Missouri Department of Conservation Archives

Missouri’s governor warns that feral hogs are a danger to the state and threaten agriculture (AUDIO)

March 31, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

Three Missouri House committees will be heading to the state Department of Conservation headquarters in Jefferson City on Thursday morning, to be briefed on the feral hog issue.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson, State Sen. Jason Bean (left of the governor) and U.S. Rep. Jason Smith (to governor’s right) participate in a Jefferson City briefing about feral hogs on March 29, 2021 (photo courtesy of Governor Parson’s Twitter page)

The briefing will take place at 7:30 a.m.

The Missouri House Agriculture Policy Committee, the Conservation and Natural Resources Committee and the Rural Community Development Committee will be briefed by Conservation about successes they’ve had with feral hogs and the challenges they’re facing.

Feral hogs are a major issue in southern Missouri, especially in and near the Mark Twain National Forest. Governor Mike Parson is warning that feral hogs are a danger to the state and pose serious safety risks to residents. The governor met this week in Jefferson City with Missouri Department of Conservation Director Sara Parker-Pauley, U.S.D.A., the U.S. Forest Service and state lawmakers like State Sen. Jason Bean (R-Holcomb).

U.S. Rep. Jason Smith (R-Salem), who represents 30 southern Missouri counties, traveled to Jefferson City to attend Monday’s meeting.

“Those (feral) hogs can do great destruction to the farmers, to the forests and they’ve become a very significant problem. The majority of the feral hogs that in our state are actually in the 8th Congressional District,” Smith tells Missourinet.

A close look at Smith’s sprawling district shows the how much of a presence the Mark Twain National Forest has in his district, from east to west and from north to south. Feral hogs are prevalent in the Mark Twain, which is why the Forest Service participated in Monday’s meeting.

Governor Parson says feral hogs threaten Missouri agriculture and outdoor recreation, and Congressman Smith agrees.

“We hope to have them eradicated one day, they’re awful. The best feral hog is a dead feral hog,” says Smith.

Congressman Smith warns that feral hogs are damaging cropland and forests. Missouri Department of Agriculture Director Chris Chinn has also testified that feral hogs are also a threat to Missouri livestock.

Governor Parson says Missouri will continue its eradication efforts, working alongside federal, state and local partners.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s interview with U.S. Rep. Jason Smith (R-Salem), which was recorded outside the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City on March 29, 2021:

Legislation to keep sex offenders away from Missouri Department of Conservation centers has bipartisan support

March 20, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

The Missouri Department of Conservation and the Conservation Federation of Missouri support legislation aimed at keeping registered sex offenders away from state Conservation areas.

House Bill 1090 is sponsored by State Rep. Barry Hovis (R-Whitewater), a former law enforcement officer with more than 30 years of experience. The House Public Safety Committee approved the bill 8-0, and it’s expected to go to the Missouri House floor sometime after the spring break.

State Rep. Barry Hovis (R-Whitewater) speaks on the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City on February 3, 2021 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

The bill would ban most registered sex offenders from being 500 feet from any Missouri Department of Conservation nature or education center. The Conservation Department has several of these facilities, which include the Runge Nature Center in Jefferson City and the Springfield Conservation Nature Area. Schoolchildren frequently visit Runge and the other Conservation nature and education centers.

Hovis’ bill is the same bill filed in 2020 by State Rep. Hannah Kelly (R-Mountain Grove).

Current Missouri state law bans sex offenders from being 500 feet of public parks with playground equipment, public swimming pools and children’s museums.

Missouri lawmakers return to Jefferson City on Monday. They’re finishing their annual spring break.

What goes into finding the Missouri Governor’s Mansion Christmas tree? More than you might think

November 30, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

The search for the perfect Christmas tree to showcase on the Governor’s Mansion lawn in Jefferson City is a task that begins in the summer. Holly Dentner with the Missouri Department of Conservation says the agency has been sourcing the mansion trees for about 30 years. She informs the public about the search process around August.

Missouri Governor’s Mansion (Photo courtesy of the Missouri Department of Conservation)

About one dozen trees were considered for the First Family’s lawn this year. The owners send pictures of their tree to the department and then several people narrow down the process.

“So it’s completely voluntary. We are counting on people to offer their trees,” says Dentner. “And really, most people are just excited. Instead of just getting chopped down and mulched up, their tree is going to be on the mansion lawn and thousands of people are going to see it,” she says.

There are certain requirements the tree must meet to be in the running. It must be a native species to Missouri – a Norway spruce, white pine or eastern red cedar.

