Trout-fishing fanatics are likely to have an even more serene experience than usual when the winter fishing season opens at Missouri’s four trout parks.

Solitude is one of the big draws of the winter fishing season. Cold weather and the requirement to release all trout unharmed dramatically reduce the number of people visiting Bennett Spring, Montauk and Roaring River state parks and Maramec Spring Park during the off…[more]

High water temperatures result in continued delays for Lower Illinois trout stockings.

The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation continues to withhold the regular stocking of trout in the Lower Illinois River below Tenkiller Reservoir. Biologists say the water temperature is just too warm to support the fish right now.

The department discontinued stocking the river on August 12 and officials were hoping to resume this month.…[more]

Missouri hunters who have been waiting to enter deer in the Missouri Show-Me Big Bucks Club need wait no longer. The club is accepting applications again.

The club was founded in 1968. It is dedicated to recognizing trophy white-tailed deer and successful hunters and promoting sportsmanship. It also aims to help members obtain national recognition from the Boone and Crockett Club, the Pope and Young Club and the…[more]

Hunter-education instructors have tough jobs. The more they succeed, the harder their job becomes.

“We have come such a long way in the past 20 years, it hardly leaves us anywhere to go,” said Tony Legg, hunter education coordinator for the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Legg notes that in the bad old days of hunting safety, Missouri routinely recorded more firearms deer-hunting accidents in one day…[more]

LITTLE ROCK - Effects of the 2007 Easter freeze may be lingering for oaks in the Ozarks and parts of the Ouachitas, but the rest of the state looks good for acorn production - welcome news for deer hunters, says Kyle Cunningham, extension forester with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.

I started fishing a little lake just south of Somerset, Ohio, called Clouse Lake about 35 years ago. Matter of fact, when I first started fishing it, I fished with a fly rod. One day, I was fishing and noticed this older gentleman trying to get a little plastic boat on his car after a hard day’s fishing. He was using a fly rod too. We began chatting and discovered…[more]

Missouri’s deer hunters aren’t yet an endangered species, but their average age is advancing. The Missouri Department of Conservation has been exploring ways to manage deer in the state with fewer hunters. This year, 65 Missouri counties fall under an antler-point restriction (APR), which prohibits the harvest of bucks with antlers that do not have at least four points on one side.[more]

Waterfowl hunters’ wishes came true this year when Missouri got more rain, but they backfired, damaging wetlands and reducing the availability of food that might induce ducks and geese to linger in the Show-Me State.

Drought has plagued Missouri in recent years, hampering efforts to keep wetlands wet. This year, however, those who manage wetland areas for the Missouri Department of Conservation tore their hair as floods destroyed…[more]

Hunters checked 678 deer during the Urban Portion of Missouri’s Firearms Deer Season, up 124 from last year but still well below the record for the four-day season.

Hunters could legally shoot only “antlerless” deer during the hunt Oct. 3 through 6. The legal definition includes deer with spike antlers less than 3 inches long. The urban hunt takes place in nine counties where the Missouri Department of…[more]

If you are looking for something different to boost your catches, you can never be stuck for choice and there are some very effective ones too. Nuts are one very special ingredient and bait that has caught fish reliably for ever. There are many reasons why such an often ‘foreign’ food item produces fish. But fish just love them!

One important mention is nut preparation. Unless nuts are…[more]