Twelve teams fished last weekend's Current River Smallmouth Association tournament at Doniphan, and the team of Barnes and Sullivan came away with the win. The pair brought 10.96 pounds to the scales.
Taking second place was McAfee and Rutledge with 10.55 pounds, and they also had the day's second-largest fish, weighing 2.84 pounds.
Third place was earned by Henderson and Henderson with 9.40 pounds, and fourth place went to Dougherty and Sisco with 8.90 pounds.
Nicholson and Nicholson rounded out the top five with a weight of 8.55 pounds.
The day's biggest fish was caught by Joachim and Joachim and weighed 2.89 pounds.
With the event marking the end of the regular tournament season for the organization, Paul Henderson and Kason Henderson earned the title of Anglers of the Year, the duo's third year in a row to do so. They ended the regular season with more than 48.5 pounds brought to the weigh-ins.
The club's only remaining tournament in 2018 is its Classic on Oct. 13, which will be fished from Van Buren.
Slow Start
Missouri fall firearms turkey season is off to a predictably mediocre start, with only 201 taken across the state to this point.
There certainly aren't as many fall turkey hunters as there used to be as more folks focus on bowhunting deer, and low turkey numbers the last couple years haven't spurred much interest either.
Locally, only 16 birds have been taken, one of which came from Butler County, two from Wayne County and 13 from Stoddard County, which, by the way, leads the state.
Being the turkey guy I am, and after watching a small flock (six birds) the last couple of weeks, I made the effort on Monday morning's opener to get after them.
As usual, and just my luck, I ran into a couple of problems (not counting the skunk that strolled by too close for comfort). The first was the birds took a different route and got past me about 75 yards away. The other is the flock grew from a half dozen to about 20, and with that many eyes, there was no way to make a move and break them effectively.
A return trip Tuesday morning resulted in no turkey sightings, and I jokingly blame the landowner's mule for that because it wouldn't keep its big slobbery nose out of my blind window. At one point, it rested its chin on top and collapsed the roof with me inside. Such is the way things go sometimes ...
Harvest Growing
You'd think I was joking about my follies afield lately, but there's even more. I saw a whopping 29 deer while bowhunting Sunday and somehow still never got to draw on one. I had a few little spikes well within range, but I really was looking for a big doe and saving that single buck tag.
While that's a bit frustrating, I'm certainly not complaining because last year, the ol' photo side of the job kept me out of the field pretty much all season.
Other hunters, however, are having some success, and the harvest total keeps climbing.
As of yesterday afternoon, 8,241 deer had been taken by bowhunters statewide. That's 16 percent better than the same point last year.
In Butler County, the tally is up to 95 deer, and in Stoddard County, 80 have been taken so far.
Wayne County leads the region, and ranks third in the state, with 178 deer tagged.
In Carter County, the harvest total is 109 deer, and in Ripley County, it's 102.
Dunklin County has a mere seven deer on the books, the third-lowest total in the state.
Temporary Closures
In case you were planning on visiting the Big Spring area of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways this weekend, you might want to make alternate plans.
The ONSR will be hosting a managed youth deer hunt both Saturday and Sunday, and the campground, Peavine area and all hiking trails will be closed from Friday through Monday morning.
The spring itself, along with the pavilion area and boat ramp will remain open.
If you have questions about the temporary closure, call the Riverways management office at 573-323-4236.
Early Season
For waterfowlers itching to get afield, Missouri's early Canada goose season opens Saturday and will continue through Oct. 14.
While there aren't any migratory Canadas around, the early season is designed to help keep local resident goose numbers in check.
Resident birds are pretty predictable this time of year, but the ongoing crop harvest will likely change that as the honkers shuffle around between new food sources. One option is to wait for them to return to a roost area, but that's pretty much a one-and-done deal. Once they've been messed with at a roost, they will move abruptly.
The daily limit is three birds, and all the regular migratory bird regulations still apply (non-toxic shot, plugged shotgun, etc.). Shooting hours will be one-half hour before sunrise until sunset each day.
Fall Classic
If you want to get out and support local students working hard to improve their craft, Poplar Bluff High School's trap team will host its annual Fall Classic shoot Saturday at the Poplar Bluff Gun Club off County Road 546.
Besides the PBHS team, those from Naylor, Greenville, Richland, Alton and Twin Rivers also are expected to compete.
Shooting will begin at 9 a.m. and should continue through mid-afternoon.