jdmidwest

How about this one

Why don't I just herd them up in the ole stock trailer and bring them over to your side. Sounds like you have it all figured out.

1: Did the study even survey the giggers??? It is already illegal to illegally gig fish and there are agents to enforce it. 2-4: The report was just the results of the survey. The rest is up to the lawmakers, petition them. I would support the catch and release of all stream bass, but I know that will never fly from both a management and an end user result. Certain people expect to creel a fish or they won't buy a license. That is the moral of the story. Its all about the cash flow.

What can I do with the pig? Kids don't like potbelly pigs do they?

I don't recall any public comment option on the Otters. Somebody decided to bring some back and boom, population explosion. And nobody would have guessed that reintroducing a species that had been extirpated back into the ecology would do such damage. But, you could look at it another way, all of the fish, crawdads, frogs, and snakes that they consume now would have been there for them only before man overpopulated the land. It was theirs in the first place. But, we greedy people, would like to see good fishing, frogging, crawdad eating, and water snake shooting to return to the levels where they were before the otter came back. The special interest groups were just the ones in the area of the initial release. What if they take off like wildfire like the otters? The entire state may and probably will have to deal with the Elk. Missouri has changed since they left. More fences, cars, roads, and general population. Bringing them back may bring up more problems down the road that they did not have in the years before man populated It was kind of like the Casino in Cape, someone wanted the Elk, then decided against it, then it was here they come. The Black Bear and the Mountain Lion, that is a whole different issue. I know that the MDC did not stock them. What burns me is the feeble excuse at each sighting. They are wandering thru, its a chance encounter, there is no established breeding population. Just like the bear, they have come here and are getting established, lets deal with them and manage them like other species. I really don't know what that canned reaction they put out each time is for. Keep people from being scared? Trying to avoid groups of persons assembling to hunt them down? Why can't they just say "Mountain Lions have come to Missouri and are repopulating."

Now the fricking shetland ponies are getting loose and running amok in the neighborhood.

At least there was a semi democratic process with the program. We did not have any say in the Otter Restoration. Or the Black Bear Restoration. Or the Mountain Lion Restoration.

Quoted directly from the MDC website. The Conservation Federation of Missouri, which has more than 90,000 members, supports our elk restoration efforts. The L-A-D Foundation, which owns 27 percent of the land in the restoration zone in southeast Missouri, supports our elk restoration efforts. The Nature Conservancy, which owns about three percent of the land in the restoration zone, also supports our elk restoration efforts. http://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/wildlife-restoration/elk-restoration/elk-restoration-background/elk-restoration-plan

I beg to differ on that one, the cows were pregnant and calved when they arrived. Either way, I would venture that the cost of the Elk presently residing in MO is pretty high. I do not mean to bash the MDC, it is not really their fault we have them. They caved to the special interest groups that wanted them here.

Thousands of geese have been flying up the east side of the state for over a week now. I first noticed flocks moving north last Friday on the first. Many flocks flew over yesterday after noon and were still going after dark. You could hear them squaking and peeping till I went in the house.

Well, according to the stats on the last line of paragraph 3, the percentages of harvest 31.8 regular to 21.9 organized show the numbers to favor the MSA. It really depends on what numbers you wnat to key in on as to how you read the values. You could also draw from the study that we should be fishing springs in the winter for some excellent smallie fishing as they were worried about overharvest there. What I wonder is why did it take so long for it to come out? Data collected in 2011. Published in Oct 2012. And just now hitting the streets.

Ahh, but it was not that big of a deal back then. Dang ole law makers and activists. MADD was to drinkers like PETA is to outdoorsmen.

Looks like one of them lonely little kitties have munched on one of our 30k imported Elk. Caught in the moment by a game cam on the Peck Ranch area, poor little meandering Mountain Lion over a carcasss of a juvy elk. I wonder if the Elk release a pheremone that attracts the mountain lions? Has the MDC studied that? Not being one to cater to conspiracy theories, but I seem to see a pattern developing. Elk come to MO. Mountain Lions seem to appear out of nowhere on game cams and roadsides. Either the Elk release a scent that attract them here or MDC reintroduced them to control the Elk population. It is just a theory. I Am NOT Jumping to ConfuSIONS. http://rhtrav.com/wordpress/mountain-lion-confirmed-on-peck-ranch-feb-2/

The keg and the Gremlin was the survival gear back then. I think there was a 20 gauge and a box of shells in the back seat too.

