Poplar Bluff's only hunter education skills class of the spring will take place March 20 at the Poplar Bluff Junior High School gymnasium.
This is a new location for the class, so take note.
The class will begin at 5:30 p.m. and should last four hours.
Participants must be at least 11 years old to attend, and they must pre-register online at mdc.mo.gov.
For the last several years, Missouri's hunter education program has consisted of two parts: a knowledge portion, completed online or by finishing the chapter review quizzes in the free hunter education manual, and a skills portion, which is the hands-on segment.
To be allowed into Tuesday's skills session, you must complete the knowledge portion beforehand and show proof of completion at the door.
At the end of the class, students will take a 35-question exam, and if they pass, they will be given a temporary certificate which will allow them to purchase firearms hunting permits.
If you aren't sure about the course or what to do, give Conservation Agents Frank Campa or Mark Skelton a call at 573-300-3475 or 573-300-3693, respectively.
Still High
Wappapello Lake remains a bit high, but it's getting closer to being back to normal.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the lake's level was hovering above 359 feet, and it's been dropping about 9 inches daily.
Even with the drop, anglers have been catching good numbers of crappies.
"They're catching some," said Charlie Brotherton, who keeps close tabs on what's going on at the lake. 'Everyone tells me they're catching them mainly on the upper river area."
Some nice fish also have been caught around the spring near Rockwood Point, Brotherton said.
The lake has cleared up pretty well, so visibility isn't really an issue any longer, and at last check, the water reportedly was around 48 degrees.
"I've also heard a lot of good reports from people catching catfish," Brotherton added, and Sonny's stinkbait has been the go-to bait for them.
Crappie Tourney
The Wappapello Crappie Club will hold its Classic tournament Saturday, based out of the Sundowner ramp.
Livewell checks will take place there between 5:30-7 a.m., after which you can launch from any ramp on the lake.
Fishing ends at 2 p.m., and you'll need to be in line for the weigh-in by 3.
For more information on the event, give Dave Maddux a call at 573-718-2756 or stop by Sundowner Marine and see Charlie.
Clearwater Tourney
For competitive bass anglers, the East Ozarks Bass Club will host a tournament Saturday on Clearwater Lake.
Launch time from Piedmont Park has been set for 7 a.m., with a weigh-in later at 3 p.m.
If you need more information, check out the organization's Facebook page.
Fur Buyer
Fur buyer Marc Romine will be making his last stop of the season at Poplar Bluff's Sale Barn tomorrow.
He's scheduled to arrive around 8 a.m. and likely will leave by 10.
If you need a bobcat or otter tagged, give one of the local agents a call at the numbers listed above.
You also can call Romine at 573-714-5277 if you need more information.
Gobbling Time?
With the temperature warming up the last couple days, it's likely you might hear some gobblers starting to fire up.
If you plan on turkey hunting this spring, it might be a good idea to do as much scouting as you can before the season. There aren't a lot of birds around this year, so pinpointing a few before the April 16 opener can only help you in the long run.