Find a new spot to take advantage of Free Fishing Days

Tywappity Community Lake is one of hundreds of places in Missouri featured in the annual Fishing Prospects that can provide a place for Free Fishing Days fun.

Annual Free Fishing Days in Missouri– and most other states — provide novice anglers the opportunity to try the sport without having to purchase the required permits. The hope of course is that they will get hooked on the idea and plan more trips in the future.

On June 8 and 9 anyone may fish in the Show-Me State without a permit, but all other regulations remain in effect, including limits on size and number of fish. Free Fishing Days takes place statewide each year on the Saturday and Sunday following the first Monday in June.

Equipment loaner programs at local libraries allow participants to get started with minimal monetary investment, but the real issue for most aspiring anglers is determining where to go. The free MO Fishing app from the state Department of Conservation highlights hundreds of places, and it offers detailed reports for many of the state’s lakes and rivers.

The directory identifies places including tiny ponds on conservation property. The best information is limited to the biggest bodies of water highlighted in an annual report called Fishing Prospects, assembled by conservation department biologists and other staff members. A satellite map with each location on the app provides a glimpse at the accessibility of the water and features like docks and jetties.

The app does not include municipal ponds like the lakes at Arnold City Park or Larry Crites Memorial in Festus. Those two places provide easy accommodations, but they also face significant fishing pressure, and fewer other fishermen is almost always a better situation.

Jefferson County does have several access points on the Meramec, Big and Mississippi rivers but those areas can also get crowded with anglers and others enjoying the atmosphere provided by cool water in the summer time.

Beyond the county’s borders, the public possibilities proliferate. Personally I can speak for a few places where I have found success. Council Bluff Lake near Belgrade in Iron County was a long-time favorite, but I haven’t been there for several years. It’s clear, deep water provided challenges, but good fishing too.

Palmer Lake, a smaller body of water near Council Bluff, does not have the same easy access as its nearby neighbor, but that can be a good thing for the aforementioned reason of fewer other fishermen. It also has been a while since I’ve been there, but I remember liking the lake and catching fish there.

More recently I have had success at two similar lakes in the opposite direction. Whiteside Lake near Troy, Missouri, and Vandalia Community Reservoir are both hours north of Jefferson County, but are worth the trip for fishing fun.

None of those personal favorites are mentioned in this year’s Fishing Prospects, but many others do get the benefit of detailed analysis. The August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area in St. Charles County has dozens of lakes and ponds, which are managed for different fishing options.

One of the largest on the property is Lake 33, and it gets significant attention in the prospects report. Lake 33 is known for big largemouth bass. All three catfish species are present in Lake 33 with channel catfish over 10 pounds available and flatheads over 20 pounds possible. Hybrid striped bass stocked in the lake have the potential to get really big as evidenced by their 20-inch minimum length limit.

Perry County Community Lake also has had hybrids stocked at a rate of 1,000 per year for nearly 20 years. “Each year, multiple anglers report catching hybrid striped bass greater than seven pounds,” according to the annual prospects.

I recently had the chance to fish at Tywappity Community Lake near Chaffee. The 37-acre reservoir offered some fast action for largemouth bass, and the prospects report matched my success. I plan to return for a chance to fish for the 8- to 10-inch bluegill and redear sunfish mentioned in the report. Channel catfish are stocked annually and have a 16-inch minimum.

One last spot to mention is Towell Lake at Little Prairie Conservation Area between St. James and Rolla. It has been a couple of years since I was there, but the prospect report has me wanting to give it another look soon. “Recent efforts to control aquatic vegetation has been successful and will continue.” My experience there found good fishing when you could get around all the algae.

The MO Fishing app is available on Google Play and the App Store.

John Winkelman has been writing about outdoors news and issues in Jefferson County for more than 30 years and was the Associate Editor for Outdoor Guide Magazine.

Jefferson County’s annual bear visit could be early this spring

This Missouri Department of Conservation photo by Noppadol Paothong shows two young black bears are on the move in the spring. Jefferson County is likely to see a similar visitor soon as young males look for new territory.

