Outdoors

Beginning Jan. 1, 2026, non-resident hunters in Missouri who want to pursue waterfowl, doves, snipe, woodcock, and rails will be required to purchase a new Non-Resident Migratory Bird Permit for a price of $60. The new permit is part of a broader set of permit price adjustments by the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and

I haven’t seen many ducks but it is duck season and I can’t wait to go out with my Lab to try to find some. If you have never owned a Labrador, you have missed out on one of the greatest things in life, and if you have never watched ducks come into decoys on

Join Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) educators online to learn about hunting regulations in the Show-Me State on Jan. 1 from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m.  This virtual event will teach participants about the history of Missouri conservation, why there are rules and regulations for hunting, and how to find regulations. The program will also include

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) recently set turkey and deer hunting dates for the 2026-2027 seasons. The hunting dates were approved by the Missouri Conservation Commission at its Dec. 12 open meeting at MDC headquarters in Jefferson City. The Commission also gave final approval to regulation changes that will reduce the nonresident harvest limit

Right now in the Ozarks, there are eagles everywhere, and each spring more and more of them nest here. If you spend a lot of time outdoors, you know where eagles nest, and it is very easy to see them. I found a new eagles nest this week, and counted about a dozen different birds,

Bobby Dains Dains Fish Farm After hours 660-781-8020 The weather is cold. Nobody is fishing. It happens this way every year. Let’s call of this report until next March. The river is low so the board ramp is open. We are open from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Closed Sundays and Mondays until next snagging

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) has been cooperatively working with Ameren Missouri, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the U.S. Geological Survey Columbia Environmental Research Center (USGS-CERC) to conduct research on and management for the federal and state endangered scaleshell mussel. Research focused on understanding the distribution of the scaleshell in Missouri,

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) encourages experienced Missouri birders to become citizen scientists by helping with the National Audubon Society’s 2025 Christmas Bird Count (CBC) between Dec. 14 and Jan. 5, 2026. The CBC is an annual bird census where thousands of volunteers across the U.S., Canada, and other countries go out over a

The opening of the doe season was only a few hours away and the wind was blowing through the oaks up here on Lightnin’ Ridge. “Shucks” I thought to myself, “There won’t be a leaf left on my oak trees!” I am sensitive about such things. I had watched those oak leaves bud out on

The fire had burned down in the fireplace, and it was a trifle warm, so I stepped out on the back porch to feel the coolness of the oncoming winter, looking down on the dark river valley. The moon was faint, shining through the clouds and it was so still you could have heard a