It’s a pretty slow time in the outdoors, and with the heat, not a lot of folks have been getting out.
Fishing remains pretty good locally, and the area’s lakes and rivers didn’t suffer too much during the latest rainy spell.
Those pursuing crappies have been doing well fishing deep around structure, while bass anglers have reported catching fish early and late on topwater baits.
Wappapello Lake rose about a foot after last week’s storms, but it’s already back within a foot of normal summer pool, so no harm, no foul.
At Clearwater Lake, the level rose slightly, but it’s already within a foot of its target pool of 497.5 feet.
Sparse Blackberries
I thought all the rain we’ve had lately might help blackberry production locally, but after looking around several areas over the weekend, I’m not so sure.
I witnessed very few ripe berries, and in fact, most everything I saw was well behind schedule.
This week usually is the peak time for blackberries, but it looks like it’s either going to be delayed or there just won’t be many this year.
Elk Plan
The biggest news in the outdoor world around here lately has been the Missouri Department of Conservation’s newly-released elk hunting plan, which was presented last week at the monthly commission meeting (see related news release on this page). It has garnered a huge amount of attention, and rightly so.
While the number of permits available initially hasn’t been figured out just yet, it’s likely not going to be nearly what hunters are hoping for. Instead, I would imagine those first few seasons would see maybe six or eight permits issued.
That means the chance of getting drawn will be exceedingly slim. Regardless, you, me and everyone else most certainly will need to keep trying because, with the 10-year wait between draw opportunities, it’s likely going to be a once-in-a-lifetime thing, especially for us older geezers.
Bear Open House
Speaking of new hunting opportunities, don’t forget about MDC’s black bear informational open house at Van Buren next week.
The open house will run from 6-8 p.m. Thursday at The Landing, just south of the Highway 60 bridge.
Other open houses include those in Springfield on Tuesday, West Plains on July 18 and St. Louis on July 30.
Information on MDC’s current black bear studies and general species information will be presented, as will a draft management plan, which includes hunting.
Public comments will be taken during the event.
Currently, officials believe the Show-Me State holds between 540 and 840 black bears, based on ongoing tracking studies, and that number is steadily increasing.
Trap Shooting
Poplar Bluff High School’s trap team will travel to Linn Creek, Mo., this weekend for the annual Scholastic Clay Target Program’s state shoot.
The team is fresh off a recent event at the Black River Trap & Skeet Club at Corning, Ark., where Austin Stoner, Kenna Mills, Tayler Hillis and Clifton Hillis all had strong showings.
Predator Plan
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission heard the first reading of a proposed regulation to relax hunting rules for some furbearers, and it looks like they’re really onto something.
Biologists in Arkansas realize coyotes, raccoons, opossums and striped skunks are efficient predators, killing a lot of the state’s turkeys and quail, and robbing their nests before poults are hatched.
With that in mind, the new proposal would relax regulations on private lands, offering open hunting of those species year-round, with no daily limits.
In addition, a free predator control permit would allow landowners to kill any furbearer species day or night without the need for a hunting license.
The state is holding a public comment period currently for its residents, and the commission is expected to vote on the measure in late July.
Now, if only the Missouri Department of Conservation would follow suit with something similar ...
More Ducks?
If you’re a waterfowl hunter, there’s some interesting news out of North Dakota.
The state counts breeding duck pairs each spring, and this year, that number is up about 20 percent. The total represents a 40% increase over the long-term average, dating back to 1948.
The amount of water in the form of small ponds also was up substantially.
According to the state’s biologists, every major species saw an increase. That’s certainly good news.
However, breeding duck numbers don’t necessarily mean a great fall flight. That will be better gauged when a brood survey is done later this month, which will help determine how successful the spring hatch was. Still, things at this point look good.