Of the 199,427 deer harvested, 102,930 were antlered bucks, 19,924 were button bucks, and 76,573 were does.

Top harvest counties were Franklin with 4,021 deer checked, Howell with 3,858, and Callaway with 3,695.

Last year hunters checked 192,797 deer during the 2017 November portion of firearms deer season with 100,161 being antlered bucks, 20,267 being button bucks, and 72,369 being does.

The recent-record season was 2012 with 204,668 deer harvested, including 87,368 antlered bucks, 27,143 button bucks, and 90,157 does.

MDC reported eight firearms-related hunting incidents during the November portion of firearms deer season of which three involved fatalities -- two of which occurred incidental to hunting while at hunting camps and one self-inflicted incident while in the field. Of the five non-fatal incidents, four were self-inflicted and the fifth occurred when the shooter struck a victim while swinging on game.

Deer hunting in Missouri continues with archery deer hunting from Nov. 21 through Jan. 15, 2019. The late youth portion of firearms deer season runs Nov. 23-25. The antlerless portion of firearms deer season runs Nov. 30 through Dec. 2. Lastly, the alternative methods portion will run Dec. 22 through Jan. 1, 2019. Learn more about deer hunting in Missouri at huntfish.mdc.mo.gov/hunting-trapping/species/deer

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. Deer hunting is also an important economic driver in Missouri and gives a $1 billion annual boost to the state and local economies.

Pictured is Ben Ray of Sikeston, Missouri with his first doe!

Preliminary data from the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) shows that young hunters ages 6 through 15 harvested 13,560 deer during Missouri’s early youth portion of the 2018 deer hunting season, which ran Oct. 27-28. Top counties for the early youth portion were Howell with 350, Osage with 316, and Franklin with 263 deer checked. Last year’s harvest total for the early youth portion was 17,412.

“Warm temperatures and gusty winds this weekend presented much more challenging hunting conditions compared to last year, but Missouri’s youth still pulled off a respectable harvest,” said MDC Cervid Program Supervisor Barb Keller.

Archery deer hunting continues through Nov. 9 and again from Nov. 21 through Jan. 15, 2019. Up next for deer hunting in Missouri is the November portion of firearms deer season, which runs Nov. 10-20. That will be followed by the late youth portion of firearms deer season on Nov. 23-25. The antlerless portion of firearms deer season runs Nov. 30-Dec. 2. Lastly the alternative methods portion will run Dec. 22- Jan. 1, 2019.

MDC and partners eliminate more than 7,300 feral hogs from Missouri’s landscape in 2018 so far

Experts maintain trapping whole sounders is the most effective method in feral hog removal.

Jefferson City, Missouri -  The Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) feral hog strike team has tallied up elimination numbers from January through September 2018. So far, they’ve yielded a total of 7,339 feral hogs removed by MDC, partner agencies, and private landowners. In 2017, 6,561 feral hogs were removed from the landscape.

Crews in southeast Missouri removed 3,849 feral hogs, which is where the highest density of feral hogs occurs. The Ozark region removed 2,358 and the Southwest region removed 823 feral hogs. St. Louis region removed 186 feral hogs, Kansas City Region removed 116 feral hogs, and Northeast Region removed one. The highest densities of feral hogs occur south of Interstate 44, with very few feral hog sightings in the north portion of the state.

“We’ve been very strategic in our efforts, focusing on removal of whole groups of feral hogs at a time, before moving onto another area,” said Mark McLain, MDC’s feral hog elimination team leader. “This strategic approach is important because if we leave even a few feral hogs behind in an area, they can reproduce quickly and put us back where we started.”

McLain said it’s essential that the public understand why feral hogs must be eliminated.

“Feral hogs are a destructive, invasive species that don’t belong here; they’re not a native species,” McLain said. “They out-compete native wildlife for habitat and food. For example, places with a lot of feral hogs will see their wild turkey and deer populations diminish.”

McLain said feral hogs are known to carry diseases that could possibly spread to humans, pets, and livestock. He hopes the message that hunting is not an effective method for eliminating feral hog populations is starting to catch on.

“For over 20 years, unregulated hunting of feral hogs was allowed in Missouri, during which time our feral hog population expanded from a few counties to over 30 counties,” he said.

In 2017, MDC, the Corps of Engineers, and the LAD Foundation established regulations against feral hog hunting on lands owned and managed by these three organizations.  Other agencies have passed regulations similar to MDC’s to eliminate hog hunting on land they own.

“A persistent piece of this story is continued illegal releases of feral hogs, which establishes populations and further spreads the problem,” McLain said. “This is illegal and when caught, those who release feral hogs face hefty fines.”

McLain said MDC is partnered with many agricultural and environmental groups as well as hundreds of private landowners, that are all committed to eliminating feral hogs from Missouri. Landowners and the public are a crucial element of this effort, especially since most land in Missouri is privately owned. 

“Landowners who’ve experienced feral hogs on their land have learned that hunting feral hogs pushes them onto neighboring property, which causes problems for their neighbors,” McLain said.

When neighboring landowners try to control feral hogs through hunting, the hogs simply travel back and forth between the properties, escaping and causing more damage.  Trapping with no hunting interference is the best method to eliminate them. Landowners can seek help from MDC and USDA such as technical advice, on-site visits, loaning equipment and training.

Feral hogs are not wildlife and are a serious threat to fish, forests and wildlife as well as agricultural resources. Feral hogs damage property, agriculture, and natural resources by their aggressive rooting of soil in addition to their trampling and consumption of crops as part of their daily search for food.

Feral hogs have expanded their range in the U.S. from 17 to 38 states over the past 30 years. Their populations grow rapidly because feral hogs can breed any time of year and produce two litters of one to seven piglets every 12 to 15 months. Feral hogs are also known to carry diseases such as swine brucellosis, pseudorabies, trichinosis and leptospirosis, which are a threat to Missouri agriculture and human health.