If your little ones have been playing in wooded areas most of the day, it’s important to inspect for insect bites, especially from ticks before they hop into their sleeping bags for the night.  A complete body scan, yep, head to toe, is essential.  Start by looking in your child’s hair, behind their ears and along the neck, working your way down.  Check clothing too because it’s the perfect place for a stowaway to hide.

If you do find a tick, the first thing you want to do is remove it.  Ticks burrow their heads in their victim’s skin.  The best way to remove a tick is with a tweezers.  Firmly grasp the tick at its head as close to your child’s skin as possible, then pull steadily until it lets go.  Avoid jerking or twisting the tweezers when attempting to pull out the tick or you may leave its head embedded in your child’s skin.  Do not use petroleum jelly or a lighter or lit match to remove a tick.  These methods do not work, are scary to children and only cause the tick to dig deeper into your child’s skin.

Once you’ve removed the tick, place the tick in a Ziploc bag.  Be sure to swab the area of the tick bite with an alcohol-soaked cotton ball or pad.  It’s a good idea to contact your child’s pediatrician about the tick bite.  Many pediatricians will want to make sure your child doesn’t have Lyme disease.  Deer ticks carry Lyme disease, a bacterial disease that’s harmful to children’s health.  Lyme disease causes a red bull’s-eye-shaped rash, appearing within 3-30 days of a deer tick bite.  When your child has been bitten by a deer tick bite you’ll want to keep an eye on the area for several weeks and take your child to the pediatrician right away if a rash occurs.  Lyme disease is easily treated with antibiotics and works best at the first signs of infection.

When it comes to ticks, Benjamin Franklin was right when he said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”  One way to protect your children from ticks is to dress them in long-sleeved shirts and long pants before they go hiking in the woods or tall grass where ticks hang out.  If you or your children have been walking or playing in woods or grassy fields, check each other for ticks.  Ticks thrive in moist, humid places like piles of leaves and wooded or grassy areas.  Insect repellents containing 30 percent DEET or 10 percent picaridin also provide good protection against ticks.  Apply the repellent to your child’s clothing and exposed skin except the hands and face.  Ask your child’s doctor to recommend an insect repellent if you have safety concerns.  Most insect repellents protect against mosquito, spider and tick bites.

Protecting your family and pets from ticks on your next float trip takes preparation.  By wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants in wooded and grassy areas, using insect repellents containing DEET or picaridin and conducting full body scans for ticks you’re more likely to avoid tick bites and Lyme disease.

First, choose your roasting stick. Many campers bring store-bought metal skewers from home, while others prefer to use sticks from trees. While metal skewers are more sanitary, sticks are an authentic, rustic alternative. However, for campers who are concerned about germs or have low immune systems metal skewers is the best choice. Tree sticks offer a slight flavor to marshmallows that you won’t get with metal skewers. If you prefer to use a stick, find a hardwood stick rather than an evergreen or resinous one. The last thing you want is sap seeping into your marshmallow.

Next, make sure you choose a stick that’s long enough to keep you a safe distance from the campfire. This should be determined by the person roasting the marshmallow as some campers have a higher tolerance of fire than others. Small children and fire-leery people should have longer sticks or skewers. Adults and braver campers should be fine with medium length sticks that allow them to roast their marshmallows in closer proximity to the fire.

Once you’ve chosen your stick or skewer, you’re ready to load the marshmallow. The marshmallow should be loaded onto the stick or skewer far enough that it doesn’t fall into the fire once it gets hot. This means having a few inches of the stick or skewer exposed at the fire end beyond the marshmallow. Push the marshmallow too far back and it becomes more difficult to remove when it’s done roasting.

Roasting time varies with the individual. If you prefer your marshmallow burnt or blackened, stick the marshmallow near the hot coals at the bottom of the fire or directly into the flames. Once the marshmallow has caught fire, step away from the fire and others so that you can safely blow out the small flame without harming others. If you prefer a lightly brown roasted marshmallow, move your skewered marshmallow briskly over the flames, occasionally checking its progress. Avoid sticking the marshmallow directly into the flames if you only want a lightly browned result.

