FINS, FEATHERS, FUR

"Missouri Fishing Regulations" and "Missouri Hunting & Trapping Regulations," 32-page publications created by the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), are now available for Missouri sportsmen.

"The two publications have been distributed in quantity to all vendors of Missouri hunting and fishing licenses," said Jerry J. Presley, MDC director. "These are summaries of the `Wildlife Code of Missouri,' which is still available."

Presley said the new summaries will be easier for most people to use.

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JEFFERSON CITY The Missouri Conservation Commission will hold its monthly meeting at 8:30 today at Commission Headquarters, 2901 W. Truman Blvd., Jefferson City.

Commission meetings are open to the public.

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

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PIEDMONT Collin Dumey didn't have a bonus deer tag for the 91 firearms deer hunt, but he took home two 10-pointers anyway. The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) isn't upset about Dumey's double dipping, but MDC biologists are intrigued by the story of the Piedmont resident's highly unusual kill.

Dumey, 16, jumped a big whitetail buck from a soybean field around noon Nov. 23 on U.S. Army Corps of Engineers land at the upper end of Lake Wappapello.

"When I walked up on the deer I couldn't believe it," said Dumey. "There was one 10-pointer, with the head and antlers of another deer tangled up in its antlers. The other deer was a 10-pointer, too."

All that remained of the second deer was its head, rib cage and part of its hide. Although the one he shot seemed to have lost some weight, it was still strong.

"That's weird," said MDC Research Biologist Lonnie Hansen. "I've never heard of that happening before. Usually both deer die when their antlers become entangled."

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JEFFERSON CITY Looking for a Christmas gift? How about a fishing or hunting license?

For a paltry $8, you can buy your angling friend a Resident Fishing Permit. The same amount will purchase a Resident Hunting Permit. If your friend hunts and fishes, you can save $2 on a Resident Hunting & Fishing Permit, available for just $14.

If you have a trout fancier on your Christmas list, how about a Trout Stamp for $6? Non-resident fishing permits are a bargain at $25. These and other permits are available at sporting goods outlets and MDC offices statewide.

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TUSCUMBIA The sighting of three trumpeter swans on the Osage River provides a reminder to Missourians that their natural heritage is easy to lose, but not impossible to regain.

When European settlers arrived in Missouri, it wasn't unusual to see flocks of enormous white birds winging over the Osage River, their bugle-like voices echoing from towering bluffs with the message that winter had arrived. Destruction of the impressive birds' habitat, along with unregulated hunting until the 20th century, deprived generations of Missourians of that thrill.

In recent history, however, the Missouri Department of Conservation and other state wildlife agencies have protected trumpeters and provided habitat for the birds.

On Dec. 5, two duck hunters reported seeing a trio of trumpeters flying low over the Osage River about four miles upstream from the Tuscumbia Access. About two hours later, they saw the birds again about five miles farther upstream. Later that morning, three conservation agents reported seeing the birds back downstream, near Tuscumbia.

"These may have been birds born in the wild," said Jim D. Wilson, ornithologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation. We can hope for occurrences like this to become more common as numbers of trumpeters increase and they reclaim their traditional wintering grounds. It's a very encouraging sign, not only for swans but for Missourians and all wildlife, too."

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WARE, Ill. The Southern Illinois Canada goose count is nearing the quarter-million mark.

"The latest survey, conducted Tuesday, revealed 491,800 geese," said a spokesman from Union County Wildlife Refuge near here. "All were in Illinois except 25,000 which were counted at the Ballard County Refuge across the Ohio River in West Kentucky."

The Rend Lake area, near Ina, Ill., and Crab Orchard Lake area in Williamson/Jackson counties, accounted for more than two-thirds of the geese, with 145,000 at Rend Lake, and 145,000 at Crab Orchard. About 78,000 were in the Horseshoe Lake area, and 90,000 in the Union County Wildlife area.

A total of 9,629 geese had been harvested during the season in the four-county Alexander, Union, Williamson and Jackson "Quota Zone" area through Dec. 13.

The majority of birds were harvested in Williamson and Jackson counties, where an aggregate total of 5,618 birds were killed. The Alexander County harvest total is 3,443 and 1,560 have been killed in Union County.

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KANSAS CITY--Although winter weather made the final weekend of firearms deer season a rough one, the elements didn't stop hunters from attending the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Smithville Lake Deer Hunt for the Disabled. Twenty-eight of the 33 persons registered for the two-day event showed up.

"When I got up Saturday morning I was hoping to get at least 10 hunters to come out," said Bruce Clark, park manager for the Corps and coordinator of the Smithville hunt. "I was astounded that 28 showed up."

John Geisel, Kansas City, brought down the first deer of the day just one hour after he entered his blind. Geisel, who was partially paralyzed in a car accident 11 years ago, is a first-time deer hunter and first-time participant in Smithville's hunt.

Geisel wasn't the only participant who had not hunted deer before. About half of the hunters were first-timers.