Chief Grey Bear

I am pretty sure if you research the 30 year average price of corn, it hovered pretty close to $3. Of course though there will be peaks and valleys. But it did take a big spike in the last, say 4 years???, mainly due to ethanol. And my price comparison to frozen corn is completly off base. Corn for ethanol is not the same as the corn for human consumption.

I don't have an exact date but, I know it was in the 60's. Laker, the truck you saw was most likely taking either fish or gathered eggs back to the hatchery. It was in this time the MDC was developing what has become to be the Missouri and the Missouri-Arlee strain. The Missouri strain has McCloud lineage. Thanks to the ingenious thinking at the MDC, the Missouri strain is a autumn spawner with egg production beginning in Oct and running to Dec. The Missouri-Arlee spawns from Jan through March. This keeps us in trout all year round!

I think if you look at corn prices for the last 30 years, they have always been somewhat stagnant. Usually in the $3 range + or - a few cents. I would think that since everything else has at least doubled in price since then, why not corn??? I don't hear any corn farmers crying about it. And with cattle prices as high as they are, there aren't many cattle farmers screaming either. There is no and will be no shortage of corn. Your biggest problem in the ag industry is the ag industry and corporate farms. But we are starting to see a small trend back towards family farms and farmers markets. People are willing to pay a little more for local quality. And there ain't nothing wrong with that.

I keep hearing that, but I can't say I have experienced it. I am still paying about a $1 a bag for frozen corn. Like I have for the last 5+ years. I am still paying about $4 for a chicken to fry. Now I will conceed that prices have increased. But I think it is due more to profits and employee compensation than the price of corn. Just my thought though. Certainly nothing scientific. Yeah I don't buy a whole lot into that windmill theory. House cats kill more birds than windmills.

Sounds like even more great reasons to subsidize it then, doesn't it??? But I would rather farmers be subed to use switchgrass than corn. Even better for mother earth and all the critters.

Acutally I did a little checking and Shawnee Trail is also managed for waterfowl. http://mdc4.mdc.mo.gov/Applications/MOATLAS/AreaSummaryPage.aspx?txtAreaID=9016 I think if you look at the MDC as a whole, that is what they do. But most MDC areas in SWMO were purchased for the reason of preserving some of the last, miniscule tracts of the once vast, mutil-million acre prairie that covered this part of Missouri. And because of that, these areas are very open and generally without features. And the purpose is to mangage it in what would be its natural state. That is not the responsibility of the MDC. That is the responsibility of the parents.

I would rather subsidize ethanol and get a renewable source going than subsidize oil which is a finite resource.

Hey I know Redwing. Oddly enough a few years ago I was there wade fishing the pond and found one HUGE snapper! Anywhere else, I would have put him in the freezer. But I thought, buddy, you did a hell of a lot of walking to find this water, its all yours. But as for Redwing, it is mostly native prairie and sits on top of a knoll. I think it is somewhere around 150 acres total and around 100 of that is native prairie. Now on the east side, down in the bottom sits a very nice large pond. You could almost sit in the very northeast corner of Redwing and shoot flyovers. But I think the main purpose of having Redwing is to preserve the native grass'. And I am ok with that. Now just to the east of Redwing is Mo-No-I Prairie Conservation Area. It is about 300 acres of native prairie. It too was purchased with the purpose of preserving native prairie. But on the very north end are two draws that could possibly have a low dam installed to create a small wetland or two to attract waterfowl. Back to Shawnee for a moment, yes it is a joke to manage for doves. But, I did see a group this last weekend. Also, more attention needs to be paid to the non crop land. The Cedar's are becoming very prevalent. And other woody vegetation is becoming more wide spead. And that is one of the reasons you don't see any GPC's. The 2011 report from the spring count showed 1 Lek and 2 males. As late as 2005 there were 14 males and 2 Leks. At any rate, we need to get together sometime and contiue this conversation. I love talking this stuff.

I see your point. But as in Shawnee for example, it is managed for dove and quail. Though I like dove and quail, it should be managed for the Greater Prairie Chicken. I'll stop there before I get off on another tangent. Most other CA's in SWMO are not large enough to be properly managed for waterfowl. Most are small prairie remnants. And most of them are really too small to be managed for any specific species. A lot of them are about 100 acres or less. And many of them also have shallow pond/lakes that can and do hold a respectable number of ducks during the winter months. And I just want to go on the record as saying I am no fan of the QD system either. I have never tried it as I don't really want to get into all of that mess. To dang many people for me. I like hitting the smaller out of the way areas best.