Because it seems like it’s been spring since the end of February, it’s not a surprise that it feels like summer already, and occurrences you wouldn’t expect until Memorial Day are already on the radar.
Jefferson County conservation agent Cpl. Lexis Wilson said she received a call last week from someone curious about the potential for bear sightings. Historically that hysteria is more likely in late May or early June.

Actually, we hadn’t seen any black bears in these parts for more than 100 years, but a restored population in the southern third of Missouri has started a new trend. Over the past 10 years at least one wandering bruin has made an appearance in our area each spring. In most cases they return to the more remote woods of the Ozark highlands when they find our accommodations less than appealing. Wilson says residents need to make sure we keep the place unattractive to them.
“I’ve made these bears my mission. Email, call or text anytime you have information to share,” she said. “As long as it is not causing any trouble, we just want to know about it. If one gets into your trash one time and moves on, that is not a nuisance bear.”
Reaching out to our local conservation agents is the first place to turn for concerns or if you suspect a bear or bear damage on your property. You can call or text Wilson at 314-696-9425 and agent Ben Bardot at 314-954-5697. Send email to lexis.wilson@mdc.mo.gov or benjamin.bardot@mdc.mo.gov.

“They are like teenage boys. They are always looking for something else to eat. Take down your bird feeders and stop feeding squirrels or other critters,” Wilson said. “Bears are like very large raccoons. Anything that smells like food is going to get their attention.”

The other misinformation Wilson and Bardot work hard to dispel is the danger of the annual bear visits. They are not going to hurt people or pets as long as we learn to live with their presence during their short visits.

“They are just bears being bears, looking for food and new homes,” Wilson said. “They are docile by nature and want to avoid interaction with people.”

Another reliable resource to learn more about our bears is an organization and website called bearwise.org. A collective group of wildlife agencies and national experts, the group provides trustworthy information and regular updates through an email newsletter.
The mid-March missive mentioned the potential for early birds, err bears.

“The US Weather Bureau reports that after a strong El Nino helped produce the warmest winter on record in the lower 48 states, spring is arriving up to three weeks early in much of the country,” the newsletter stated. “Below-average snowfall, warmer temperatures and an early start to the growing season has bears across much of the country waking up early as well, and looking for food.”

That’s the key to protecting bears from us. Don’t provide easy-to-find food sources for them. Our conservation agents and the wildlife biologists at bearwise.org offer the same important tips.

  • Store garbage inside a secure building until trash pick-up day.
  • Keep your grill clean, covered and indoors if possible when not in use.
  • Don’t leave food for pets, strays or other animals outside. Feed pets a portion at each meal and remove the empty containers.
  • Refrain from using bird feeders in bear country from April through November.
  • Use electric fencing to keep bears away from beehives, chicken coops, vegetable gardens, orchards, and other potential food sources.

“Bears have great memories, so bears that learned to rely on high-calorie, human-provided food sources last year make a beeline for the bounty,” the bearwise.org April newsletter stated. The site also offers free downloadable documents to “Attract Birds, Not Bears,” and checklists to make sure your home and travels are bear prepared.

John Winkelman has been writing about outdoors news and issues in Jefferson County for more than 30 years and was the Associate Editor for Outdoor Guide Magazine.

Misinformation about snakes adds to plethora of questionable “facts”

The periodical cicadas have arrived. I found my first one on Friday by the big oak tree in our front yard. Enjoy them while they last; it will be 13 years before they return.

While I realize that I do not have the qualifications or inclination to dispute all or even most of the misinformation that is widely shared these days, I am willing to try occasionally to be a voice of reason. And there is some significantly unreasonable news circulating these days.

Multiple times this spring I have seen on social media – and heard in-person from someone with similar insider-information – that venomous copperhead snakes love cicadas. The post goes on to warn people to keep their kids away from trees during the upcoming 13-year visit of our local brood of big bugs.

First of all there is no doubt that copperheads, like nearly every other species of reptile and most wild creatures from birds to bears, will gorge themselves on the big insects when they exit the earth in the coming days. But the likelihood of snake bites increasing because of it is preposterous.

The suggestion to keep your children away and protect yourself by avoiding trees is nearly as mind-boggling.

“Sorry kids, for the next six weeks are you much safer in the basement playing your video games.”