“We tend to lean toward Norway spruces because those are the big full, bushy evergreens that are most typically a Christmas tree style – the conical shape,” she says. “And then we’re looking for one that is at least 35-40 feet tall because it’s got to take up some space on the mansion lawn and look like it’s been there forever and be fully branched. One of the things that we frequently encounter is people have a great tree, but it’s been growing right up against their house. So, if we cut it down, it will have a gap in one side.”

Photo courtesy of Missouri Department of Conservation

The tree must also be one that can be accessed well with a flatbed truck and without utility lines nearby.

A 40-foot Christmas tree will be placed on the Governor’s mansion lawn between 7:00-8:00 a.m. Monday and will remain there for the holiday season. A crane will unload and lift the Norway spruce from the truck bed and carefully heave it onto the First Family’s turf.

This year’s tree hails from southeast Missouri. Doris Baker of Desloge donated it.

Dentner says submissions come from all over the state from Missourians who want to have their tree seen by thousands at the mansion over the holiday time.

“I had one semi-decent one a couple years ago from Cape Girardeau but that’s probably as far south as I’ve seen them,” says Dentner. “I haven’t seen any from southwest Missouri now that I think either – we haven’t had a big number. Most of them are north of the Missouri River, strangely enough.”

Two other smaller Christmas trees are inside the mansion this year, including a 17-foot tree for the staircase.

The annual lighting of the mansion lawn tree will be this Friday at 6:00 p.m. followed by the traditional Candlelight Tours.

The tours will run until 8 p.m. on Friday and again Monday, December 7 through Wednesday, December 9 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Due to COVID-19, this year’s tours will be by reservation only. Additional details will be provided this week.

UPDATE: Missouri House gives final approval to budget; feral hog debate gets heated

May 8, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

The Missouri House voted Friday afternoon in Jefferson City to give final approval to a $35.2 billion state operating budget, after some heated discussion earlier in the day about feral hogs and other issues relating to the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Missouri House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, (right) and House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith, R-Carthage, discuss the state budget in Jefferson City on May 8, 2020 (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

The budget is now in the Missouri Senate, which must approve it by 6 p.m. tonight.

House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith, R-Carthage, says the compromise budget between the House and Senate contains $20 million for Missouri meat processing facilities, impacted by COVID-19. Smith says it’s for plants with less than 200 employees, for support, workforce assistance, equipment and capital improvements.

The bipartisan funding for the plants is aimed at helping them address supply chain disruptions and to mitigate health and environmental impacts as a result of the pandemic.

The budget also contains $12 million for broadband expansion, relating to the pandemic. Budget Chairman Smith and ranking Democrat Kip Kendrick, D-Columbia, say that is critical.

It also includes $2 million for the Missouri Lottery to advertise. The original House budget cut it to $100,000, but the Senate allocated $3 million. Budget negotiators settled on the $2 million.

There was also heated discussion today on the Missouri House floor, after State Rep. Deb Lavender, D-Kirkwood, blasted the Senate, saying they took $100,000 out of the budget for hungry women/children. Lavender called that decision shameful.

State Rep. Hannah Kelly, R-Mountain Grove, and Representative Lavender then had a heated discussion about “setting the record straight”, but disagree on what that record is. They spoke over each other at times.

State Rep. Robert Ross, R-Yukon, described Lavender’s floor comments as “factually wrong”, saying the budget expands the “Share the Harvest” program to $300,000. Ross also blasted the Missouri Department of Conservation, saying they tried to put $100,000 in the budget for a new forest service employee.

Ross tells the House that employee would have “harassed” feral hog hunters at the Mark Twain National Forest.

Normally, the Missouri Capitol’s public fourth-floor galleries are packed with lobbyists and schoolchildren, during budget debate. However, due to COVID-19 concerns, there was just one person observing today.

Some sex offenders could be banned from going near Missouri nature and education centers

February 17, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

State Representative Hannah Kelly, R-Mountain Grove, wants to ban some registered sex offenders from going within 500 feet of any Missouri Conservation Department nature or education center. The Missouri House Public Safety and Crime Prevention Committee is considering Kelly’s bill, which could charge violators with a felony. The measure would apply to sex offenders who have committed certain sex crimes against children.

Rep. Hannah Kelly (Photo courtesy of Tim Bommel, House Communications)

“We have an ultimate responsibility to ensure that when the prosecutor goes after that individual for perpetrating evil crimes against a child, that we have teeth in the statute to make sure that the next person who might think about doing that, decides not to because they see the proper punishment has been handed down,” says Kelly.

