PAGE H12 HUNTING GUIDE 2021
WILDLIFE FACTS: • Missouri deer hunting generates more than $1 billion. • Wild animals don’t make good pets, and it is illegal to possess many wild animals without a valid state or federal permit. If you encounter young wildlife, leave it where you find it. • Baby animals are rarely abandoned. The wildlife parent is afraid of people and will retreat when you approach. If the baby animal is left alone, the parent will usually return. In addition, parent animals cannot constantly attend their young. Often they spend many hours each day gathering food.
What do I do if I see a sick or dead animal? Monitoring possible disease outbreaks is critical to protecting the health of wildlife in Missouri. Please report observations of the following:
JOB From Page 10
I work, my nearest backup is 45 minutes away, I’m in the middle of the woods, and a lot of the time and I have almost zero cell service. Sometimes my radio doesn’t even work because I’m far out there, in the woods and middle of nowhere,” he said. “Some of the more intense parts of the job come when you are, for the most part, by yourself and your nearest backup’s 45 minutes away a lot of the time.” Still, he wouldn’t trade his career for another, he
said. He enjoys the freedom too much. “With my work schedule, I have days on duty and off duty. But if I want to work four hours on Monday, I can work 12 hours the next day. I have the freedom and flexibility in my schedule, as long as I get 40 hours in a work week,” he said. “If I want to work days, I can work days, if I want to work nights, I can work nights, so the best part of this job is the freedom and flexibility to work as I see fit. “So the freedom is the
best part of this job. And of course, I get to work outside, I get to talk to hunters and fishermen all day, I get to work with wildlife and, make sure there’s resources for everyone to enjoy for future generations. It’s a very rewarding career.” And he gets to do it all against the backdrop of one of the most beautiful regions of in the state. “I like this area so I’m not leaving,” he said, repeating, “I’m not leaving Southeast Missouri.”
• Single deer that appear sick, especially deer that are skinny and acting oddly • Three or more sick or dead mammals • Five or more sick or dead birds • Groups of sick and dead amphibians or reptiles • Report any observations of sick or dead wildlife that meet these criteria to WildlifeHealth@mdc.mo.gov • Avoid handling sick or dead wildlife. • If you must handle a dead animal, always wear gloves and wash your hands after. • Any mammal can carry rabies — be cautious of any mammal that is acting strangely.
