The Wappapello Bass Circuit finally was able to get back on the water last weekend for its first tournament of the summer.
The turnout, as you might expect after the long layoff, was good, with 84 teams fishing the event.
Stringer weights also were pretty good.
At the end of the day, the team of Breckenridge and Cheatham were the winners, hauling 20.32 pounds to the scales. They also were aided by the day’s second-largest bass, which weighed in at 6.26 pounds.
Second place went to Niswonger and Niswonger with 19.24 pounds, and third place was earned by Hastings and Frances with 18.85 pounds.
Fourth place was captured by Pierce and Moore with 17.38 pounds, and fifth went to Evans and Hackworth with 15.37 pounds.
Taking sixth place was the team of Hulsey and Conway with 15.20 pounds, and seventh place went to Schwartz and Winston with 14.57.
Schwartz and Winston also had the biggest bass of the day, which topped the scales at 6.72 pounds.
The next scheduled event for the Wappapello Bass Circuit is July 25, though it’s possible some of the previously canceled tournaments may get added back to the schedule.
At Doniphan last weekend, 15 teams fished the Current River Smallmouth Association’s third event of the season.
Hoffman and Williams were the day’s winners, bringing 12.06 pounds to the scales.
Second place went to Dougherty and Sisco with 10.40 pounds, while third place was earned by Joachim and Joachim with 9.89 pounds.
Grabbing the fourth spot was the team of Leach and Powell with 9.71 pounds, and rounding out the top five was the team of Norris and Warren with 8.80 pounds.
The club’s next event will be its annual King of the River tournament on July 25, which will be based out of Van Buren.
Poplar Bluff High School’s trap team did well during the AIM State Shoot at Linn Creek last weekend.
On Saturday, the Junior Gold squad took second place in its division, breaking 959 out of 1,000 clays.
Squad members are Jon Pike, Tayler Hillis, Dylan Hale, Hannah Cash and Austin Stoner.
Several individual awards also were earned, including those by Cash, Hale and Stoner.
Two shooters, Emma DeGaris and Logan Hart, both earned patches for shooting their first 25-straight rounds.
On Sunday, Stoner shot a 99 to take first place in the junior doubles division.
Hale shot a 97 for second place in Junior Gold handicaps, while Trenton Patterson and Kenna Mills both shot 97s to take second and fifth place, respectively, in Junior handicaps.
Congratulations also go to Stoner for recently being named to the 2020 Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation’s All-Scholastic Team.
It’s getting very close to ideal blackberry picking time, but a check of some local patches revealed the fruits just aren’t quite ready yet.
Usually around the Fourth of July is the best time to go fill up a couple buckets with berries, but things may be a bit delayed this year.
Regardless, it’s a pretty good idea to check your spots often because the situation can change quickly.
Oh, and don’t forget to spray your clothes with permethrin. Otherwise, there’s probably no better way to come home with a load of chiggers and ticks than berry picking.
The results of Missouri’s first-ever elk hunt permit drawing were posted to the Department of Conservation’s website, mdc.mo.gov, on Wednesday.
With 19,182 people applying for one of four available general permits, your chances were very low for getting drawn - but not zero.
To see if you’ve been drawn, go to the “purchase permits” section of the website, click on the “manage your account” button and log in with your conservation ID number.
Once logged in, click on the section titled “View my special hunt and preference point history.”
Given the way things have gone in Washington, D.C. the last several years, you might be surprised to know our elected officials have actually worked on something together recently and done something good.
A couple weeks ago, the U.S. Senate passed the Great American Outdoors Act, which is expected to easily pass the House and be signed by the president.
The act creates the National Parks and Public Lands Legacy Fund, which would provide up to $9.5 billion over the next five years. That money would come from revenues earned from energy development on federal lands.
The act also guarantees $900 million each year for the Land and Water Conservation Fund to pay for infrastructure repairs and maintenance at National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Bureau of Land Management lands. It also sends money each year to the Bureau of Indian Education.
The Land and Water Conservation Fund was established years ago, but it seems its money has been robbed for other things most years, and the Great American Outdoors Act now makes its funding permanent and untouchable.