STORY INDEX
Ad Index................. 18 Books................. 10 Calendar................... 2 Classified........... 21-22 Editorial.................... 5 Humor................ 16 Hunting.3, 4, 6, 7, 8,9, 15, 16, 17, 18
Indians.................... 18 Nature...11, 12, 13, 14, 23 Photography.... 12-13 Outdoor news..7, 9, 11 Recipes................... 17 SunMoon................ 16
Traveler River Hills
OUR
Annual
DEER HUNT EDITION
ISSN 87501899
Deer hunters challenged by EHD, CWD VOL. 41, NO. 5
NOVEMBER 1, 2013
MDC: Drought, disease create uneven densities within small areas
By JIM LOW MDC News Writer Missouri has an abundance of deer, according to Emily Flinn, a resource scientist with the Missouri Department of Conservation. She says the key to understanding this year’s deer forecast is regional and even local differences in deer number. Flinn specializes in managing Missouri’s economically valuable whitetailed deer herd. She says the state’s deer harvest has been stable for the past 10 years. However, she expects a below-average harvest this year. She says the past 10 years have seen short-term and long-term changes in deer abundance across the state. For example, changes in hunting regulations have achieved the long-term goal of reducing deer numbers in parts of northern, western, and central Missouri. During the same period, less liberal harvest regulations have Continued on Page 6
ST. CLAIR, MO 63077
Last year’s hunt went quickly for one Helgenberg brother
M BELOW AVERAGE HARVEST EXPECTED — Missouri deer are plentiful but the Missouri Department of Conservation expects a below average harvest for firearms season Nov. 16-26, due to a drought-driven lower acorn crop and population losses from epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD). Due to the existence of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in northern Missouri, hunters also face new regulations on transportation and disposal of carcasses. Howard Helgenberg photo.
By HOWARD HELGENBERG y brother and I pulled into deer camp a little later then we had hoped. It was about 11:30 Friday night and the season would open early the next morning. Everyone else was already in bed but we still had a lot to do.The first thing would be to get the tent set up. It didn’t help that the wind was blowing hard. With no moon, it was very dark. There wasn’t time to get real organized. As soon as we had the tent set up and our sleeping bags spread out we set the alarm and hit the sack. I don’t think I got a minute of sleep that night. My mind was going a hundred miles an hour. I never really warmed up either. The alarm went off all too soon and although I was tired I was ready to get up and get out in the woods. A quick breakfast and a brief Continued on Page 21
60-year-old veteran has harvested well over 100 deer with bow, rifle and muzzleloader! Pounds deer hunts exclusively in Phelps and Pulaski counties. Over the decades he has developed a personal tradition of hunting on U.S. Forest Service lands.There are 90,000-acres of USFS lands in Phelps County alone. Clearcuts are deer magnets “I spend a lot of time in the woods all year round,” Dave noted as the most important factor contributing to his incredible success. “I hunt all the available deer seasons; I scout well before the first season; I spend time after the season to discover new patterns that deer develop either because of a new food source or increased competition in the herd. I also love to look for shed antlers. They often put me on to the presence of a buck I have never seen.” Pounds indicated that clearcut areas provide prime deer habitat.“Clearcuts grow up in very thick vegetation-
and the resulting new vegetation become deer magnets.” Pounds quickly pointed out that in spite of the clearcuts being so attractive to deer, that the downside is that the areas are difficult to hunt. The difficulties associated with the dense vegetation removed another deer hunting tradition for Pounds and his hunting buddies. “We sometimes get several guys together to form a deer drive. The cuts are so thick though, that it is real tough to tromp through them. Too, it is impossible to cover all the escape routes deer have coming out of the cuts.” Regardless, Pounds spoke emphatically about his results from hunting clearcuts. “Three of my biggest bucks came from clearcut areas,” he said. Pounds developed a personal hunting method by regularly hunting clearcuts then locating trails leading in and out of the heaviest cover in a clearcut. Sign such as rubs, scrapes, droppings and tracks are other indicaContinued on Page 20
Experience, tradition breed hunting success
D
By BILL COOPER eer hunting is now spectacular in most areas of Missouri. Even the soilpoor Ozarks boasts a healthy deer herd. Despite the fact that deer hunting is great in the Ozarks and everyone hunting has a good chance of taking a deer, there are those individuals who consistently harvest respectable deer season after season. They have a perfect deer Dave Pounds hunting plan, which has been honed by many years of deer hunting tradition. Dave Pounds, of Flat, an unincorporated community in southern Phelps County, has hunted whitetail deer for over almost a half century. The
MORE DEER STORIES INSIDE Deer outlook by region Albino deer a memorable kill MDC seeks hunters’ help to contain CWD Seasons come and go; how much did we really notice? Hi, ho, Silver, away? Wild horse adds wrinkle to deer hunt Eating venison smacks of elitism quickly after an area has been cut over,” Pounds commented. “Phelps and Pulaski are typical Ozark counties with lots of vast stands of big timber. The openings that clearcuts provide
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