Submitted by
Dee Loflin, Manager/Writer SMT

Jefferson City, Missouri - Hunters hoping to bag mature gobblers during the early season should cultivate patience and watch wild turkey hens, according to the Show-Me State’s top turkey expert.

Resource Scientist Jason Isabelle oversees turkey management for the Missouri Department of Conservation. Like other hunters, he has been watching the weather and thinking about how it will affect hunting conditions during the spring turkey hunting season April 15 through May 5. Those considerations go all the way back to last year’s record drought.

Acorns are the single most important food source for wild turkeys in southern Missouri and other areas where forest is the dominant land cover. Waste grain is a staple food for turkeys in areas where row-crop agriculture dominates the landscape. Last year’s drought caused shortages of these dietary mainstays in many areas, but Isabelle doesn’t expect this to have a dramatic impact on the state’s turkey population.

“The best-case scenario for turkeys is a good mast year and a mild winter,” says Isabelle. “But Missouri’s turkey population has dealt with mast failures as long as they’ve existed here. Wild turkeys are extremely hardy birds that can tolerate quite a bit of snow and cold, as evidenced by their range, which extends into Minnesota, Maine, and several Canadian Provinces. As such, I would not expect that the winter had a great impact on the state’s wild turkey population.”

Wild turkeys normally start the spring eating acorns from the previous fall. They switch to grasses, sedges, and broadleaf plants as green-up occurs. Insects are particularly important to wild turkey hens as they head into the nesting season. These are most abundant in areas with tender new plant growth. Trees are leafing out later than usual this year because of colder-than-normal weather in March. As a result, turkeys are more likely to be found in open areas that green up early. Areas where winter burns occurred are particularly attractive, because the soil is exposed to sunlight and plants sprout early.

Weather also affects turkey behavior directly. Although day length is the primary trigger for mating and nesting behavior, cool temperatures can delay the break-up of winter turkey flocks. Isabelle says reports from around the state seem to confirm this.

“Around the first of April, I was still hearing from people who were seeing flocks of 20 to 30 birds,” says Isabelle. “Hunters may see turkeys grouped up a little more than they typically would be early in the season, but things can change in a hurry when temperatures climb to more normal levels. Hunters will have better luck if they pay attention to how turkeys react to changes in weather.”

“Hunting early-season birds that are still in large, mixed flocks can be challenging but rewarding as well,” says Isabelle. “Keying in on food sources can pay big dividends, as hens will often head to these areas, dragging gobblers along with them.”

Isabelle notes that another factor, unrelated to weather, will put hunters in the field earlier in the turkey mating season this year. Spring turkey season always opens on the third Monday in April. Some years, that can be as late as April 22.  This year’s April 15 opener is as early as it can be.

“Temperatures between now and April 15 will affect hunters’ experience during the early part of the season,” says Isabelle, “especially in the northern part of the state.”

He is optimistic about this year’s spring turkey season because of strong turkey nesting success for the past two years. Production was fair to poor from 2007 through 2010, on account of late freezes, record rainfall, and cool, wet springs. During those years, surveys showed that turkey hens produced from 1 to 1.2 poults per hen.

Turkeys got a break from the weather in 2011 and again last year, and the poult-to-hen ratio jumped to 1.7 poults per hen. Although a jump from 1.2 to 1.7 poults per hen may not seem like that much of an increase, when you consider the number of hens in Missouri’s wild turkey population, an increase of that magnitude can make a substantial difference in bird numbers.

That makes 2011 and 2012 the best years for wild-turkey production since 2002. Consequently, hunters will see more 1- and 2-year-old turkeys this year than they have in quite some time.

Year-old male turkeys, commonly called “jakes,” can be the easiest for hunters to fool. However, most hunters prefer to shoot older gobblers. Two-year-old gobblers are generally more vocal than young or older birds, so hunting them is exciting.

“Hunters should hear lots of gobbling this year, and they will find a lot of jakes in the woods,” says Isabelle. “Overall, I think that hunters are going to be in for a good spring turkey season in Missouri this year.”