Young people face greater risks from watching YouTube. This is arguably the most beautiful time of the year; we should be encouraging everyone to get outside. Take someone toward the trees to look for cicada exoskeletons or maybe try to catch one of the harmless bugs for an up close evaluation. It will be 2037 before the chance will come back again. Kids should be prompted to find insects and other natural wonders.

The May edition of the Missouri Conservationist magazine has arrived, and it includes a photo feature and story about fireflies. The images captured by nationally acclaimed wildlife photographer Noppadol Paothong include an evening meadow aglow with lightning bugs and a detailed sequence of one of the insects taking flight.

Those sights are becoming increasingly rare as habitat loss, light pollution, and pesticide proliferation limits opportunities for kids to see the summer show. I can still joyfully remember chasing and catching lightning bugs with my cousins and friends, a long time ago.

“If a field where fireflies live is paved over, the fireflies don’t migrate to another field. They just disappear forever,” Paothong writes. “You can help them by creating habitat in your own backyard. It’s as simple as eliminating or reducing pesticide use, leaving leaf litter and wild edges for habitat, and reducing light pollution so they can find each other during the breeding season.”

Fortunately no one is purposefully killing lightning bugs. A few get left in jars for far too long, but they do not face the perils and persecutions of the aforementioned snakes. Even the venomous ones are much more likely to be victims rather than villains. Still people take pride and joy in killing them.

Spring weather may bring snakes close to homes, but most are harmless, even if they are five feet long.

This time of year you may encounter snakes when you go outside, especially if you head toward woods and water. Earlier this month we had a big black rat snake visit our house. I think he or she was intent on investigating a nest of recent hatchlings in the wreath on our front door. To me, the excrement remnants that soiled the entryway were much less welcome than anything that five-foot long vermin killer could have brought to the porch.

To learn more about copperheads from a real expert, the state Department of Conservation is presenting a virtual program detailing five years of research at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center. Ben Jellen, an associate professor of biology at the University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis, has been studying the snakes and will share his findings online from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Friday, May 10. Advanced registration is required by calling 888-283-0364 or visiting short.mdc.mo.gov/48z.

The amount of misinformation easily available continues to proliferate, so it is important to find and support reliable sources.

John Winkelman has been writing about outdoors news and issues in Jefferson County for more than 30 years and was the Associate Editor for Outdoor Guide Magazine.

Conservation Club lake will host teacher education workshop May 2

The 14-acre lake at the Festus/Crystal City Conservation Club will host a Discover Nature Fishing workshop for teachers who want to add to their school’s curriculum.

The state Department of Conservation program that teaches teachers how to teach fishing is coming to Festus. The three-hour workshop is scheduled from 1 to 4 p.m. on Thursday, May 2, at the Festus/Crystal City Conservation Club near the intersection of Highway 61 and Interstate 55.

Discover Nature Fishing consists of four progressive lessons that start with basic equipment instruction and lead to field trips that challenge students to land specific species. During the workshop, teachers will learn how to present lessons for casting and catching.

“Fishing is a great way to engage students in outdoor pursuits and in learning about conservation,” said Conrad Mallady, an education specialist with the conservation department.

Spring is one of the best times of the year for fishing and the upcoming summer vacation from school provides an ideal time to introduce new anglers to the sport.

“With the regular school year drawing to a close and summer school ready to begin, now is the perfect time to prepare for school fishing field experiences,” Mallady said.

The lessons that teachers will bring to their students include how rods and reels work, what goes in a tackle box, baiting a hook, proper fish handling, fish identification, and species specific habitat. The program also highlights developing confidence, reducing stress, and overall health through fishing.

The Discover Nature Fishing Instructor Guide provides information on using the program equipment and how to schedule a fishing trip. Detailed teaching strategies and instructional best practices are included throughout the lessons to help educators engage students mentally and physically and guide them toward mastering key fishing skills, a department press release said.

Fishing as a part of the curriculum can work with a physical education lifetime sports class, or as a science or environmental studies segment. With more then 200 species of fish in the state and dozens classified as game fish, identifying differences is a significant lesson. Learning about the importance of protecting the streams, lakes and ponds where they live has positive repercussions for all.

