Outdoors

The cold pierced our bones. Rain came down in buckets, filling the bottom of the boat with water despite the bilge pump and our attempts at bailing. When the lightning raced across the sky, we caught a glimpse of the shoreline. I knew it was dangerous to be in an aluminum boat on the water

If I had to pick a half-dozen lures to take with me all the time no matter where I intended to fish, one of them would no doubt be the celebrated floating Rapala. While we were in Canada a few summers ago, my wife lost one of my Rapalas to a hungry smallmouth, which came

The Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) new Migratory Bird and Waterfowl Hunting Digest for the 2020-2021 hunting season is now available where permits are sold and online. Learn more about waterfowl hunting in Missouri and view the hunting digest online at huntfish.mdc.mo.gov/hunting-trapping/species/waterfowl. The handy, free guide has detailed information on needed permits and duck-stamp requirements,

I try to always do the right thing. But it hasn’t always been that way.  I stole a candy bar once when I was five or six years old, but nothing since!  Grandma and Grandpa McNew would go into town on Saturday morning and I would tag around after my grandmother when she went from

The adult male bear who attracted public attention and was christened “Bruno” by social media has been sedated and transported to suitable habitat outside the urban area, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC). The bear is suspected to have traveled from Wisconsin, through Illinois, and into Missouri.  He was first spotted in the

The American burying beetle is a large and unusual insect. The parents tend young in an underground cavity, and they feed on carrion such as dead birds. Habitat losses or changes have made them an endangered species. But a cooperative restoration program between the Saint Louis Zoo, the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), and the

Help keep rivers and lakes clean and safe Hazards for wildlife and people from lost or discarded fishing lines and hooks, and old and inactive trot lines or set lines, are not prevalent on the state’s rivers and lakes. But problems do occur sometimes, and the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) urges anglers to recover

Down at the pool hall when I was a kid I heard some front bench regulars talking about the funeral they had went to. They said of the fellow being laid to rest that he was a guy who would give you the shirt off his back. I thought about how I would like to

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) has added a 320-acre grassland tract to the Wah’Kon-Tah Prairie Conservation Area in St. Clair County. This filled a gap between existing area tracts and provides the opportunity to manage contiguous native grassland on the northern boundary. MDC manages Wah’Kon-Tah for native prairie plant and wildlife species in partnership

Bears have a remarkable sense of smell that can unfortunately lead them to human food. When camping at Missouri State Parks remember to keep your coolers closed and your campsite clean.