Isabelle says southeast Missouri has had the best turkey production during the past two years, so hunters there should notice increased turkey numbers. West-central Missouri and the southwest Ozark Border region also have had better turkey production than other regions for the past two years, so those areas have bright prospects for the 2013 hunting season.

Northeast Missouri also had a very good hatch in 2011 and a respectable hatch last year. Turkey numbers there remain below the peak seen in the early 2000s, but hunters should notice an increase compared to the lean years of 2008-2010.

Last year’s turkey production in northwest Missouri was an improvement over previous years. However, Isabelle says turkey hunters there are not likely to see as large an increase in turkey numbers as hunters in other parts of the state.

For details of the 2012 Turkey Brood Survey, visit mdc.mo.gov/node/16163.

The only change to statewide regulations is that hunters no longer are required to place the yellow “Be Safe” stickers on their shotguns, as they have been in the past. Some regulations for specific conservation areas and managed hunts have changed. These changes are outlined in the 2013 Spring Turkey Hunting Regulation and Information booklet, which it is available wherever hunting permits are sold or at www.mdc.mo.gov/node/4051.

Bernie, Missouri - The Bernie Lady's Softball Team got off to a great start this week after a busy weekend in the Ben Kruse 18-Fore Life Dig Pink Tournament this past weekend.  The Lady Mules were able to capture two back to back wins by substantial margins.

Bernie was able to defeat the Caruthersville Tigers on their home field by a score of 18 to 1 on Monday afternoon.  The Mules returned home today to make equal handy work of the Scott County Central Bravettes by defeating them in three innings 22 to 0. 

Scott County Central had some difficulty in the pitching department as they issued 15 walks in the contest.  Pitching is always a big part of the game.  However, when the Bravettes were able to find the strike zone, the Lady Mules were ready to pummel the softball into play. 

The Mules strictly were in control of the batters box throughout the game.  They not only batted completely around the lineup in the first inning but were able to bat the entire lineup twice in the second inning collecting 14 of the total 22 runs. 

Individually, Taylor Wilhite and Tatum Stone were able to provide extra base hits with a double each in the contest.  Wilhite was 1 for 2 on the day with 2 walks and Stone was a perfect 2 for 2 with 1 walk. 

The top three lead off hitters for the Mules, Katie Baker, Chelsea Wagner and Tori Lowrey were able to put perfect averages in the scorebook, along with Lari Spitzer.  Baker had a excellent outing with 5 RBI's, while scoring 4 runs on the day.

Lari Spitzer had the mound for the Brad Botsch's Bernie Mules.  She was able to deliver.  She dominated the Scott County Central Bravettes by only facing 10 total batters in the game, recording six strikeouts. 

Bernie will be in action again on Wednesday as they travel to Zalma to take on the Zalma High School Bulldogs.

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Written by

Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Writer

Dexter, Missouri – The Dexter Southeast Redbirds are selling cooked Chickens, Butts and Loins to raise money for uniforms and travel expenses for their team. 

These 10 year-old kids love the sport of baseball and what a wonderful way of helping them out but purchasing some great food cooked by James Kaufman and Doug Cox.

The Chickens are only $15 each, Butts and Loins are $25 each.  You can almost smell them smoking in the cooker!

You can text Dave Ellinghouse at 624-1394 or email him at dellinghouse@countywideins.com.  You may also contact James Kaufman at 620-1706.

Meat can be picked up on Saturday, April 27, 2013 at the First State Bank & Trust parking lot between the hours of 1 pm – 3 pm.  The bank is located at 710 West Business Highway 60 in Dexter.

Hope to see the Dexter Community supporting a great little group of future Bearcat DHS Baseball players or perhaps some day St. Louis Cardinal players!   In the meantime, come out and support the Southeast Redbirds and watch them on the ball field.

The Southeast Redbirds will have a practice game on Thursday at 5:30 pm and their 1st Tournament will be in Rector, Arkansas on April 19th and 20th. 

They will also play a game against the SEMO Stampede from Bell City, Missouri on Friday, April 26th in Sikeston and then the Parker King Memorial Showcase in Cape Girardeau on May 10th and 11th.  Those boys are going to be very busy practicing and playing!  Let's support them!