“The unit can be integrated into school curriculum to provide instruction that helps students gain the skills and confidence to go fishing on their own,” Mallady said.

Minimal start-up costs are the best part about Discover Nature Fishing for locals schools. The teacher education workshop is free of charge; the necessary equipment is provided through a no-cost loan program, and transportation grants are available to help cover the expenses of taking students to a place for fishing. The only required investment is that the teacher must have a valid ($13 per year) fishing permit if they are less than 65 years old.

The three-year (renewable) equipment loan program provides up to 25 Zebco 33 rod and reel combinations for the class. Teachers must submit an annual report of program implementation and equipment use to maintain the agreement.

The instructional materials are appropriate for students in grades three through 12. Online registration is required, and teachers must create an account with the conservation department portal to participate. To create a new account, go to short.mdc.mo.gov/ZyP. To register for the class May 2 class, teachers would log in at short.mdc.mo.gov/Zyd.

The Festus/Crystal City Conservation Club is located at 2567 Highway 61. For more information, email Conrad.Mallady@mdc.mo.gov or call 314-577-9555, ext. 76044.

Festus fisherman lands new world record bighead carp

George Chance of Festus was fishing for catfish in the Mississippi River when he landed in the world record book for catching a 97-pound bighead carp.

“The good Lord is looking down on me.” George Chance was not talking about the world record fish he caught, but all the glories of his 78-plus years on earth. The retiree said he goes fishing at least three days a week at one of the several spots he has permission to fish near his Festus home.

“If it was a drug, you could say I was addicted. I have three or four lakes or creeks that are no more than 10 minutes from the house,” Chance said. “I tell my wife, ‘If they’re not biting I’ll be back in an hour or so. If they’re hitting, I’ll call and let you know when I’ll be home.’ I’m liable to be there until dark.”

He was fishing for catfish on the Mississippi River just north of Truman Access when he hooked the new world record bighead carp on March 19. After 20 minutes of fighting to get the fish reeled in, he said the real struggle came when he had to get the 90-pounder up the river bank and into his truck.

“When I got him far enough up on the bank where he couldn’t flop back in, I looked up the state record up on my phone,” Chance said. “I wasn’t sure what kind of carp it was, but the state records were 60, 70 and 80 pounds. I estimated it to be in that range.”

So he drove to the Bloomsdale Recycling Center, where he knew they had a big scale to weigh the fish, and it registered at 98 pounds. He called Jefferson County conservation agent Ben Bardot who met him there.

“I was impressed. He was there in a half hour,” Chance said. “He certified the scale, the weight and certified that it was a bighead carp. He said, ‘George you’ve got a state record here.’”

Bardot explained that in a few weeks Chance would receive a plaque acknowledging his state record catch. The next day he said he received a call from the state Department of Conservation to tell him that his fish qualified as the new world record for pole-and-line fishermen.

Officially the new record is 97 pounds. Chance’s fish broke the previous state record of 80 pounds and the world record of 90 pounds. He said he was hoping to catch something big, but he wasn’t expecting a carp or a record.

“I don’t eat catfish, but I have friends who are lined up to get them if I catch some. I like to hang into a 20- or 30- or 40-pound flathead or blue catfish,” Chance said. “I have pictures of me with 40- and 50-pound catfish.”

He was fishing with 50-pound test line and had his reel set to 30 pounds of drag, he said. He was using a modified crankbait, bouncing the lure along the river bottom when he hooked the carp.

“You can tell what a fish is once you hook into it based on how it fights,” Chance said. “At first it was moving pretty slow, and I thought it could be a flathead. Then it took off fast and stripped line off my reel like it was an ultralight. Over the next 20 minutes, it kept taking less and less line. By the time I got him in, he had pretty much given up.”

Chance said he removes the front treble hooks from the deep-diving crankbaits he uses, leaving only the tail hook. The missing hooks do not limit he catches he says, and it almost completely eliminates snags.

“If the lip gets hung up, you can usually give it some slack, and it will float back out,” Chance said. “I don’t lose many lures.”

The bighead carp is one of several invasive species in Missouri, and anglers are encouraged to harvest them when they can.

