The MSIN wants your kids.  If you have photos you would like to share email them to us and we will get them on this special page dedicated to the outdoor kids of Missouri.  If you have a story to tell we would love to publish that too.

Gov. Holden applauded productions focusing attention on efforts to create a litter-free Missouri JEFFERSON CITY -- Teenagers are using lights and cameras to get Missourians to take action in the war against litter. Video spots produced by Stratton Tingle of Cape Girardeau and the St. Louis-area team of Matthew Brimer, Paul Nauert and Lorenzo D'Aubert were the first winners in the "No MOre Trash!" video contest sponsored by the Missouri Departments of conservation and transportation. The competition, targeting Missourians ages 16 through 22, awards $200 for 30-second entries judged best in promoting litter awareness. Tingle, a film production student who attends college in Chattanooga, Tenn., won for his humorous take on a newscaster being pelted with trash while reporting litter problems. The other winning entry was by Brimer, Nauert and D'Aubert who are sophomores attending Lindbergh High School. It features a portrayal of Thomas Jefferson speaking out against littering.

"Coming up with creative ideas with friends was just a lot of fun-it would have been worth it even if we hadn't won," said Brimer.

The Conservation and Highway departments, which are key sponsors of the "No MOre Trash" campaign, recently held ceremonies honoring the contest winners. Conservation Commissioner Stephen Bradford presented Tingle's award in Cape Girardeau and Conservation Commissioner Cynthia Metcalfe gave the award to the St. Louis area team in Kirkwood. The students also received commendations from Governor Bob Holden.

"Missouri's wealth of natural beauty and resources is something none of us can afford to take for granted," said Governor Holden. "The First Lady and I commend all the students who created videos for this contest. Raising awareness about litter and helping to prevent it are key to creating a litter-free Missouri."

"NO MOre Trash" is Missouri's first statewide litter awareness campaign. Assisting in the effort is the Missouri Anti-litter Advisory Board established by Governor Holden and First Lady Lori Hauser Holden. The board is composed of government, business and nonprofit organizations.

The campaign began in April with the launch of the "No MOre Trash" website and a 30-second ad that ran on cable networks through July. The first video contest entries arrived in June. The next contest deadline is October 31st.

"We started the video contest to give young Missourians a chance to create their own messages against litter," said Lorna Domke, campaign coordinator from the Missouri Department of Conservation. "There's a lot of creativity out there, so we hope to keep the contest going to give as many students as possible a chance to get involved."

"The ad should target a teen audience," said Stacy Armstrong who, along with Melissa Black, coordinates the campaign for the Transportation Department. "Anyone younger than 16 can enter, but they'll be competing against older students. The ads can be produced by a team or an individual."

Entries (in VHS, digital video or other formats) should be sent by Oct. 31 to: Lorna Domke, No MOre Trash!, P.O. Box 180, 2901 W. Truman Blvd., Jefferson City, MO 65109. For more information on the campaign or contest or to view the winning videos, visit www.nomoretrash.org.

- Lorna Domke -

Youth Turkey Season Dates April 13th & 14th  Let's see some of those turkey photos guys and girls! Way to go Courtney.  It sure helps when you dad is one of north Missouri's top outfitters. photo courtesy KT's Hunts

Adam Boehle from Warrenton, MO. 25 pounder taken open day of the 2002 youth season.  Way to go Adam, how could you miss with a hat like that.

Charlie Lemley age 12 Taken the second evening of the regular season.  Charlie's first buck.  This might be a tough one to top.  But his dad probably knows where there are more like him.  Charlie took this one with a .243 it has 10 points and an inside spread of 17".  His dad says he rough scored it at nearly 140 BC. photo courtesy of Skeeter Lumley from The Fish Camp.

Ben Wilmes 108 lb doe Nodaway County photo by Big Bird

Zach Smith, formally from Kirksville killed his first buck, a 10 pointer in Cooper county on the second morning of the Missouri youth season. Zach used his dads Tikka .270 to down this nice buck.

“Dad!  I see a deer!” by Mick Maples Those words will remain a cherished memory of mine for a lifetime.  I heard them on a beautiful fall morning about a week ago.  It was day two of the special “Youth deer hunting season” that the state of Missouri decided to offer this year.  The weekend of October 27 and 28 was open deer season for children holding “Youth firearms license”. This wonderful idea needs to become a permanent part of Missouri hunting law.  My experience went like this: The morning of the 27th, my 11-year-old son, Ryan, had a soccer game very early.  He decided to maintain his commitment to his team that morning, so we postponed hunting until later that day.  Right after lunch we headed to the private property owned by my new friend, Ken, graciously introduced to me through another friend, Bill, who was eager to see us have a successful hunt.  Along the way we talked about many aspects of the hunt, from the wind direction to where to aim for a swift, humane kill.

