FINS, FEATHERS, FUR

Coming up:

Feb. 5 Spring Sports & Recreation Show, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale Arena, 5 to 9 p.m.

Feb. 6 Spring Sports & Recreation Show, SIU Arena, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Feb. 7 Eagles Days, Mingo National Wildlife Refuge, Puxico, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Feb. 7 Spring Sports & Recreation Show, SIU Arena, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

March 13 Illinois Big Buck Expo, John A. Logan Community College, Carterville. Seminars Big Buck contests.

March 14 Illinois Big Buck Expo, John A. Logan Community College, Carterville.

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CARBONDALE The latest in fishing, hunting and recreational equipment will be displayed at the annual Spring Sports & Recreation Show Feb. 5-7 at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale Arena.

Also scheduled during the three-day event will be seminars featuring tips on fishing area lakes, fly fishing and black-powder hunting techniques.

The show will be open from 5 to 9 p.m. Feb. 5; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Feb. 6 and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb. 7. Admission is $3. Children under 12 will be admitted free when accompanied by an adult.

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JEFFERSON CITY The Missouri Conservation Commission will hold its regular monthly meeting today at 9 a.m. at Tan-Tar-A Resort, Osage Beach.

Commissioners are: Jay Henges, St. Louis, chairman; Jerry P. Combs, Kennett, vice chairman; Andy Dalton, Springfield, secretary; and John Powell, Rolla, member.

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JEFFERSON CITY Deer hunters using muzzle-loading firearms increased their harvest this year, over 1991 totals of 656, but not by much. Hunters brought in 770 deer during the 1992 season, which ran from Dec. 7 through Dec. 15.

The harvest was biggest in the Northeast Region, where hunters checked in 151. The East-Central Region fell in at a close second with 146 deer checked, and the North-central Region had the third-highest total of 111. Other region totals were: Northwest, 80; Central, 76; West Central, 66; Ozark, 61; Southwest, 46; and Southeast, 33.

Hunters harvested more deer in St. Charles County than any other in the state, a total of 28.

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JEFFERSON CITY The Missouri Conservation Commission has confirmed names for three recently acquired areas Dan River Access to the Black River in Butler County; Hemenway Conservation Area in Ripley County; and Roger V. and Viola Rachal Smith Conservation Area in Moniteau and Cole counties.

The Commission changed the names of the four department nature centers to include the word "conservation" Burr Oak Woods Conservation Nature Center, Springfield Conservation Nature Center, Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center, and Runge Conservation Nature Center.

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COMMERCE, Mo. The Conservation Commission in December approved three new land acquisitions, including 3.2 acres in the town of Commerce in Scott County, for development of a Mississippi River access.

Other acquisitions approved included 12.4 acres in Dunklin County as an addition to the Hornersville Swamp Wildlife Area and A donation of 42 acres in Iron County as an addition to the Cedar Mountain Tract.

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JEFFERSON CITY Talented young writers with an interest in the outdoors have a chance to win scholarships of up to $500 in the 1992 Outdoor Writers Association of America Youth Writing Contest.

Jim Low, writer-publicist for the Missouri Department of Conservation, said all Missouri high school students are eligible to enter the contest. Prizes include plaques and cash scholarships of $200, $300 and $500.

Poetry, fiction and non-fiction entries all are eligible. Writing excellence is the sole criterion for judging. Entries must have been published during 1991. Publication in school newspapers, organizational newsletters or commercial periodicals meets this requirement. Entries must be related to hiking, camping, fishing, nature, hunting, canoeing, ecology, the environment or some other outdoor subject.

Entrants must submit three tear sheets or three clear photocopies of each entry. The tear sheets must include the publication name and date. The deadline for receiving entries is Jan. 31. Send entries to: OWAA Headquarters, 2017 Cato Ave., Suite 101, State College, Pa., 16801.

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OLIVE BRANCH, Ill. Canada geese have started their migration back to the Canadian northlands.

The latest goose count, conducted in the Southern Illinois and West Kentucky area this week, revealed about 410,000 geese.

"This total is down more than 100,000 from the count of Jan. 18," said Dennis Thornburg, Region 5, Wildlife Administrator, based at the Benton, Ill. office, who participated in the census.

The latest count showed 100,000 at the Crab Orchard Wildlife Refuge near Carbondale; 85,000 at Horseshoe Lake; 100,000 at Rend Lake; and 48,000 at Union County Wildlife Refuge. A total of 29,000 geese were counted at Ballard County Wildlife Refuge in West Kentucky.

The harvest total in the four-county Alexander, Union, Jackson and Williamson counties was 13,890 through Jan. 22. A total of 3,700 geese have been harvested in Alexander County; 2,900 in Union County, and 7,155 in the Crab Orchard area near Carbondale.

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JEFFERSON CITY Today is the final day for artists to enter the Missouri Department of Conservation's (MDC) annual Trout Stamp Design Competition.

MDC has held the contest each year since 1983 as a way to choose designs for its trout stamps. The competition is open to Missouri residents only. Each entrant may submit one entry.

Contest rules and other information are available by contacting: Missouri Trout Stamp Design Competition, Missouri Department of Conservation, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, Mo., 65102-0180.

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JEFFERSON CITY Missouri's 1993 spring turkey hunting season will run from April 19 through May 2, with only minor regulation changes. The bag limit will be the same as last year, one bearded bird for each week of the season.

The only changes in turkey hunting regulations concern tagging and licensing. Starting this year, no one under the age of 11 years may purchase a turkey hunting permit. Also new this year is a rule that detaching the transportation tag from a turkey hunting permit before taking a turkey renders the permit void.