FINS, FUR AND FEATHERS

WARE, Ill. -- Goose hunting is slow in Southern Illinois, but a few more geese are in the area.

The latest count, taken Nov. 13, revealed about 61,000 geese in the four-county Alexander, Union, Williamson, Jackson quota zone, with about 20,000 geese at the Horseshoe Lake Wildlife Refuge in Alexander County.

About 23,000 geese were counted around the Williamson County Wildlife Refuge, and about 9,000 were counted at the Union County Wildlife Refuge near Ware. A count taken before the season opened revealed only 45,000 geese in the area.

The first week's goose harvest in the quota zone was reported at 2,038, for a daily average of 291.

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WAPPAPELLO Anglers at Wappapello Lake are finding good activity these days. Bass is good on crank bait, and crappie are hitting minnows and jigs.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently announced the scheduled changes in the lake's water level.

Wappapello's recreation pool, maintained from May 1 to Dec. 15, is 359.74 National Geodetic Vertical Datum (NGVD). The drawdown to conservation pool, 354.74 NGVD will get under way Dec. 15 and be completed by the first week of January.

Barring high waters, the conservation pool will be maintained until April, when the lake elevation is raised to mid-pool, 356.74 NGVD, for one month. The lake elevation is raised back to recreation pool May 1.

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Fly fishing, rod building, float tubing, and a number of other topics will be discussed during a meeting of the Trail of Tears Chapter of Trout Unlimited and East Ozark Anglers, to be held at Department of Conservation Headquarters building in Cape County Park Dec. 9.

The group recently became a member of the Missouri Department of Conservation's "Adopt A Stream" program.

"We have selected a portion of the Whitewater River, which flows through Cape Girardeau and Bollinger counties," said Tom Morris, a spokesman of the club. "The project will include stream inventory, litter pick-up and tree plantings along the river to rebuild the stream corridor."

The Dec. 9 meeting will start at 7 p.m.

Additional information is available by calling 651-4410, or 335-1341.

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JEFFERSON CITY--Missouri deer hunters bagged 71,733 deer during the opening weekend of firearms deer season, a 25 percent decrease from last year's harvest of 95,937. Authorities reported 12 hunting accidents during the opening weekend of deer season. No deaths were reported. Eight hunting accidents occurred during the first two days of last year's firearms deer season, including two fatalities.

This year's season began Nov. 16 and will run through Nov. 24.

Approximate totals for the 1991 firearms deer harvest will be compiled by Nov. 25. Final totals will be available March 1.

Macon County led in first-weekend harvest, with 1,715 deer checked. Benton County came in second with 1,638 deer checked, followed by St. Clair County with 1,508.

Other counties where hunters checked more than 1,000 deer in the first two days of the season included Adair, Linn, Boone, Clark, Callaway, Henry, Camden, Howell and Texas.