Johnsfolly

With @snagged in outlet 3 offline Someone had to say it😉. I don't have a dog alarm clock so actually slept in today and missed my chance. Rest assured @FishnDave will get some photos.

A woman goes into the local newspaper to see that the obituary for her recently deceased husband is published. The editor informed her that there is a $50 charge per word. She pauses, and then says let it say "Bob Smith died." Amused at her thrift the editor tells her that there is a seven word minimum for all obituaries. Again she thinks for a moment and says "In that case, let it say Bob Smith died. Fishing boat for Sale!"🤣

Most people are shocked when they find out how incompetent I am... As an Electrician 🤣 There is a new trend in our office with folks giving pet names to their food. I saw it today as I was eating a sandwich named Kevin 🤣

Closest that I came to a white turkey was on a trip out in KS. Had a light brown and white jake on the farm I was hunting. Looked like hot chocolate with mashmallows. The outfitter put a price on that bird that kept me from shooting it. He wanted it to mature. I just sat and watched him for a while. Pretty neat bird.

I was thinking that most of March as well. What happened to "Out like a Lamb"?🤔

Story about a very rare turkey shot in NC. My question is would you pull the trigger if you saw this bird? https://www.fieldandstream.com/hunting/hunter-kills-white-turkey-north-carolina/

Some MDC information about helping pollinators, which include the native bee species. In Columbia we had many natives, i.e., golden currant, gooseberry, redbud, serviceberry, virginia bluebells, wild ginger, bee balm, columbine, asters, coneflowers, violets, and even two patches of common milkweed. The milkweed would be covered with bees, beetles, and butterflies while in bloom. Also monarch larvae, which Livie would hand rear and release the adults. MDC encourages Missourians to “bee-friend” pollinators this spring Plant natives in your yard and become a wildlife hotspot! JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Lawnmowers aren’t the only buzzing people will hear outdoors this spring. A variety of Missouri’s many native bees become active as the weather warms, but their populations are declining. These fuzzy insects are important pollinators, playing a critical role in the production of many favorite fruits and vegetables. The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) encourages the public to “bee-friend” these valuable insects this season. Missouri is home to around 450 species of native bees, but it’s not uncommon for more to be identified each year. Several common bees found in Missouri include the bumblebee, sweat bee, leafcutter bee, miner bee, and the larger carpenter bee. Most native bees only live about one year. They emerge in the spring as adults, visiting flowers and building nests. Some species, such as bumblebees, make their nests underground, while others, such as leafcutter and mason bees, will nest in small cavities found in wood or in the pith of plant stems. Throughout their lifecycle, bees pollinate flowering plants that provide food, fiber, and even medicines. Bee pollinators’ national value is around $30 billion annually, and they are responsible for 1 in 3 bites of food Americans eat. Without bees and other pollinators, humans would not have foods such as nuts, grapes, coffee, and even chocolate. BEE A FRIEND There are many ways the public can support Missouri’s native bees, but the best way is to plant native plants. “It’s all about the flowers,” said MDC Urban Wildlife Biologist Erin Shank. “Planting native plants, especially those with colorful blossoms, is a great way to bring bees to your yard because the color catches their eye.” Shank also explained that companion planting, in which one plant helps the growth of another, can help facilitate the pollination of fruits and vegetables. For example, planting bee balm can help pollinate tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant. Other flowering companion plants include sunflowers, blue wild indigo, wild hyacinth, purple prairie clover, and common milkweed. Flowering trees and shrubs, such as redbud, American plum, and golden currant are also great options for pollinators. No green thumb? No problem. Shank noted that people can support bees by not mowing their lawn as much. “Clover, violets, and dandelions are common lawn plants that provide vital food for bees – especially in the spring before most flowers appear,” she explained. “Delaying mowing or mowing higher can help bees by letting the plants grow. Even allowing access to the ground by not mulching every inch can help. Many bees need access to the soil to excavate their nests.” A yard isn’t required to help bee populations and other pollinators. People can offer bees native flowers in a planting box or pot, or by getting involved in a community garden or helping plant at a nearby park. “Some may see bees as an outdoor nuisance, but they play a critical role in food production and the health of our natural communities,” stressed Shank. “By making small strides to plant native flowers and shrubs, Missourians can support bee health and habitat.” To find a native plant retailer near you, visit the Missouri Prairie Foundation’s Grow Native! website at grownative.org. Learn more about Missouri’s native bee species on MDC’s online Field Guide at https://short.mdc.mo.gov/4Up.

I do work in a lab that has many analytical balances 😁. In all seriousness, I don't keep PB records for many of the microspecies. For many it's enough just to coax one into biting let alone track their size. The smallest fish that I keep length and/or weight data are large minnows like fallfish that can get over 2lbs or grass pickerel lengths. The rest are your more typical game species like a 25" pink salmon. or 13 lb gag grouper or a 57" 38.5 lb wahoo.

So true 🤣

Classic Dad parenting😉!

More like a "poser" 😁

That's a subset of the binary/non-binary system 😅

I wonder if any folks that consider themselves as non-binary (which infers that they don't conform to one or the other gender in a male/female society) realize that they have created a two gender system of binary and non-binary genders 🤔

My actual fishing log is not that detailed. I keep record of every fish, location, size if they exceed a certain length or weight, and lure or bait that I used. Only have these records back to 2011. The rest of the stuff that I track gets lengthy. I now track yearly number of species. I have tracked the number of trout caught in MO. I track each species caught of certain genera, e.g., Lepomis, or Micropterus species, that I want to try and catch them all. I track the states that I have caught fish and whether the first fish was a trout or salmonid. I now track all of the freshwater species in Maryland. I also maintain total species lists with the details of the first catch and personal best for species that warrant that measure. To Al's point, I also do go back to some old threads and enjoy the memories that those trips bring, especially ones that I fished with others from this forum. I've said it before that this is a great site. I have not found another like it, which is likely the reason that I stick around and am still posting while living half way across the country. So a big thanks @Phil Lilley!

Last night was a white perch fish fry with toasted butternut squash. We also pan fried the roe from one of the perch. Not much flavor but consistency made you aware that you were eating roe.

Extending the furbearer season is a great idea assuming that there are enough trappers and hunters harvesting these furbearers. If not then this extension would really only provide minimal control, which is a shame. It's been discussed on here many times that the rewards in the fur prices (a bit of sarcasm) don't justify the efforts. It needs to be part of the solution. Need to figure out how to get more recruitment for predator control.

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/health-science-environment/2021-11-29/missouris-wild-turkeys-arent-having-enough-hatchlings-worrying-scientists-and-hunters https://news.stlpublicradio.org/health-science-environment/2020-09-28/missouri-turkey-researchers-scramble-to-understand-why-populations-are-shrinking More on turkey numbers.

Dave Don't Want to Work! HE Just want to Bang on those Drum All Day!! 😂

Weather plays a big role in turkey recruitment. Get a cold spell or rains during the hatching period can be as bad or worse than predation. I remember experiencing those cold and wet years when we lived in Columbia. Late summer poult counts were often less than 1 poult per hen.

Creepiest BDay wishes

Maybe a 21st Bday gift for my daughter. Here is her only smallmouth buffalo.

I've heard on OAF of folks cooking the rib sections from buffalo. Never had any myself but willing to try them.

Dan those guys are natives, but can take over a spot. A friend of ours would make plum jam when there was a good number of fruit on the plants where I used to work.

In Columbia I would annually pull and remove Bush honeysuckle from our yard. The seed were coming in from our neighbors that had what I would call mother bushes.