Missouri Conservationist January 2020

NatureLABby BonnieChasteenEach month, we highlight researchMDC uses to improve fish, forest,and wildlife management.Winter Survival StudyWhat kind of management and resulting coverhelp bobwhite quail evade hungry predators andsurvive winter’s bitter weather?Research partners, including University of Missourigraduate research assistant Alisha Mosloff, Universityof Missouri Assistant Professor Mitch Weegman, MDCResource Scientist Tom Thompson, and U. S. ForestService Research Wildlife Biologist Frank Thompson,are working to answer this and other questions aboutquail survival throughout the year.Thompson said that looking at only one specificperiod has limited research in the past. “Getting thatfull life-cycle picture of how quail populations are doingthroughout the whole year will really help,” he said.Mosloff and partners focused their winter studyon intensive versus extensive landscapes in southwest Missouri. “Intensive is more the traditional typeof management,” Mosloff said. “For example, workingon smaller blocks of less than 40 acres interspersedwith small food plots, grass strips, and cover habitat.”Early results show that wintersurvival is higher where quailhave native grass cover withwoody shrubs nearby.Effortyieldsinsightsintohabitatuse aspart ofa largerlife-cyclestudyQuail Winter Survivalat a GlanceDade CountyMethodsResearchers captured adult andhatch-year quail using funnel traps duringOctober 2017 and 2018 on three traditionallymanaged conservation areas and two prairiedominated conservation areas 2017: Caught 136, Radio-tagged 101 2018: Caught 158, Radio-tagged 119 Tracked tagged birds three times perweek, Nov. 1–Jan. 31 Collectedvegetativedata in 20184 Missouri Conservationist January 2020Extensive describes large tracts of native grasslandsand prairies interspersed with shrubs and managedwith periodic grazing and fire.“We’re looking to contrast these two managementpractices to see which might lead to higher survivalduring the winter,” Mosloff said.She and the research crew collared and radiotracked quail on the same five sites, three extensiveand two intensive, in 2017 and 2018. The crew also collected data on the kinds and amounts of vegetation oneach of the study sites in 2018.In addition to comparing the effects of traditionalversus prairie-management practices on quail wintersurvival, the partners can also compare winter versussummer survival. “These two studies have been conducted in tandem,” Weegman said.“We’re finally getting into what quail need throughout the full year,” Mosloff added.Preliminary ResultsAdults have higher survival (82%)than hatch-year birds (67%)Survival is higher on landscapes thathave heavy woody componentsNative grass improves survivalif there is enough shrubby coverPrescribed burning within thelast 2 years decreases survivalResearch PartnersMissouri Department ofConservation, University of MissouriCollege of Agriculture, Food &Natural Resources, U.S. Forest ServiceQUAIL: JIM RATHERT; RESEARCH: NOPPADOL PAOTHONGQUAIL MANAGEMENT

News and updates from MDCAPPLY FORSPRINGMANAGEDTURKEY HUNTSDAVID STONNERONLINE APPLICATIONSBEGIN FEB. 1In Brief Missouri youth, archery, and firearms turkey hunters can apply onlinefor 2020 spring turkey managed hunts starting Feb. 1 at mdc.mo.gov/springturkeyhunts. Managed hunt details and application procedures areoutlined on the webpage. Drawing results will be posted starting March 15.Spring turkey hunting youth weekend is April 4 and 5 with the regular springseason running April 20 through May 10.Detailed information on spring turkey hunting will be available in the 2020Spring Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information booklet, available wherepermits are sold beginning in February. To learn more about turkey hunting inMissouri, visit short.mdc.mo.gov/Z3h.Buy Missouri hunting permits from numerous vendors around the state,online at mdc.mo.gov/buypermits, or through the MDC free mobile app —MO Hunting — available for download through Google Play for Android devicesor the App Store for Apple devices.mdc.mo.gov 5

