It’s almost hard to believe, but Missouri’s fall duck seasons are just around the corner.
The state’s North and Middle zone youth duck seasons are scheduled for this weekend, both Saturday and Sunday.
Fortunately, it looks like there are plenty of ducks in the region, thanks to some cooler weather lately.
Shooting hours during the youth seasons are one-half hour before sunrise until sunset, though if you plan to hunt some public areas, they have earlier closure times.
Just like during the regular seasons, the daily limit is six ducks, which can include no more than four mallards (only two females), three scaup, two black ducks, two canvasbacks, two hooded mergansers, two redheads, one pintail or one mottled duck.
Other species not listed can make up your entire daily bag.
Youth also can take geese, including 20 light geese, three Canada geese and to white-fronted geese daily.
Adults who accompany youths who are hunter education certified do not need their own certification, but of the youth hasn’t passed a hunter education class, the adult must be certified. The exception is for adults born before Jan. 1, 1967.
It’s important to remember hunters in the youth season still are required to have a plugged shotgun capable of holding no more than three rounds, and nontoxic shot must be used.
At the Otter Slough Conservation Area in Stoddard County, biologist Luke Wehmhoff reports great water and habitat conditions, with about 12,000 ducks on the area.
“They are moving around all of the units, so it should be a good youth season,” Wehmhoff said.
Thirty positions will be available during the youth season at Otter Slough, and there will be a daily drawing at 4:45 a.m.
During the youth season only, Wehmhoff said, up to four young hunters and two adults can make up a hunting party.
At the Duck Creek Conservation Area in Bollinger, Stoddard and Wayne counties, hunters will use a first-come, first-served self check system, but they won’t be able to do so until after 4 a.m. Information on the number of available positions was never relayed.
Because of ongoing construction, if you want to hunt Duck Creek’s Pool 1, 2 or 3, you’ll have to enter through a new access road south of the area off Highway 51, near Kinder.
If you have plans to visit the Ozark National Scenic Riverways this weekend, you’ll need to be aware of a managed youth deer hunt going on, which will cause the closure of some areas to the public.
Beginning Friday and continuing until Monday morning, the Big Spring Campground, Peavine pavilion area and all hiking trails within the Big Spring area will be closed.
The spring itself, along with the nearby boat ramp, will remain open to the public during the hunt.
Also this weekend will be a managed archery deer hunt at the Peck Ranch Conservation Area.
The entire fenced refuge portion of the area will be closed beginning Saturday and continuing through Monday for the three-day hunt.
If you want to go see the elk during the managed hunt, you might try the Highway M area north of Van Buren. There have been some elk hanging out there lately.
If you fish any of Missouri’s four trout parks, your last day to hit the water will be Oct. 31. That’s when Maramec Spring Park, Bennett Spring Park, Montauk Spring Park and Roaring River State Park close for daily trout fishing.
Catch-and-release fishing at the four parks will open Nov. 8 and continue through Feb. 10. At Maramec Spring Park, fishing will be available from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. At the other parks, fishing will be offered from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. Fridays through Mondays.
“It was incredible.”
That’s how Wappapello Lake Park Ranger Eric Lemons described last weekend’s mobility-impaired deer hunt at the lake, which is an annual event sponsored by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Wild Turkey Federation, Missouri Department of Conservation, the Wake Foundation, Missouri National Guard and a host of other local businesses and individuals.
“We had a record harvest,” he said, noting 24 hunters killed 19 deer during the two-day event.
A few hunters, Lemons said, could only hunt one day, otherwise the harvest total may have been higher.
Speaking of crappies, MDC Fisheries Management Biologists Dave Knuth and Jason Crites will be running their annual trapnetting survey on Wappapello Lake next week.
The survey helps determine the density of crappies in the lake, as well as their growth rates.
Given the new crappie fishing regulation on Wappapello just began in March, I wouldn’t expect to see any big change in numbers or size distribution just yet, but I’ll have their assessment next week.
Missouri’s bowhunters had another good weekend, and now the statewide harvest is up to 20,507 deer.
Antlered bucks, at this point, make up just more than 30% of the total, but that will increase as rutting activity picks up. Last year, by the end of the first week in November, bucks made up 40 percent of the harvest.
Locally, hunters in Carter County have arrowed 269 deer, and those in Ripley County have taken 228.
In Butler County, the kill is up to 224, and in Stoddard County, it sits at 263.
Bowhunters in Dunklin County have taken home 32 deer, and in Wayne County, they’ve tagged 394.
The last week has been a little better for fall firearms turkey hunters, and the statewide harvest is up to 1,505 birds. Still, that’s far behind last year’s total, and if hunters can’t take about 730 more turkeys before the end of the month, this will go down as the worst fall season in Missouri history.
Locally, two birds have been taken in Butler County, two in Carter County, one in Ripley County, 26 in Stoddard County and 12 in Wayne County.