FINS, FURS AND FEATHERS

WARE, Ill. -- The Canada goose count is edging up, but hunters in Alexander and Union County are not counting big success with the big honkers.

Illinois Department of Conservation officials counted more than 47,000 geese during the latest census of geese in Southern Illinois Monday.

This week's count revealed about 10,000 geese in the Horseshoe Lake Refuge area; 13,000 in the Crab Orchard Refuge area and 9,000 at Union County Wildlife Refuge. Another 9,500 geese were reported in the Rend Lake Area and 3,000 were found in the Ballard County Refuge of Western Kentucky.

The first week's harvest totaled almost 3,000 birds, with the lion's share of the harvest in the Crab Orchard area, where 2,400 birds were taken. A total of 447 were harvested in the Horseshoe Lake area, and 45 in Union County.

The goose season opened in the quota zone -- Alexander, Union, Jackson and Williamson counties -- Nov. 27, and will run through Jan. 16, 1994, or until a quota of 30,600 geese is harvested.

JEFFERSON CITY The Missouri Conservation Commission will hold its next meeting Dec. 17 in Jefferson City. The meeting will begin at 10:15 a.m. at Missouri Department of Conservation Headquarters, 2901 W. Truman Blvd.

Commissioners are: Jerry P. Combs, Kennett, chairman; Andy Dalton, Springfield, vice chairman; John Powell, Rolla, secretary; and Anita B. Gorman, Kansas City, member.

JEFFERSON CITY Missouri hunters made the best of tough weather conditions and harvested 155,822 deer during the 1993 firearms deer season Nov. 13-21.

This year's harvest is less than the record kill of 161,141 set in 1990. However, officials with the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) said the total was excellent considering a disappointing opening-weekend harvest and rains that hampered hunters during the early part of the nine-day season.

Top deer-producing counties were Howell with 3,684 deer checked; Macon with 3,645; Boone with 3,066; St. Clair with 2,836, Henry with 2,785; and Benton with 2,638. North-central Missouri led regional deer harvest statistics with 27,304 deer checked.

Rains that brought flash flooding to southern Missouri reduced the flow of deer into check stations during the opening weekend of Missouri's firearms deer hunting season. MDC reported that hunters checked 80,559 deer statewide Nov. 13 and 14.

Seven deer-hunting accidents were reported this year, with no fatals.

JEFFERSON CITY Missourians have landed world angling records for black buffalo, black crappie, shortnose gar and channel catfish this year, according to the National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame in Hayward, Wisc.

The second-quarter update from the Hall of Fame lists three fish from Missouri among new records in the rod-and-reel division and one as a new fly-fishing record. The recently certified records are:

A 25-pound, 10-ounce black buffalo taken from Lake of the Ozarks May 14 by Daniel Marsch of Jefferson City;

A 4-pound, 4-ounce black crappie caught at Harry's Lake May 23 by Danny Jenkins of Bolivar;

A 4-pound, 1-ounce shortnosegar caught from the Meramec River Feb. 7 by Stanley J. Ransom of Fenton; and

A 7-pound, 10-ounce channel catfish taken from the Grant City pond May 16 by Dennis Eighmy of Grant City on fly-fishing tackle.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. Illinois deer hunters are bagging game at a record pace this season. The harvest is up and so are the offenses, said the Illinois Conservation Department.

DOC officers wrote more than 800 tickets and issued more than 600 warnings during the first leg of the firearm season, Nov. 19-21. Common violations included failure to tag a deer, no license, loose shotguns in the pickup and no orange clothing.

The department deploys its entire crew of 170 officers during the deer season.

Hunters killed 68,204 deer during the first half of the season, a 38 percent increase over the same period in 1992.

A total of 242 deer were bagged in Alexander County, 552 were harvested in Pulaski County and 1,628 in Union County.

Totals are not in yet for the second three-day season.