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KBIA's ongoing coverage of the midwest's worst drought in half a century.

Turkey, quail and bees fared well in Mo. in 2012

Mr. Muskrat
/
Flickr

2012 was a rough year for Missouri farmers battling severe drought and extreme heat, but some species of wildlife did well – specifically, turkeys, bobwhite quail and honeybees.

Wild turkeys are ground-nesting birds, which thrive better during dry years.  Jason Isabelle is a resource scientist with the Missouri Department of Conservation.  He says the drought and hot weather from the past two summers have sparked a sharp rise in the state’s turkey population.

“This year’s hatch was actually 42 percent above the previous 5-year average and 21 percent above the previous 10-year average, and it was identical to last year,” Isabelle said.

Isabelle says, though, that last year’s improved turkey hatch varied by region, while this year it was more evenly distributed throughout Missouri.

“Actually, our highest production during 2012 was down in the eastern part of the Ozarks, but other than down in extreme southeastern Missouri, we tended to see a pretty uniform patch throughout much of the state,” Isabelle said.

And Isabelle says this year’s abundant hatches have translated to a good year for turkey hunters in Missouri.

“Our fall turkey firearm harvest this year was up 20 percent from what it was last year, and permit sales were up 9 percent…that’s certainly good news for anybody looking ahead to the spring season as well – there should be a larger group of 2-year-old adult gobblers out there than we’ve had in quite a few years, so that’s certainly encouraging,” Isabelle said.

Another ground-nesting bird in Missouri benefited from the drought.  The bobwhite quail’s numbers took a big hit when record rainfall drenched the state in 2008, but they’ve improved since.  Max Alleger is the Department of Conservation’s Grassland Bird Coordinator.  He says heavy rainfall at the wrong time of year can be detrimental to population numbers:

“In one respect, the dry conditions that we had going back into the winter of 2011 and through the growing season of 2012 made nesting more successful in some parts of the state,” Alleger said.

But while the hot, dry weather made for ideal nesting conditions, Alleger says it also limited the bobwhite quail’s food supply.

“The dry conditions probably led to fewer insects being produced, and probably led to (the) production of fewer seeds and grains which are needed by quail as a food source this time of year…so it was a mixed bag,” Alleger said.

2012 was a good year for Missouri’s honeybees, although in their case they did well in spite of the drought.  John Timmons heads the Missouri State Beekeepers Association.  He says the early spring played a role in increased honey production this year.

“And then (there was) a good pattern, and a good balance, of dry periods and wet periods…the floral sources had a lot of opportunity to produce lots of nectar, and as a result the bees make lots of honey,” Timmons said.

Timmons says the drought resulted in bees’ floral sources shutting down, but in the end, it didn’t matter because most of the honey produced in Missouri this year had already been produced.

“They picked back up again in most areas of Missouri…we got some rain, the floral sources began to blossom, we had plenty of nectar, and as a result the bees started producing lots of honey,” Timmons said.

That in turn led to a good fall harvest of honey, which Timmons says has its own distinct flavor due to different floral sources.

Missouri Public Radio State House Reporter Marshall Griffin is a proud alumnus of the University of Mississippi (a.k.a., Ole Miss), and has been in radio for over 20 years, starting out as a deejay. His big break in news came when the first President Bush ordered the invasion of Panama in 1989. Marshall was working the graveyard shift at a rock station, and began ripping news bulletins off the old AP teletype and reading updates between songs. From there on, his radio career turned toward news reporting and anchoring. In 1999, he became the capital bureau chief for Florida's Radio Networks, and in 2003 he became News Director at WFSU-FM/Florida Public Radio. During his time in Tallahassee he covered seven legislative sessions, Governor Jeb Bush's administration, four hurricanes, the Terri Schiavo saga, and the 2000 presidential recount. Before coming to Missouri, he enjoyed a brief stint in the Blue Ridge Mountains, reporting and anchoring for WWNC-AM in Asheville, North Carolina. Marshall lives in Jefferson City with his wife, Julie, their dogs, Max and Mason, and their cat, Honey.