By PAUL DAVIS
Outdoors Editor
Poplar Bluff High School's trap team showed its depth during Saturday's annual PB Fall Classic at the Poplar Bluff Gun Club, with the B Squad topping the entire field and earning the high overall score.
Composed of Jon Pike, Jacob Berry, Franklin Davidson, Conner Hendricks and Andrew Miller, the squad shot well enough to beat out two other Poplar Bluff teams, plus those from Alton, Naylor, Twin Rivers, Greenville, Richland and Doniphan.
Hunter Turner was the high overall scorer on the day, hitting 95 out of 10 clays, which was no easy feat given the stout wind.
In the high school division, the top shooters were all from Poplar Bluff, including Franklin Davidson in first place, TJ Abney in second and Dylan Hale in third.
In the ladies division, Poplar Bluff's Cattarah Caringer was the top shooter, followed by PB's Hannah Cash and Naylor's Emma Moman.
In the junior high division, Poplar Bluff shooters swept the field, with Kason Henderson taking first, Austin Stoner second and Garret Cooper third.
Still Behind
The archery deer harvest in Missouri continues to climb, and hunters now have taken 9,695 deer statewide.
While that sounds good, it still falls about 10 percent below this same point in the season last year. Blame it on the persistent heat, a booming acorn crop in places or whatever you want, the numbers still are down.
Locally, hunters in Carter County have taken 122 deer, while those in Ripley County have arrowed 127.
In Butler County, the harvest is at 76, and in Stoddard County, it's at 131.
Dunklin County hunters are well ahead of last year's total with 19 so far this fall, and in Wayne County, hunters have checked 181 deer. Currently, Wayne County is ranked sixth in the state.
This weekend looks to be hot again, followed by a big cool-down early next week. Sooner or later, the weather will cool for good and the hunting should improve.
Gun Bash
As a reminder, the Heartland Gobblers chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation will be hosting a gun bash Friday evening at the Brown-Mabry American Legion Post 153.
Several guns are expected to be given away, and the odds of winning one are better than at a traditional banquet.
Light food and drinks also will be available during the event.
Chuck Stewart has tickets and information at 573-421-1257.
Greenheads Banquet
The Dexter Greenheads chapter of Ducks Unlimited will be hosting its 34th annual banquet Saturday at the Elks Lodge off North Two Mile Road.
The doors to the event will open at 5:30 p.m. for a social hour, followed by the dinner at 7 and a live auction later.
Throughout the night, various games and raffles will give visitors a chance to win outdoor gear, framed prints, guns and more.
New this year, according to Michael Wilburn, is a Duck Plinko game where participants can win an AR-15 rifle or a "Man Cave" package.
Tickets cost $50 for an individual or $65 for a couple. Greenwings tickets for youths cost $20, and all can be purchased online at www.ducks.org/missouri or by calling Wilburn at 573-421-3713.
As always, several levels of sponsorship packages also are available for the event.
Skeet Shoot
Also on Saturday, the Puxico Pintails chapter of Ducks Unlimited will host its annual skeet shoot beginning at 10 a.m.
The event will take place at the Franklin farm off Highway T.
Several prizes will be doled out during the event, and the only things shooters need to bring is their shotgun and shells.
For more information or directions to the shoot, give Matt Franklin a call at 573-614-2653.
Smallmouth Classic
For river anglers, the Current River Smallmouth Association will be hosting its annual Classic event on Saturday.
This year's Classic will be fished from the Doniphan area, with a launch time from the ramp at Riverfront Park set for 7 a.m. The weigh-in will be at the same location at 5 p.m.
To qualify for the Classic, you must be a club member and you must have fished at least five tournaments over the course of the current season.
Paul Henderson and his son, Kason Henderson, were the club's top anglers during the regular season, bringing in a total of xxx pounds to the weigh-ins during six tournaments.
If you need more info on Saturday's Classic, Henderson can be reached at 573-686-5476.
Angler's Choice
Apparently I had the date wrong on the Angler's Choice tournament last week. The organization's final event of the season will be Sunday, with fishing from Chaonia Landing.
Launch time is set for 7 a.m., with a weigh-in at 3 p.m.
Ken Owens is the tournament director and can be reached at 573-820-3715.
Peck Ranch Closure
While now is the perfect time to go see and hear the elk at the Peck Ranch Conservation Area in Carter County, you might want to be aware of a managed deer hunt for youths taking place there both Saturday and Sunday.
For safety reasons (it is a centerfire rifle hunt) all roads inside the refuge area of the property will be closed to public entry during the hunt. While I couldn't get anyone on the phone to confirm it, during past hunts the roads were closed beginning Friday and re-opening on Monday morning.