Free Fishing Days
Get hooked on fishing June 11 and 12
Conservation makes Missouri a great place to fish. MDC invites everyone to experience it during Free Fishing Days, June 11 and 12. Anyone may fish in the Show-Me State during this time without buying a fishing permit, trout permit, or trout park daily tag. Free Fishing Days is an annual MDC event that takes place statewide during the Saturday and Sunday following the first Monday in June.
All other fishing regulations remain in effect during Free Fishing Days, such as limits on size and number of fish an angler may keep. Special permits may still be required at some county, city, or private fishing areas. Trespass laws remain in effect on private property.
Fishing permits are required before and after June 11 and 12 unless an angler is exempt by age or other factors.
Learn more about fishing in Missouri at mdc.mo.gov/fishing.
For information on Missouri fishing regulations, fish identification, and more, get a copy of the 2022 Summary of Missouri Fishing Regulations booklet where permits are sold or online at short.mdc.mo.gov/Z9n.
Our free MO Fishing app can help anglers find the best places to fish in Missouri, access regulation information, identify fish by species, and more. Anglers can also buy, store, and show fishing permits right on their mobile devices. MO Fishing is available for download through Google Play for Android devices or the App Store for Apple devices. Learn more at short.mdc.mo.gov/ZJZ.
Want to learn to fish?
MDC’s Discover Nature —Fishing program provides a series of free lessons throughout the state. All fishing gear is provided. Learn more at short.mdc.mo.gov/Zty.
Need fishing gear?
We work with numerous libraries and other locations around the state to loan fishing gear for free. Find Rod and Reel Loaner Program locations at short.mdc.mo.gov/ZVc.
Apply for Managed Deer Hunts
Beginning July 1, deer hunters can apply online for an opportunity to participate in more than 100 managed deer hunts throughout the state this fall and winter.
MDC offers managed deer hunts for archery, muzzleloading, crossbow, and modern firearms from mid-September through mid-January at conservation areas, state and other parks, national wildlife refuges, and other public areas. Some managed deer hunts are held specifically for youth or for people with disabilities.
The managed deer hunt application period is July 1–31. Hunters are selected by a weighted random drawing. Draw results will be available Aug. 15 through Jan. 15. Applicants who are drawn will receive area maps and other hunt information by email, or mail if an email address is not located on the customer’s account.
Get more information on managed deer hunts, preview hunt details, and apply starting July 1 at mdc.mo.gov/managedhunt.
Details about managed hunts can also be found in the 2022 Fall Deer & Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information booklet, available starting in early July at MDC offices and nature centers, from permit vendors around the state, and online at mdc.mo.gov.
Doing a Prescribed Burn? Log Your Burn
MDC and the Missouri Prescribed Fire Council (MPFC) encourage landowners, land managers, and others who conduct prescribed burns on private land to “log your burn” through the MPFC website at moprescribedfire.org.
Prescribed fire, or controlled burning, is an affordable and effective management tool to accomplish land management goals, including reducing fuel loads to lessen the chance and intensity of wildfire; restoring native plant communities; enhancing wildlife habitat for wild turkeys, deer, and other game species; improving livestock forage production; regenerating trees; and controlling invasive species such as bush honeysuckle.
Visit the MPFC website at moprescribedfire.org to log your burn. This is a voluntary and anonymous entry for prescribed burns completed on private land in Missouri.
Learn more about log your burn and using prescribed fire from MPFC at moprescribedfire.org and MDC at short.mdc.mo.gov/Zrf.
Make a Splash This Frogging Season
Discover nature this summer during frogging season. Beginning June 30 at sunset through Oct. 31, those with a fishing permit or small-game hunting permit may frog for bullfrogs and green frogs. Learn more at short.mdc.mo.gov/4UL.
The fun does not have to end after catching frogs. Be sure to browse tasty recipes at short.mdc.mo.gov/Zxz.
Buy Missouri hunting and fishing permits from numerous vendors around the state, online at mdc.mo.gov/permits, or through our free mobile apps, MO Hunting and MO Fishing, available for download through Google Play or the App Store.
Final CWD Results
MDC staff and volunteers sampled more than 32,000 deer for chronic wasting disease (CWD) between July 2021 and April 2022. More than 18,700 of the 32,000-plus deer tested were sampled as part of mandatory CWD sampling during the opening weekend of the November portion of the 2021 firearms deer season.