In BriefAsk MDCGot a Question for Ask MDC?Send it to AskMDC@mdc.mo.govor call 573-522-4115, ext. 3848.GIVE A HOLIDAY GIFT BACKTO NATUREMDC’s Forestry Division reminds you not tothrow that cut Christmas tree into the trashafter the holidays. Recycle it! Many communities have a Christmas tree-recyclingprogram. If not, there are several creativeways to make use of your tree in nature.Place the tree in the backyard to offercover for wildlife, or under bird feeders toprovide roosting locations in the branches.Add some post-holiday treats as ornaments by coating pinecones with peanutbutter and adding bird seed.Have your tree shredded or chippedfor mulch, or place cut branches overdormant plants to provide a bit of insulation during the winter and to addorganic matter as the needles fall.You can also sink the tree in a pondto enhance fish habitat. Trees give fish aplace to rest, nest, and escape predators.Multiple trees make the best cover so workwith friends, family, and neighbors to combine efforts. Anchor the trees with concreteblocks and sink them at a depth of about8 feet with the trees placed in a row.If you used a balled live evergreen andyour ground is still soft enough to dig,add it to your home landscape for yearsof enjoyment and wildlife cover.6 Missouri Conservationist January 2020sunflower seed every now andthen, but it’s more likely it wasstoring the food in a cache forlater. Each individual adult eats orcaches several thousand acorns,hickory nuts, or other hard mastevery autumn. This species is alsocapable of holding seeds in their“crop,” an expandable pouch intheir esophagus used to transportand store excess food prior todigestion.Blue jays also hold seedsbetween their toes and hammeron them with their beaks to extractthe nut meats. Typically, perchingbirds — like the jay — can’t breakdown seed hulls as effectivelyas birds with moremuscular gizzards, suchas turkeys, grouse, andquail.Blue jaySkipjack herringQ: I’ve heard skipjack herringmake good catfish bait. Can youtell me more about this fish?hh Named because they tend to“skip” or leap out of the water inpursuit of minnows, skipjack herring(Alosa chrysochloris) are highlymigratory and travel in large schools.A native fish, they occur in ourstate’s largest rivers, includingthe Missouri, Osage, Meramec,and Mississippi rivers. They aremost common in the Bootheel,downstream from the mouth of theOhio River.Scientists do not know exactlywhen and where this speciesspawns, but they believe it beginsin early May and ends soon afterJuly 1. A good place to look forthem is in the swift currents belowBagnell Dam, where their spawningrun is interrupted. They are notreadily caught by anglers, whichmakes them a new challenge forexperienced anglers.Skipjacks are bony and lackingin flavor, which is why they areseldom used as food. Thefish’s oily flesh isthought to attractcatfish and can beused — either alive or as cutbait — on juglines and trotlines.CHRISTMAS TREE: CLIFF WHITE; BLUE JAY: JIM RATHERT; SKIPJACK HERRING: LANCE MERRY;EASTERN RED BAT: KARLI DILTS; WHAT IS IT CLUE: DEEPSPACEDAVE DREAMSTIME.COMQ: I noticed a blue jay fill hismouth with sunflower seedswithout shelling them. Doeshe eat the shells? Or does hecrack them somewhere else?hh The blue jay may eat an entire

Parker RiceBUCHANAN COUNTYCONSERVATION AGENToffers this month’sEastern red batQ: I recently noticed aneastern red bat flying inJanuary. Is this normal?hh Yes. On sunny winter days whentemperatures rise above 50 degrees,it’s not unusual to see eastern redbats (Lasiurus borealis) awake andfeeding on whatever flying insectsare available.Many eastern red bats migratesouthward, beginning in Septemberand continuing until November.Although most of the migrationoccurs at night, sometimes smallnumbers may travel together inthe daytime. Little is known ofWhatIS it?Can youguess thismonth’snaturalwonder?The answer is onPage 9.their migration pattern. Some batsmigrate to Missouri from northernstates; others are Missouri batsoverwintering in place. They tend tospend the winter in sheltered spotslike clusters of dead leaves, treecavities, or under bark.Since this species is adaptedto survive drastic temperaturefluctuations, very few use caves. Afew eastern red bats might swarmat the mouths of certain caves inautumn and mingle with other batspecies, but they generally do nothibernate in them.AGENTADVICEAt the beginning of the newyear, people often take stockof everything from theirhealth to their finances. Whynot add your land to that list?January is the time to contactyour local private landconservationist and wildlifeor fisheries biologist to startplanning for your land forthe year ahead. Whetheryou want to grow your quailpopulation, create a pollinatorplot, build a pond, or attractmore deer, these folks willcome out for free and offertheir expertise. Some projectsyou can do immediately,like building brush piles forsmall game. Other projects,like ordering saplings andnatives for long-term growth,may take more time. Contactyour local conservation agent(short.mdc.mo.gov/ZoF),and he or she will direct youto the right resource.mdc.mo.gov 7

In BriefCONSERVATIONWE AREOmar Jawdathh Jawdat, an Iraqi immigrant and neurology professor atthe University of Kansas, first showed interest in waterfowlhunting at a public duck-calling program at Anita B.Gorman Conservation Discovery Center. It was there hemet former MDC Education Specialist James Worley,who became a mentor for this adult-onset waterfowlhunter. In the past two seasons, Jawdat has hunted almostevery weekend and has even begun teaching others.Spotlight onpeople and partnersby Madi NolteUnder his wing“I have kind of taken Jawdat under my wing and eveninvited him out to hunt with me,” Worley said. ”Andnow, he is definitely a waterfowl hunter. He’s hooked.”In his own words“If someone has an interest, there is always away,” Jawdat said. “Hopefully there will always beprograms like these so people can get the righteducation and become conservation aware, andhopefully pass that on to their friends and family.”JamesWorley (left)mentorsOmar Jawdaton his firstduck hunt.What’syour conservation superpower?8 Missouri Conservationist January 2020:: by David Stonner

The recentlyrediscoveredpallid shinerMDC REDISCOVERS PALLID SHINERWINTER TROUT HARVEST BEGINS FEB. 1RAINBOW TROUT: DAVID STONNER; PALLID SHINER: COURTESY BOB HRABIK; SNOW FLEA: TOM MURRAY / CC BY-ND-NC 1.0Fisheries staff have stocked more than

Conservationist vicariously through my parents. I have followed Danny Brown and Noppadol Paothong’s work in your magazine for years. They both do spectacular work, and Danny’s shots in the Birds of Prey article in the November issue blew me away. Their work is what gets photographers out at all hours and all kinds of