I guess it is all in how you look at it. When I sat in my blind last year at Shawnee Trail while deer hunting, I estimated near 1000 waterfowl for the day. Not bad for an area not managed for it. But the next day was half that. SWMO has thousands upon thousands of acres of row crops with numerous surface acres of ponds and lakes. Short of a flashing neon "Vacancy" sign, I don't know what else you want. But as you move east, that does become less. Until you get closer to the bootheel. But again, you can't have everything in your back yard. Sometimes you have to work a little for it.

Actually Shawnee Trail has an area that is managed for waterfowl. You will have to do a lot of walking though. In fact, the MDC rebuilt several of the ponds this year. This year due to the drought and some vandals that drained one of the ponds, hunting will be nothing like it was last year. There are numerous other MDC areas that are not "known" as duck centers here in SWMO, but hold more ducks and geese than you have shells to shoot. But again, due to the drought conditions this year, I would be hesitant to drive up from AR just to find no water.

So with that, then all the trout lovers in Mo, where they are not native, are also idiots???? And then we can get into all of the non native cattle that really are screwing up out ecosystem. And that includes all other mass produced domesticated animals that is overly burdensome to the local terraferma. For the record, I do enjoy fishing for trout in the great state of MO. I just had to toss that one out there.

Sorry guy's, I completely forgot about this thread. No biggie Kelroy. Drew, I'll get back with ya on them.

Great pic. I am a bit puzzled about the leaves though. I am about 45 miles due west and we haven't hardly lost a leaf. Breath taking color over here right now.

Awesome pic!!! That would look really cool framed and hanging on your fishing room wall!!!

Yeah it would be nice. But you have to do what you have to do. It is good you have nice neighbors willing to help you out though.

My mistake Tim, I thought I was answering your question. I am not going to get into specifics about Robert. As I said in the first post, we'll see. I sincerely hope that I am wrong on this. But just to toss a softball out there, there was to be new regulations put into place to offer more protection to the Mt. Lion. They were to be written to be more in line with the bear regs. Department heads were actually writing them. Until it was stopped.

Remember Jerry Conley??? He gets these super sweet deals for some timber companies to harvest millions of board feet of lumber from MDC land. I don't think the ink was dry before he left the MDC to take a lobbying posistion with the timber industry. That is not very conservation minded in my mind.

Thanks mic! I have worked hard and spent alot of time to learn all I have and I will be happy to help you out. Shoot me a PM.

I am not trying to look out for anyone. I just made a comment about the opinion I, and some others have. And you, in all of your journalistic mastery, spun it into this. Very nice work. From the feedback on your program, it appears as if you ran into a wall of bullshit though. Check their record.

A few years ago, Corndawg got on a kick about fishing with cane poles after listening to stories from my dad. He would look high and low every time he went to store. He found some at some store that I dont think were even for fishing. But we got one and he fished it. These two pics are from Hickory. On this trip he caught some chubs. But there were a couple of times he did catch some trout. This spot he is at, had a trout underneath the cutout bank. But we didn't get him this day.

As an outdoorsman, I have been trained to keep my souces confidential and employed. And I am sure that as a trained journalist you are aware, you get copy. And as a close confidant, you get heartfelt concern.

That is where I am also. I don't think it will be in the next election anyway. HBD, I am sure you have had many great conversations with him. Kudos to you. But much like coal mine owners the mine is very safe and we are on the cutting edge of safty and technology. But the canaries sing a different song. You are certainly entitled to your opinion and I respect it, but I am also entitled to mine as it is developed from those that have spent almost as many years with the MDC as Robert has been alive.

I think it would be great too. But I am afraid what we are gonning to get is a career politician. Just going on scuttle butt from inside the Jeff City beltway. The last few directors in the MDC have not been what you would call conservation minded. And it sounds like more of the same with Robert.

From what I am hearing from those in the know, I am not a fan of his. Reports indicate he is using this posistion as a stepping stone to his dream to be govenor. We'll see I guess.