Missouri Conservationist June 2015

MissouriConservationistVOLUME 76, ISSUE 6, JUNE 2015 SERVING NATURE & YOU

NOTE TO OUR READERSResearch Enhances Management ofMissouri’s Fish, Forest, and WildlifeTThe Department’s research staff isexploring new innovations in technicalresearch that will build upon our currentscientific foundation to manage Missouri’snatural resources into the future.Technical research and learning newscientific information is a cornerstone ofany successful conservation program. Ourworld is changing! Invasive plant and animalspecies, changing land-use patterns, and agrowing population are just a few variables that impact our native natural resources. When you combine fish, forest, and wildlife management; protection; and public input with research,you have the highly successful Missouri Model of conservation.Current research includes evaluating survival, reproduction, habitat use, and movement patterns of whitetail deer andwild turkey. Biologists are capturing and placing tracking devices on deer in northwest Missouri and in the Ozarks. Wildturkeys are being studied and monitored in northeast Missouri. The research information will build a broader databaseand enable managers to refine science-based decisions on deerand turkey hunting seasons and harvest limits.A five-year quail research project is underway in southwest Missouri to test the difference between managing grassland landscapes through managed burning and grazing instead of the more traditional approach of annual food plots inproducing quail. Department staff are trapping male and female quail on several conservation areas and fitting them withradio collars. Quail are then tracked throughout the year andthe data gathered will help determine many aspects of quaillife history including survival, breeding status, habitat use, anddistance moved.The article on collared lizards in this issue is an excellentexample of how a species has benefitted from research and associated management activities. Science builds upon itself —the more we learn, the more we want to know!Biologists have learned how to raise hellbenders in captivity, which will help restoration efforts in our Ozark streams,but we need to better understand the factors that are causinghellbenders to decline. As a conservationdepartment, we need to know more aboutbats and better understand monarch butterflies and specific factors causing theirdecline. Continuing to build scientificknowledge on prairie ecosystems, forestecosystems, paddlefish, and sturgeon arejust a few ongoing research projects.Most of Missouri’s streams have beenaltered and degraded. Many of our state’swetlands have been converted to other land uses. How doscientists ensure that Missouri’s wetlands maximize benefitsfor all wetland species and maintain the correct stream flowto maximize benefits for all stream species? These tough andcomplex research issues represent important projects Department scientists are currently working on for a healthier futurefor Missouri citizens and the state’s natural resources.A quality conservation program must have an engagedcitizenry. Missourians live in an ever-changing society withnew and multiple demands on our time. Together we muststay engaged, share ideas, and look for opportunities to improve conservation in Missouri. Last year research scientistsconducted surveys that reached almost 200,000 citizens asking them what they thought about a variety of outdoor issues.Your opinion and thoughts are vitally important to Missouriconservation and the Department of Conservation wants tohear from you!Department research scientists have a long history ofexploring natural resource questions, innovating research andmanagement solutions, and leading the nation in scientificdiscoveries. The Department’s research staff utilize adaptivelearning, creative thinking, embrace technology, and are national leaders in fish, forest, and wildlife research. Building onthis world-class research with field management, protection,and citizen engagement will improve Missouri’s natural resources, Missouri citizen’s quality of life, and continue to makeMissouri a great place to live.Tim Ripperger, deputy directorDAVID STONNERo learn and grow in knowledge should be a goal for each of usthroughout our lives. Your Department of Conservation is constantlyseeking new knowledge in fish, forest, and wildlife management.

June 2015, Volume 76, Issue 6FEATURES101622The Rebound of the Eastern Collared Lizardstory and photographs by Jeff BrigglerOnce a declining species in Missouri, the eastern collared lizard ismaking a comeback in the Ozarks due to habitat improvementSummertime Bow Fishingby Tim Kjellesvik, photographs by David StonnerAn exciting blend of hunting and fishing offers hot archeryaction on the waterSearching for Berry Treasureby Gladys J. RichterMissouri is ripe with berries during the spring and summer monthsCover: An eastern collared lizard basks inthe sun at Peck Ranch Conservation Areanear Winona, Missouri. Photograph byNoppadol Paothong. Read more about thislizard’s comeback starting on Page 10. 500mm lens f/13 1/250 sec ISO 200DEPARTMENTS2 Letters4 Hunting & Fishing Calendar4 Agent Notes5 Ask MDC6 News & Events30 Plants & Animals32 Places to Go33 Discover NatureOur photographers have been busy exploring theintricacies of outdoor Missouri. See if you can guess thismonth’s natural wonder. The answer is revealed on Page 8.NOPPADOL PAOTHONGWhat is it?CONTENTSJune 2015 Missouri Conservationist1

