Family-Outdoors

English: (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) MANCHESTER  – More than 350,000 rainbow and brook trout will be heading to streams in 12 northeast Iowa counties over the next six months when the Department of Natural Resources begins its weekly stocking runs on Monday. The three trout hatcheries – Decorah, Big Spring and Manchester – spend one and a half years to grow the fish to stocking size of one-half pound.  “Our stocking trucks will be going to different streams each day until the end of September when the announced stocking period ends,” said Mike Steuck, supervisor for fisheries in northeast Iowa. Trout will be stocked through October, but when and where is not announced. Many anglers have already been out pursuing trout that spent all winter in the streams eating bugs and sharpening their survival skills making them more difficult to catch. For the angler who is more novice than expert, Steuck said the key is to use light line and small tackle and to try to bl...

Archery may be an ancient art, but it is still being mastered by thousands of Oklahoma youth today, many of whom participated March 28 in the annual Oklahoma National Archery in the Schools State Shoot.             More than 1,100 students from schools across Oklahoma turned out at the Oklahoma State Fair Park in Oklahoma City March 28 for the state shoot. The event brought students together after a season of practice and competition in their respective schools as part of the Oklahoma National Archery in the Schools Program (OKNASP), administered by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.             To help manage the sheer number of students participating in this growing program (about 310 schools statewide participate in the program), the Wildlife Department held regional shoots across the state to establish which teams and individual shooters would ...

Locator Map of Missouri, United States (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Don’t be a fool and miss out on an opportunity to exercise in the great outdoors on an April Fool’s Hike at Crowder State Park near Trenton. The hike, sponsored by Missouri State Parks, will begin at 1 p.m. on Sunday, April 1 at the beach parking lot and the public is invited to attend. The two-mile hike will follow the River Forks Trail where you can experience the beauty of nature, including many early wildflowers and ferns. You will catch a glimpse of the Thompson River at the trail’s farthest point. Participants are encouraged to wear comfortable hiking shoes and bring water. Crowder State Park is located west of Trenton off Highway 6. For more information about the hike, call the park at 660-359-6473 . For more information about Missouri state parks and historic sites, visit mostateparks.com . Missouri State Parks is a division of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Rel...

MORAVIA,  Iowa   - The northern pike spawn is over in plenty of time to get ready for the walleyes. It hasn’t happened this way in a few years but thanks to Mother Nature, the fisheries staff will have enough time – and more importantly tank space - to prepare for the thousands of walleyes soon to be heading their way. The DNR normally collects walleyes beginning in early April, but the warmer than normal winter and spring is making 2012 collection a bit less predictable. Walleyes spawn when water temperature is in the middle 40s and the photoperiod (daylight) length is around the first week of April.  The water temperature at Lake Rathbun is 51 degrees at the dam and 60.5 degrees at Bridgeview.  Spirit Lake is around 52 degrees. East Okoboji Lake in the Iowa Great Lakes region. Based on original public domain map courtesy of USGS. © 2004 Matthew Trump . (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “Walleyes are a little confused right now. The water temperature ha...

Benny Williams, Jr. of Poteau landed the new state record largemouth bass March 23 at Cedar Lake. The fish weighed 14 lbs. 12.3 oz.  A new Oklahoma state record largemouth bass was caught Friday, March 23, at Cedar Lake in southeast Oklahoma. The fish weighed 14 lbs. 12.3 oz. and was caught by Poteau angler Benny Williams, Jr. while on a camping trip at the 78-acre LeFlore Co. lake.             Williams caught the bass at 11 a.m. on a ¼ oz. Striker King jig. This fish measured 26 inches in length and 22 3/8 inches in girth.             Williams' fish breaks a state record held since 1999 when William Cross caught a 14-lb. 11.52-oz. bass from Broken Bow Lake.             "Catching the state record largemouth bass in Oklahoma is a big deal and catching a fish this large is a big deal," said Bar...

Archery (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) The National Oklahoma Archery in the Schools Program is heating up as nearly 1,200 students from across the state prepare to compete March 28 at the annual OKNASP state shoot at the State Fair Park in Oklahoma City. The students qualified for the state shoot by competing in regional archery events held in February, in which more than 2,400 students participated. About 310 schools across Oklahoma participate in the Oklahoma National Archery in the Schools Program (OKNASP), and about 70 of those will bring students to compete in the state shoot after a season of practice and competition in their respective schools. "Coaches have told me time and again that this program has helped every child see success. From the typical athletic student to the child that does not usually excel in most other sports, archery is allowing all students to compete on a level playing field," said Justin Marschall, OKNASP coordinator for the Wildlife Dep...

Map of USA with Oklahoma highlighted (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Youth turkey hunters have the annual opportunity to head to the woods a few days earlier than other hunters during the youth turkey season, slated this year for March 31-April 1 in most of the state and April 21-22 in the southeast region. The youth spring turkey seasons are offered to youth under 18 years of age who are accompanied by an adult 18 years old or older. The adult may not hunt or possess archery or firearms equipment. While eligible youth can hunt during both youth seasons, the limit for both youth seasons combined is one tom turkey. Turkeys taken by youth turkey hunters during the spring youth turkey seasons are included in the youth hunters' county and regular spring season limits. Youth who participate in the youth spring turkey season not only get an early opportunity to hunt, but those youth who do not harvest a turkey during the youth season may use their unfilled turkey licenses during th...

Progne subis English: Two fledgling Purple Martins in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. Looks like a fly was hitching a ride on one of their backs. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) The U.S. Postal Service is now offering a purple martin stamped envelope and a "Birds of Prey" stamp collection. The purple martin envelopes are being issued as Forever® stamped envelopes - meaning the value of the postage is always equal to the value of the current First-Class Mail one-ounce rate. They feature beautiful purple martins in flight and perching on a branch in full color. Purple martins are unique birds that arrive in Oklahoma every spring after migrating from South America. You can attract them to your yard, and now is the time to prepare for their arrival. According to Mark Howery, wildlife diversity biologist for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, purple martins readily take to nesting in manmade structures and do so almost exclusively. Place a purple martin house on a...

More than 2,000 Iowa kindergarteners to high school seniors used their skills to demonstrate what they like to do outdoors by submitting artwork for the “Take It Outside” Art Contest. Entries showcased camping, fishing, hiking, hunting , wildlife watching, biking and more. This year’s theme focused on the 75 th Anniversary of the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration (WSFR) Program, including how WSFR projects and activities make it possible for Iowans to take it outside by funding access for hunting, fishing, and boating, as well as research and education to improve Iowa’s fish and wildlife resources. WSFR funds come from special taxes on hunting and fishing equipment and related items. Schools were asked to submit posters in each of six categories: hand drawn (grades K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12) and computer generated (grades 6-8 and 9-12). Winners were selected based on portrayal of theme, creative expression, originality, visual appeal, and artistic merit.  School...