April 1, 2026
My old “Fred Bear” compound bow must be 30 years old. It has put many pounds of venison on the table here on Lightnin’ Ridge, but due to something called a frozen shoulder I cannot pull the thing back as easily as I once did. So I bought a crossbow at the local Wal-Mart sporting
by Eli Chen The invasive feral hog roams in more than 30 counties in Missouri, decimating farmland and wildlife areas in its path. This summer, state officials banned feral hog hunting on public lands in their latest effort to eradicate the pest from Missouri. They’re also beginning to use new technology to trap the animals.
Last year hunters checked 93,896 deer during the opening weekend of the 2015 November portion of firearms deer season. Preliminary data from the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) shows that deer hunters in Missouri harvested 96,131 deer during the opening weekend of the November portion of the fall firearms deer season Nov. 12 and 13.
The complete November issue of the Missouri Conservationist is available for viewing and/or download at mdc.mo.gov/conmag. This month’s features: Forest and Woodland Conservation Local partners sustain Missouri’s diverse forests for people, plants, and animals 2016–2017 Seedling Order Form George O. White State Forest Nursery Hunters, Help Us! Sampling of harvested deer for chronic wasting disease
Native trees and shrubs can help improve wildlife habitat and soil and water conservation while also improving the appearance and value of private property. The Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) George O. White State Forest Nursery offers a variety of low-cost native tree and shrub seedlings for reforestation, windbreaks, erosion control, wildlife food and cover,
by Larry Dablemont, outdoor writer, photographer What a strange October… the largest mast crop I have ever seen and the latest fall colors I can remember. Mast, for those of you who do not know, is a woodland term for a “variety of nuts.” So that means it can be used in place of “politicians.”
The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reports that Mark McArtor of Camdenton became the most recent record-breaking angler in Missouri when he caught a hybrid striped bass on the Lake of the Ozarks. The new “alternative method” record hybrid striped bass caught by McArtor on Oct. 31 weighed 9-pounds, 1-ounce with a length of 27
First and 2nd place were close at the American Bass Anglers November tournament on Stockton Lake. Kansas angler, Eric Craft, took 1st place with a 5-fish limit that weighed 13.98 lbs, anchored with a 5.85 lb big bass of the tournament. Second place, Mike Dill weighed in 13.83 lbs. his big fish was 4.49 lbs.
The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) announced that hunters checked 3,698 turkeys during Missouri’s fall firearms turkey season, Oct. 1-31. Last year’s fall firearms turkey harvest total was 6,158. Top harvest counties for the 2016 fall firearms turkey season were Greene with 128, Franklin with 96, and Wayne with 92. MDC’s turkey biologist says this
Permit vendors are using a new sales system this year so the process might take longer. Permits are available at the MDC office, 1109 S. Main St. in El Dorado Springs and multiple permit vendors in town, online at mdc.mo.gov, or the Mo Hunting smartphone app. You will need: Your conservation number (found on an
