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| Outdoor life, Jan. 23 |
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| MyBlog - MyBlog | |||
| Written by Bob Harrington | |||
| Friday, 23 January 2009 01:00 | |||
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Conservation quote of the week: “Whenever I set about improving my mind, somebody chanced along with a fishing pole or a bird dog, and the book was closed for that day. As a result I am more at home outside of houses than inside, and my scholarly attainments have remained modest indeed.” — Havilah Babcock writing “The Earthworm Cometh,” from “Tales of Quail ’n Such.” More than the usual number of sick or dead raccoons are being reported in Missouri this winter, according to Jim Low, Missouri Department of Conservation publicist. The animals pose no threat to people or to properly vaccinated pets, he said. Tests on diseased raccoons show approximately 60 percent have canine distemper. The canine distemper virus affects non-vaccinated dogs, along with foxes, coyotes, skunks, minks, otters, ferrets and bobcats. It does not affect domesticated cats or humans. It is spread by direct contact or by contact with infected feces, urine or body secretions. It is reported the Missouri annual raccoon harvest is more than 100,000 animals. Not only are the pelts worth up to $15 or so each, the carcasses are prized by some for the food value, which brings in another $2 to $5 per carcass. Ron Elrod, who lives near Spring Hill, is a dedicated deer and turkey hunter. He is seeing fewer deer and turkeys on his Linn County property where he hunts. “I got a couple of deer,” he said, “but I sat for days without even seeing one.” His turkey hunting has been about the same as deer hunting. You can bet there will be some days by the middle of February that will be excellent for fishing, especially crappie and channel catfish. If you want channel catfish, be prepared to have ripe shad ready for bait. Something you should know if you don’t — “Any dead big game or wild turkey found may be possessed only after it has been tagged with an official Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks salvage tag. Other dead wildlife may be possessed during season with proper licenses and within legal limits.” It also is illegal to possess the feathers or parts thereof of non-game bird species, except for pigeons, starlings and English house sparrows.
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