When the 2025-26 deer hunting season opened in September, I wrote that a dark cloud was hanging over the proceedings with friends and family members staking out opposing sides on the divisive issue of chronic wasting disease management.

When the final arrow flies this afternoon, closing the last of all deer hunting seasons for 2025-26, Jefferson County will maintain its reign as the top archery harvest county in the state for the 14th consecutive year.

With a couple of my outdoor adventuring associates sidelined by the sickness that swept through so many seasonal celebrations and family functions over the holiday break, we were forced to find an alternative activity to our annual First Day …

Visiting the Audubon Center at Riverlands can be a treat any time of the year, but the winter holds the allure of special avian guests and regular events to increase the opportunity and understanding of those big American birds.

What a blessing it is to me to get the opportunity to reach a mass of people and wish them a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. Thank you to all the Leader readers who I encounter throughout the year who tell me they read my ramblings regularly.

There is never a bad time to help a good cause, so the required donation to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology was not a barrier to keep me from joining a program called Project FeederWatch. One week into my membership, I already consider it $18 …

One of the outdoors’ greatest shows not on Earth takes place this month and will reach its performance peak this weekend. The display will go on regardless of the weather, but in order for us to enjoy it, clear skies at night are necessary.

A friend asked me earlier this week, “You know where Knob Noster State Park is, don’t you?”

Since I am a frequent shopper at Buchheit in Herculaneum, my wife Kelly will tell you that it was not so coincidental that I was in the store on the same day I heard the news that the Farmers’ Almanac was ceasing publication.

While most of the focus this time of year is on hunting, a popular fishing season has opened to provide opportunities for anglers close to home and in their favorite spring and summer streams around the state.

The old saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” is countered by the advice that if you have something good, keep working on it until it’s better and then make it the best it can be.

Jefferson County residents can get a look at the newest expansion of one of its most interesting outdoors attractions Nov. 7. A ribbon-cutting ceremony and tour at the LaBarque Creek Conservation Area near Eureka is scheduled at 3 p.m.

The future of deer hunting is in some very small hands, but it is the adults who must make a commitment to growing the sport and encouraging participation. The first of two youth-only hunting seasons open Saturday, Nov.1.

An initiative from the Missouri Department of Conservation invites people of all ages to connect with the outdoors or find their way back outside through a number of activities and multi-media opportunities.

While it may be too soon to call it waxing nostalgic, I have been thinking about the history of hunter education in Missouri. It was not that long ago that this time of year would present a calendar full of opportunities for new hunters to ea…

Hunters who believe that we are the best deer management tool available get their first chance to prove the point this weekend. When the early portion of the antlerless hunting season opens Friday (Oct. 10), hunters will have three days to ma…

The ability of humans to communicate is not unique among animal species. We may be the most advanced at the trick, but in some instances, we could be the worst at it. When I hear song birds singing, crickets chirping, tree frogs trilling, or …

Jefferson County can boast about its share of outdoor legends, but few will leave a legacy as far reaching as William “Bill” Kunz. As big as his impact may have been on hunting and shooting sports, the people who knew him best say it was a fr…

Fall turkey hunters will experience the biggest regulation change as the seasons open this autumn. Already affected are those who have enjoyed a combined deer and turkey archery hunting opportunity.

Fall deer hunting seasons open on Monday, Sept. 15, in Missouri with dark clouds hanging over the proceedings. The presence of chronic wasting disease is not the cause for the overwhelming concern. It is a virulent misinformation campaign tha…

Putting conservation into action should be a year-round goal for everyone who inhabits the planet, but September is a particularly good time to get in to action. Two upcoming events in the St. Louis region and an annual sale will provide chan…