500,000 hunters take to the woods in Missouri every year to hunt deer,,,,,,,,,,,,,Despite the best attempts of this army of deerslayers, state conservation officials acknowledge that whitetails continue to overbrouse the ground and shrub layers, narrowing the diversity and regeneration ability of the woodlands ............While the occasional male Puma is showing up in Missouri having wandering out of the Black Hills of South Dakota, the ever increasing legal harvest of our "GHOST CAT" in the BADLANDS is threatening to slow down the eastward colonization of the Cats..............Missouri, like so many midwestern and Eastern States are in need of Puma and Wolf restoration to thin the deer herds and restore the diversity of our hardwood forests

Two Local Mountain Lion Photos Comfirmed as Authentic

Ripley County Lion

Not Just Any Kitty!
THIS LION PHOTO was taken in northeast Ripley County Saturday, Oct. 27.

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) has confirmed trail camera photographs taken recently in Reynolds and Ripley counties of a mountain lion in the area.

The first photo was taken Oct. 10 on a game trail in the Current River Conservation Area about five miles south of Ellington. The black-and-white photo showed a full-grown lion in profile walking past the camera but several yards a way.
The second photo was taken by a trail camera on Oct. 27 from a deer camera in Northeast Ripley County. The picture was in full color and pictured the animal walking away from the camera.

The MDC Mountain Lion Response Team confirmed the location of both photographs. Two photos of a lion taken in Shannon County in September have also been confirmed. According to the response team, widely scattered mountain-lion sightings have been confirmed in Missouri and likely will continue.

Since November 2006, six mountain lion sightings have been confirmed in Shannon County, four in Reynolds County (including one caught in a live trap in January 2012), one in Wayne County, one in Carter County and one in Ripley County.
Some sightings or photographs of mountain lions may be of the same animal, but MDC cannot confirm individual animals without DNA evidence.

Evidence to date indicates these mountain lions are dispersing from other states to the west of Missouri. The most extreme evidence of this dispersal occurred in early 2011 when a mountain lion that was killed in Connecticut was genetically traced to South Dakota. MDC has no confirmed evidence of a breeding population in Missouri.
 MDC receives many reports each year from people who believe they have seen mountain lions and encourage these reports. MDC can only confirm those for which there is physical evidence.

Mountain lions are naturally shy of humans and generally pose little danger to people, even in states with thriving breeding populations.

Although mountain lions are protected by law, Missouri's Wildlife Code does allow people to protect themselves and their property if they feel threatened.

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Deer harvest predicted to be good for hunters and all of Missouri-linda Russell; ky3.com


SPRINGFIELD, Mo.-- Hunters are gearing up for what's forecasted to be a strong deer harvest. It's good for non-hunters as well. The Missouri Department of Conservation estimates about 500,000 hunters will be in the woods across Missouri on Saturday. It's not only a hobby and a way to put food on the table, it's also an economic boom.

Hunters across Missouri are packing up their guns and camo. "Just ever since I was a kid, I've always deer hunted," says Ryan Preston.

Conservation officials say this season, the deer may be a little easier to find, because the drought has made their food source harder to find. "t's been a poorer acorn crop than usual, and what happens in situations like that is the deer are more concentrated around where there are acorns," says Francis Scalicky of the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Deer are most likely to find more acorns around red oak trees, which produce their nuts every two years, so they have the benefit of last year's rainfall. Their leaves are pointed, whereas the white oaks, severely affected by this year's drought, have rounded leaves.

But before heading out on the search for deer, hunters are first buying their gear. "Camo clothing, and we really like to encourage people to buy their blaze orange to stay safe out there," says Jacy Woosley of Bass Pro Shops.

"Actually, my dad's buying a brand new gun," Preston says. The retail sales and jobs related to deer hunters actually equal a more than $1 billion boost each year for Missouri's economy. "When the economy changes, hunting doesn't change. Going outdoors is something you'll always be able to do," says Woosley.

"It's a big economic boom for Missouri. It's a big quality of life boom for Missouri, because it puts healthy meat on a lot of dinner tables," says Scalicky. Not to mention, it's something that thousands across the state enjoy. "There's a fellowship side to deer season. It gets relatives together," Scalicky says. "We're going to try the new place, see what kind of deer population is going on out there, and see what we can take down," says Preston.

Conservation officials have reports of 6,000 deer dying of hemorrhagic diseases that spreads more easily in the drought, but they don't believe it will affect this year's harvest. Missouri has more than 1 million deer