LETTERSSubmissions reflect readers’ opinions and may be edited for length and clarity.More Bird’s-Eye ViewsThanks for a wonderful magazine! My husbandand I love to watch the FalconCam [FalconCamGives Bird’s-Eye View of Peregrine Falcon Chicks;Page 6, April] each year. We also discovered anEagle Cam located at dukefarms.org in NewJersey where my husband is from. Two babyeagles recently hatched. Tell your readers.warm. I don’t believe that dumping of aquariumfish or other pets is ok, but let’s get our factsstraight and use realistic examples.Also let’s find a solution to the Asian carpproblem as it will ruin sport fishing, commercialfishing, and boating. Follow Kentucky’s exampleand try commercial netting of those pests.Gary Meyers, via emailDonna Jablonski, via emailNo DumpingWhat a disappointment I felt when I read thisarticle [No Dumping, May] by Francis Skalicky.The piranhas and the alligator are tropicaland must have a water temperature above 75degrees, so they would not survive a Missouriwinter nor would nearly all aquarium fish, whichare generally tropical in nature and must be keptAuthor’s Note: The prevailing belief thataquarium and other warm-water aquaticspecies can’t survive a Missouri winterisn’t always true. An American alligator’schance of surviving a Missouri winteris admittedly lower than in its naturalrange (the southeastern U.S.), but thisreptile has been known to survive watertemperatures much cooler than it’s ac-customed to. To survive cold weather, analligator sometimes excavates a burrowin which it stays during colder periods. Inregard to piranhas, studies have shownpiranhas can tolerate water temperaturesdown to 50 degrees F. If fish find a refugia spot (a place where a spring-fed inletkeeps temperatures constant), aquariumfish might survive.However, even if species do not survivewinter, they can do considerable damageto a habitat up until the time of theirdemise. Aquarium nonnative speciescan also introduce diseases and parasitesinto an ecosystem. The tropical host fishand amphibians (frogs, salamanders,etc.) may not survive, but the pathogensor parasites could survive to impactMissouri’s native species.In regard to Asian carp, they area classic example of how much of aproblem invasive species can be. TheDepartment promotes the harvest of allAsian carp. There is no closed season ordaily size limits. Commercial fishing canbe used in an attempt to reduce theirnumber. For more information, visit theFishing Regulations on our site at mdc.mo.gov/node/3104. —Francis SkalickyHOW TOBUG A BLUEGILLPROVOKE STRIKES IN SHALLOW WATER WITHHOMEMADE FOAM SPIDERSSTORY AND SPHOTOGRAPHBY LARRY R.BECKETTThe bluegillis undoubtedly one of Missouri’smost popular game fish. They arefound throughout the state, usually bite willingly, and put up a decent fightfor their body size and shape. Chances are, your first experience chasingunderwater game involved pursuing bluegill with a bobber and a hookadorned with a wiggly creature. Earthworms, crickets, and mealworms allbecome quickly engulfed when strung on a hook and dangled in front of abluegill. In addition, bluegill’s willingness to eat small bugs opens the doorto tempting them with different bait — a foam spider.INEXPENSIVE AND EASY TO MAKEFoam spiders are simple in design. Most consist of a hook, a piece of foam,and something to represent legs. More complicated designs can include tails,eyes, and multiple segments, but the simple designs are often just as effectiveon the water. You can get pre-made foam spiders at most sporting goodsstores, but catching a bluegill on a lure that you designed and created is a greatdeal more rewarding. Best of all, they can be made in a few simple steps.HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED:Creating foam spiders requires only afew materials:» Foam bodies» Legs» Thread» #10 Hooks» GlueReader PhotoFoam bodies can be purchased at mostsporting goods stores or online. ❶For the body, consider usingclosed-cell craft foam, which worksjust as well, is far less expensive, andcan yield hundreds of bodies of yourown design from a single sheet. ❷If using craft foam, make sure toget the closed-cell type if you wantthe lure to float. Cut a piece of foaminto a rectangular strip about 3/8 inchwide by about one-and-a-half timesthe length of the hook. Trim thecorners off one end of the foam. ❸Leaving the Nest16 Missouri ConservationistRandall Jackson of St. Joseph, Missouri, took this photo of a bluebird chickleaving the nest for the first time. “For the past seven years, I have built,placed, and monitored about 20 bluebird houses in rural Buchanan County,”said Jackson. “Not long after I set up to shoot some photos near this box,the adult female appeared and began chirping incessantly from the gatepost nearby. Soon, a little head poked out of the hole of the nest box andlooked around.” Jackson said with the mother’s coaxing, the fledgling finallyhad enough courage to leave the nest. “The mother bluebird repeated thisscenario for each one of her babies,” said Jackson. “The entire exodus tookless than five minutes.”2 Missouri ConservationistJune 2015May 2015Correction❶❷❸May 2015 Missouri ConservationistIn How to Bug a Bluegill [May], we incorrectlyreferred to bluegill as a “game fish.” Althoughbluegill are an important sport fish, they arenot defined as a game fish in the Wildlife Codeof Missouri. This is because bluegill and othernongame fish can be used as live bait to catchother species. In Missouri, no game fish may beused for bait. Check area regulations for dailylimits for bluegill and special length limits.17