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Preparing your plants and garden for winter with University of Missouri Field Specialist in Horticulture Jennifer Schutter

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reminds deer hunters that mandatory CWD sampling will be required in several counties in northeast Missouri during the opening weekend of firearms deer season, Nov. 11-12. Northeast Missouri counties where mandatory CWD sampling is required include Adair, Chariton, Linn, Macon, Putnam, Schuyler, and Sullivan. Lymph nodes are removed from the deer to test for CWD. Hunters can find test results for their deer at https://mdc.mo.gov/cwdtestresults.

Hunters will need to take deer (or the head) harvested in those counties during the opening weekend of firearms deer season to an MDC mandatory CWD sampling station. The sampling stations will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. and are located at the following locations:

• Adair: NEMO Fairgrounds at 2700 E. Illinois in Kirksville
• Chariton: Bossville Wholesalers at 16660 Hwy. 129 near Bynumville and Keytesville MODOT Facility at 220 E. Jackson St. in Keytesville.
• Linn: Linn County Fairgrounds at 29248 Idalis Road and Purdin Community Center at 402 C St.
• Macon: La Plata City Park at E. Sanders St. in La Plata and Macon County Fairgrounds at Hwy. 63 S and Rt. PP in Macon.
• Putnam: Putnam County Fairgrounds at the intersection of Hwy. 5 N and Hwy. 136 in Unionville.
• Schuyler: The Outlet at 811 Hwy. 63 near Lancaster.
• Sullivan: North Central Missouri Electric Co-Op at 1098 Hwy. E near Milan.

Hunters should note that the stations in New Cambria and Novinger that were open during previous years are no longer in operation, and samples should be taken to one of the above listed stations.

MDC notes that mandatory CWD sampling is also required in several northwest Missouri counties on Nov. 11-12, including Caldwell, Carroll, Clay, Clinton, Grundy, Livingston, and Ray. Find mandatory CWD sampling locations online at mdc.mo.gov/CWD, or from MDC’s 2023 Fall Deer & Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information booklet, available where permits are sold.

Throughout all firearms and archery deer hunting seasons, voluntary testing of deer for CWD is available at some MDC offices and at partnering taxidermy and meat processing businesses. MDC also has self-serve freezer locations where deer heads can be left for testing. However, the freezers will be locked during Nov. 11-12 in mandatory CWD sampling counties when hunters must take deer (or the head) to a mandatory CWD sampling station on those dates.

Hunters are also reminded that special regulations apply in the CWD Management Zone regarding transportation of carcasses and the prohibition of feed and minerals. For complete information on CWD regulations and voluntary testing sites, visit mdc.mo.gov/cwd. An overview of voluntary CWD testing and freezer head drop off sites in northeast Missouri is available at http://short.mdc.mo.gov/Zdy.

CWD is a deadly, infectious disease in deer and other members of the deer family (cervids) that eventually kills all animals it infects. There is no vaccine or cure. CWD can be spread from direct deer-to-deer contact, through improper disposal of deer carcasses, and through the environment by deer contacting infectious material from other deer. Hunters play a critical role in helping MDC find and manage the disease by having their deer tested and following carcass-movement restrictions and other CWD regulations. 

The most complete information about deer hunting in Missouri regarding seasons, regulations, and CWD testing is in MDC’s 2023 Fall Deer & Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information booklet, available where hunting permits are sold. The booklet is also available online at http://short.mdc.mo.gov/4eu.

SCOTLAND COUNTY, Mo.-  A farm harvest accident resulted in critical injuries for a Scotland County youth.

Sheriff Bryan Whitney told KMEM News that just after 3 pm Thursday afternoon he responded to a call of a 16-year old male juvenile whose leg was trapped in a grain auger.  The incident occurred on private property about seven miles south of Memphis off Route M. 

According to Whitney, the juvenile was attempting to unload corn from a dump truck into an auger pit when the end gate stuck shut.  The youth apparently tried to unstick the gate by using a pry bar while standing on the edge of the auger pit.  While trying to pry the gate open, the young man slipped and his leg landed in the auger pit, which was in operation, and became entangled. 

Units from the Rutledge Fire Department, Gorin First Responders and Scotland County Ambulance arrived on scene as well as Sheriff Whitney and began stabilization and extrication efforts.

The youth was removed from the auger and flown by air evac helicopter to University of Missouri Hospital in Columbia.  Whitney reported that the young man was in critical but stable condition.

MONTICELLO, Mo.- In June of this year, the Sheriff's Office began investigating two reports of fraud in rural Canton. Two different home owners reported an individual, whom they identified as 43-year old Weston Johnson of Hannibal, had offered to trim trees on their property. The subject took partial payment and agreed to return to their properties a few days later to complete the work.

The subject immediately cashed the checks and then failed to return to complete the work. After conducting an investigation and attempting to locate Johnson, the investigation was forwarded to Lewis County Prosecutor Chelsea Fellinger, and a warrant was sought and later issued.

On Sunday, the Hannibal Police Department arrested Johnson and he was then transported to the Lewis County Jail.

Johnson is formally charged with two counts of stealing, a class D felony, and remains incarcerated in the Lewis County Jail on $10,000 cash only bond.

BARING, Mo. – Last month, staff from the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) partnered with the City of Baring in Knox County and Forest Releaf to replant trees that were damaged by a tornado earlier this year.

In early August, an EF-2 tornado damaged and destroyed several homes, buildings, and trees as the storm moved through the area. Citizens within the community were saddened by the loss of their property and natural landscape, and several individuals from the area contacted MDC staff to inquire about replacing the damaged trees. Ten locations were selected by members of the Baring City Council and MDC to serve as replanting sites to replace some of the lost tree canopy. Forest Releaf provided free replacement trees for the project, and MDC staff assisted in the planting of these new trees.

“This project was a tremendous help in getting our little town and community to its new normal,” says Baring City Council member, Teresa Hunolt. “The trees will be with us for many years and help provide shade for all community members to enjoy in our park. We are very thankful to MDC for working with us and making this possible.”

A healthy tree canopy can improve health, add value to properties, and can help to provide respite from weather impacts in urban areas. To learn more about the value of trees in Missouri, go to http://short.mdc.mo.gov/ZQh.

KAHOKA, Mo.- A traffic stop resulted in a drug bust in Clark County Thursday night. 

Court documents indicate that a Clark County Sheriff’s Deputy initiated a traffic stop just before 7:30 pm Thursday evening when the vehicle failed to signal before turning.  Upon approaching the vehicle, the deputy identified the driver as 49-year old Stacy Sapp of Luray.

Upon learning that Sapp is currently on probation and parole with the State of Missouri, the deputy asked for and received consent to search Sapp and his vehicle.  As a result of the search, the officer discovered a glass pipe with white residue and a small distribution baggie also with white powder residue inside a glasses case.  The search also uncovered another distribution baggie with white residue inside the vehicle.

Sapp was transported to the Clark County Jail where a urine sample analysis was completed as well as field testing on the pipe and baggies seized from the scene of the stop.  The urine sample tested positive for methamphetamine and amphetamine.  The field test on the paraphernalia came back positive for methamphetamine.

Sapp was arrested and charged with a Class D Felony of Possession of a Controlled Substance, as well as misdemeanor charges of Unlawful Possession of Drug Paraphernalia- Prior Offender and Failure to Signal When Turning.  Sapp is being lodged in the Clark County Jail on $10,000 cash-only bond.