During a public hearing, Missouri Department of Conservation Deputy Director Aaron Jeffries says the agency asked Kelly to sponsor the measure. He says about 800,000 kids visit the agency’s nature centers annually.

“How this got on our radar was simply off-duty police officers or conservation officers participating in programs at our nature centers recognizing registered sex offenders and not being able to do anything about the situation,” says Jeffries.

Representative Andrew McDaniel, R-Deering, says the legislation would not stop someone from trying to do something bad to a child.

“The ones that are still abiding by the law and are going back into society and being decent people still – trying to – but we keep pushing them into corners by keep on adding more obstructions to their daily life,” says McDaniel.

State Rep. Andrew McDaniel (right) speaks during a House committee hearing on April 29, 2019 (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Kelly agrees that there are good and bad actors, but she says parents should not fear that someone with ill intent will harm their children when their kids step off the bus at one of the centers.

“At the end of the day, we fund these centers. These children are welcome then to these centers and along with that comes a great responsibility of their safety. It is unfortunate when individuals, as you have mentioned, have to deal with the labeling of being on that registry, but I look at that as a separate judicial matter,” says Kelly.

Kelly says tweaks are being made to the legislation that would allow registered sex offenders who are the parent, legal guardian or custodian of a child under 18 years old to attend programs with their children on such property. The changes would allow the individuals to get permission from the nature or education managers to be present on the property during programs with their kids.

Missouri Department of Conservation Nature and Education Centers include Burr Oak Woods Nature Center in Blue Springs, Cape Girardeau Nature Center, Runge Nature Center in Jefferson City, Springfield Conservation Nature Center, Conservation Education Center in Joplin and Powder Valley Nature Center in Kirkwood, among others.

The committee has not yet voted on House Bill 2142.

Bill would keep registered sex offenders away from Missouri conservation areas

February 9, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

A southern Missouri lawmaker wants to keep sex offenders away from state Conservation areas, to protect children and families.

State Rep. Hannah Kelly, R-Mountain Grove, chairs the House Subcommittee on Appropriations for Conservation. Her bill will be heard Monday at noon by the House Crime Prevention and Public Safety Committee in Jefferson City.

House Bill 2142 is a one-page bill. It would ban registered sex offenders from nature or education centers controlled by the Missouri Department of Conservation, and sex offenders would have to stay at least 500 feet away from those areas.

Under the bill, the first violation would be a class E felony, and any subsequent violations would be a class D felony.

Kelly tells Missourinet her intent is to keep children and residents safe in and near Conservation nature and education centers. The Missouri Department of Conservation has several of these facilities. They include the Runge Nature Center in Jefferson City, the Springfield Conservation Nature Center and the Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center in southeast Missouri.

Schoolchildren frequently visit Conservation nature and education centers.

State law currently bans registered sex offenders from being within 500 feet of public parks with playground equipment, public swimming pools and children’s museums.

Missouri lawmakers draw attention to feral hog issue during budget hearing (AUDIO)

January 28, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Two southern Missouri state lawmakers are unhappy with a letter the state Department of Agriculture (MDA) director has sent to the U.S. Forest Service, in support of their decision to close the Mark Twain National Forest to feral hog hunting.

State Rep. Robert Ross, R-Yukon, speaks at the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City on August 22, 2019 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

The issue came up during Monday afternoon’s Missouri House Budget Committee hearing in Jefferson City, when State Reps. Robert Ross, R-Yukon, and Scott Cupps, R-Shell Knob, mentioned the issue to MDA Director Chris Chinn, during her budget presentation.

Chinn testifies that Oklahoma has gone away from an approach Missouri was using, including hunting.

“One of the things that we learned from them (Oklahoma) is that, that above-all approach that we had been taking, they had tried as well and it didn’t work,” Chinn tells Representative Ross.

“Especially not when your (Missouri) Department of Conservation is actively working against the private landowners,” Ross responded.

The above-all approach that Director Chinn is referring to is a policy that some hunters and ranchers near the Mark Twain National Forest want to continue. It involved trapping by Conservation officials, but also hunting by residents.

Ross, who chairs the House Special Committee on Government Oversight, serves on the Budget Committee. He questions Chinn’s letter.

“That’s what really surprised me is that your agency (MDA) would take a position that was in directly in opposition of working with the private landowners, following along with the misguided approach the Missouri Department of Conservation is now pushing,” Ross tells Director Chinn.

