Just like last year, Missouri's archery deer season is off to a pretty decent, yet very toasty, start.
As of Wednesday afternoon, 1,901 deer had been arrowed across the state, which is slightly below the average for the last few years during the same period. Given the blazing temperatures, that's really not a surprise.
In Butler County, 19 deer have been taken so far, and in Wayne County, the tally is 50. Obviously, it's still extremely early in the season, but as of yesterday, Wayne County was second-ranked in the state behind Jefferson.
Stoddard County bowhunters have tagged 25 deer, and three have been killed in Dunklin County.
Bowhunters in Ripley County have checked 24 deer, and in Carter County, they've taken 24.
Like a lot of people, I'm not much of a morning hunter in the early season, but because it was so hot Saturday, I did go early, and I'm glad I did. I saw 25 deer that day, plus five turkeys. Interestingly, about one third of the deer I saw were bucks, and all but two were still in velvet.
I also found a mother-lode of acorns in some big white oaks, so I know where I'll be sitting in about a month. Otherwise, the acorns were pretty sparse.
While it looks like the heat and humidity will stick around a bit longer and make hunting tough, along with rain this weekend, there appears to be a big cool-down coming our way toward the end of the month, and that will certainly be welcome.
Teal Closure
Sunday is the last day of Missouri's early teal season, which by most accounts has been a pretty good one.
Biologist Kevin Brunke at Otter Slough Conservation Area said there still are teal in the area, though they have been leaving early in the mornings and returning late in the day, a sure sign of educated birds.
The hope is the cold front coming through over the weekend will provide one final push of fresh birds before the season closes out.
River Winners
It may have been the hot weather, or maybe the archery season opener, but only 10 teams fished last Saturday's Current River Smallmouth Association tournament at Van Buren, Mo.
At the end of a 10-hour fishing day, the team of Joachim and Joachim were the winners, bringing 11.61 pounds to the scales.
Taking the second spot was the team of Henderson and Henderson with 11.24 pounds, while third went to McAfee and Rutledge with 10.56 pounds.
Fourth place was earned by Williams and Kram with 9.95 pounds, and fifth place went to Sisco and Dougherty with 9.21 pounds.
The day's big fish was a 3.08-pounder caught by McAfee and Rutledge, while Henderson and Henderson had the second-largest bass, weighing in at 2.95 pounds.
The Current River Smallmouth Association has one more regular club event on Sept. 29 before its Classic tournament on Oct. 13.
Angler's Choice
Twenty-five teams hit the water on a hot Sunday to fish the Angler's Choice tournament at Wappapello Lake, and longtime fishing partners Terry Holmes and Terry Young bested the field with a stringer weight of 14.03 pounds.
Second place went to Ron Niswonger and Dan Niswonger with 13.14 pounds, and third place with the exact same weight, was earned by Curtis Black and Mike Allison.
Fourth place went to Jerry Carpenter and Jeff Slinkard with 13.05 pounds, and the top five was rounded out by Eric Batton and Lance Kearbey with 11.73 pounds. They also had the second-largest bass of the day, weighing in at 4.85 pounds.
The event's biggest bass was caught by Denny Pogue and Dennis Pogue and weighed in at 5.53 pounds.
The Angler's Choice circuit has one more tournament scheduled this year, on Oct. 14.
Bass Circuit Classic
The Wappapello Bass Circuit will hold its end-of-the-season Classic event this weekend, with fishing both Saturday and Sunday from the Redman Creek ramp.
While the launch time will be 6:30 a.m. both days, the weigh-in is different. On Saturday, it will be at 3 p.m., and on Sunday, it's set for 2 p.m.
As always, a pre-event meeting to determine boat numbers will be held at 6 p.m. Friday at the Wappapello VFW, north of the dam on Highway D.
Justun Buchanan can be reached at 573-429-6312 for more information.
Hunter Education
As a reminder, if you or your children need hunter education certification before purchasing a firearms hunting permit, the only class to be offered in Poplar Bluff this fall will take place Monday evening.
It may be full already, but if you have questions, give either Butler County conservation agent a call at 573-300-3475 or 573-300-3693.
While this will be the only class in Poplar Bluff this fall, others will be offered in the region. Look for a graphic with details elsewhere on this page.
Sporting Clays
The Black River chapter of Quail Forever will host a sporting clays meat shoot and membership drive Saturday at the Black River Ranch, just north of Poplar Bluff.
The event will kick off with registrations at noon, followed by several rounds of sporting clays and the popular "crazy quail."
Prizes include smoked hams, ribs, cured bacon, Mike and Zach's Barbecue and lots more.
A unique twist, said organizer John Blaich, is participants will receive a ticket for each clay they break to be used toward drawings that day.
The cost to shoot is $60 for non-members, which includes a membership. Current members can shoot for $25.
Participants are asked to bring their own shotgun and shells.
After the shooting portion of the event, gun drawings will be held and a chili dinner will be served, along with other goodies.
Space is limited, so those interested are highly encouraged to pre-register by calling the ranch at 573-785-7157 or Jamie at Dental Arts, 573-785-0111.
To get to Black River Ranch, take Main Street north past Barron Road and across Highway 60 to Honeysuckle Lane. Turn right and follow the signs.