The property was beautiful.  Expansive fields and forested areas were separated by beautiful Missouri hills.  We hunted that afternoon and evening, sitting side by side in the tree stand.  We watched many turkeys and hawks, and even saw a few deer, although none of them offered him a sure shot.  That night, as we walked from the stand to our vehicle, we had the pleasure of listening to groups of coyotes calling to each other.  Ryan had never heard such a sound before and found it eerily beautiful.  We left that night feeling anxious and optimistic about the next morning.

We arrived the next morning in plenty of time to get to the tree stand before first light.  Ryan was fascinated by how bright the stars were shining that morning.  He identified several constellations as we walked.  It was cool that morning, but not so cold that a cup of hot cocoa couldn’t chase the chill away.  Again, we sat side by side, sharing father/son conversation.  Ryan loved watching the turkeys all around us.  They were fighting and playing and calling to each other.  He watched the field to the left, while I watched the woods to the right.

About 7:30, I heard him whisper the words which got our hearts racing:  “Dad, I see a deer!”  I slowly turned my head towards the direction he was looking but saw nothing but the turkeys.  “Where?” I asked.  “Right there!” he whispered, pointing to the corner of the woods, “and it’s a BIG buck!”  I still couldn’t see it until he was aiming his rifle to see it through his scope.  My eyes followed his aim and sure enough, there, 75 yards away, in the light brush stood “his buck”.  I asked him if he thought he had a clear shot.  “Yeah, I think so” he replied.  I told him that if he was confident, he should take the shot whenever he was ready.  He said, “Okay”, and conscientiously gave me a “one, two, three” countdown before firing.  Watching the deer jump and run down the nearby dry creek bed was surely disappointing to Ryan.  He was certain he must’ve missed.  I told him that wasn’t necessarily true.  He may have hit him, but didn’t kill him instantly.  We watched as the buck tried, unsuccessfully, to climb up the other bank of the creek bed.  Our spirits lifted as we approached the bed and, lying there at the edge of the creek was his deer, downed with a single shot from the rifle we had given Ryan for his birthday a year earlier.  I don’t know which of us was more excited, him or me.  This was a true trophy animal in every sense of the word.

The massive buck sported 9 points.  The outside spread of his antlers measures over 17 inches with tines that are over 10 inches tall.  Estimates of his field dressed weight were placed at about 180 – 200 lbs. Ryan is understandably delighted and proud of his first successful hunt, but it may be years before he will truly realize that bucks like this don’t wander in front of your crosshairs often.

This experience has produced memories of a lifetime.  Afterwards, I asked Ryan what he hopes to remember about his first deer.  His reply touched me.  He said that some of the best parts of it were spending time with me in the tree stand talking, watching the turkeys, listening to the coyotes the night before, seeing just how bright stars can shine, and of course, successfully harvesting his first deer.  What a sportsman.

Colton's first deer,  taken November 10, 2001.  It was a chilly morning in Northeast Missouri opening day of Deer season 2001. Dad and I were up in a tree stand at day break.  My Dad grunted a call a couple of times and we waited.  We heard a couple of shots and we were looking around when all of a sudden out of no where at 40 yards stood a 6 point.  I slowly reached for my gun.  I took it off safety and put the cross hairs on the front shoulder.  I pulled the trigger and the report of the 30.06 even startled me.  The buck staggered into the brush, we waited a short while before climbing down from our stand.  We followed the blood trail and found him, we field dressed him then went to the cabin and got the truck. Colton Lane Ledford

Cody Schlosser's first buck. 2001.

Robby Springer, check out the story of Robby's first turkey.

On a cool foggy morning I was up early to go turkey hunting. As me and my father stepped from the truck trying to be quiet so we wouldn’t wake the turkeys up. As we approached where we were to sit we could hear the turkeys just waking up, so we settled and waited for them to fly from the trees. As we sat there, there was one turkey that just couldn’t make up his mind if he wanted to stand, sit or wakeup. But after awhile he came down and the hunt was on. Me with my shotgun and dad close behind, I dropped that bird with one shot. After all I am only 8 years old and this was my first hunt. Turkey weighed 25 ½ pounds, 9 inch beard. From a young sprout Scott Thomas

Clinton Harris, Aaron Findling, Sarah Findling, Katie Findling, Dylan Roberts

Clinton and Dylan shot birds early Saturday morning.  This was Clinton's second spring turkey and all agree that he is on his own next year.  Sarah and Katie both got into birds, but unfortunately, came home empty handed.

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