jdmidwest

Looks like a greenie to me, they attack and fight like a bass but taste like a bluegill.

That is not a baby, I feed him all winter. He would pick sunflower seeds out of the feeder and crack them on a limb of a redbud nearby. His tongue was lapping up the sugar water today, now I will probably have a bunch of diabetic peckerwoods flying around. I wish I could have got a shot of the Oriole and the Woodpecker together, it was cool when I first saw them.

People did not eat Bald Eagles to extinction, we poisoned them with DDT. Since DDT has been outlawed, Eagles have made a comeback. They too have become a nuisance in some areas. Deer Farmers have problems with them killing their fawns each spring now. They have to take measures to protect their herds. Condors and buzzard create a similar problem. IF YOU READ THE LAST ARTICLE I MADE A LINK TO in my last post, you would have seen the problems that the Missouri Dept. of Conservation relates to nuisance bears. Nuisance bears are ones that humans make accustomed to human ways, ie, feeding, careless trash disposal, poor camping habits, and their attraction to certain agricultural ways like bee keeping and livestock farms. The only problem I have is people regarding them as fuzzy little teddy bears instead of the large predator that they are. That was what the original post from the OP of the MDC article was about till someone got off track.

I walked by the window this afternoon after work and spotted an Oriole sitting on the hummingbird feeder pole. I went to get the camera and even more surprising, an albino hummingbird, big sucker too.

I stated we have hunted, killed, and ate bears for thousands of years. From our own Missouri Dept. of Conservation about the pest part. Black Bears, a guide to controlling NUISANCE BEARS.

Yes, people do eat bears. They have for a long time. The fat is rendered into lard and the meat is made into steaks. The hides in the old days make a great coat and ceremonial Indian things, now they make rugs and mounts. I have eaten Black Bear and it is pretty good, kinda greasy. I for one have never hunted or killed one but have many friends that have. It is a game animal that has been hunted for food for a long time. Longer than we have inhabited the USA.

So why, for the last few years, does the MDC post warnings about being bear aware if they are just cute fuzzy little black teddy bears????? Somewhere, someone has had a bad experience with a black bear and they are just passing it along.

Make that Feb 28, or the 29th if it is a leap year.

I just love it when I bring up the Turkey for Rattlesnake thing, it has been a running joke with some of my friends in the Dept. for years. Happy May Fool's Day.

That part is not shown on the MDC permit page any longer, wonder where they are keeping that info.

Interesting, seems like they have done away with 3 day and 2 week permits. The daily tag you see is a hunting permit only. I thought they had a daily fishing permit also. Looks like now your only option is an annual permit. MDC Permits

MDC has traded turkeys for grouse, pheasants, prairie chickens, bass, striped bass, muskies, otters, seeds, etc. Who in the MDC would admit to the trade of timber rattlers for turkeys, but it could have happened. If it is a species that MDC wants to reintroduce back in to the wild, they will trade a turkey for it. That is the real basis for the legend. The general theory is, if MDC thinks it is endangered or wants to reintroduce it into the state, they will trade a turkey for it, as they have historically proved. It always makes for a good excuse this time of year when turkeys are hard to find. This pdf contains alot of history on Turkey Trading. Do a search for the word Turkey. MDC pdf 2067 But the MDC constantly denies it. Newpaper Articles from 1990 regarding rattlesnake trade

Personally, I don't think we should enhance their comeback, as a livestock farmer. They are an Alpha Predator if they establish a territory and develop a taste for livestock. Most Black Bear encounters are ones that have become "familiar" with human ways. They have feed on sources other than nature, like dog food, garbage, bird seed, honey, and livestock. It is just a trait of the bears, they are very opportunistic. The article was a warning about the dangers of Black Bear encounters. The link at the end of the story related to what Landowners and Livestock Owners have to deal with in case of a Black Bear problem. I believe in letting nature run its course for the most part. I have never agreed with the trading of one good animal for one most despise. For instance, Turkeys for Rattlesnakes. Otters, which MDC and everyone for the most part has been a bad decision. Bears were extinct in MO, like the Elk, Buffalo, and Mountain Lion since the 1800's and there have not been many movements to restore any of them for some reason or another. Whether the MDC has scattered some black bears or they have migrated, we will never know. If they stay in Wilderness Areas, then there should be no problems. Elk and Buffalo free roaming would create fencing and disease problems if brought back in. Then there is the Feral HOG, a bad mistake, most of them were eradicated with the fencing and livestock laws of earlier in this century. Farmers used to "Free Range" cattle and hogs. Now they are a problem that is still growing and competing with native, existing creatures.