Ross says his Texas County constituents support eradicating feral hogs, by hunting. He and Cupps say residents should be allowed to hunt for the hogs on public land.

The Missouri Department of Conservation says allowing residents to hunt feral hogs has increased the number of the animals, along with their range. Conservation agents say there have been illegal releases by people who wanted to hunt feral hogs for recreation.

The Conservation Department has launched a new plan, which aims to eliminate feral hog damage by trapping and killing the hogs themselves.

Director Chinn says feral hogs are a threat to Missouri livestock. She backs the Forest Service’s decision to close the Mark Twain National Forest to feral hog hunting.

Chinn testifies that MDA’s job, through its Animal Health division, is to protect Missouri from diseases. She says if African swine fever were to hit Missouri through the feral hog population, it would be a threat to livestock producers and agribusiness.

“A lot of these livestock eat the corn and the soybean that are raised on many of these farms, and if we should have a disease threat like that hit Missouri, it’s not only going to hurt the livestock industry, it’s going to hit our row crop as well as our grain elevators,” Chinn testifies.

Chinn emphasizes that what’s been done previously isn’t working.

After several minutes of questioning, State Rep. Hannah Kelly, R-Mountain Grove, who chairs the House Subcommittee on Appropriations for Agriculture, asked Ross and Cupps to save the feral hog discussion for another date, when both MDA and the Conservation Department can attend. Kelly wanted Chinn to have time to present her budget.

The issue has been a big one at the Missouri Capitol. Just last week, about 150 southern Missouri hunters and ranchers protested quietly outside the governor’s office, saying the MDC-federal approach won’t work.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s interview with Missouri Department of Agriculture (MDA) Director Chris Chinn, which was recorded at the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City on January 27, 2020:

Hunters at odds with Missouri Department of Conservation, US Forest Service over feral hog restrictions

January 24, 2020 By Ashley Byrd

The federal government has closed Mark Twain National Forest to hunters of feral hogs – at the same time, Missouri’s Department of Conservation has launched a new plan in 2020 to try to eliminate feral hog damage by trapping and killing hogs themselves. They are trying to help landowners and farmers who have had property and cropland torn up. The MDC says a social group of ten hogs can destroy 10-20 acres overnight. MDC website

Bell of Summersville joined about 150 at the Missouri Capitol to speak to lawmakers about hunting rights.

But that approach is not sitting well with some hunters and ranchers who want to hunt the hogs themselves. Dustin Bell is from Summersville, at the edge of the Mark Twain National Forest.

“We think it takes an all-effort, everybody combined, hunters, trappers whatever it takes to control these hogs to prevent them from further damage on our land around for our friends and neighbors and we think that it’s absolutely unrealistic that they can trap all of them out and eradicate the hogs and we think it’s just an overreach of power by MDC,” Bell told Missourinet.

About 150 gathered in a quiet petition signing and protest outside the governor’s office at the state capitol Wednesday, saying the MDC-Federal approach won’t work.

Conservation’s Feral Hog Incident Commander Jason Jensen says letting hunters eradicate the wild hogs did not work.

“We actually encouraged people to hunt feral hogs for several years and that didn’t work,” Jensen said in an interview with Brownfield Ag News. “What we saw during that period of time was that numbers exponentially increased and the range of feral hogs increased. We feel that was mostly due to illegal releases by people who were wanting to hunt feral hogs for that recreational value.”

The department is considering increasing enforcement in some areas so that more of the animals are not released behind MDC staff as they trap hogs.

Bell and the protestors disagree, insisting that hog hunting on public land should not be a crime, but a part of the solution.

“It is our land, taxpayers lands and not MDC’s land. We thoroughly believe that we have the right to ride horses, everything. We should not have to have a permit to ride horses, or hunt hogs or whatever it is.”

The Conservation Department says Missouri has had feral hogs since the 1990’s – and the population has grown. Their trappers disposed of more than 10,000 last year.

Grilled or pan fried? Doesn’t matter…whatever you choose, you can’t go wrong with Missouri turkey (VIDEO)

May 16, 2015 By Bill Pollock

Grilled or pan fried…doesn’t matter. Missouri turkey is delicious.

Hard to believe that after nearly ten months of planning, studying, practicing and hunting, my time with the Missouri Department of Conservation and my journey with my two mentors, Kyle Lairmore and Jim Low, is coming to an end.

You’ve followed my steps from hunter education through deer, duck and now turkey hunting and I hope we’ve provided good information along the way to help you get started.

