June 14, 2018

A free-ranging, wild black bear estimated to weigh about 400 pounds was found dead in the Current River Sunday when passersby noticed its head sticking above the water about 8.5 river miles south of Van Buren. "I got a call saying there was a bear lodged in a rootwad," said Carter County Conservation Agent Mark Wilcoxon. "It was between the Big Tree and Clubhouse campgrounds."...

A free-ranging, wild black bear estimated to weigh about 400 pounds was found dead in the Current River Sunday when passersby noticed its head sticking above the water about 8.5 river miles south of Van Buren.

"I got a call saying there was a bear lodged in a rootwad," said Carter County Conservation Agent Mark Wilcoxon. "It was between the Big Tree and Clubhouse campgrounds."

Wilcoxon launched his boat from the Van Buren ramp, while Ozark National Scenic Riverways rangers responded to the scene as well.

"By the time I got there, the people who found it had dislodged it and drug it downstream to the Clubhouse Campground," Wilcoxon said.

The adult male bear, with a chocolate-brown hide, Wilcoxon said, showed no visible signs of gunshots or other wounds.

"The river was a little high and we think it just got stuck in the rootwad and drowned," he said.

Officials transported the bear to a refrigerated storage facility in Eminence, where MDC furbearer biologist Laura Conlee was expected to pick it up this week and perform a necropsy on the animal.

Black bears, while not found in large numbers, occasionally are seen along the Current River as they forage for food. Those camping in areas where bears can be found are encouraged to take special precautions to avoid encounters.

June also is the breeding season for Missouri's black bears, and males travel widely in search of females, making sightings more common now. Just in the last couple weeks, several have been spotted in Jefferson County and another was hit and killed by a car near Cuba, Mo., earlier this week.

Hot Bite

Catfishing remains the big draw at Wappapello Lake, with good catches of channel cats coming in the late evening through the early morning hours.

It looks like the catfish have moved somewhat off the shallows where they had been spawning, and more are being caught more consistently now along the edge of the river channel.

Stinkbait is the best producer, but nightcrawlers, liver, hotdogs and other baits will do well. If you want to catch flatheads, live goldfish, shiners or small sunfish are the top baits.

Crappie fishing has become a bit harder as the fish have moved back into deeper, cooler water. They're still being caught, but the fish are deep and more scattered, so you may have to work to find them.

Clearwater Tourney

James Warren and Joe Dougherty easily topped the field during Saturday's USA Bassin' tournament on Clearwater Lake, even after they lost a big fish right next to the boat.

The pair finished the day with 22.25 pounds, which included the day's big bass weighing in at 5.22 pounds.

Second place was earned by Andy Luke and Kyle Turley with 13.21 pounds, and third place went to Abe Warren and Rick Warren with 5.67 pounds.

The next USA Bassin' tournament will be held July 7, based out of Chaonia Landing on Wappapello Lake.

Youth Tournament

For young crappie anglers, the Wappapello Crappie Club will host a children's crappie tournament Saturday.

During the event, at least one team member on a boat must be age 15 or younger.

Fishing will begin at 6 a.m. from any ramp on the lake and will continue through 1 p.m. You'll have to be in the weigh-in line at the Sundowner pavilion by 2 p.m.

Several raffles and door prizes also will be given away at the weigh-in, according to organizers.

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If you want to register, give Charlie a call at Sundowner Marina, 573-222-8622, or you can do so beginning at 5 a.m. before the event.

River Tourney

The Current River Smallmouth Association will hit the water again Saturday when it hosts its annual His and Hers tournament at Van Buren.

Based out of the Watercress ramp, fishing will begin at 7 a.m. and the weigh-in will be at 4 p.m.

Dexter NWTF

The Crowley's Ridge Limbhangers chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation celebrated its 15th annual banquet last week, and though the number of attendees was down, those who were there supported the organization in a big way.

"We had a wonderful banquet," said chapter president Tonya Chapman. "Everyone who showed up was 100 percent supportive of the NWTF with their pocketbook."

The event, she noted, grossed around $39,000, which was a little better than last year's banquet.

About 80 tickets were sold for the event at the Elks Lodge, Chapman said.

The banquet began with a social hour, where visitors could play games and take chances on raffles, plus bid on items in a silent auction.

A chicken and pork loin dinner was served by the staff from the Elks Lodge, and dinner was followed by volunteer auctioneer Haven Willis.

"Our live auction matched the last two years," Chapman noted, despite the lower turnout.

New to the Dexter banquet's live auction this year was a 10-day African safari from Limcroma Safaris for four people.

Other items up for grabs during the event were various framed prints, including a limited-edition "Ready for Anything" print from Puxico artist Peggy Parsley. Hunting gear, home decor and more also were available.

During the course of the banquet, Chapman said, 11 guns were given away, including the NWTF Gun of the Year, a Winchester Super-X 4 shotgun,

This year's banquet, Chapman said, featured 31 sponsors, mostly local businesses, who were vital to the success of the event because their support reduces expenses and allows more of the money raised to go into on-the-ground habitat programs.

Next year's event, Chapman said, already is being planned and likely will take place later in June.

Mingo Photo Classes

If you're interested in learning about nature photography, the Mingo National Wildlife Refuge north of Puxico has a few classes coming up which may interest you.

Visitor Services Ranger Debbie Koenigs will teach a class on macro (close-up) nature photography from 9-10:30 a.m. on June 23, followed by a basic photography class that afternoon at 1 p.m.

On July 14, she'll teach a class focusing on wildlife photography, and on July 21, she'll present one on photographing landscapes.

Finally, on July 28, Koenigs will offer a class on editing your photos using free software.

There's no cost to attend any of the classes, Koenigs said, and no pre-registration is required.

Each class will be held at the refuge's visitor center, about a mile north of Puxico off Highway 51.

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