Once again, the ASSume thing, you are swinging on a limb. "IF you read the article", it was CLEARLY the yearly post from MDC stating to be "BEAR AWARE" when you are outdoors as they are dangerous creatures to be dealt with accordingly. Not some novelty to put out feed for and attract them to humans and livestock. Leave them alone and let them be wild. For those of us that venture into the outdoors and not spend our lives waiting to pounce on posters of internet forums, it is something we need to be aware of and take the necessary measures if we encounter them. As with any nuisance animal, humans tend to deal with them in one way or another, eliminate them or move them. If they get accustomed to humans and livestock, they will be dealt with by the MDC, as noted in the final paragraph. If the population increases, there will be a season on them just like in Arkansas. Elk were once native to MO, as were buffalo and mountain lions. Elk were voted against reintroduction. I think the bears migrated here from Arkansas over the years. There were sightings going back into the late 70's around Lake Wappappello and I have seen bear sign in the 11 pt Greer area in the late 80's in the fall. We had at least one pass thru our farm in the mid 90's, I saw his tracks along one of our fields. One was killed a few years ago near the waterslide in Jackson by a car and one was treed for a while the next year near Advance.

I don't have to worry about the fish, but a few bee keeper friends are worried and people that own livestock. I know they are the least agressive bear, but there is a reason the MDC is making a fuss about being "Bear Aware". The do pose a problem, they are drawn to livestock, dog, and bird feeders for the free food. Much like Welfare, you get them hooked and can't get rid of them after.

Just like the otters. They are so cute and furry and clean all of the fish out of the streams. I am so glad they are back. I sure hope we traded some rattlesnakes for them.......

If it had alot of rocks then it would be Mary Decker, a great place to pitch a tent. You could even fish the warm water creek on the west side or the east side above it.

If I had to pay someone to show me how to fish, well, I would probably shoot something off of my body and call it quits. No offense to the guides on here, I am a Do It Yourself Sort of Person. Mumble thru and learn thru your mistakes. Most good guides are teachers and you should learn something from your experience. Learning how well they fish is not one of them.

If I had 2 or 3 days in the area, I would not limit myself to one spot on the 11pt. I would camp at Greer Access and use it for a base camp and scatter my time in many places. If I had a boat, I would paddle up or down from Greer and fish. Go to Whitten and do the same. Maybe go to Cane Bluff and wade up or down. Fish Mc Cormick Lake. Run down to Spring River for a day and take a float. Run up to Upper Jack's Fork for a day. Arrange for a shuttle and take a few day floats on the 11pt. Drive around and see the sights and do some hiking. Fish the Hurricane Creek for an afternoon. Go visit Grand Gulf. Explore any of the many small creeks around the area. Fish Fourche Lake. All would be within a 30 to 45 minute drive from Greer. In all my years in the area, I have never took an overnight, 2 day float on any stream. I have always set up a base camp and did day floats. I have motored to a spot in the afternoon on the river and camped out for the night on a gravel bar and fished the next day.

I assume the skulls are weighted. I have not seen them yet, are they metal or lead?

Now thats a real float trip. You know it is a good stream when you worry about the truck on the other end still having all of its windows.

I use a Eagle Cuda 242 and my Triton 400 if I need a gps. The gps is good for new streams to gauge your time on a float and keep from getting stuck after dark on a new float. You can mark spots and return to them. It has mapping and tracking capability. The Cuda has a battery pack that uses 8 AA batteries like the gps and my camera, I use rechargables and they usually last several trips. I switch it over to the jon boat when I fish out of it and on friends boats that don't have a finder. The suction cup works good, would not advise on shallow float streams. Poke around on the internet and you will find ways to mount transducer inside the hull and shoot thru. One I saw makes a small water pond inside the hull and you just lay the transducer in it. Depth and drop offs are great when you are river, pond, or lake fishing. Water temp is good too. The Triton is mostly for land but has the capability to load aerial photos of the area so you can have that option too. You can also purchase marine maps for some lakes and coastal stuff.

Went out today and found one about the size of a walnut in a different spot. I have been searching in deep cover along branches and streams where the soil still has some moisture and the tree canopy has shaded it well to keep it from drying out too bad. I did put a gobbler to bed tonight in one of my mushroom spots, so it is Turkey Fever tomorrow for work, hack, hack.

I use mine in ponds all of the time. It is battery powered and has a suction cup transducer. I use it to find structure, drop offs, and fish.

Went out for a few hours this morning looking for the elusive Morel. Found 3 in a honey hole from last year, all were almost too dried out. Found another spot that had some fresher ones, enough for a few messes. All were found near elm trees, 2 were growing out of the base of 2 trees. It has been pretty dry and hot here, looks like rain coming in all next week.