There’s not a whole lot going on in the outdoors world right now, but there are plenty of events on the schedule to get you though the upcoming weekend.
One of the biggest events is Saturday’s annual SEMO Sportsman’s Banquet and fried chicken dinner.
The event is the primary funding source for the Kids Fish and Fun Day, held in Poplar Bluff each May.
The dinner will begin at 5 p.m. at the Brown-Mabry American Legion Post 153, off Kanell Boulevard in Poplar Bluff.
Like in years past, plenty of door prizes and other goodies will be given away.
The cost will be $7 per plate.
Crappie Tournament
The Wappapello Crappie Club will host a tournament Saturday, open to anyone who wishes to participate.
Based out of the Sundowner ramp, the event will kick off at 7 a.m. and fishing will end at 2 p.m.
The cost to fish the tournament will be $120 per boat, and organizers will pay back 100 percent of the proceeds to the top anglers.
You can sign up now at Sundowner Marine or between 5:30-6:30 a.m. on the morning of the event.
Bass Circuit
Saturday also happens to be the opening day of the Wappapello Bass Circuit’s 2019 tournament season.
The organization’s event will launch from the Sundowner ramp at 6:30 a.m., with the weigh-in scheduled for 3 p.m.
As always, the Wappapello Bass Circuit will host a pre-event meeting at 6 p.m. Friday to assign boat numbers. The meeting will take place at the Wappapello VFW off Highway D, north of the dam.
For information, call Justun Buchanan at 573-429-6312.
Hit or Miss
Fishing has been hit or miss lately, with our area lakes and rivers rising and falling like an ocean tide.
Anglers have been catching a few nice white crappies in the far upper reaches of Wappapello Lake, and I’ve heard a couple reports of some slab black crappies coming out of Clearwater Lake.
Wappapello is back down to around 360 feet, still 5 feet above normal, while Clearwater is pretty much back to its normal 494 feet.
As an alternative, Duck Creek Conservation Area’s Pool 1 has been a bit of a hot spot lately, with some nice stringers of black crappies and pickerel being taken.
Time to Start Scouting
With the days getting longer and a little warmer, turkeys should be gobbling early in the mornings, if only sporadically.
I haven’t had a chance to get out and listen yet, but experience says if the weather is halfway decent, there should be some gobbling going on.
Gobblers likely still will be hanging out in bachelor groups, but they should start breaking up over the next couple weeks.
If you do hear gobbling, keep listening to determine which way the bird goes after he flies down from his roost because that tidbit of information can prove invaluable once the season opens.
I know a lot of people like to try calling turkeys in before the season in order to see them or to validate their calling skills or whatever, but I would highly recommend against it. Honestly, there’s zero reason to do so, and in many states, it’s even illegal. The woods are wide open, with no undergrowth yet, and getting picked off by a bird only educates it unnecessarily.
Top Dogs
First place in Friday night’s Butler County Coon Club UKC hunt was earned by Derek Redmon handling Rock, while Don Redmon took second-place honors with Dixie.
In the bench show, Ann, handled by Bobby Cook, won Best of Class, Breed and Show. Squeak, shown by Mike Wagner, earned Best of Class and Breed.
Saturday night’s hunt winner was Montana Buffington handling Ellymay. Second place went to Derek Redmon with Rock and third was earned by David Fisher and Lakota.
In the bench show, Patches, shown by Tayler Sanders, was Show Champion. Daisy, handled by Gary Franklin, won Best of Class, Breed and Show, and Perry Treat’s Hurricane also won Best of Class, Breed and Show.
The Butler County Coon Club’s next scheduled event will be another UKC show and hunt on April 5-6.
Shotgun Raffle
If you need a new shotgun for the upcoming turkey season, the Black River chapter of Quail Forever is hosting a drawing for a Winchester SXP this weekend, when it hosts a sporting clays shoot for area school trap teams.
If you win, you can select your choice of either a 12 gauge or 20 gauge version.
Anyone can buy into the raffle, and you don’t need to be present to win.
Tickets cost $5 each and can be picked up at Dental Arts in Poplar Bluff, off Kanell Boulevard.