There are two bass tournaments scheduled locally this weekend, and each will wrap up the 2020 season for its respective series.
The first, and likely largest, will be the Wappapello Bass Circuit’s two-day Classic event, to take place Saturday and Sunday.
Based out of the Redman Creek ramp, fishing is slated to begin at 6:30 a.m. Saturday and go until 3 p.m. The next day, fishing hours will be 6:30 a.m. until 2 p.m.
To qualify for the Classic, an angler had to fish at least four of the six regularly scheduled events over the season, but with some spring tournaments canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, that may or may not be the case any longer.
At 6 p.m. Friday, the organization will hold a meeting at the Wappapello VFW to assign boat numbers.
Questions about the tournament can be referred to Justun Buchanan at 573-429-6312.
Smallmouth Classic
Also on Saturday, the Current River Smallmouth Association will hold its Classic event, based out of Van Buren.
As normal, fishing hours will be 7 a.m. until 5 p.m., and you can launch at either the Watercress ramp just north of town or the Big Spring ramp downstream.
The weigh-in will be at the Watercress ramp.
Paul Henderson has more information at 573-686-5476.
Archery Numbers
The archery deer season is rolling along nicely, and hunters have tagged 14,449 deer so far.
That equates to almost 24% of last year’s record harvest of just more than 61,000 in only three weeks.
In Butler County, hunters have tagged 169 deer, and in Carter County, they’ve taken 155.
Dunklin County bowhunters have arrowed 18 deer to this point, and in Reynolds County, the total is 175.
In Ripley County, hunters have tagged 160 deer, and in Stoddard County, they’ve shot 172.
Wayne County again leads the region with 322 deer arrowed so far.
I was fortunate enough to take a doe last weekend, something I always try to do early in the season.
I literally had been in the stand a half hour, and while watching the landowner milling around a few hundred yards away through binoculars, the deer just appeared at 18 yards. How I never heard her coming is beyond me, but luckily, I got off a good shot and watched her go down.
The archery turkey harvest has stalled, with only 579 taken statewide since Sept. 15.
That includes two in Butler County, five in Reynolds County, six in Ripley County, 11 in Stoddard County and 210 in Wayne County.
A Big Yawn
The fall firearms turkey season in Missouri, as expected, has started off with a yawn.
In a good year, the early days of the season easily are the best because the birds are more visible as they feed on grasshoppers in open fields, and things get much tougher when they transition to acorns and stay in the timber.
So far, hunters have killed just 593 turkeys statewide in the firearms season.
That total locally includes two from Butler County, seven from Reynolds County, five from Stoddard County and eight from Wayne County.
Last year’s total harvest of 1,951 turkeys during the fall firearms season was the lowest on record in Missouri, and this year isn’t looking any better.
Woodcock Season
And finally, for any upland bird hunters in the area, Missouri’s woodcock season will kick off on Thursday of next week.
While not especially good to eat, woodcock hunting can be great fun if you time it right.
The birds are nighttime migrators, and typically can be found closer to streams and rivers where the soil is softer. I have, however, flushed them several times along field edges near Ellsinore, of all places.
I hunted woodcock a lot growing up in Indiana and always did best around thick patches of honeysuckle, for whatever reason.
They don’t fly far when flushed, so if you miss, a re-flush is easily possible.
If you do decide to give it a try, the daily limit on woodcock is three.