MDC confirmed that 86 of the more than 32,000 deer sampled tested positive for CWD. CWD-positive deer were detected in 18 counties: Adair (2), Barry (4), Cedar (2), Christian (2), Franklin (6), Howell (1), Jefferson (12), Linn (12), Macon (10), Oregon (6), Perry (2), Pulaski (1), Putnam (1), St. Clair (1), Ste. Genevieve (15), Stone (6), Taney (2), and Washington (1). Detections in Barry, Christian, Howell, and Washington counties marked the first detections of the disease in these counties.
Of the more than 32,000 deer sampled, about 3,000 were collected through MDC’s targeted culling partnerships with many landowners in localized areas where CWD has been found.
MDC thanks the many hunters, landowners, taxidermists, and meat processors around the state who helped with CWD sampling efforts.
Learn more at mdc.mo.gov/cwd.
Dylan Bollig
Hickory County
Conservation Agent
With warm, sunny days of summer finally here, it’s a great time to plan a weekend jug line fishing trip. Various species of catfish are typically the target for this method. Remember, all jug lines must be labeled with either the angler’s full name and address or conservation ID number. Anchored jug lines may not be left unattended for more than 24 hours. Unanchored jug lines must be personally attended at least once per hour, but at all times in streams. Remember, remove all jug lines when finished to keep Missouri waterways clean. Fishing with jug lines is a great way to introduce young people to an exciting new way of fishing that’s sure to create a lifetime of family memories. For more information, visit A Summary of Missouri Fishing Regulations at short.mdc.mo.gov/Z9n.
Invasive nonnative species destroy habitat and compete with native plants and animals. Please do what you can to control invasive species when you landscape, farm, hunt, fish, camp, or explore nature.
Hydrilla
Introduced in the early 1950s likely through the aquarium trade, hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillate) is a submerged aquatic plant native to the Indian subcontinent. Federally listed as a noxious weed, it is known to harm aquatic resources, choking out local plant communities, interfering with boating and fishing, clogging water intake systems, and adversely changing the dynamics of fish populations. Hydrilla can also spread disease to waterfowl and raptors.
Why It’s Bad
Hydrilla can live in any size or type of freshwater. It can quickly spread through ponds, lakes, reservoirs, and even streams. Experts have labeled it the “perfect weed” due to its persistence and multiple methods of propagation, including fragmentation, tubers, turions, and seed dispersal. It only takes one small piece of the plant to start new growth. Hydrilla can be spread by:
- Hitching a ride on boat trailers, fishing gear, waterfowl, and wildlife
- Tubers being swallowed by waterfowl and dropped in new locations
- Wildlife and humans relocating fish and plants from infested waters
- Aquarium dumping
How to Control It
Once established, hydrilla is difficult to eradicate. It takes at least seven years of successful, season-long control to rid a site of hydrilla. In most cases, control means several applications of aquatic herbicides throughout the growing season each year. This process can get expensive. Prevention is crucial. Please take the following precautions to prevent the spread of hydrilla:
- Clean: When leaving a body of water, remove all mud, plants, fish, or animals before transporting your equipment. Thoroughly clean all fishing gear, including boats and trailers after each trip.
- Drain: Eliminate any water from your equipment before leaving the area you visited. Always drain water from boats, motors, live wells, etc.
- Dry: Dry anything that comes in contact with water.
- Dispose: Place unwanted aquatic plants in the trash.
When introducing any new plants to a body of water, thoroughly rinse the roots of any attached soil, debris, and vegetation prior to planting. Place all removed material in the trash.
For more information, visit short.mdc.mo.gov/43n.
Monkey Slug Caterpillar
Monkey slug caterpillars may just be the proverbial ugly ducklings of the natural world. These hairy caterpillars will transform into hag moths. They have six hairy arms, curling out from each side, and come in a variety of colors. The hairs and arms break off, causing a nasty rash when touched. As they grow to reach about 1 inch, they lose their carpetlike skin. Monkey slug caterpillars reside amongst deciduous trees and shrubs they consume.
And More...
This Issue's Staff
Editor - Angie Daly Morfeld
Associate Editor - Larry Archer
Photography Editor - Cliff White
Staff Writer - Kristie Hilgedick
Staff Writer - Joe Jerek
Staff Writer – Dianne Van Dien
Designer - Shawn Carey
Designer - Marci Porter
Photographer - Noppadol Paothong
Photographer - David Stonner
Circulation Manager - Laura Scheuler