January 18, 2021
Top harvest counties were Franklin, Callaway, and Osage. Preliminary data from the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) shows that deer hunters in Missouri harvested 14,555 deer during the alternative-methods portion of the firearms deer season, Dec. 26 – Jan. 5. Top harvest counties were Franklin with 318 deer harvested, Callaway with 317, and Osage with
Despite COVID challenges, MDC staff continued and adapted conservation work. The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) made it through 2020 with both historic challenges and historic accomplishments. Here are some highlights. Covid-19 challenges With many Missourians mostly stuck at home from COVID-19 closures beginning in March, MDC began offering teachers, parents, students, and others its
MDC congratulates five hunters who each harvested bull elk during inaugural season. Missouri’s first elk-hunting season ended Sunday with all five of the hunters selected for permits harvesting bull elk during the firearms portion Dec. 12-20. An archery portion ran Oct. 17-25 with no harvests. The five Missouri hunters were selected for elk-hunting permits through
Beginning Jan. 5, portions of trails will be closed while work is underway. A trail renovation project soon to begin at the Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) Springfield Conservation Nature Center will, when completed, provide a better walking experience for the quarter million visitors that walk the nature center trails each year. Starting Jan. 5,
The complete January issue of the Missouri Conservationist is available for viewing and/or download at mdc.mo.gov/conmag. This month’s feature: Annual Review Serving Nature and You: Fiscal Year 2020. This month’s In Brief: *Buy Your 2021 Hunting and Fishing Permits *Give a Gift Back to Nature *Winter Trout Harvest Begins Feb. 1 *Ask MDC *What Is
Due to COVID-19, MDC will not host Eagle Days events this year but encourages people to watch eagles on their own. Did you know that thousands of bald eagles visit Missouri each winter and eagle watching in Missouri can be spectacular? From late December through early February, watch for eagles perched in large trees along
MDC sets deer and turkey hunting dates for upcoming seasons. Firearms deer antlerless portion increasing from three days to nine. More at https://mdc.mo.gov/newsroom/mdc-s.
Deciduous trees appear naked in winter when they drop their leaves, making them interesting in a new way. Limbs form sculpture-like crowns when observed at a distance. Closeup, the bark patterns and colors vary between species. The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) suggests that winter tree identification and observation can add nature’s artful variety to
MDC agents around the state are joining other “cops” in Shop With A Cop events where they take local kids in need shopping for Christmas and a meal. Thank you conservation agents and others in law enforcement for helping hundreds of kids around the state have a merrier Christmas.
MDC will recommend harvest and permit quotas in spring 2021 with possible first season in October 2021. The Missouri Conservation Commission recently gave final approval to the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) for the state’s first black bear hunting season framework. The Commission finalized the hunting season framework and related regulations at its Dec. 11
