Missouri quail season is over -- time for boat and sport shows

A quail hunter and his dog searching for bobwhite quail after the recent snow. (Missouri Department of Conservation)

Missouri quail season ends Friday and its that time of the year when the outdoor calendar gets slim. The only good hunting seasons still open are rabbit, squirrel, crows, coyotes and waterfowl in the south zone. While the trout season at the four trout parks won't be open for catch and keep until March 1.

Mid-January and February, with the cold and dreary days, can cause an outdoorsman to get cabin fever. In reality it doesn't have to be that way.

There are many activities to enjoy this time of the year while waiting for the good fishing, turkey hunting and morel mushrooms to pop.

Three Cardinals taking advantage of sunflower seeds in a bird feeder after the recent snow. (Photo by Ken White/Special to the Daily Mail)

With numerous boat and sport shows ahead that is intended to draw us hunters, anglers, campers and boaters inside to promote products for you to ready yourself for the year ahead. Shows include the longest running of Missouri sport shows, the Kansas City Boat and Sport show opening its 62nd year Jan. 21-24. Other show scheduled will be the Arc of the Ozark, in Springfield, which will hold their 8th annual show on Feb.20-21.

The snow goose season continues to run through April with no limits. This demonstrates just how critical the snow and blue goose population has grown. Although, hunting pressure the past several seasons have helped bring down the high numbers of these geese, which benefits these particular species in the overall picture.

Hunting for crows, rabbits, squirrels and coyotes has become a method to help bring March closer for many outdoor minded people including Fred Brown, Kansas City.

Brown had stated, "I used to hunt crows years ago when they were so thick they would blot out the sunset on their way to roost along the river. There was a time when some wildlife dinners were held, the price of admission was 10 pairs of crow's feet." Those days have past but there are still plenty of crows around to make a good hunt.

Wild turkeys looking for food after the recent snow. (Photo by Ken White)

Last February, Brown and three hunting friends set up an owl and a few crow decoys in a spot near the river and waited for the birds to appear. Brown said, " We had been watching their flight pattern and in about an hour before sunset, here they came. We kept our gun barrels hot from so much action. It reminded us of days gone by when we would hunt crows after the waterfowl season had ended."

Other hunters who hunt a lot in Late January and February are veteran coyote hunters, some of whom have hunted coyotes for 30 years or more. There have always been coyotes to hunt, but it seems that there are more than ever this year. Jack Hughes, Marshall, said "I have had several farmers, who know I hunt coyotes, ask me to come out to their farm because they think the coyotes have hurt the quail population. Even with hunting and trapping, coyotes survive and even thrive. "This month and February, the coyotes can be heard howling on cold nights as they gather in small groups. When two coyotes get to howling, they can sound like a dozen of them. With all the food available for them I guess they have a lot to howl about.

The recent weather seemed suited more for duck hunting, but the only duck hunting remaining open is in the south zone closes Jan. 24. Although, the shooting will stop, the duck season never ends for some dedicated hunters who seem to have projects related to waterfowl hunting year round. They may have decoys of all kinds, from big Canada geese to small teal as well as the most popular duck mallards. Those decoys may need to be maintained by painting or repairs before the start of next season.

The recent snow helped make a group of Missouri hunters happy. The declining number of rabbit hunters in the state set out with their beagles in search of cottontails. Many died-in-the-wool rabbit hunters love to hunt with dogs. Although, rabbit population is down from "the good old days." George Thompson, Nixa, has hunted rabbits for more than 30 years stated, "Hunting rabbits in the snow is my favorite kind of hunting. You need a dog, I mean not just any kind of dog, for me, it has to be a beagle. Beagle hounds and rabbits go together like bread and butter." Seasoned hunters know that rabbits are homebodies. When you jump one up it will typically circle back to where it was flushed. Remembering hunts where I stood still where a dog flushed the cottontail and it headed back to the same area time and again.Many rabbit hunters use a shotgun, while others use a .22 rifle to bag their bunny. When you shoot a rabbit with a .22, you won't be picking out shot at the dinner table.The rabbit season runs through Feb. 15 as does the squirrel season. With a good population of squirrels statewide, late hunters will find plenty of targets available.

During the next few weeks there are trout anglers who tie their own flies while waiting for the trout season to open on March 1. There is something special about hooking a trout on a fly that you have constructed yourself.

A small investment of lumber, nails plus a little elbow grease to build bird houses can pay off in an activity to cure the winter blues as well as provide bird-watching enjoyment throughout the year.

If you happen to catch cabin fever during these winter months, there's always something you can do to relieve it.