Poplar Bluff High School's trap team didn't win at last weekend's AIM (Academics, Integrity and Marksmanship) State Championships at Linn Creek, Mo., but the event was a resounding success for the local shooters.
Senior Cody Hale earned first place in handicap shooting, breaking 99 out of 100 clays from the 20-yard line (most shooting is done from the 16-yard line).
"That was his first individual win in handicaps," said coach Josh Wesemann. "It's his last summer and he was looking to go out with a bang his last time at Linn Creek."
Several team members stepped up to the line and shot their personal best scores.
TJ Abney shot his first perfect 50, as did teammate Andrew Miller, while Tayler Hillis and Jacob Berry both shot perfect 25s for the first time.
Hale also shot his first 100 straight in singles competition, and Kason Henderson shot his first straight 50.
Poplar Bluff's entire A Squad shot a perfect round of 25, which, according to Wesemann, is a first in the program's history.
"There was a lot of anticipation once we saw what was going on," Wesemann said. "The kids were conscious of it, too."
Once the round was complete, the whole team came off the line excited, Wesemann said, and the feat prompted a round of ice cream, compliments of the coach.
"We just have a lot of kids working really hard," said Wesemann of his team.
The team will compete again on July 31 and Aug. 1 at Sparta, Ill., during the AIM Nationals.
"I'm looking forward to Sparta," Wesemann said. "The stakes are a little higher, and if we do well, AIM will give us money for our Midway Foundation account (which helps fund team operations)."
Smallmouth
Winners
Nineteen teams fished the most recent Current River Smallmouth Association tournament at Doniphan, Mo., and while the weights were down a little, the fishing was good.
Taking the top spot on the day was the team of Dougherty and Sisco, who brought 10.55 pounds to the weigh-in. They also had the tournament's big bass, which weighed 2.78 pounds.
Close behind in second place in the event was the team of Henderson and Henderson with 10.09 pounds, while Kram and Williams captured third place with 9.72 pounds.
Fourth place was earned by McAfee and Rutledge with 8.16 pounds, and the top five spots were rounded out by the team of Bishop and Hampton with 8.02 pounds.
The club will fish again on July 15 at Van Buren, Mo.
Bass Circuit
Winners
A whopping 66 teams fish the most recent Wappapello Bass Circuit event, and the top three weights were especially close.
The team of Black and Bowen bested the field with a total stringer weight of 16.99 pounds.
Thurston and Vinson were close behind in second place with 16.37 pounds, while Holmes and Young grabbed the third spot with 16.18 pounds.
Isabell and Scott earned fourth place with 14.26 pounds, and Jackson and Lee's 13.98 pounds was enough to put them in the fifth position. They also had the day's biggest bass, which weighed in at 6.57 pounds.
The Wappapello Bass Circuit will fish again on July 22.
Bowfishing
Tournament
If you're into bowfishing, there's a unique tournament coming up this weekend at Chaonia Landing.
Kill-M-Dead Bowfishing will be hosting its 5th annual "Shooting Against Cancer" tournament beginning at 7 p.m. Saturday.
The cost to enter a team, from two to four members, will be $150. Youths age 12 and under will not count toward your team limit of four members.
Registration will begin at Chaonia Landing at 5 p.m. and door prizes will be handed out at 6, when there also will be a mandatory meeting for participants.
Launch time will be 7 p.m. from any public access on the lake, and bowfishing will continue throughout the night until 7 a.m.
Prizes for the biggest and smallest fish will be given out at the weigh-in.
For more information on the bowfishing tournament, call 573-561-2105.
Angler's
Choice
The popular Angler's Choice circuit will host a bass tournament Sunday, with fishing from Chaonia Landing.
Launch time will be around 5:30 a.m., or safe light, with weigh-in at 3 p.m.
For more information, call Tournament Director Ken Owens at 573-820-3715.
Arkansas
Seasons
For those who hunt ducks in Arkansas (and there are a lot from Southeast Missouri who do so), the Natural State has set its ducks season dates for this fall.
If you haven't hunted ducks in Arkansas, they set their seasons a little differently than Missouri. Missouri has three zones with a straight 60-day season, while Arkansas has no zones and divides its 60-day season into three splits that run statewide.
This fall, Arkansas' early split will run from Nov. 18-26. The middle split will tale place Dec. 7-23, and the final split will be held Dec. 26-Jan. 28.
Just as in other Mississippi Flyway states, the daily limit will be six birds per hunter, with certain species restrictions.
Hunters will be able to take four mallards daily, but only two can be females. The bag also can include three scaup, three wood ducks, one pintail, two redheads, one canvasback, one black duck and one mottled duck, as long as the total taken is six. For species not listed, like teal and gadwall, you can take six daily.
Blackberry
Time
Finally, its about prime time for blackberry picking across the region.
With all the rain we've had lately, there could be some patches which have already gone past their prime, but there still should be plenty of berries around.
Open areas along forest roads can be good places to look, but after a few days of sun, the berries there can get parched. Areas with mixed sun and shade should offer more berries in peak condition.
While picking berries is fun, it can be a painful venture, so be prepared. There's also a good chance you'll pick up plenty of ticks and chiggers, so it's a good idea to spray permethrin on your clothes and let it dry before you head out.