“I chopped up the fish and put it in my garden,” Chance said. “I’m going to eat it in the form of tomatoes and cucumbers.”

Missouri state records are recognized in pole-and-line and other methods categories. The state record big head carp taken by bowfishing weighed 125 pounds, 5 ounces, and was caught at Lake Perry in 2021.

Periodical cicada invasion should be celebrated

Periodical cicada will emerge this spring, but rather than fret, we should celebrate the phenomenon and pray that we will be around to complain when their offspring return in 13 years. Missouri Department of Conservation photo.

For several weeks social media reactionaries have been hearkening the end of times with near Biblical fervor. It’s not a plague of locusts, but a measurable oddity that manifests from time to time in the form of periodical cicadas.

Yes, hordes of noisy bugs with sometimes marginal aviation skills are due to return this spring to most of Missouri, including Jefferson County. And while it is a fact that two separate North American broods are due in 2024, they do not have any overlapping areas in our vicinity. So all the bluster about a double whammy are sensationally over-rated.

Because of the widespread nature of the world wide web, and the trends of modern media to make scary mountains out of skimpy mole hills, many people are nonplussed to near frenzy. Their memories of gigantic creatures filling the skies like hard shelled confetti during previous invasions are certainly compromised by the passage of time. In this case, exactly 13 years.

The overlapping emergence of two separate broods of periodical cicadas will only occur in a few counties in central Illinois

To get started we have to crunch some numbers. With apologies to entomologist Charles Marlatt who designated the different broods 130 years ago, I am disregarding his affinity for Roman numerals. The figures are tricky enough without complicating things with Is, Vs and Xs.

Brood No. 19 is a group of 13-year cicadas that reappear throughout Missouri, and in significant portions of Illinois and Arkansas. Known as the Great Southern Brood, they also pop up sporadically across the southeast United States. What we will hear and see this spring are the offspring of cicadas that emerged in 2011.

Also appearing this year will be Brood No. 13, a group of 17-year cicadas with a range that covers northern Illinois, eastern Iowa, southern Wisconsin and smidgens of Indiana and Michigan. While the two groups have some overlapping areas in central Illinois, compared to the entirety of the range the double-emergent locations are minuscule.

In years when two broods coincide we are treated to headlines for “a once in a life-time occurrence.” Each 13-year brood matches up with a 17-year emergence every 221 years, so the last time that No. 13 and No. 19 were in-sync was 1803. The overall number of broods complicates the rarity claims.

Those of us who know our memories don’t go back to Thomas Jefferson’s administration may recall 1998 when our 13-year No. 19s matched up with the 17-year Brood No. 4 in northwest Missouri and neighboring states to the west. Half of those bugs were in the news again in 2015 when the No. 4s reemerged during the same season that the 13-year No. 23 Brood found its way up from the earth in the Missouri Bootheel region.

These big bugs will be good news for hungry fish and wild turkeys. Missouri Department of Conservation photo

According to the state Department of Conservation, periodical cicada nymphs crawl out of holes in the ground as temperatures warm in late April. By early May they have attached themselves to tree trunks and other structures, abandoning their exoskeleton shells, unfurling new wings and taking flight.

Males spend the next several weeks “singing” to attract females in a high-pitched droning noise. After mating, the females lay their eggs in small slits they cut into tree branches. Once the eggs hatch, tiny cicada offspring fall to the earth and dig in to wait for their emergence in 13 or 17 years.

The slow-moving nymphs and short-lived adults provide a smorgasbord for birds and fish. The massive numbers of them hatching in a short amount of time are their defense against so many potential predators.

I first heard about this year’s emergence from Ozark Smallmouth Alliance founder and big bass bug fly-tier Ryan Walker who was busy creating lures to “match the hatch” this summer. While they may be noisy and their shells and carcasses abundant, they also signal a good opportunity to feed the fish and fatten our wild turkeys.

Missouri is home to annual “dog day” cicadas that appear from late June into August. While similar in habits and habitat, those bugs are bigger and not as abundant each year.

It’s going to be noisy for a few weeks, but cicadas cause no harm to people and do minimal damage to trees that host their egg-laying activities. It’s a small price to pay to experience an interesting natural phenomenon. We should all just hope and pray to be around to complain when our No. 19s return in 2037, in the same year as Brood No. 9, for the first time in 221 years.

