Another black bear has been struck and killed by a motor vehicle in Missouri, making a half dozen roadkills around the state this summer.
"We have documented seven bear mortalities so far this year," said Department of Conservation Resource Scientist Laura Conlee, and "six were roadkill bears."
All of the bears, she noted, have been males.
Unlike the previous roadkills, this one was much closer to home.
The young male bear, estimated to weigh between 125 and 150 pounds, was hit Sunday afternoon in the southbound lanes of Highway 67, about five to 10 miles south of Cherokee Pass.
"There were no injuries, though the car had some damage," said Madison County Conservation Agent Clayton Lewis, who responded to the scene.
The impact occurred around 2 p.m., Lewis said, and the bear never made it past the median.
Though the bear was hit by a vehicle, Department of Conservation resource scientists plan to examine it late this week as a matter of procedure.
The high number of bear/auto incidents this summer should trigger more awareness of the state's bears.
"We tend to have several roadkills a year, and they typically occur during the late spring and early summer," Conlee said.
Young male bears tend to disperse this time of year, while older males move long distances in search of mates for breeding, she noted.
Bears are large animals with large appetites, and just like the chicken in the old joke, a bear will cross the road to find his next meal, so motorists should be on the lookout.
"Dry conditions may make finding food a little more difficult this year," Conlee said, "so bears could be moving around a bit more in search of food, making them vulnerable to vehicle collisions."
Antlerless Permits
If you look closely in the just-released regulations booklet, you may notice a significant change for bowhunters in Butler County for this fall.
Yes, Butler County finally has been added to the list of those where you can legally take any number of antlerless deer with archery equipment.
If you hunt in Reynolds or Iron counties, you'll be glad to know MDC made the same change there as well.
Butler County Conservation Agent Frank Campa has been pushing for this change for a few years, and MDC's biologists and brass finally agreed we have too many does and made the change. I think most bowhunters certainly will appreciate it.
In case you've never bought an antlerless permit, they cost $7 each (after you buy your regular archery permit, of course).
King of the River
Eighteen anglers fished Saturday's King of the River tournament, hosted by the Current River Smallmouth Association, and after a long, hot 10 hours on the water, a club regular who hasn't won in a while topped the field.
Derek Hampton came away with the title of "King of the River," hauling in a five-fish stringer which easily topped the field and weighed 12.75 pounds. He also had the day's big fish, which weighed 3.22 pounds.
The rest of the top five finishers were very close in their weights.
Robbie Williams earned second place with a weight of 9.80 pounds, and Jack Rutledge grabbed the third spot with a weight of 9.60 pounds.
Fourth place went to Charlie Smith with 9.57 pounds, and fifth was earned by Dwayne Neal with 9.45 pounds.
The organization's next event will be a regular club tournament on Aug. 4, with fishing from Van Buren.
USA Bassin'
The Southeastern Ozarks division of the USA Bassin' circuit will host a tournament Saturday at Wappapello Lake.
The launch time is scheduled for 6 a.m., and fishing should conclude at 2 p.m.
I haven't heard definitively, but I'm pretty sure the event will be based out of the Chaonia Landing ramp.
Doug Warren is the tournament director, and you can reach him at 573-924-2215.
Crappie Tournament
The Wappapello Crappie Club will host a tournament Sunday, based out of the Sundowner Marina ramp.
Fishing is slated to begin at 6 a.m., and it will wrap up at 1 p.m.
If you want to get pre-registered, give Charlie a call at Sundowner Marina, 573-222-8622, or you can just show up early before the event to do so.
Mingo Program
The Mingo National Wildlife Refuge will host a different kind of program tomorrow evening when it offers its free "Star Searchers" event.
The program will give participants the chance to learn about the night sky, plus have fun making crafts. A presentation on the effects of the night sky on wildlife and people will be given.
The event kicks off at 8 p.m. at the visitor center, which is about a mile north of Puxico off Highway 51.
If you need more information, give Visitor Services Ranger Debbie Koenigs a call at 573-222-3589.
Youth Event
It's still more than a week away, but you might want to make note of a children's event at the Otter Slough Conservation Area coming up on July 28.
On that date, area staff and members of the Dexter Greenheads chapter of Ducks Unlimited will host the annual children's duck and dove banding program.
There's no charge to attend, plus each young participant will get some free goodies from Ducks Unlimited.
The program will kick off at 7 a.m. along the shore of Cypress Lake, where MDC fisheries biologists will demonstrate how they use electrofishing equipment to survey fish populations.
From there, the crowd will gather nearby to help MDC wildlife biologists place leg bands on doves and wood ducks trapped on the property. If you've ever been to the event, you know the excitement the children have when they get to release a wood duck back into the wild after banding it.