Author Archives: John J. Winkelman

With a little luck and a bit more ambition, I may have added to Jefferson County’s archery deer harvest tally. For the tenth consecutive year, Jefferson County maintained its reign as the top county in the state with 1,563 reported to the state’s Telecheck system. The total is below the record setting 1,645 from lastContinue reading “Ten-year streak: Jefferson County holds top archery status”

Maybe it is for the best, because I have had mixed success trying to grow the trees I have ordered from the George O. White State Forest Nursery near Licking, Missouri. When I went to the website this winter to place an order, I found that nearly 75% of their trees were sold out. IContinue reading “Most species of seedlings sold out at state nursery for 2022”

All around my hometown of Crystal City you can find signs with an iconic little insect pleading with everyone who passes, “Don’t be a litterbug. Help keep your community clean.” If only it were that easy. Actually it is as simple as that. If people heeded the message and disposed of their waste properly, thereContinue reading “Litter pick-up programs could be eliminated if people policed themselves”

All of the First Day Hikes planned in the Jefferson County region have been canceled due to the forecast for inclement weather on Jan. 1. The preview column posted in the Jefferson County Leader newspaper on Dec. 30 highlighted all of the area state parks where events were planned, but a check of each locationContinue reading “Area First Day Hikes canceled due to inclement weather forecast”

Obviously children are the future of everything, and the case is made frequently by those who promote outdoors sports like hunting and fishing. Less than a century ago, kids spending time trying to catch or kill a meal for the family would have been common. “We want kids to discover and learn outside as muchContinue reading “Workshop welcomes teachers to add fishing, hunting to school curriculum”

Over the past few years I have talked to Jasmine Batten several times, so when I answered a phone call from a number I didn’t recognize, it was pleasant to hear a familiar voice. If her name doesn’t ring a bell for others, her work certainly will. Batten is the wildlife health program supervisor forContinue reading “Spread of chronic wasting disease in county strikes close to home”

For all the things you hope to bring home from hunting camp, the most important may not be venison, trophy antlers or the thrills of being outdoors. The memories you make are the true treasures, and they can last a lifetime. Big Ken Ebert was the patriarch of our small Camden County hunting camp. AroundContinue reading “Deer hunting memories are the sport’s best rewards”

Last fall when the state Department of Conservation announced that the Truman Access on the Mississippi River in southern Jefferson County would be closed indefinitely, the prospects of getting back to the mighty waterway seemed even more remote than the site itself. But earlier this month the state issued a release that the 20-acre propertyContinue reading “Truman Access on Mississippi River reopens after new repair strategy”

Once the leaves finally fell off of the trees, the deer season took on a look of normalcy. The unofficial numbers from the November portion of firearms season were very similar to recent years. (Actually, it seems there are still a remarkable number of trees still holding tight to their summer wardrobe.) Opening weekend weatherContinue reading “Deer harvest totals follow recent trends, provide predictable coming seasons”