Poaching Season

[exiledguide]

If you go up to Iowa after the harvest, it seems most of the farmers leave portions of their fields un harvested try to drive down those back roads ducking the Ringnecks. Are Iowa farmers just smarter or do they like to hunt birds more than farmers down here/

[Haris122]

I take it when fishing for suckers with rod and reel, it's basically a worm on hook, a egg sinker with split shots over a foot up line, and basically tight-lining it? I accidentally snagged either a big River-Carpsucker or a stocky 2 foot Buffalo on the dorsal fin a year back, and man, what a fight that thing gave me. Aside from that, I didn't see a sucker of any kind until I went to Johnson Shut-ins. If other suckers fight like that, even when hooked in the mouth, going at them with a rod and reel I'm all for. Btw, any way one could try to target suckers with artificial lures like plastic worms, or things of that kind?

[Feathers and Fins]

When it comes to quail this is one creature the MDC could shine on, in bringing it back. It would not take much effort at all to get their populations way up as has been proven many times on private land and even in other states. It takes minimal effort in compare to other game restoration.

1. Buy grow out pins, there are many available now at low prices

2. Stop on all MDC land clearing to fences ( you need hedge rows ) do not clear or mow within 20 ft of fences.

3. Work with farmers to do the same in leaving hedge rows.

4. Predator control.

It is that simple, and worked in other places. Quail are easily breed in captivity and can be done so in large numbers and have a high survival rate in the wild after release. Could be done with Pheasant and Prairie Chicken as well. But alas much like the gigging issue the Deer is king and that is where the money and efforts go.

[Chief Grey Bear]

When it comes to quail this is one creature the MDC could shine on, in bringing it back. It would not take much effort at all to get their populations way up as has been proven many times on private land and even in other states. It takes minimal effort in compare to other game restoration.

1. Buy grow out pins, there are many available now at low prices

2. Stop on all MDC land clearing to fences ( you need hedge rows ) do not clear or mow within 20 ft of fences.

3. Work with farmers to do the same in leaving hedge rows.

4. Predator control.

It is that simple, and worked in other places. Quail are easily breed in captivity and can be done so in large numbers and have a high survival rate in the wild after release. Could be done with Pheasant and Prairie Chicken as well. But alas much like the gigging issue the Deer is king and that is where the money and efforts go.

I have to strongly disagree with that Scott.

The main reason the MDC will not ever use pen raised birds is that they will introduce disease and inferior genetics to be wild population.

I haven't been to all of the MDC conservation areas but I have never seen one that has been cleared from fence to fence. Now at some of the river accesses they do keep those a little cleaner.

And we must remember the MDC owns or manages less than 2% of the total land mass of the state of Missouri. That makes it very difficult to manage wildlife populations if the land owner does not want to participate in providing proper habitat. And they do have programs and will send an agent to your property to show how to properly manage your property for the advantage of the wildlife. They are just a phone call away.

As far as predators they all got along just fine before we came along and fixed everything. LOL!

[Feathers and Fins]

Britt, Many of the states and private land owners who have done it have used wild birds to breed the chicks and then place them in the grow out pins on the site they will be released to avoid those very problems of inferior genetics and disease introductions. The pins are designed to protect those young chicks and give them the chance.

I can name MANY some very close to you that the fence lines are cleared, Shawnee, Capps, Dorris Creek, heck even 4 Rivers. Almost any of them I have been too I can walk right up and touch the wire and post. You are mistaking clearing area for fence rows, fence rows are a key feature in in habitat and protection.

The MDC lands combined with Forestry lands with a minimal effort could increase quail population across the state. It might seem like a small part of the state, but quail will spread from those areas and having areas like them producing with minimal aid from us not only could but would augment the population using wild birds as the source.

Getting farmers in the game would be the key to major population rebound and I have heard numerous reasons why they will not and a big part of it is lack of trust in MDC to pure Distain for the MDC. I did not press as the reasons when talking to farmers as it was clear they were pissed and not really wanting to talk about it. You may know why but man I have had a warmer reaction trying to tell a woman NO to knew shoes.

