Here is a great opportunity for all parents out there. In Missouri there is a whole weekend that you can go fishing without having to purchase fishing licenses. It is normally the first weekend in June so be sure to check on it and mark your calendars once the date is announced. That weekend will be a great opportunity for children to learn more about the doors and to learn basic sportsmanship for fishing. In June the water should be a great temperature for fishing. This will be a great time to get the kids out of the house and to have a relaxing time outdoors. I hope everyone remembers to check for this date once it’s available and to take advantage of this opportunity for some free fun. You can even make it more fun and involving by having the children go on a worm hunt to find your bait.
http://mdc.mo.gov/blogs/fresh-afield/fish-free
Sunday, November 28, 2010
First weekend of deer Season in Northwest Missouri
Here is an update from firearm deer season. In the first weekend Nodaway County harvested around 1,190 deer. For the second weekend in Nodaway County the Missouri Department of Conservation is reporting 465 does, 107 button bucks, and 618 antlered bucks taken. Also in the youth season they figured that only 135 deer were taken. That doesn’t seem like much deer for youth season but don’t worry there is another youth season coming up so they have another chance. Overall the Conservation Department is figuring that there were about 11,000 deer taken in Northwest Missouri. They are thinking the number harvested will keep increasing because the weather is cooling down and the crops aren’t still in the field like they were last year. So far there have not been any hunting incidents in Northwest Missouri. I encourage all hunters to be careful so we can keep this year accident free. If you are taking a youth out make sure they are using safety first. If you want to get more facts on the outcome of firearm season here is a link to the Maryville Daily Form with more statistics on opening weekend.Taking a youth hunter out deer hunting
I went out hunting on opening weekend of firearm season. On opening weekend I didn’t shoot anything but I did take one of my younger brothers out. We went to a spot where I had been seeing some deer every night. We walked in and I caught a deer bedded down in the cornfield. My brother and I got in a draw so the deer couldn’t see us. I decided that we could sneak around and maybe get to a place where he could shoot. When we were trying to sneak around I caught another deer in the alfalfa field. This one gave us a better opportunity to shoot so we got set up on her instead. I called at her and she came in and my brother took the shot. He missed the doe but I told him that it was okay because even the professional hunters miss sometimes. It was about dark by then and we started to head to the vehicle. I was thinking to myself that it would have been cool to see him shoot that doe. Then I thought it was okay that he didn’t get the deer because these things help the youth to learn that hunting isn’t always about getting the trophy. This helps them to learn how to pursue their hunt and learn from their mistakes. I was also thinking how I had a blast just by taking a youth hunter out in the woods. To all the older hunters out there please go and take a youth hunter out in the woods. Even if you do not shoot something the experience they had will stick with them forever. Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Missouri State Parks
The Missouri State parks are a great place to help kids become active in the outdoors. When you are at a state park there are rangers all the time driving around to keep everybody safe. They also usually have various types of activities for children. When I used to camp over at Big Lake State Park the staff would always put on presentations for children and adults. They brought in live snakes that people could hold and also turtles, birds, and even a raccoon. They spoke about the species and about their habitat and how they lived. The program interacted with a lot of children that weren’t very knowledgeable about wildlife. It made the children think about how they could help those animals. It is always good to see a love for the outdoors and a respect for animals being passed on to the next generation.
Squaw Creek Eagle Days
When you think about the outdoors it can mean many things. I found a website that has all different kind of places that you can take kids to so they can experience the outdoors. Most of the places are state parks, wildlife refuge, and conservation areas. One of the wildlife refuges in Northwest Missouri is Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge and it is located over by Mound City, Missouri. One thing that is coming up at Squaw Creek is Eagle Days on December 4th and 5th. It is a really good time for the kids to learn about our national bird and get to see the beautiful birds in the wild. I have been over there more than once to eagle days and you will see a lot of eagles. We usually see at least ten or twelve Bald Eagles and a few Golden Eagles. If you are lucky you may see much more than that though. Throughout the drive you will be able to look at deer, turkeys, and all different kinds of geese and ducks. Don’t worry if you can’t make it out during Eagle Days because the eagles usually stick around as long as their prey, the geese, do. We usually have better luck seeing eagles later in December or even early January.
Take your children fishing
Around Northwest Missouri there are a lot of places you can take your children to get involved in the outdoors. Areas around Maryville have a lot of lakes so you can take your kids fishing. Some of the lakes are Mozingo Lake, Bilby Ranch Lake, Nodaway Lake, and Happy Hollow. Every lake has different activities that you can do. At Mozingo you can fish, horseback ride, swim, camp, and hike on their trails. It has several fishing spots including handicapped accessible. So I hope all the parents out there are able to find a lake nearby to take their kids to so they can experience the outdoors. These areas will also help you educate your kids by the activities you can do on the conservation land. Here are the lakes in Northwest Missouri and the website is from the Missouri Department of Conservation. I hope all the kids out there have the chance to visit these places.
Wildlife Footprints
When kids are able to be in the outdoors they can learn about all the wildlife that is in their area of Missouri like snakes, deer, coyotes, and a lot more. When kids are in the woods they can learn about animal footprints. By learning an animal’s footprint you will have the knowledge to tell somebody what kind of animal is native to an area. Kids can use that knowledge to help them if they are tracking or spotting for wildlife. Here is a link to Missouri Department of Conservation that has footprints of animals that are native to Missouri. I hope all the kids have good luck studying the animals prints and they can use their knowledge to help them find animals or identify prints.
See if you can guess who would leave behind a print like this:
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Why Kids Should Go Outside
Children that are not able to experience the outdoors are less well rounded. Children are not becoming involved in the outdoors like they did in the previous years. Problems with children these days are staying inside and actually not getting in the outdoors. When they are inside kids are becoming obese because of no physical activities. They are watching television, playing on computers, and playing video games. Video games and TV. are not only causing obesity in kid’s life but some also lead to violence. Violence from the video games is causing kids later on in life to act violent. Kids today are missing out on the experience of being outside and learning responsibility, learning about science, and learning about where food comes from. I personally believe that these could be prevented so this is a reason for my project. I learned a lot outside and other kids should get that chance also.
Children's Clubs
Kid these days are getting the experience to learn about nature after school. Students are starting to belong to outdoor childrens’ environmental clubs which help them to learn about the wildlife, forest, prairie, and wetland. With this club students are able to get their parents out in the outdoor as well. This program uses grant money which will help with the club activities and keep encouraging kids to be in the great outdoors.
Department of Conservation Kids Magazine
There is a magazine form the Missouri Department of Conservation just for kids. This magazine is called Xplor and it has stories that will make kids go crazy to read them. This magazine has excellent educational articles in it. Just for example it teaches kids about topics ranging from poison ivy to how thanksgiving got started with the Pilgrims and Native Americans hunting and gathering. Besides having articles it also has a lot of pictures, games for kids to play, and ways to get in the outdoors. I recommend parents to sign up for this magazine for their children. As a bonus it is free for Missouri residents and out of state is only $5 for the subscription.
October/November articles
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