Bernie, Missouri - The Lady Mules Softball team has been busy this week as they continue to expand their season record by defeating the Woodland Cardinals in Bernie by a score of 11 to 1 on Thursday.  With the 2013 season only in it's second week, Bernie packed this week with four games this week taking their record to 5 and 0.

"We hit the ball very well today and hope to continue our success," said Bernie Head Coach Brad Botsch.  We are getting contributions from everyone, and so far we are competing well."

Bernie collected two wins over Advance and Campbell on Monday and Tuesday.  The Mules were also able to gain another win on Wednesday as they defeated Risco High School in a close game, 6 to 4. 

After holding the Cardinals scoreless in the top half of the first inning, Bernie jumped on their opponent with hits by their first three batters in the lineup.  Katie Baker and Chelsea Wagner each led off with a single, followed by a smashing homerun by Tori Lowrey.  Jordan Ellenburg received a base on balls, and was driven home by Taylor Wilhite.  Lari Spitzer added a single and an RBI to drive home Wilhite to make the score 5 to 0. 

The Mules kept up their offensive assault on the Cardinals as Lowrey and Ellenburg each singled in the second and both were driven home on a hard hit triple by Wilhite.

Bernie was able to pick up an additional run in the fifth inning and then added three additional runs in the sixth inning. 

"Woodland is a fundamental team and their coach does a great job with her kids," complimented Bernie coach Brad Botsch. 

Bernie did get a slight break in the action Friday, but will quickly jump back into action on Saturday at the Swing Pink Tournament hosted by Dexter High School.  Bernie is scheduled to play at 11:00 AM, 3:00 PM and 7:00 PM. 

12 High School Lady's softball teams will be at the East Park baseball / softball complex to participate in the Swing Pink activities.   All proceeds from the Swing Pink Tournament will go to the Ben Kruse 18 FORE Life Foundation, a local organization dedicated to helping families that are cancer related illnesses. 

Organizers, coaches and teams encourage everyone to come out to enjoy a great tournament and help support the Ben Kruse 18 FORE life Foundation.

Written by

Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Writer

Dexter, Missouri – The Dexter Bearcats were finally able to play a game at home Thursday afternoon.  The weather a little on the chilly side with overcast, but that wasn’t going to stop the Bearcats and Rams of Scott City from playing.

“Down 5-3 going in to the top of the sixth and come out 8-5, well that says something about the kids.”  Commented Scott City’s head coach Lance Amick.  The Rams had just won their game with Oran beating them 2-1. 

Scott City came up in the top of the sixth and loaded the bases as they had done a couple of times earlier in the game, but with no outs, they were able to score Travis Phillips from third.  This closed the Rams deficit to just one run. 

Minutes later, with runners on second and third, Scott City was able to send a double into left centerfield, clearing the bases.  Scott City now lead 6-5.

“We finally started hitting the ball and got some runners on base,” stated Brock.  “When that happens the players feed off each others energy.”

The Bearcats fell quickly in the 6^th as Brett Dirnberger retired each batter with a strikeout.  Scott City walked two of the ‘Cats three batters giving Dexter hope of winning with the tying run at bat and only one out.  No luck there, an infield pop fly and a strikeout closed the game making the Scott City Rams 6-1 on the season.

Cody Neldon was 3 for 4 with a run scored with Brad Potts getting two hits and a walk.  Sion Pixley had two hits, including a single in the fifth that gave the Bearcats their final lead of the game.

Dexter’s head coach Brian Becker said, “It wasn’t a very good loss for us today and not a very good day overall.  We didn’t field well, we didn’t hit well and our pitchers threw from behind.”

“They battled the whole game, but they pitched from behind with the exception of Austin Aldridge.  He came in to start the seventh and did a good job for us.  He got their three and four hitters out just working ahead of them.”

Dexter will be back on the mound on Monday, April 8^th taking on the Sikeston Bulldogs.  Game time is 4:00 p.m.  Then on Tuesday, April 9^th they will travel to Charleston to play the Bluejays.  Game time 4:00 p.m.

Thursday, April 11^th will be their next home game when they battle it out with New Madrid County Central at 4:00 p.m.