[Seth]

I take it when fishing for suckers with rod and reel, it's basically a worm on hook, a egg sinker with split shots over a foot up line, and basically tight-lining it? I accidentally snagged either a big River-Carpsucker or a stocky 2 foot Buffalo on the dorsal fin a year back, and man, what a fight that thing gave me. Aside from that, I didn't see a sucker of any kind until I went to Johnson Shut-ins. If other suckers fight like that, even when hooked in the mouth, going at them with a rod and reel I'm all for. Btw, any way one could try to target suckers with artificial lures like plastic worms, or things of that kind?

I've caught a few while fly fishing for trout on Taney but most come when tightlining corn or nightcrawlers on the bottom. If they are around it doesn't take them long to zero in on the bait. It's fun sight fishing for them and casting your bait out just in front of them and watching them swim up and suck it in. They do put up a heck of a fight. Big common and grass carp can really make a drag scream as well.

[Al Agnew]

I haven't done much of it, but I gather from talking to those who have that fishing for suckers is more a matter of where than how. Yes, they use worms on a small hook and tightline, but as we all know the Ozark streams are full of sunfish which will usually get to the worm before the suckers do, since the suckers are more deliberate in coming to the worm. So you have to fish in places that have suckers but not many sunfish. Away from the banks, away from cover of any kind, in water that's moving fairly fast but deep enough that the suckers will be there during the day. Certain pools in the area just below the riffles are better than others, apparently. The guys I know who do it a lot fish mostly in very early spring, before snagging season starts, since apparently the suckers are staging in those pools before making the spawning run. Once snagging seasons starts, they switch over to snagging them, then after snagging season they go back to fishing for them again, or switch to something else. Some of them switch over to sight fishing for hogsuckers during the summer like Seth described. There's a small group of anglers on Current River that really do a lot of hogsucker fishing...they think hogsuckers taste better than redhorse in the summer.

[Seth]

Hog suckers taste fine but I prefer the smaller red horse (10-15") over anything. Those hog mollies are a pain to scaled because their tails are so flimsy. It's hard to get the first couple inches of tail started with the scaler. The redhorse are a bit "stiffer" and scale easier.

[Chief Grey Bear]

Britt, Many of the states and private land owners who have done it have used wild birds to breed the chicks and then place them in the grow out pins on the site they will be released to avoid those very problems of inferior genetics and disease introductions. The pins are designed to protect those young chicks and give them the chance.

I can name MANY some very close to you that the fence lines are cleared, Shawnee, Capps, Dorris Creek, heck even 4 Rivers. Almost any of them I have been too I can walk right up and touch the wire and post. You are mistaking clearing area for fence rows, fence rows are a key feature in in habitat and protection.

The MDC lands combined with Forestry lands with a minimal effort could increase quail population across the state. It might seem like a small part of the state, but quail will spread from those areas and having areas like them producing with minimal aid from us not only could but would augment the population using wild birds as the source.

Getting farmers in the game would be the key to major population rebound and I have heard numerous reasons why they will not and a big part of it is lack of trust in MDC to pure Distain for the MDC. I did not press as the reasons when talking to farmers as it was clear they were pissed and not really wanting to talk about it. You may know why but man I have had a warmer reaction trying to tell a woman NO to knew shoes.

Hey come on up, I'll drive and we will go to the places you listed and I will show you that the fence rows are not being cleared. I need to get out and do some scouting anyway. I haven't been to a couple of these places in a couple of months.

I can't comment on what other states are doing but I do know that Missouri will never use penned birds to release into the wild.

I would be interested in hearing why landowners hate the MDC.

[lee G.]

I would be interested in hearing why landowners dislike the MDC.

I remember looking into some of their programs years ago.

Does anyone on the forums have dealings with the programs they run?