Will the Missouri Department of Conservation just-finished four-year pilot program of antler restrictions in 29 counties be junked or expanded to more areas of the state? Will timing of the firearms seasons be changed to move the antlerless portion into October, open the November portion the weekend before Thanksgiving and move the muzzleloader portion to late December?

MDC says hunter input online, in writing and at 16 meetings across the state will be weighed in determining changes in management of the state’s deer herd.

The pilot antler restriction program launched in 2004 in 29 counties required a buck to have a minimum of four points on one side to be legal. The intent was to shift harvest pressure from bucks to does, helping balance the male-female ratio and put more bucks in older age classes.

The department says the male-female balance makes managing the herd easier because fewer does need to be taken to affect the population size. Surveys have indicated many hunters want to see more bucks in the older age classes.

How did the program work? In the central Missouri counties involved, the doe harvest increased an average of 13 percent, but not in the 22 northern counties with high deer populations. Adult buck harvest increased by 20 percent.

The department says that based on hunter response and biological results from the pilot study, it will decide whether to expand antler restriction regulations to other counties or abandon it for the 2008 deer seasons.

The department believes it could help balance buck-doe ratios and produce more adult bucks by changing the season timing as outlined above beginning in 2009.

In 2007, the seasons were:
• Archery — Sept. 15-Jan. 15, excluding the November portion
• Urban counties — Oct. 5-8
• Youth — Oct. 27-28
• November — Nov. 10-20
• Antlerless — Dec. 8-16.

Remaining meetings are as follows:
• Feb. 4, Marshall High School Little Theater, 805 S. Miami Ave., Marshall
• Feb. 5 — Burr Oak Woods Nature Center, 14-1401 N.W. Park Road, Blue Springs
• Feb. 6 — State Fair Community College, 2503 W. 16th St., Sedalia
• Feb. 7 — St. George Catholic Church Basement, 611 E. Main, Linn
• Feb. 11 — West Plains Civic Center, 110 St. Louis St., West Plains

Comments can be registered online at www.mdc.mo.gov/16184 or sent in writing to Missouri Department of Conservation, Deer Management Considerations, 1110 S. College Ave., Columbia, MO 65201. The department asks you to state in which county you hunt most. whether you want the 4-point antler restriction in that county and whether you support the proposed season timing changes.

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What’s a wetland worth? The Missouri Department of Natural Resources is asking the state’s citizens to help them find out the answer to that question.

The department’s Water Resources Center is conducting an online survey to help state decision makers determine the value Missouri’s wetland resources. Survey results will help the agency develop economic tools to evaluate wetland compensation and costs the public is willing to pay for the replacement and creation of wetlands.  

Many of Missouri’s historic wetland areas have been replaced with productive farms and developments in low-lying areas, often in floodplains. Those that remain are important Missouri water resources, serving as waterfowl habitat, storing floodwaters and cleansing our waterways.

Any Missouri citizen may participate in the wetland survey by visiting the department’s Web page at www.dnr.mo.gov/env/wrc/survey.htm. All information needed to complete the anonymous survey is provided online. Results of the survey will later be published by the department.

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The Missouri Department of Conservation has decided not to
test special restrictions on catfishing in central Missouri. The agency
held four public meetings in July and August to gauge anglers’
attitudes toward a possible trial of more restrictive flathead and blue
catfish regulations. Eight out of 10 anglers who commented on the proposed regulations said they did not want the change.

In a catfish angler survey the Conservation Department conducted in 2002, 55 percent of Missouri River catfish anglers who responded expressed support for some form of harvest restrictions on
flathead and blue catfish if it increased their chances of catching a
trophy-sized catfish.

The agency was considering restrictions on an 82-mile reach of the
Missouri River from Glasgow to Jefferson City and part of the Lamine and lower Blackwater rivers. The changes were designed to increase the
number of large flathead and blue catfish.

The Conservation Department is seeking anglers and business people to
join a catfish-management stakeholder group. The group will meet to
discuss catfish management with Conservation Department biologists. For more information about this advisory group or to ask questions or submit comments about catfish management, contact Resource Scientist Kevin Sullivan, P.O. Box 368, Clinton, MO 64735, phone (660) 885-6981, e-mail Kevin.Sullivan@mdc.mo.gov.

Speaking of Missouri River catfish, check out the story on catching monster catfish in the Big Muddy in the January-February issue of River Hills Traveler.

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WINONA — Southeast Missouri residents have a new educational and
recreational resource in their back yard. Visitors to the heart of the
Ozarks also might want to visit the newly opened Twin Pines Conservation Education Center (CEC) for a glimpse into the region’s natural and cultural history.

This 456-acre area on Highway 60, 1.3 miles east of the junction with
Highway 19 North in Winona, is the home of an interpretive center that
emphasizes Missouri’s forest heritage.

Grand opening will be 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 19.

Many programs, special events and classes are available by
appointment. For event information and registration, call (573)
325-1381.

Regular hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through
Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, closed Monday and Tuesday.

Besides organized activities, Twin Pines offers opportunities for
hiking, birdwatching, nature photography and other nature-related
activities. A trail through the area provides access to pine-oak
woodland and several other forest types.

Twin Pines CEC places a special emphasis on the history of the
Ozarks’ timber industry. Displays at Twin Pines include vintage
logging equipment, a log cabin and an early 20th century schoolhouse.

Youth fishing clinics for largemouth bass, hybrid sunfish and channel
catfish is allowed in 2-acre Mule Camp Pond by special permit only.
Hunting is not permitted at Twin Pines CEC.