MDC, NWTF partnered with Stars and Stripes Museum for JAKES event in Bloomfield

JAKES program is dedicated to educating youth in wildlife conservation and wise stewardship.

Bloomfield, Missouri - The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) and the Stars and Stripes Museum partnered to present a JAKES (Juniors Acquiring Knowledge, Ethics and Sportsmanship) event in Bloomfield June 10. Conservation Agent Michael Collins said the event hosted 40 children, thanks in part to pleasant weather.

Conservation agents and other MDC employees often partner with NWTF on JAKES events because the two organizations have similar goals to promote conservation. The JAKES program began in 1981 when NWTF saw a need to get youth outdoors and began the program with a dedication to inform, educate and involve youth in wildlife conservation and wise stewardship of natural resources. Through this program, NWTF chapters provide youth ages 12 and younger chances to explore their outdoor world through fun events that help pass on the traditions of responsible hunting, teach the principles of habitat management, hunting ethics and safety.

At the JAKES event Saturday, MDC staff and volunteers led trap shooting with firearm safety, archery and turkey biology sessions. The youngest participants used pellet guns, according to Collins. Other stations hosted by NWTF included primitive skills with hatchets and sling shots and a tour of the museum. Participants also visited with Smokey Bear.

“This was a great partnership with NWTF and the museum where these kids all gained an appreciation for hunting and conservation while learning quite a bit about safety throughout the day,” Collins said.

Chaffee, Missouri - The Dexter Dynamite 8 and under Baseball team won the Chaffee Invitational Baseball Tournament this past weekend. 

Team members left to right: Front Row;  Will Guethle, Tre Pedigo, Kane Hobgood, Jackson Miller, Justice Lovelady, Conner Hankins, and Chase Guiling.

Middle Row: Brayden Vaughn, Walker Jarrell, Tanner Massey, Judd Robinson, and Langston Werneck.

Back row standing are Coaches Brandon Vaughn, Shawn Guethle, Kurt Lovelady, Chad Werneck

Dexter, Missouri - Hidden Trails Country Club located in Dexter, Missouri will host a 2-Man Scramble on June 24th and June 25th 2017.

Something new this year will be CASH PRIZES!!

Cost is $200 per team with cart rental an additional $15 per day/person.  Skins game on Saturday is included.

Dinner on Saturday night followed by the Calcutta is also included.

Practice round on Friday, June 23rd is also included.

Breakfast buffet will be available Saturday and Sunday from 7:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

Tournament will be flighted after Saturday's Round.

Please contact Jesse Coffman, Hidden Trails Country Club, P.O. Box 355, Dexter, MO 63841 or call  (573) 624-3638.

Preferred Saturday start time is either 8:00 a.m. or 1:30 p.m.

For more information or to follow Hidden Trails Country Club on Facebook click HERE.

Naturalists encourage bird baths, feeding and keeping an eye out for summertime nesters.

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) says summertime is for the birds. According to MDC naturalist Angela Pierce, though spring is when birds may come to mind the most, there are many reasons to consider them in the hotter months.

“Many birds can use some help to beat the summertime heat,” said Pierce. “Bird baths, especially at different height levels, can provide backyard birds with a refreshing chance to get a drink or cool off with a bath.”

Pierce recommends changing the bird bath water periodically to cut down on mosquitos and clean it occasionally with a scrub brush to prevent the spread of diseases.

Though many people feed birds in winter, bird feeding is also beneficial in the summer months. Pierce recommends adding different foods to the normal backyard menu such as artificial nectar for hummingbirds, oranges and grape jelly for Orioles and mealworms for bluebirds. For the artificial nectar, mix ¼ cup sugar to 1 cup water and pour into a hummingbird feeder.

Pierce said to be on the lookout for summertime nesters such as American goldfinches, American robins and mourning doves. American goldfinches start nesting in June or July. They feed their young seeds, so they must wait until these seeds develop on plants. American robins continue to nest in summer, having up to three broods. The mourning dove beats the robin by having up to six broods a year, nesting well into the early fall.

“Summer-time nesters sometimes cause people to worry,” Pierce said. “It can surprise people to see baby birds that haven’t quite figured out how to fly and end up falling out of the nest, but people should not interfere with fledgling birds.”

Instead, Pierce suggests not drawing attention to the young bird, staying a distance away and leaving it alone. Keep pet cats or dogs away from the fledgling and realize the bird’s parents are keeping a close watch from a distance.

“Bird parents will only return when people aren’t around,” Pierce said.

More information about summertime birding will be included in “What’s the Buzz,” an upcoming free program at the Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center, Saturday, June 17, from 1 to 3 p.m. No registration is required for this event. Participants will learn how birds, bees, butterflies and even bats work to pollinate flowers throughout the summer.

Taney County angler catches state-record sunfish
Congratulations to Dominik Penner on breaking the state record by catching a 1-pound, 5-ounce redear sunfish on a trotline.

Taney County, Missouri - The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reports Dominik Penner of Merriam Woods Village became the most recent record-breaking angler in Missouri when he caught a redear sunfish on Table Rock Lake. The new “alternative method” record fish caught by Penner on May 14 weighed 1 pound, 5 ounces. Penner’s recent catch broke the previous state record of 1-pound, 1-ounce, caught earlier this year.

Penner caught the fish on a trotline. A trotline is a heavy fishing line with baited hooks attached at intervals by means of branch lines called snoods. A snood is a short length of line which is attached to the main line using a clip or swivel with the hook at the end.

MDC weighed the redear sunfish on a certified scale at Shepherd of the Hills Fish Hatchery in Branson.

“This is the sixth state-record fish this year. 2017 is shaping up to be a year for state-record fish,” said MDC Fisheries Programs Specialist Andrew Branson. “The mild weather we have had this year means more anglers are fishing, and catching big fish.”

Missouri state-record fish are recognized in two categories: pole-and-line and alternative methods. Alternative methods include: throwlines, trotlines, limb lines, bank lines, jug lines, spearfishing, snagging, snaring, gigging, grabbing, archery, and atlatl.