With the closure of just about all hunting seasons, and the remaining few shutting down soon, it’s just about time to switch to full-on fishing mode.
At the moment, your hunting options are snow geese, rabbits, squirrels or coyotes.
Snow goose numbers appear to be down a bit from what they normally are this time of year, and success has been somewhat limited.
The hot spots in Southeast Missouri continue to be around the Otter Slough Conservation Area and the region around Kennett in the bootheel.
However, there still are good numbers of birds in the Grand Prairie of Arkansas.
With the cold blast of air this weekend, the birds should stay south longer than normal before heading our direction once things thaw out some.
Missouri’s rabbit and squirrel seasons close Monday, Feb. 15.
I’ve been rabbit hunting a couple times recently, with some pretty good success.
I don’t have beagles, so kicking brush piles is standard procedure for me.
I should have gone rabbit hunting last weekend when there was a bit of snow on the ground, but couldn’t get away to do so.
This weekend’s predicted brutal cold likely will keep most folks out of the field, but the situation reminds me of a rabbit hunt way back in my high school days in Indiana.
My dad and I were looking for rabbits on a state wildlife area on New Year’s Day, and the temperature was in the single digits.
We had the entire place to ourselves, and we kicked up rabbits consistently.
The weird thing was (and I’ve never seen it happen since) it was so cold we could actually see our shot string of pellets when firing.
That hunt sticks out to me for that reason, and also because we both limited out on rabbits without dogs. And, dad topped off the day with a single bobwhite quail.
My vest was so heavy with rabbits that the game bag in the back actually tore about halfway off.
I haven’t heard of anyone specifically targeting squirrels this late in the season, but I’m confident Kent Bridges, Greg Clanahan, Paul Babcock and a few others haven’t given up yet.
From my perspective, the fall months saw good numbers of squirrels, but lately, I haven’t seen nearly as many.
If you’ve got pelts to sell, fur buyer Marc Romine will be at Poplar Bluff’s Sale Barn next Friday, Feb. 19.
Romine will be on hand from 9-11 a.m.
If you have bobcats or river otters needing to be tagged, Butler County Conservation Agent Mark Skelton also should be there to take care of those.
Crappie fishing continues to be pretty good, if not a bit inconsistent.
With the coming cold temperatures, the fish will certainly be holding in the deepest water for a while.
The bigger problem for anglers will be one of access, because any bays and ramp areas sheltered from the wind will freeze over pretty quickly.
If you go, play it smart and be safe.