Once you’ve roasted your marshmallow to your liking, remove it from the fire and allow it to cool for 20-30 seconds. Holding the stick or skewer with one hand, grasp the marshmallow with your other hand and slowly pull the roasted marshmallow off the end of the roasting stick or skewer, pulling the inside of the marshmallow along with the toasted outside. If you’re making s’mores, another camper can remove the marshmallow for you by sandwiching two graham crackers around it, pulling the roasted marshmallow off the stick or skewer.

Roasting marshmallows around a campfire is a great way for family and friends to come together after a long day of rafting on the river. By following these tips you and your family and friends can have a safe and enjoyable experience roasting marshmallows while creating memories to last a lifetime.

Most frog hunters, or froggers, look for bullfrogs because they have more meat, weighing up to several pounds. Olive in color with white or yellow bellies and dark brown stripes on their hind legs, their reflective pink eyes and light-colored bellies will help you to identify and locate them in farm ponds, rivers, sloughs, swamps and marshes. Bullfrogs prefer permanent wetlands without fish, making them the top aquatic predators with little or no competition for food. This is what allows them to grow large and become abundant.

Bullfrogs are most active at night with Missouri’s seasonal temperatures dictating where you’re most likely to find them. In May and June bullfrogs are often found in shallow water where they call, breed and lay eggs. But as the weather gets hotter, you’re more likely to find them along the banks where it’s cooler and the food is more abundant. Bullfrogs aren’t able to regulate their internal body temperature so in August and September when shallow ponds can reach 85 degrees they leave the water at night to cool off along the shore and slow their metabolism. By late September when temperatures drop, frogs nestle in the aquatic vegetation because the deeper water is warmer than the air. By late October bullfrogs are burrowing in the mud, readying for winter. This is about the same time Missouri’s frogging season ends.

Harvesting frogs can be done using a variety of methods. The Wildlife Code of Missouri allows artificial lights, grabbing, hand nets, gigs, crossbows, longbows, trotlines, throw lines, limb lines, bank lines, jug lines, pole and line, snagging, snaring, .22 caliber firearms or pellet guns. Missouri’s daily limit is 8 frogs and you can only have 16 in your possession at any given time. Hunting or fishing licenses are required by all persons except those under the age of 16 or over the age of 65.

The key to harvesting frogs is to creep up slowly and dazzle them with your light. Headlamps like those used by cave explorers are ideal. Once a frog is dazzled by your light, it won’t move unless you startle it. Get as close as you can to the frog. Use your body weight to thrust the spear right behind its head. Once you’ve speared a frog you must harvest it as Missouri Wildlife code considers releasing an injured frog “wanton waste” since it’s not likely to survive. This is why many frog hunters prefer grabbing. Catching frogs with your hands gives you the chance to let it go if you’d prefer to catch a bigger one.

Once you’ve harvested your frogs, you’re ready to clean them and fry up some succulent frog legs. First, rinse the frog. Then place its head in your hands, grasping it behind its front legs, belly down on a cutting board. Stretch out its hind legs and cut them with a cleaver or heavy knife just above the hip. Keeping the legs attached as a pair will make for easier cooking. Pull down the skin to the ankles like your peeling down a pair of tube socks. Cut off the skin and feet. Then place the legs into a freezer bag with a tablespoon of salt per gallon bag of frog legs and fill the bag with water. Refrigerate or freeze until you’re ready to cook them. When you’re ready to fry them combine 1 cup flour, 1 cup crushed saltine crackers, ¼ cup corn starch, 1 TBSP black pepper, 1 TBSP salt and 1 TBSP lemon pepper salt in a bowl. In another bowl mix 2 eggs and 1 cup milk. Heat ¼ cup oil on your skillet. Drop frog legs into the egg and milk mixture. Remove legs and then place into the dry mixture until coated before placing on skillet. Fry until golden brown.

You’ll create lifelong memories this summer when hunting Missouri bullfrogs with your friends and family while enjoying the delectable taste of Missouri’s plentiful resources.

