Fourteen teams fished Saturday’s Current River Smallmouth Association tournament at Van Buren.
The tournament wrapped up the regular season for the organization, which will hold its annual Classic event on Oct. 12 at Doniphan.
On Saturday, the team of Williams and Hoffman earned the top spot and the title of Anglers of the Year. They had a winning weight of 12.48 pounds, which included the day’s second-largest bass, weighing 3.12 pounds.
Second place went to Neal and Neal with 10.98 pounds, and third was earned by Rutledge and McAfee with 10.66 pounds.
Taking the fourth spot was the team of Henderson and Henderson with 9.80 pounds, and the top five was rounded out by Yarber and Rector with 9.66 pounds. They also had the day’s big fish, weighing in at 3.13 pounds and just edging out Williams and Hoffman’s big bass by one one-hundredth of a pound.
Missouri’s early archery deer harvest continues to lag far behind last year’s total at this point in the season, and nearly every local county is well off the pace.
While the hot weather can probably be partly to blame for the low kill (and likely low effort by hunters) so far, the biggest deterrent to success is probably the acorn crop.
While turkey hunting Tuesday’s opener, I saw far more acorns already on the ground than I ever have for this early in October, and with so many available, the deer just don’t have to move much to feed. That point was proven when I sat down on a traditionally good turkey ridge for the last hour of the evening and a fat doe fed within 35 yards of me for a solid 40 minutes.
The situation is the complete opposite of last year, when there were very few acorns and the deer were feeding in the open and moving around more.
So far, bowhunters in Butler County have taken 29 deer, far short of last year’s 93
Those in Stoddard County have arrowed 58, short of last year’s 79.
In Dunklin County, the harvest sits at eight deer, which actually is one better than a year ago.
In Wayne County, hunters have tagged 79 deer, a dramatic drop from the 176 on this date last year.
Ripley County hunters have taken 33 deer to this point, trailing well below last year’s 101, and those in Carter County have tagged 43 deer, compared to 109 a year ago.
Statewide, 4,787 deer have been arrowed, a 41% drop from the 8,111 taken last year through this date.
Judging by MDC’s Telecheck information, most deer are being taken in the evenings, which you’d expect in the early season, so it’s best to focus your efforts during that time frame.
As expected, Missouri’s fall firearms turkey season also is off to a slow start, and unlike the deer season, which gains momentum as deer movement picks up in the fall, the turkey season probably won’t get any better.
There’s two reasons for that: first, there just aren’t that many birds around, and secondly, as October progresses, the turkeys will transition from feeding on grasshoppers in open fields to eating acorns in the timber, where they’re much harder to find.
Just a couple days into the season, local hunters have taken a grand total of two birds, and they were in Stoddard County.
The statewide harvest, at last check, was 69 turkeys, split pretty evenly between adult and juvenile birds of both sexes.
If Missouri’s early teal season wasn’t enough to satisfy your warm-weather waterfowl urges, you’re in luck - the state’s early Canada goose season opens Saturday and runs through Oct. 13.
Technically, Brant also will be in season, but good luck ever seeing one around here.
Hunting hours are one-half hour before sunrise until sunset each day, and there is a daily limit of three birds.
In October, you’ll be dealing with resident birds which live in the area year-round, and they’ll wise up quickly when any pressure is put on them, therefore, your tactics will have to change to keep up during the season.
While October is a good time to go see the elk bugling at the Peck Ranch Conservation Area in northwest Carter County, you might not want to make those plans for this weekend.
The conservation area will be hosting a youth managed deer hunt Oct. 5 and 6, so it will be closed to public entry in the refuge area.
Normal hours and road operations will start back up again Monday morning.
The Dexter Greenheads chapter of Ducks Unlimited will host its 36th annual banquet on Oct. 12.
This year’s event will take place at The Gathering at Versity Crossing, located at 1430 N. Outer Road.
The event will kick off at 5:30 p.m. and feature all the usual games, raffles, live and silent auctions, a catered dinner and more.
Tickets must be purchased in advance and cost $50 for a single or $65 for a couple.
Greenwings tickets for youths cost $20 each.
Sponsorships also are available at various levels, ranging from $300 to $3,500.
To purchase tickets, contact Mike Wilburn at 573-421-3713, Ryan Lee at 573-624-0297 or Ron Glaus at 573-614-9332. You also can purchase them online at www.ducks.org/missouri/events.