I think the part that gets dull is fiberglass. I always just shoot a coat of paint on it to keep it from fuzzing up and getting glass in your hands.

I learned to drive with a beer in my hand and no seat belt. I have never wrecked. I found out early that a keg of beer in a tub fit perfectly in the back ot a 74 Gremlin and the hose would reach the front seat. You did need a copilot to pump it every once in a while. Trying to do that while driving was just too dangerous. If you learn to drive drunk and do it well, sober driving is a breeze.....

Al, I only attended 1 meeting in Cape when they were trying to drum up a chapter there. There was only 1 true member if I recall, the rest were just ones that showed up. I really don't know what happened to them but I see their signs posted on alot of local streams. I used to fish the 10 Mile near Poplar Bluff before and after the SMA. I saw a decline in the fishery at first due to it becoming more popular and have not fished it in about 5 years. I always considered it a hidden jewel that only a few locals knew about. The upper 11PT section actually improved with the goggle eye size limit but I did not see any change in the smallies. Both goggle eye and smallies numbers and size were down in 2011 on the upper 11PT. We fished it several times that year. The stretch from Cane Bluff to Greer was really disappointing that year. I started fishing the Jacks Fork after the SMA started and have only floated the lower sections of it a few times. I did not ever see any great numbers or sizes there either in the SMA or below to Current River. Years ago we fished the upper sections and always did well, but I have not been to them since the late 80's. As far as Big River, I always float above the SMA area, so I really can't tell much about that. I have only waded the Piney a few times and have never been on the Meramec. I really can't account for 2012, it was a low water year that I did not spend much time on the local rivers. Most of my fishing last summer was in TN and ARK. Personally, I have not kept a smallmouth bass out of any stream in for over 20 years. About all I keep is bluegill and a goggle eye now and then as far as warmwater goes.

When they came to town and tried to organize here locally, I was skeptical. Looked like a lot of meat fishers at the meeting with the exception of one out of stater. Everyone seemed to want to know where everyone was fishing. There is only one smallmouth organization that I am aware of. It goes back to the old theory on here, unknown stream in an unknown place. Too much info leads to more crowds and less fish. Most of my favorite streams have been posted with their banners in the past few years, but some have not. Fishing has seemed to decline in the area, but I could blame that on the drought too and other factors. One thing that has killed a few streams rather than help has been the SMA designation, hence only 12.3% fished them. They were prime streams years ago before they received state attention to protect them. Now, either some feel it is a waste of time if you can only keep 1 bass, or it is for trophy fishing only and numbers are not there that keeps them away. I have fished some of them and they don't seem to be as great as they once were. The other thing has been the tagged bounty bass on several streams. It led to many more fisherman trying to make a little cash and ended up with fewer than normal numbers in the stream after the fiasco was gone.

How much do the cabins rent for? I assume they have air and heat. Are they open all year?

Did the folks at the Mammoth Springs Canoe Rental sell that property? I camped there long ago before Sonny built his resort down river. The only downside to that place is the choo choo all night long.

They won't, if the law of supply and demand catches up soon. If the suppliers decide to get on it. like they did the last time, we will see higher prices.

I came within one year of going to a one room school about a mile from the farm. The year was 1968. It was an 8 year school, then you went to high school. We had a party line until 1990 something.

There is no empirical evidence that supports the theory that having "survival" gear increases your chance of living in a desperate situation. I was wonder what bodily oriface he pulled that one out of. That is a "statistic" without any support.

At least you might die happy. What good is the Club magazine if it is dark outside?

I have carried a 10-22 for as long as I have carried guns. It is good for any small game. And in a survival situation, capable of taking deer, turkey, waterfowl, assuming all game laws are suspended. I would choose a kayak and a river any day over sitting on a lake in a boat. It is what I use most of the time while I am fishing, and most of my fishing is done on a river. I chose a flyrod as it is the best all around for presenting a lure in front of a fish. You can fish on top, middle, and deep with the utmost of control. The fly part is kind of limited, one fly is hard to do, but I could narrow it down to ten if I had to. But I would need a fly tying kit and supplies to tye them. I love to fish for all species. But I seem to get the best numbers and enjoyment out of the panfish. Bluegills and google eyes deliver the best bang for the size and are abundant in most places.