It turns out the black bear found in the Current River 11 days ago didn't drown, as officials initially suspected, and it also didn't die from any gunshot wound.
"MDC's state wildlife veterinarian has completed a necropsy of the bear that was found in the Current River near Van Buren last week," said the Department of Conservation's Candice Davis. "Although it initially appeared the bear drowned after being caught in a rootwad, it instead appears the bear had an infection in his chest cavity, which caused its death."
Being found in or near water, Davis said, is typical of sick or feverish animals.
"That is consistent with finding the bear near water, as sick animals often seek out a source of water," she reported.
The male bear, which was estimated to be 10 to 12 years old, weighed 362 pounds and was described as having a poor body condition.
More lab work is in progress, so further details should emerge about the bear's death in the coming days.
His and Hers Winners
The final weights in Saturday's Current River Smallmouth Association His and Hers tournament at Van Buren were pretty close, but at the end of the day, the team of Dougherty and Dougherty topped the field with a weight of 11.07 pounds.
Yarber and Smith grabbed the second spot with a stringer weight of 10.58 pounds, and they were followed close behind in third by Sullivan and Sullivan with 10.36 pounds.
Just a hair down the scale in fourth place was the team of Rutledge and Jones, who had 10.34 pounds, and Henderson and Henderson completed the top five positions with a weight of 8.69 pounds.
The day's largest fish was a 2.92-pounder caught by Christy Sullivan.
The Current River Smallmouth Association heads right back to the river on Saturday for another tournament, this time based out of Doniphan's T.L. Wright ramp at Riverfront Park.
Fishing will start at 7 a.m. and conclude at 5 p.m.
Crappie Winners
It may have been 93 degrees on the water, but 24 teams still turned out to fish Saturday's Wappapello Crappie Club "Take a Kid Fishing" tournament.
Botsch and Botsch were the big winners on the day, bringing an even 7 pounds to the weigh-in. With the day's second-largest fish on their stringer, the pair earned a cool $934.
Second place went to Tropf and Tropf with 6.86 pounds, which was good enough to earn them $390. Third place was earned by Guiling and Guiling with 6.20 pounds, and they had the day's big fish, which weighed 1.34 pounds. In all, they won $356.
Norris and Norris grabbed the fourth spot with 5.51 pounds, which earned them $140, and the top five was rounded out by Lizenbee and Montgomery with 5.46 pounds, good for $100.
The Wappapello Crappie Club's next tournament will be held July 22.
Bass Circuit
The Wappapello Bass Circuit will hit the water again Saturday when it hosts a tournament out of the Redman Creek ramp.
The scheduled launch time is 5:30 a.m., with a weigh-in at 3 p.m.
A pre-event meeting to assign boat numbers will be held at 6 p.m. Friday at the Wappapello VFW off Highway T.
To get registered, give Justun Buchanan a call at 573-429-6312.
Managed Deer Hunts
It's almost time to apply for fall managed deer hunts in Missouri, and the Department of Conservation will be offering 118 total hunts this year, including those tailored for bowhunters, muzzleloaders, centerfire weapons and hunters with disabilities.
Six archery-only hunts will be offered locally, five at the Otter Slough Conservation Area in Stoddard County between mid-September and late December, and one at the Peck Ranch Conservation Area in northwestern Carter County on Oct. 20-22.
The ever-popular muzzleloader hunts at Peck Ranch and the Mingo National Wildlife Refuge, north of Puxico, are back again this year, with Mingo's taking place Dec. 1-2 and Peck Ranch's running Dec. 8-9.
Local youth firearms hunts will be offered at Mingo on Nov. 3-4, Peck Ranch Oct. 6-7 and at the Ozark National Scenic Riverways (Big Spring area) on Oct. 6-7.
Several special hunts for those with disabilities, using firearms or muzzleloaders, depending on the hunt, will be offered locally, including two at Mingo, one at the Coldwater Conservation Area in Wayne County, one at the Ozark National Scenic Riverways, one at Clearwater lake and one at Wappapello Lake.
Bag limits vary, depending on each specific hunt, and unlike MDC's managed turkey hunts, deer taken do not count toward your regular season limit.
Starting July 1, you'll be able to go online to mdc.mo.gov and apply for a managed hunt. Up to four hunters can apply together as a party.
Photo Contest
The details have been finalized, and the entry period for the 13th annual Mingo Swamp Friends Flora and Fauna Photo Contest has opened.
Sponsored by the Mingo Swamp Friends, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service/Mingo National Wildlife Refuge and a host of Southeast Missouri businesses, the contest is held each year to promote the unique diversity of animal and plant life on the refuge and the activities people enjoy there.
This year's contest features two divisions, youth (age 17 and under) and adults, with four categories in each division.
Categories include Mingo Landscape, People in Nature, Native Wildlife and Native Plant.
Those entered in the People in Nature or Mingo Landscape categories must be taken on the refuge.
All entries should be 8X10-inch prints, though a digital file also must be submitted.
The cost to enter the contest is $5 per photograph, with no limit on how many you may submit. Entry forms are available at the refuge visitor center during normal business hours or on the Swamp Friends website, www.mingoswampfriends.org.
All entries must be received at the refuge visitor center by 4 p.m. on Aug. 1. If you have questions about the contest, call the visitor center at 573-222-3589 or email a Swamp Friends representative at mingoswampfriends@gmail.com.
Winning photographs will be announced in September, and they will be included in a traveling display around the state for a one-year period.