Things are starting to pick back up in the outdoors world, and there are several things coming up quickly.
The first event coming up on this weekend’s schedule is a bass tournament at Wappapello Lake.
The Wappapello Bass Circuit will host its first tournament of the year on Saturday, and it will be fished out of the Sundowner ramp.
The launch time is slated for 5:30 a.m., and fishing will continue until 3 p.m.
As is normal with the club, a pre-event meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Friday at the Wappapello VFW, off Highway T, to assign boat numbers.
Two other events are scheduled this summer, one on July 25 and the other on Aug. 29. As for the March, April and May events, which were canceled, they may be rescheduled.
Questions about the club can be referred to Justun Buchanan at 573-429-6312.
The Butler County Coon Club will host a UKC bench show and hunt Saturday, based out of the club’s headquarters off County Road 607, just south of Poplar Bluff.
The show is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m., with the hunt following at 7:30 p.m.
If you need more information, give Terry Uhl a call at 573-714-1624.
Poplar Bluff High School’s trap team will travel to Linn Creek this weekend for the AIM (Academics, Integrity, Marksmanship) state shoot.
Team members will shoot 200 singles on Saturday, and some will stay to shoot the handicaps and doubles events on Sunday.
If you’re itching for something different to do outdoors, Missouri’s frog season opens at sunset Tuesday.
The good thing about frogs is you can take them using either a hunting or fishing permit, depending on your weapon of choice.
Bullfrogs and green frogs are the only allowed species, and you can take them by hand, hand net, atlatl, gig, bow, trotline, throwline, limb line, bank line, jug line, snagging, snaring, grabbing, pole and line, .22 or smaller caliber rimfire rifle or pistol, pellet gun or crossbow.
The daily limit is eight in any combination of the two species.
Another different type of opportunity for outdoorsmen is Missouri’s turtle season, which opens Wednesday.
Unlike frogs, turtles can only be taken on a fishing permit.
The only legal species are common snapping turtles (which can be taken year-round) and both the smooth and spiny variants of the soft-shelled turtle.
The daily limit is two turtles, and they can be taken by hand, hand net, bow, crossbow, trotline, throwline, limb line, bank line, jug line, snagging, snaring, grabbing or pole and line.
It probably should go without saying, but if you’re dealing with turtles, be careful not to get bitten. All three legal species can have a very nasty disposition and won’t hesitate to bite you. Be sure to grab them by the tail and hold them at arm’s length.
If you’re a waterfowler anywhere across the country, your federal duck stamp from last fall expires Tuesday.
Of course, the stamp is required to hunt migratory birds in every state, and many people don’t buy theirs until right before the duck season opens in the fall, but the stamp is so much more than that.
The federal duck stamp program was begun decades ago as a way to fund the National Wildlife Refuge System and is the reason there are so many refuges and designated waterfowl resting spots across the country.
Each year, the $25 annual stamp is released on July 1, and not only do you need it to hunt waterfowl, but it can serve as your daily entry fee to all refuges, like the Mingo National Wildlife Refuge at Puxico.
Wednesday is the day you can begin applying for managed deer hunts in Missouri, and you have until the end of July to get it done.
This fall, more than 100 hunts are offered - some with archery gear, some with centerfire rifles, many with muzzleloading rifles or “historic weapons,” and several for hunters with disabilities.
There are 55 archery-only hunts, including a few local ones.
Five hunting periods are scheduled at the Otter Slough Conservation Area throughout the archery season, and while bowhunters would have to work around duck hunters during some periods, there are some really nice deer there.
Peck Ranch Conservation Area will host an archery hunt Oct. 12-16.
Youth firearms hunts locally include one at Peck Ranch Oct. 3-4, the Ozark National Scenic Riverways Oct. 17-18 and Mingo National Wildlife Refuge Nov. 7-8.
The popular muzzleloader hunts at Mingo and Peck Ranch will both take place Dec. 5-6 this year.
The closest modern firearms hunt for adults in our area will be one at St. Joe State Park in St. Francois County on Dec. 12-13.
Several hunts designed especially for those with disabilities or disabled veterans also are on the schedule, including Wappapello Lake on Oct. 17-18, Mingo on Nov. 3-4, Clearwater Lake on Nov. 7-8, Ozark National Scenic Riversways on Nov. 7-8, Goldwater Conservation Area in Wayne County on Nov. 14-24 and Mingo again on Dec. 5-6.
The managed hunt application must be completed online at mdc.mo.gov, and the results of the random, computerized drawing will be published there on Aug. 15.