Pending legislation needs support to curb Callery pear tree spread

Frequently I hear people talk about “cutting Callerys,” but I am always disappointed to realize they are saying calories and not the generic name for those nasty Bradford pear trees that are out in full force again this spring.

Open ground along the interstates and other roadways are choked with invasive plants like Callery pear trees and honeysuckle bushes, crowding out native species of plants.

Any spring driving trip near a populated area shows that the invasive species is proliferating. It is particularly disheartening to see roadside subdivisions populated with the popular landscape tree, and hundreds of the white fluff balls growing wild in nearby rights-of-way, eliminating opportunities for native plants.

Fortunately there are a couple of strong efforts to turn the tide. The most certain step in the right direction is a “buyback” program coordinated by the state Department of Conservation in partnership with the Missouri Invasive Plat Council, Forest ReLeaf of Missouri, and the Forrest Keeling Nursery.

State residents who remove a Callery pear tree from their property can receive a free native tree from a participating nursery on April 23. Participants must register before April 15 and provide a photo of the tree they eliminated. For more information and registration, visit moinvasives.org.

Callery pear tree flowers may look pretty in the spring, but they are actually pretty destructive, spreading the invasive species.

The other positive step to curb the incursion is beginning to make progress in the state legislature. House Bill 2412 has passed from committee to the floor of the House of Representatives for a potential vote. The companion Senate Bill 1281 is awaiting committee approval. Contact your local representative and ask them to support the legislation.

The proposal would prohibit the sale of Callery pear trees, Japanese honeysuckle, winter creeper, burning bush, and sericea lespedeza. Those five represent the worst of more than 140 invasive plants known in the state, according to the Missouri Invasive Plant Council.

“If passed, enforcement may take effect January 1, 2026, with the exception that burning bush and Callery pear plants acquired by a licensed Missouri wholesale or retail plant nursery before January 1, 2025, would be exempt from enforcement until January 1, 2028,” the council’s website states. “This bill is not intended to put any plant grower or seller out of business.”

Opponents of the legislation say it restricts personal freedom for landowners to plant what they want, but it is even more of an infringement the rights of neighboring property owners where the invasive species spread, causing expensive control measures, and threats to livestock, wildlife, forest products and outdoor recreation industries.

According to a press release from the conservation department, the Callery pear rose to fame in the 1960s as a popular ornamental landscape tree.

“This tree species became popular because it was inexpensive, it grew quickly, and provided showy white blooms in the spring,” said Russell Hinnah, a state forestry supervisor. “But the bad outweighs the good. Different varieties of the tree were planted close to each other, resulting in cross-pollination and spreading the tree nearly everywhere.”

The ability for Callery pear trees to cross-pollinate is why many roadsides, rights-of-way, parks, and other natural areas are filled with more white blooms every spring. They quickly invade open areas and crowd out native plants.

The trees are known for their stinky smell, and their poor branch structure, often losing limbs or splitting apart in severe weather.

“The best decision is to plant a tree species native to Missouri, and there are many great substitutions,” Hinnah said. “Serviceberry trees grow similar white blooms in the spring, and they have small red fruits that attract wildlife.”

Other alternatives include hawthorn, eastern redbud, and Missouri’s state tree, the flowering dogwood. Hawthorns provide bountiful fruit and attractive fall color, while dogwoods thrive in shady areas, but can be difficult to grow.

Learn more about native trees and landscaping online at mdc.mo.gov.

Leap year delays opening day at Missouri trout parks

The concept and calculations for leap day and leap year are quite simple, but the schedule has always been a question in my mind. I understand that it takes 365 days and six hours for the earth to complete a full trip around the sun, but why in the world would anyone choose to make February longer?

Personally, I’m fond of February since it’s my birth month, and I’m a fan of its focus on Black history and heart health. Still, it has never made sense to me, or anyone else I’m sure, why it has an inconsistent number of days with all the other months every year, and it gets the extra day once every four.