Several types of dry bags are available in today’s market. Standard dry bags are usually large over-sized bags that resemble garbage bags full of clothes. But when closed properly, standard dry bags are tough and durable and will keep your gear completely dry as it floats down the river. Experienced rafters use standard dry bags as their main bag to store clothes and less frequently needed items. Standard bags aren’t equipped with organizational pockets or compartments so buying one that’s clear will make it easier to find and access what you need. Some folks use two or more medium sized dry bags to keep themselves organized instead of just one big one when they go on multi-night float trips.

Another option for storing your belongings on a float trip is waterproof duffels. While they are stylish and easier to organize and access your gear, they have a smaller amount of storage capacity than standard dry bags and they don’t float. For this reason, many experienced rafters use waterproof duffels for storing their day use items, stowing their main gear in either 1 or 2 standard dry bags.

These days no one wants to be apart from their cell phone or IPod making dry bags for electronics ideal for float trips. Dry bags for electronics are designed with frequent use in mind, allowing the items to still be used while still inside the bag. Until recently, many rafters stored their electronic devices in standard dry bags or waterproof duffels putting them at risk for the inevitable bumps and knocks sustained by the boat on a float trip. But today’s dry bags for electronics have padding for this specific purpose.

Standard dry bags, waterproof duffels and dry bags for electronics are an essential part of today’s float trips. Tying these to the boat will prevent them from floating away should your raft tip of encounter rapids. Don’t let the river get your stuff and the best of you, get dry bags instead.

Missouri is home to 51 different species and subspecies of snakes.  Snakes are reptiles, with bodies that are covered in scales and the same temperature as their surroundings.  Half of them lay eggs while half give birth to young that are completely developed.  All snakes can swim and shed their skin as they grow, three to five times a year.  Snakes are legless and have no external ear opening.  Harmless snakes will bite to defend themselves, merely leaving simple scratches.

Venom

What scares most people about snakes is venom.  Missouri’s venomous snakes are members of the pit viper family.  These snakes have a characteristic pit between their eye and nostril on both sides of their heads.  Venomous pit viper snakes have elliptical shaped pupils and a pair of well-developed fangs.  People often mistakenly identify snakes as poisonous because of a triangular shaped head, especially when many harmless snakes like the water snake, garter snake and hognose snake can flatten their heads and appear triangular in shape.  Harmless snakes lack the pit and fangs venomous snakes have and their pupils are round.  The most common venomous snake in Missouri is the copperhead.  Other venomous snakes include the Osage and southern copperhead, cottonmouth, massasauga rattlesnake, western pygmy rattlesnake and timber rattlesnake.  So far, there is no record of anyone dying in Missouri from a copperhead bite.

Benefits of Missouri’s Snakes

Missouri’s beneficial snake species needs more than just understanding and needless killings by misinformed people to survive.  Shelters like brush piles, rock piles and logs provide snakes with the security and the availability of mice, native rats, lizards, toads and frogs they need.  Building ponds near forested areas that are well maintained will also benefit many kinds of snakes.  Missouri’s snakes are as much a part of the landscape as its squirrels and deer.  By the same token, there are simple ways to discourage snakes from coming near buildings and campsites.  Avoid keeping burlap, dump heaps, piles of boards or rocks, fence posts, slabs of bark or scrap corrugated steel roofing near buildings and campsites as they provide hiding places for snakes and the food they eat.  Keeping areas tidy is the best way to keep snakes away from the premises.  You should also check for any openings around doors and low windows where snakes could enter.  If you do encounter a harmless snake, use a hoe or stick to relocate the snake unharmed in an isolated, safe habitat.

Encountering snakes along Missouri’s rivers and campsites is rare.  You can do your part to avoid such encounters by keeping your campsite free of debris and piles of bark, rocks and boards that attract snakes and their prey.  A better understanding of snakes can help you to overcome your fear and better enjoy your Missouri float trip.