The final step, now that I was able to harvest a turkey on my first hunt, is to show you how to prepare this delicious meat that is a great protein source.

On our final video (watch below), Kyle will walk you through a quick and easy, pan fry and bake recipe that goes great with rice and vegetables. Ever since we’ve hosted Thanksgiving at my house, I’ve prepared our bird on a charcoal grill. So I was really interested to see how a Missouri jake would turn out. I was very happy with the results as we used the grill meat to make a delicious muffaletta from a recipe straight out of the Cooking Wild in Missouri cookbook. Of course, turkey season isn’t complete without Morel mushrooms! Another great resource is to get a copy of the Missouri’s Wild Mushrooms book.

In fact, for being a faithful viewer and reader of my hunting journey, I want you to have an opportunity to win these great books. Click here to sign up to win.

After going through the process of each hunt, if I had to pick a favorite, I would choose turkey. I mentioned several reasons in my last story, but the final decision came down to how delicious the meat tasted. I had heard from multiple people, hunters and non-hunters who all told me the same thing…store bought turkey doesn’t even come close to the taste of a native Missouri gobbler. Man, they were right!

What I learned about hunting is that the whole experience isn’t just about whether or not you harvest an animal. The best part of this final video shoot was cooking the food, sitting down at the table and sharing a meal, great stories with plenty of laughs. That’s what truly completes the experience.

Here’s a post on the Department of Conservation’s Facebook page that I think sums up what hunting is all about. This comes from Randy H.

Can’t thank you guys enough for these blogs. I started turkey hunting at 40 and brought my son along for the first time about 5 or 6 years ago at the age of 12. We have been every year and have yet to bag a bird although we’ve been very close. You guys are absolutely correct that the adventure and the stories are sometimes better than a kill. At 18 now, he chose to go hunt by himself for the first time last weekend and had one within shooting distance but couldn’t take the shot through the brush in the woods. Just hearing his stories were really cool and I was extremely proud and happy for him. My hope is that we can both bag our first birds in the same morning while sitting together. He will be going off to college in the fall and our times together will be fewer but I will always have the memories in my mind and in my heart. We still have this weekend…

I know I started this post by saying that my journey was coming to an end, but that’s incorrect. It is really just beginning.

Beginner’s luck perhaps, but I was successful on my first turkey hunt. So far this has been my best experience (VIDEO)

May 6, 2015 By Bill Pollock

My first day turkey hunting, my first bird!

After trying deer and duck hunting in the fall, Kyle Lairmore from the Missouri Department of Conservation and my mentor for deer hunt, suggested I try turkey hunting this spring to get a full range of everything that our state has to offer. Kyle told me once I tried turkey hunting, it would be my favorite…he was right.

In our video below, I’ll take you through my hunt and Kyle will share his expertise on what characteristics to look for to make sure you harvest a legal bird. We’ll talk about when is the right opportunity to take an attempt and the responsible steps to take once you are successful.

What I really hope you take away from this is that through our hunting, Kyle and I have built a friendship. I’ve enjoyed listening and watching someone who has an absolute love for what they do. Not to speak for Kyle, but his excitement is genuine when he sees me harvest a turkey for the first time. As you’ll see, we already have great stories to share and plenty of laughs.

That’s what I’ve learned the most through this experience. The memories and stories are just as good, if not better, than the hunts itself.

Not in any particular order, but there are several reasons why I enjoyed my turkey hunt over the others. For starters, it’s spring time, colors are starting to bloom, the landscape is beautiful and the weather is starting to warm up. When turkey hunting, while there is that moment when you must remain stationary, and keep quiet and still, you can walk the field, call out to the turkeys, try to get a response and follow their calls. I found the spring time to be more favorable to my liking.

Over the three week spring season, I had the opportunity to go out twice with Kyle in Gasconade County. My first hunt on the first day of the season was from a blind and that was intentional, because we had a film crew following us. To have four people out in the open going on a “walk and call” type of hunt would not be successful. Turkeys are a smart animals with great vision. One sign of a crowd and they would stay in their roost or run away before we even knew they were there.

On my second hunt, which took place during the final week of the season, it was just me, Kyle and his dad. No cameras, no distractions. We just took to the woods, and with the help of his father Jerry, who helped with our calls. We positioned ourselves between our gobbler and a hen, but couldn’t get him to come out way up the trail. While I was unsuccessful on the second day, I was fortunate to harvest a bird my first time out.

For more information, visit the Missouri Department of Conservation’s website and follow this link to watch our entire series.