John Winkelman

1 week ago | myleaderpaper.com | John Winkelman

The awards podium was a popular place for Jefferson County archers at the National Archery in Schools Program state tournament March 19-22 in Branson. Twenty-three area schools participated in the bullseye tournament and proved once again how strong our county is in this popular sport.

2 weeks ago | myleaderpaper.com | John Winkelman

The city of Herculaneum and a few other online sources have recently posted helpful tips for pruning Bradford pear trees. The once-revered ornamental landscaping plants, now recognized as invasive, are notorious for how easily their branches shear off in storms. Recent spring turbulence has reemphasized the need for tree trimming and observing safety in chainsaw use. The procedure is simple; one cut across the stump as close to the ground as possible is recommended to eliminate future troubles.

3 weeks ago | myleaderpaper.com | John Winkelman

We just celebrated the first day of spring, and it’s not too early to begin making plans for summer. You can register now for the annual Discover Nature Girls Camp scheduled for June 16-17 in the St. Louis region. The camp accepts up to 60 girls ages 11 through 15 each year, and as of March 20, more than half of those spots were already taken. The link to registration provided by the state Department of Conservation is short.mdc.mo.gov/4jc.

1 month ago | myleaderpaper.com | John Winkelman

One of the most contentious but least consequential issues that hunters argue about is non-residents coming to our state to hunt for deer, turkey and waterfowl. The state Department of Conservation is asking hunters and the public for their opinions on the subject. A survey was emailed March 10 to 56,000 state residents and 1,800 non-residents who purchased permits over the past two years, according to a press release from the department.

1 month ago | myleaderpaper.com | John Winkelman

Most of the chatter following last year’s firearms deer hunting season was about the reduced harvest totals. Rationale such as weather, acorns, moon phases and timing didn’t appease the skeptics, but when reviewed over time, things certainly were not that bad. The overall harvest total was down 15 percent from the record set the previous year and 8 percent below the most recent five-year average, but there were still 276,272 deer taken by hunters.