February 16, 2026
I don’t know if we have had a worse wild turkey season than this past spring season in Missouri and Arkansas in the past 40 years. And I think eastern Kansas could also be included in that observation as well. The hunting was poor… darn poor. And you can blame part of that on the
CHAMPION COON HUNTERS – 7th grader Judd Koshko and his dad, Walt, both won a coonhunt near Coal Camp over the weekend. They go somewhere to a hunt almost every weekend. Judd recently won tickets to a $20,000 hunt later this year. Their dog, in a pack of four, gets 100 points for being the
In January, I came in to load my boat after dark and was surprised by a man standing there in the darkness. He identified himself as a Missouri Conservation agent. “Now what?” I thought to myself. He was young, he was alone, and his vehicle was nowhere to be seen. And everything he did was
Memorial Day weekend brings an extra-special celebration for squirrel hunters and bass anglers in Missouri. The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reminds them that the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, May 26, marks the opening of both squirrel season statewide and catch-and-keep bass season in most streams south of the Missouri River. Squirrels Hunters can
Public can comment in May on plan for key wetland, fishing, and upland area Schell City, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) continues to seek public input as it enters the next phase of the planning process for Schell-Osage Conservation Area in Vernon and St. Clair counties. From May 1 through May 31,
Preliminary data from the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) shows that turkey hunters checked 34,055 birds during Missouri’s 2018 regular spring turkey season April 16 through May 6. Top harvest counties were Franklin with 760 birds checked, Texas with 732, and Laclede with 657. Young turkey hunters harvested 1,729 birds during the 2018 spring youth
I have had a number of readers ask me about my underprivileged kids ranch… Panther Creek. Recently a church from Owensville reserved the place for a weekend in June and will bring more than 20 kids. Panther Creek amounts to a 60-acre outdoor education center with a lodge and 2 cabins, absolutely free to any
According to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (MDHSS), ticks are responsible for more human disease than any other insect. Ticks become infected with bacteria, viruses, or parasites by feeding on infected mammals or birds. For example, with Lyme disease, a tick might bite an infected field mouse, and later transmit the bacteria
The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) has approved a fish salvage plan as Schell Lake (the North Lake) is drained during June 2018 at the Schell-Osage Conservation Area in Vernon County. MDC is preparing to drain the lake as an early step in the renovation of the wetland management pools and water control structures. This
The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reports Bryant Rackers of Bonnots Mill became the most recent record-breaking angler in Missouri when he snagged a blue sucker on the Osage River. The new “alternative method” record fish snagged by Rackers on April 21 weighed 9 pounds, 1 ounce with a length of 30 inches. Rackers’ recent
