By Paul Davis
Outdoors Editor
Missouri's spring turkey season is rolling right along, and for the most part, it's been a soggy one.
Locally, a lot of hunters have been vocal about a lack of gobbling and even a lack of birds, and the evidence says they're correct.
Sporadic is a good way to describe gobbling activity lately. In some areas, you'll hear nothing, but 20 miles down the road, birds will gobble with gusto, if only for a little while.
Even with generally quiet conditions, a few birds are being taken.
As of late yesterday, the statewide harvest was 25,968.
With a little more than a week to go and a lot of rain on the way, this season is shaping up to be one of the worst, harvest-wise, in a long time, and it's going to take a miracle to even come close to last year's total.
In Butler County, 94 turkeys have been killed.
"Hunting pressure has been moderate to high, considering the poor weather conditions, and the harvest is low to fair," said Butler County Conservation Agent Frank Campa.
Campa said he believes a combination of things have quieted the birds down, primarily the pressure and the likelihood most gobblers are with hens.
"I also question how many birds we actually have," he said.
In Stoddard County, the harvest as of yesterday was 158, and in Dunklin County, hunters have tagged 10 birds.
Wayne County leads our area with 213 turkeys taken to this point.
In Carter County, hunters have killed 148 birds, and in Ripley County, they've taken 173.
I went back out with hopes of filling tag No. 2 on Monday, when the weather was the best it had been all season. I had high hopes, but heard nary a turkey sound all day.
That's not to say I didn't have a bit of excitement, though.
Sitting in a ground blind in a creek bottom for several hours, I had three deer pass right behind me, a mushroom hunter walk into my setup and eventually, at 12:25 p.m., I heard the unmistakable sounds of pig grunts. After slowly unzipping the window on that side, sure enough, I saw a huge group of about 30 feral hogs heading my way.
They were skittish, of course, but stopped occasionally to root around, and they were just too tempting to pass up. Unfortunately, a shotgun is pretty much worthless against feral hogs, and MDC won't let you carry buckshot or slugs for such occasions (by the way, in case you're wondering, to legally carry a sidearm while turkey hunting, you must have a CCW permit).
A 2-ounce load of Hevi-Shot pellets to the head caused one big sow to jump straight into the air before the whole group scattered, and two shots to another, smaller hog at 25 yards didn't even slow it down.
Needless to say, my hunt was over. It was an exhilarating way to end the day, though I was out $18 in shells and had nothing to show for it but a memory.
The turkeys season remains open through May 7, and sometimes that last week can be the best one. This weekend looks especially wet, with several inches of rain in the forecast, and if you're lucky, your favorite spot won't be under water.
By the way, if you think this year is quiet, wait until next spring. With the lowest hatch success on record in 2016, there won't be many 2-year-olds echoing their love song through the woods.
Crappies
Spawning
I was talking to MDC Fisheries Management Biologist Dave Knuth during the Earth Day event at Wappapello Lake, and he had several dandy white crappie he'd captured earlier in the morning for his demonstration.
Some of the fish were in the 15-inch range, and they were all caught around a single sunken Christmas tree fish shelter on the lake's lower end.
The white crappie had very dark coloration, which is a key factor right now, because the males darken up just as the spawn begins.
Indeed, Knuth said, the crappie spawn at the lake was just beginning. Depending on various factors, he said, it likely would last through May.
"Hopefully, we'll have some stable conditions in May and June for our shad," he said.
With a lot of rainfall in the watershed this weekend, you can expect the lake to rise again and get muddy - perfect conditions for catching catfish in the flooded brush along the banks.
Sifford
Tournament
The 17th annual Chris Sifford Memorial Crappie Tournament, sponsored by the Wappapello Crappie Club, is coming up this weekend on Saturday.
The tournament will be based out of the Sundowner Marina on the north end of the dam.
The scheduled launch time is 7 a.m., with a weigh-in following at 2 p.m.
The entry fee is $100 per team, plus $10 for the big fish contest, and the event is expected to pay back 70 percent of the gate to the top finishers. The big bass pot will be paid out at 100 percent.
The remaining proceeds will go to fund a $1,000 scholarship for a Puxico High School senior class member in honor of Sifford, who was killed in a plane crash while working with then-Gov. Mel Carnahan.
If you want to register for the tournament or need more information, call Anthony Sifford at 573-718-4523.
Circuit
Winners
Saturday's Wappapello Bass Circuit event saw 54 boats take to the water for a day of fishing.
At the end of the day, the team of Schaffer and Schaffer bested the field, bringing in 17.43 pounds to the weigh-in. They were aided by the day's big fish, which weighed 6.41 pounds.
Second place went to Myers and Simmons with 15.94 pounds, and third was earned by Hardin and Seiter with 13.96 pounds. They also had the day's second-largest fish, one weighing 5.54 pounds.
Harris and Jennings captured the fourth spot with 11.07 pounds, and rounding out the top five was the team of Jackson and Ice with 10.84 pounds.
The organization's next event is scheduled for May 20.
Paddlefish
Closure
If you've still got your eye on snagging a big paddlefish from one of Missouri's rivers, that season will be wrapping up on Sunday (unless you fish the Mississippi River).
The daily limit is two paddlefish, which must be at least 24 inches long. Unlike other species, paddlefish are measured from the eye to the fork of the tail.
Henderson is top shot
Poplar Bluff Junior High School seventh grader Kason Henderson earned a victory in Class D at Saturday's Amateur Trapshooting Association shoot at the Black River Trap and Skeet Club in Corning, Ark.
The team will compete again this Saturday at Linn Creek, Mo., in the Paul Larson Memorial Shoot. It will be a Missouri Youth Shooting Sports Alliance event, according to PBHS coach Josh Wesemann, with several hundred athletes competing.
Wildflower
Hike
If you're looking for something else to do outdoors this weekend, the Ozark National Scenic Riverways will be hosting a wildflower hike in the Big Spring area.
The free event will begin at 10 a.m. at the Big Spring Lodge parking lot.
The half-mile hike will follow the trails in the area.
Be sure to wear good hiking shoes and be prepared for rain. You might also want to bring along a camera, water, insect repellent and sunscreen.
If you're interested in the hike, give park ranger Cathy Runge a call at 573-323-4806, or you can email her at cathy_runge@nps.gov.