Outdoors

Preliminary data from the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) shows young turkey hunters in Missouri harvested 5,255 birds over the past youth weekend, April 11-12. Top harvest counties were Osage with 121 birds harvested, Franklin with 119, and Gasconade with 107. Young hunters checked 4,449 birds during the 2025 spring youth weekend. This year marks

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) has new booklets for hunters, trappers, anglers, and others on spring turkey hunting, hunting and trapping, and fishing. The free booklets are available at MDC regional offices, MDC nature centers, and other places where permits are sold. The handy booklets have information on related permits, seasons, species, regulations, limits,

Taberville Report by Bobby Dains Dains Fish Farm After hours 660-781-8020 Spoonbilling is still good. My wife weighed one that went 116. The catch runs about half males and half females. The river is still about two feet below bank full. Conservation says the big run will be on the 12th. There’s not a lot

Most everyone has a hobby or two. Some specialize in painting miniature figurines while others tie flies. Some are like Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) staffer, Meagan Duffee-Yates, who dedicates some—or a lot—of her free time to falconry. Duffee-Yates, who is an MDC Private Land Conservationist along with being an avid spring turkey hunter, discussed

This year marks the 25th anniversary of MDC offering a special youth weekend for spring turkey hunting. In April 2001, young Missouri turkey hunters got their first dedicated spring hunting weekend for wild turkeys in the Show-Me-State. Over the decades, youth spring turkey hunting has grown in popularity. In 2001, MDC sold just over 4,000

I found an old pocket-knife the other day, fairly rusty, and with part of the handle gone. It had three blades, but one was broken. If you soaked it in oil and sanded away the rust and loosened it up again, the old knife would have a few years left in it. I wondered just

I have an extensive collection of old magazines and I thought some readers might enjoy this ancient story on turkey hunting. It was entitled “The Gentle Art of Turkey Hunting” and appeared in a1914 magazine called Forest and Stream. “The wild turkey is probably the wariest bird in the woods. His hearing is the keenest,

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) recently collaborated with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to enhance fish habitat in Stockton Lake. This effort took place in the northwest corner of the lake out of the Stockton boat ramp. Crews replenished 14 existing brush piles and built 45 new ones, which took approximately 75

Taberville Report by Bobby Dains Dains Fish Farm After hours 660-781-8020 Spoonbilling is slow because the river is not running. Catfshing is good on throw lines and rod and reel. They are catching blue cats. I haven’t heard of any flatheads.. The limit on blue cats is 10, the limit on flatheads is five. There’s

Cut them down, get free native tree Have invasive Callery (Bradford) pear trees? Cut them down and get a free native tree! The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is partnering with the Missouri Invasive Plant Council (MoIP), the Missouri Community Forestry Council, Magnificent Missouri, Forrest Keeling Nursery, Forest ReLeaf of Missouri, and the Missouri Prairie