Be sure to use local seasoned, dry wood to create a fire that burns cleanly and stays hot.  Most public campgrounds supply firewood but it’s a good idea to call ahead to be sure.  Do not bring wood or coals from home.  Once your firewood is burning strong place coals on the fire and wait for them to turn mostly white.  Stack your coals by raking them so that you can achieve the size flame you want.  Then position your cooking grill on either rocks or green logs over the coals.  Take your cleaned fish and fillet it.  Be sure to dry each fillet with a paper towel to remove excess moisture.  Batter sticks better on dry fish.

A cast iron skillet, a hot fire, some Ziploc bags, fresh caught fish and simple ingredients are all you need to enjoy your fresh catch of the day.

In a small bowl, combine ¾ cup beer and 1 cup buttermilk pancake mix with a fork.  Whip the batter until it’s smooth with a heavy cream consistency.  Dip your fish fillets into the beer batter.  Next, heat oil, Crisco or lard in a skillet on your campfire grill before placing the fillets in the skillet.  Fry the fillets until they are golden brown.  This can take up to 4 minutes or longer.  Be sure to bring some parsley, dill or lemon slices for garnish and a jar of your favorite tartar sauce.

Another fish fry recipe that can be prepared on a cast iron skillet requires two gallon size Ziploc freezer bags, tongs and a hot fire.  Place 1 and ½ cups of flour in one of the bags and place your fillets in the bag.  Zip the bag closed and shake.  Then combine 2 cups dry pancake mix, 2 cups club soda, 1 TBSP onion powder, 1 TBSP Lowry’s seasoned salt in the other bag.  Dip the fillets into this mixture and then place them on a heated skillet for about 4 minutes or longer, depending on how brown you like it.  Serve your fish with French fries and steamed vegetables from your favorite aluminum foil pack recipes and tartar sauce.

A third fish fry recipe can be partially prepared before you leave home for your float trip.  Mix 1 and ½ cups fine ground cornmeal, 1 heaping TBSP paprika, 1 level TBSP black pepper, 1 level TBSP garlic powder and 1 TSP salt in a Ziploc bag.  Once your campfire is going, fillet your fish, pat them dry and roll each fillet in the cornmeal mixture.  Heat a brick of Crisco shortening (butter flavor) in the pan before frying your cornmeal coated fillets.

Kids love to cook when they’re camping and foil cooking recipes make it easy.  Heavy duty aluminum foil and cooking spray is the only cooking gear you’ll need.  Many experienced campers cut up their ingredients at home before they leave and store them in Ziploc plastic bags for the trip.  All your little chefs need to do is spray the foil, empty the bag contents in the center and fold the foil into packets for the fire.

Even the pickiest of eaters can change their minds about vegetables when a campfire is involved.  Give your picky eater a bag of diced vegetables and foil and let them have fun.  Place the foil packet onto a campfire or camping stove for 30-45 minutes.  Campfire foil fries are the best.  Spray cut potatoes lightly and place in the center of a large piece of foil.  Sprinkle your favorite seasoning on Russet potatoes or add some cinnamon and butter slices to sweet potatoes.

Another foil recipe for the main course is the traditional family pot roast dinner.  Dice up your meat of choice at home like pork tenderloin, beef or chicken and store in a plastic bag.  Once your campfire is ready, combine the meat, roasting potatoes and mini carrots and toss with a packet of Lipton onion soup mix.  Close the packet and roast over a strong campfire or camping stove for 90 minutes.

If your little campers yearn for pizza, creating a memorable one is easy with prepared pizza crusts like Boboli.  Spread pizza sauce from a can over the crust before adding pepperoni or your favorite ingredients and shredded mozzarella cheese.  Place your pizza in heavy duty foil on the fire for about 20 minutes and you’ll have a delicious home-made pizza.

Make sure you leave room for dessert.  Just because you’re camping doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy apple cobbler.  Combine diced apples, granola, cinnamon, caramel or peanut butter chips in a sprayed aluminum foil packet and roast for 20-30 minutes.  Another delectable foil dessert is pear and chocolate bread.  Combine diced pears, chocolate chips and chunks of white Baguette or Italian bread in a sprayed aluminum foil packet and place on a campfire for 20-30 minutes.