Doesn’t it seem logical that the calendar should have been created with simple math in mind? Seven months with 30 days and five with 31 adds up to 365. Then every year you could add the bonus day at a more favorable time of year like May or June. Having a September 31 would seemingly extend summer for one extra sunset.

As many as 10,000 anglers are expected at Missouri’s four trout parks for opening weekend beginning March 1.

The real complication with the current system is that it delays opening day of trout fishing season in the state’s parks by 24 hours. Friday, March 1, is opening day for trout fishing in the four parks in Missouri that cater to those who love catching the cold water species.

The state Department of Conservation operates hatcheries at all four parks and stocks the streams with rainbow trout daily while the season is open through Oct. 31. The weekend opening could bring about 10,000 anglers to the streams depending on the weather. There will be big crowds no matter what, but a warm and sunny Saturday and Sunday will pack the places.

The proceeds from the daily trout tags – and annual trout fishing permits for fishing outside the parks – help to fund the hatcheries, which stock about 800,000 fish in the trout parks throughout the year and about 1.5 million trout statewide with the winter Urban Fishing Program and supplementing fish in natural, cold water streams.

The closest park to Jefferson County is Maramec Spring near St. James. The park is owned and operated by the James Foundation, but the conservation department hatchery provides the fish. Bennett Spring, Montauk and Roaring River are in state parks operated by the Department of Natural Resources.

The required daily “trout tag” is $5 for adults and $3 for anglers 15 years old or younger. The limit is four rainbow or brown trout combined. In addition to the daily tag, a Missouri fishing permit is required for residents ages 16 through 64, and for non-residents 16 or older. The annual fishing permit is $13 for state residents, and the non-resident fishing license for the year is $51. Those prices reflect increases approved by the state Conservation Commission at its September meeting and are effective beginning Feb. 29. The new permit costs are up about $1 across the board, and mark the first price hike in 20 years.

Other price increases hunters and anglers will be paying this year include a bump from $17 to $18 for resident spring turkey hunting permits and the any-deer firearms hunting permit. Extra antlerless-only deer tags will be $7.50 this fall, up from $7.

Hunters and anglers under age 16 and 65 or older remain exempt from purchasing annual small game hunting or fishing permits. Daily trout tags and annual trout permits are still required for all ages.

Missouri hunting and fishing permits are valid through the last day of February each year, so 2023 tags are good for one extra day this year, but when March 1 rolls around, 2024 fishing licenses are required. The permits are available at many retail vendors, online or through the state’s Mo Hunting and Mo Fishing apps.

Antler scoring event returns to Henges Center near Eureka

Unfortunately I do not have a good reason to visit one of my favorite winter events this weekend near Eureka, but because hunters in Missouri set a new all-time record for deer harvest in the 2023-24 season, the annual Deer Antler Scoring Open House could be busy.

From 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Feb. 17, at the Jay Henges Shooting Range and Outdoor Education Center, hunters can get official measurements for the bucks they took this past fall. Scorers will also consider deer from previous years and shed antlers found at any time.

When the harvest totals of all hunting seasons combined were released in January, the state Department of Conservation announced a new record with 326,026 deer checked. The previous record was 325,457 in 2006. Of the total, 147,705 were antlered bucks, the most bucks ever.

That number includes a significant percentage of young bucks for sure, but there are also plenty of hunters who took trophies this year. There is no cost for having antlers scored, and reservations are not required.

Conservation department education supervisor Jake Hindman measures a mounted deer rack at the Henges Outdoor Education Center near Eureka.

The event will include certified scorers from Pope and Young, Boone and Crocket, and Missouri Show-Me Big Bucks Club. Those organizations maintain record books and charge fees for inclusion. The Boone and Crocket registry includes deer taken with firearms, while the Pope and Young provides the same kind of certification for bow and arrow hunters. Show-Me Big Bucks Club recognizes trophy white-tailed deer harvested or found in Missouri, in typical and non-typical categories. The club also recognizes shed antlers.

Hunters who can not attend Saturday morning, may drop off their antlers at the education center to be scored and then pick them up later. The Henges Range and Education Center is at 1100 Antire Road, at Interstate 44, east of Eureka. For more information call 636-938-9548.

