By PAUL DAVIS
Outdoors Editor
Saturday is the long-awaited day for more than one-third of a million hunters across Missouri - opening day of the firearms deer season.
Last year, hunters killed 96,131 deer on opening weekend, with great weather helping their cause.
This weekend looks to be generally OK weather-wise, with small chances of rain Saturday evening and Sunday. At least it's not supposed to be too terribly windy.
Remember to have the proper permits (check the regulations booklet) and wear orange clothing - there's zero legitimate reason not to.
With so many people out in the woods, it's important to always be mindful of safety. It just doesn't make sense to take marginal shots or chances, so use your head.
Also, if you take a deer, remember you need to telecheck it before you process it or take it somewhere for processing. You also have to telecheck it by 10 p.m. on the day it is taken.
Local meat processors have variable hours and procedures, depending on who you go to.
At Ozark Meats in Grandin, Mo., now under new ownership, they will take deer from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. every day of the season, except both Sundays.
Deer can be brought in whole or quartered or boneless in coolers.
Also, in case you're wondering, the company's Poplar Bluff location will not be accepting any deer this fall. Everything must go to the Grandin location.
Ozark Meats can be reached at 573-593-4199.
At Pennington Meat packing in Fairdealing, Mo., the plan is to be open 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. every day.
Whole deer only will be accepted at Pennington's.
If you need to contact them, the number is 573-996-4169.
Piedmont Processing plans to be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on opening weekend, then 8-5 the remainder of the season. Whole deer only will be taken.
If you're running late and need to contact Piedmont Processing, the number is 573-223-4950.
If you process your own deer, make sure you dispose of it properly. Dumping it on the side of Wolf Creek Road or other county roads, like so many do, doesn't set a good example.
Bowhunting Success
Missouri's archery deer harvest remains ahead of last year's at this point in the season, though the numbers from last weekend weren't as strong as expected. Whether that was caused by warm, windy weather, bucks starting to lock down on does, a full moon or all three is hard to say.
As of yesterday afternoon, the statewide harvest was 36,686 deer.
Locally, hunters in Carter County have taken 478, and in Ripley County, they've tagged 544.
The Butler County total yesterday was 404, and in Stoddard County, it was 392.
In Dunklin County, bowhunters have taken 68 deer, and in Wayne County, the tally was 768, ranking second in the state behind Jefferson County.
Bucks were cruising early Saturday morning where I was, and I grunted in two 8-pointers and a forkhorn inside of 30 yards in short order. The trouble was, with the brush, I could never get an open shot. The next morning was windy and downright muggy, so I quit at 8 a.m. and never saw a thing. The gang of jakes gobbling 75 yards away at daylight just about jolted me from the tree stand, but that was the sum of the morning's activity (except for seeing a big 10-pointer standing by the road watching me drive by on my way out).
Remember, the archery season closes tomorrow and will reopen Nov. 22, after the firearms season. You technically still can bowhunt during the firearms season, but only in areas open to bowhunting exclusively (Mingo NWR, for instance), and you'll have to use a firearms permit to do so.
Mingo Hunts
Thirty-six young hunters hit the woods for the managed youth deer hunt at the Mingo National Wildlife Refuge over the weekend, taking 12 deer and two hogs in the process (23 deer and five hogs last year).
Warm, windy conditions weren't too conducive to deer movement, but, refuge manager Ben Mense said, most everyone saw deer.
Mingo also hosted a Wounded Warriors hunt earlier this week and will hold its big managed muzzleloader hunt Dec. 2-3.
Good Start
By nearly every account I've heard, the opening weekend of the Middle Zone duck season at Otter Slough Conservation Area was a good one, with most every hunter I've talked to saying they limited out.
There were 118 parties trying to get drawn on opening day and 88 on Sunday. Mixed bags were reported, with gadwalls and teal making up the largest percentage.
"We had a 5.2 bird-per-hunter average on Saturday and 4.8 on Sunday," said biologist Kevin Brunke.
The first split of the season is only one week long and closes tomorrow. The second split will open on Nov. 16 and remain open through Jan. 7.
Goose Season
If you're not in the woods deer hunting Saturday, Missouri's season for geese (all species) opens then and will continue through Feb. 6.
The daily limit is 20 light geese (snows, blues and Ross's), three Canadas and two white-fronts.
Furbearer Seasons
It hasn't been nearly cold enough so far this fall to produce any decent pelts, but the furbearer hunting and trapping season in Missouri opens Wednesday.
While coyotes can be taken year-round with some spring restrictions, the upcoming season opens up badgers, bobcats, red and gray foxes, opossums, raccoons and skunks (plus mink, muskrat and otters by trapping) to legal take.
There's no limit on any of those species, either.
If you take a bobcat or river otter, you must get it tagged by a conservation agent before you can sell it, take it to a taxidermist or pretty much anything else. If you plan on freezing it for a later time, it must be tagged by April 10.
By the way, I heard from fur buyer Marc Romine earlier this week and he's going to be at Poplar Bluff's Sale Barn four Fridays this winter: Dec. 29, Jan. 19, Feb. 16 and March 16.
Empty Water
Fishing at Wappapello Lake has been mostly a non-thing lately.
"There's just nobody fishing," said Charlie Brotherton from his Sundowner Marina shop.
A few folks have been catching good numbers of keeper crappies in shallow water in the upper lake, but otherwise, reports are few and far between.