Missouri's Conservation Commission, in its December meeting, set the deer and turkey season dates for 2018, meaning hunters can go ahead and plan their vacations or "sick days" now.
For turkey hunters, the youth season will take place April 7-8, followed by the regular spring turkey season April 16-May 6.
The fall firearms season will be held, like it has been for several years, throughout the duration of October, and the archery season will run concurrent with the archery deer season.
The 2018 fall deer seasons will kick off with the archery season opener on Sept. 15. That season will run though Nov. 9, then pick up again Nov. 21 and continue through Jan. 15.
The first portion of the youth deer season is scheduled for Oct. 27-28, and the second segment will be Nov. 23-25.
The regular November firearms deer season will be held Nov. 10-20, which is similar to the season dates going back many years. A lot of trophy hunters, especially bowhunters, have petitioned MDC to make the firearms season later in the year, after the rut, but that won't happen in 2018, and since more survey respondents a couple years back wanted to keep the season framework the same than those who wanted it changed, that's where the department currently stands.
"I have no problem changing to a later season, and biologically, it may be a good thing," said MDC Resource Scientist Barbara Keller, "but there's just not majority support for it. It's never off the table, though."
The 2018 antlerless deer season, in a limited number of counties, will run Nov. 30-Dec. 2, and finally, the alternative methods season will take place Dec. 22-Jan. 1.
While the season dates have been set, other regulations, like bag limits, hunting hours and the like will be confirmed at a later date, though I wouldn't expect any real changes.
MDC turkey biologist Jason Isabelle did tell me nothing will change regulation-wise for any of the 2018 turkey seasons.
"We look at our bird numbers and regulations every year and were content with what we had in place," he said. "We'll look again in the future and, depending on what we see, may make changes for 2019 and beyond."
Alternative Methods
With all that said, Missouri's 2017 alternative methods deer season will kick off Saturday and continue through Jan. 2. During the season, muzzleloading rifles and pistols, centerfire pistols, large-caliber airguns and atlatls all are legal weapons. Bows and crossbows also are legal, even if used with a firearms permit.
Hunter orange is required of all deer hunters during the alternative methods season, with one exception: if you are bowhunting on a firearms permit, you must wear orange clothing. However, if you're bowhunting on an archery permit, you don't. I know it's confusing, but it's better to be right than have to pay a ticket.
Stale & Steady
Duck hunters are having to deal with stale birds across the region, but at Otter Slough, at least, the bird-per-hunter average still is holding around 2.6 to 3.0 most days.
The area, said biologist Kevin Brunke, was holding almost 51,000 ducks a couple days ago.
Duck Creek also has a good number of ducks, but most of them seem to be pretty content to linger in the shallow upper end of Pool 1. Hunters in Units A and B, as well as some blinds in Pool 3, have been seeing decent success. I hunted in Pool 2 last week and even though there were supposed to be 55,000 ducks on the area, I saw maybe six all morning. There just wasn't enough water to attract anything, and even if there was, there were zero acorns for birds to feed on.
There's a big weather change on the way, so maybe things will improve.
Donate Your Tree
If you have a live Christmas tree you're just going to toss to the curb after the holidays, the staff at Wappapello Lake will gladly take it off your hands.
For at least 25 years, the Corps of Engineers has collected Christmas trees to use as fish and wildlife habitat in and around the lake.
Beginning Dec. 26, the Corps will have a drop-off station set up at the Redman Creek Recreation Area for those who want to donate their tree.
The tree drop-off site will be open through Jan. 19.
"Check your trees well," said Wappapello Park Ranger Eric Lemons. "The cleaner they are, the better."
All ornaments and tinsel, he said, should be removed.
Once all the trees are collected, Lemons said, they will be bundled in small groups and weighed down with concrete blocks before they're dropped into the lake to serve as fish habitat.
Most of the trees, he said, will be placed near the lake's fishing piers and popular bank fishing areas.
If enough trees are collected, some also may be placed along parts of the shoreline to make "rabbit piles," Lemons said, though a new shoreline brush contract mostly will eliminate the need for that.
If you need more information on the tree donation program, give the lake's operation office a call at 573-222-8562.
"It's just a wonderful way to recycle your Christmas tree so others can also benefit from it in the future," Lemons said.