Back to the harvest totals from the recent season. Jefferson County held on to its spot as the top harvest county for archery hunters for the 12th year in a row. Preliminary information from the conservation department showed that hunters checked 55,396 deer during the 2023-2024 archery deer season. Top counties for the archery deer season were Jefferson with 1,440, Franklin with 1,194, and St. Louis with 1,022. Hunters checked 56,683 deer last year during archery deer season.

The biggest difference this year in the overall harvest total is the increase in antlerless deer. According to conservation department, this year was the first since 2013 that more does were harvested than antlered bucks.

“With deer numbers increasing in most counties, additional antlerless deer harvest is needed to slow population growth and help maintain deer numbers at desired levels,” said Jason Isabelle, program supervisor. “It was great to see hunters take advantage of the additional hunting opportunities.”

Regulation changes this year added a new early antlerless firearms portion, a new chronic wasting disease (CWD) firearms portion, and an increase in the number of firearms antlerless deer hunting permits in most counties.

“It’s nice to see the much-needed increase in antlerless harvest given our desire to slow the growth of the increasing deer population to maintain deer numbers at socially acceptable levels,” Isabelle said. “Hunters play a major role in helping to manage CWD and increasing the harvest of both bucks and antlerless deer in the CWD Management Zone will help reduce the spread of the disease.”

The other standout statistic from the season was the report of only one non-fatal, archery-related deer hunting incident and zero firearms-related hunting incidents.

Originally published by Leader Publications of Jefferson County on Feb. 15, 2024.

Unplugged organization continues its work to get kids outdoors

For nearly a decade Missouri Kids Unplugged has been helping young people disconnect by inviting them to explore the outdoors at the organization’s facility near Dittmer and at special events throughout the St. Louis region.

A Jefferson County non-profit works to get kids away from their electronics to learn that crappie are better than computers.

Sunfish are better than screen time; catching crappie kicks computer games; a lake shoreline is superior to social media. Tony Krieg founded the organization in 2015 to provide parents a helping hand in getting their children off of the couch and away from their devices long enough to get hooked on fun outside.

“My favorite success stories are having young adults coming up to me saying that they caught their first fish at our farm six, seven, eight or nine years ago, and that because of that experience they have continued fishing as a favorite hobby,” Krieg said.

The 167-acre property on state Highway B between Hillsboro and Cedar Hill includes three lakes and a pond. Events held throughout the year include Family Fishing Days, recycling education, outdoor crafts programs in cooperation with Home Depot, a hot air balloon glow in the fall, and plans for solar eclipse viewing this spring.

“At our family fishing days we get to see so many first-time fishermen catch their first fish. The day is filled with smiles and squeals of excitement,” Kreig said. He estimated that about 1,000 people visit the farm for fishing and fun each year, plus they encounter thousands more at events they participate in with their partner organizations to emphasize the importance of electronic recycling and getting kids outdoors.

The annual event this time of year is an auction that raises funds to support the not-for-profit throughout the year. Scheduled for February 10, the event is sold out.

“It’s one of the events that allows us to fund all of our programs for free,” Kreig said. “We will have a casino night sponsored by Express Mart on May 10th, and we will be working with First State Community Bank offering an electronics recycling day on April 18th that proceeds will help fund our programs.”

Proper recycling for computers, television, and other devices with a power cord or that operate with battery power is central to the Missouri Kids Unplugged story. It continues to be a point of emphasis for the organization, with proceeds benefiting the outdoor activities for kids.

“I owned an electronics recycling business for years. We connect our passion for proper recycling of these items to fishing,” Krieg said. “We utilize any funds we get from the recycling to fund our free programs to the public.”

The most popular event at the farm is a balloon glow, which attracted more than 400 people for its second annual iteration in October. Visitors were asked to bring non-perishable food items for the Peace Pantry in Dittmer and any small electronics for recycling like telephones, and laptop computers.

Volunteers help make the events successful and many helping hands make the work fun.

“We are always looking for helpers to prep for events and help during our activity days,” Krieg said. “We have people to help kids build a tool box or bird house or help taking fish off a hook.”

For more information about the organization visit missourikidsunplugged.org or follow the group’s Facebook page for regular updates on events and activities.