And of course, s’mores are mandatory.  By the time a kid reaches the age of 8 he or she has the traditional marshmallow, graham crackers and Hershey bars s’mores recipe memorized.  But new s’mores variations should be enjoyed by all.  One variation is the white chocolate and banana s’mores.  Put half of a banana on a stick and hold over the campfire.  Then insert white chocolate chips and the banana between two vanilla wafers.  Another fun s’mores variety is accomplished by combining placing a Keebler Fudge Stripe cookie chocolate side up and ringing mini marshmallows around the circle of the cookie.  Place the second cookie chocolate side down on top and smoosh down.  Cook over a campfire until melted and messy.  Finally, assemble a chocolate chip cookie, roasted marshmallows and caramel-filled Ghirardelli chocolates for an indulgent s’mores variation.

Cooking aluminum foil pack recipes is fun and easy for all campers, big or small.  By pre-slicing your ingredients at home and storing them in Ziploc bags meal preparation is better organized and faster at the campsite.  Bon Appétit!

Before you build a fire, you should know all the rules regarding campfires at your campsite.  In certain regions campfires are only allowed in designated areas, and you should never bring your own firewood.  Fires may be prohibited due to dry or unfavorable conditions.  Warnings from government agencies are in place for good reason and should be heeded.  Don’t build a fire if it’s dry or windy.  Many campsites have fire rings available.  If one is not available, you should choose a site for your campfire that’s a safe distance away from grass, trees and tents.  Clear ground litter, twigs, leaves and any organic material down to bare soil at least 10 feet around your campfire.  If possible, encircle the campfire pit with rocks.  Be sure to your site is upwind from the sleeping area to prevent any sparks or embers from catching tents or sleeping bags on fire.

When it comes to starting your campfire, avoid using gasoline or other petroleum-based products which are highly explosive.  Build your fire in stages first with small pieces of kindling, then piling small pieces of wood on top of the kindling and then by adding larger pieces of wood.  Keep your fire size manageable, with a pail of sand or water close by, and a shovel in case you need to control or extinguish the fire.  Extra firewood should be kept away from the flames, stowed upwind from the fire.  As long as the campfire is burning, someone should attend it, keeping a watchful eye for any flying sparks or embers that might land on anything flammable and any sudden gusts of wind that can spread a fire.  Extinguish the fire if conditions become unsafe, if you have to leave the campsite and before you go to bed.  To properly extinguish a campfire it must be drowned with water.  You must be sure that all embers, coals and wood pieces are wet, even soaked.  Be sure to use a shovel to turn all rocks and logs and douse any hot coals beneath them.  Any burning material should be extinguished and cooled.

Campfires are not the only source of many forest fires.  When using stoves, lanterns and heaters, make sure to follow the manufacturer’s directions.  Be sure all connections are tight.  To check for any leaks, put soapy water on connections.  If the soapy water bubbles, gas is seeping out and the connection will need to be repaired.  Before using stoves, lanterns or heaters, replenish the fuel supply, using a funnel to avoid spilling liquid fuels.  Refuel only when the stove, lantern or heater is cool, a safe distance from campfires, grills and open flame and always outside and away from tents and campers.  Keep flammable liquids and fuel cylinders a safe distance from your tent or camper.  Fuel lanterns and stoves should never be used inside a tent.  Battery operated lights and lanterns are a much safer option.  Only use appliances in open areas away from flammable materials.  Any cooking should be done outside, with fire extinguishers well within reach.

Safe campfires, stoves, lanterns and heaters are always attended with campers following government and manufacturer suggestions.  Keep your fires small and manageable with fire extinguishers, a bucket of sand or water and shovel nearby.

Quite often, trash bags are one of the last things we think to pack for our annual float trips.  In fact, sometimes we forget to bring them at all.  Or, we make our best effort to collect our trash throughout the day, but then our canoe tips over and our trash scatters all over the river out of arm’s reach.

Fortunately, Missouri state legislators have given float outfitters a way to help keep our rivers, streams and lakes clean.  A pilot anti-littering program started in 1999, the “Stash That Trash” program, with its characteristic red mesh bags, gives considerate float outfitters a way to collect trash along Missouri’s rivers and streams. What the MDC has discovered is that kind participants in the program are not only collecting their own trash, they’re also collecting trash others have left behind.

While most of the trash consists of cans and coolers, some loads have included tires, steel traps and even someone’s dentures!  Float outfitters pick up tons of trash every year, accounting for 150 pickup truck loads for one river, the Niangua River, alone.  If you’re planning a float trip this spring or summer, consider participating in a Stream Team.  Nearly 100 float outfitters across Missouri offer float trip discounts for those who participate in clean up efforts.  These discounts are extended to Teams renting canoes, willing to perform Stream Team activities like litter pickups and water quality monitoring.

We can solve littering when everyone does their part.  Here are some ways we can all make a difference.

First, remove items from your pickup truck’s bed or from your boat that could blow out into roadways.  Any lost or broken monofilament should be retrieved as well as plastic six-pack rings.  If possible, remember to bring trash bags along on your float trip to dispose of your trash and take them home when your trip has ended.  Never throw trash into outdoor privies.  Doing so interferes with pumping out the tanks.  If you clean the day’s catch near the water, don’t leave fish parts near streams or on boat ramps.  Guts and carcasses should be disposed of in trash cans, not along shores, decks or ramps.  By exhibiting these practices, you set a good example.  Letting friends and family know that littering is socially unacceptable is a powerful step in the fight against future littering.

Littering in Missouri is a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by either a 1 year jail sentence or a $1,000 fine.  While the MDC has posted signs in all conservation area parking lots, littering still occurs, often when no witnesses are present.  Consequently, fines from the small percentage that are caught don’t make up for the money it costs Missouri taxpayers in clean up, finding perpetrators and/or associated court costs.

Stream Teams are a great way to enjoy your next float trip at a discounted rate while still doing your part to keep Missouri’s rivers and streams clean.  When it comes to litter, everyone can take part in clean up efforts, keeping waterways clean for future generations.

Staying in an RV is much cheaper and more comfortable than staying at a motel or resort. Even with the current costs of gas figured in, it is still much cheaper to spend the week in your own RV than it is to pay for a week in a hotel or vacation condo and paying for the costs of eating out and other expenses.

Yes, towing an RV is more costly in terms of gas, but think about the fact that a large hotel or vacation resort leaves a much larger carbon footprint than a small RV does. Living in small spaces conserves energy, so the gas tank is just one drawback, but there are considerably more pluses.

To offset the guilt someone may be feeling about the large expense of filling an RV up with gasoline, be as green and earth friendly as possible when traveling. Use only non-toxic cleaning products and think about the wastes you generate and water you put into the ground. Bring bicycles with you when you travel and shop at local farmers markets and have some solar panels installed on the RV to minimize your impact on the environment.

RV camping in Missouri offers a family the chance to get away from it all and for a small rental fee; it is possible to rent a nice campground location which comes complete with everything you need. RV camping offers you the chance to get back to nature, but still being able to do it in comfort. RV’s are becoming lighter-weight, more energy efficient and increasingly innovative in terms of being environmentally friendly.

Camping in an RV allows a family to get closer to nature, but not hide from it in a stuffy, padded hotel room. RV’s can be comfortable, private and in some cases even luxurious, but they also allow the camper to have the beauty of being in natural surroundings. The joy of sitting around the campfire telling stories and hearing the leaves rustling in the trees and the nighttime twinkling stars are the highlights of any camping trip and for those using an RV, these things are still possible.

RV’s are comfortable, offer security and can allow a family to enjoy all the benefits of the outdoors while still being protected in the comfort of a camper. Try saving money, being environmentally friendly and expanding your horizons and try RV camping in Missouri, it is an experience everyone in the family is sure to enjoy and remember.