Arkansas Wild | Summer 2020 by Arkansas Times

ARKANSAS WILD DOG DAYS ARE HERE!

SIT. STAY. READ. DISCOVER

STRIPER HEAVEN FLOATING

THE SWAMP WHAT MAKES A GREAT RETRIEVER? SEE PAGE 24.

JULY 2020 ARKANSASWILD.COM

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DOG DAYS ARE HERE

Saluting Our Four-Legged Friends

FLOATING THE SWAMP

DREW HARRIS

Bayou DeView Stops Time

COME ALONG WITH US THROUGH MYSTICAL BAYOU DEVIEW, STARTING ON PAGE 32.

DEPARTMENTS

10 GO WILD 12 OUTDOOR ESSENTIALS 14 KEEPING IT NATURAL 16 ARKANSAS MADE 20 EXPLORE 38 #ARKANSASWILD 4 | Arkansas Wild JULY 2020

COVER PHOTOGRAPHY BY NOVO STUDIO

ON THE COVER: Urban kayakers watch the sun set on the Arkansas River, one of our favorite adventures. See more starting on page 28. Photo courtesy of Sam Ellis, Rocktown River Outfitters.

THE R E ’S NO Better PL AC E.

Not allTherainbows are in the Arkansas is something special. great outdoors are even greater in the sky. Check out our White Natural State, and the people here make it even better. We can find picturesque views River excursion on page 22. from mountain tops and front porches – or soak up the sun on the back of a bike. The First Security team has a lot to be grateful for – like family, friends and close-knit communities – but home is pretty high on our list. Thank you for sharing it with us.

Proud to be your community bank. Call or click today! Member FDIC

ARKANSAS WILD

calling all wild fans!

ARKANSAS WILD ARKANSASWILD.COM FOLLOW US FOR MORE WILD

#ARKANSASWILD

BROOKE WALLACE Publisher brooke@arktimes.com DWAIN HEBDA Editor dwain@arktimes.com MANDY KEENER Creative Director mandy@arktimes.com KATIE HASSELL Art Director/Digital Manager LESA THOMAS Senior Account Executive WELDON WILSON Production Manager/Controller ROLAND R. GLADDEN Advertising Traffic Manager MIKE SPAIN Advertising Art Director

nominate your choice for champion of the wild 2020! Send to Dwain Hebda, editor at dwain@arktimes.com 6 | Arkansas Wild JULY 2020

JORDAN LITTLE Director of Digital Strategy ROBERT CURFMAN IT Director CHARLOTTE KEY Administration JACKSON GLADDEN Circulation Director ALAN LEVERITT President

N O T T I AR CAALM LOO W T EW T N NEX

CONTRIBUTORS

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DREW HARRIS , a Jonesboro native,

is an angler, writer, photographer and all-around outdoor type. He loves nothing more than being outside and capturing the place he calls home, no matter the season. Find him at drewharrisphotography.com

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us with your favorite fall spot in arkansas

Tag us on Instagram or Facebook! ARKANSASWILD.COM | 7

GOOD FOR WHAT AILS US

Here’s hoping this issue of Arkansas Wild finds all of you well and your families healthy. We don’t have to tell you this year ranks about a 9.5 on the weird-o-meter thus far. Between the panic and fear of the coronavirus locking us in our homes, making graduations “virtual” and postponing weddings, shuttering businesses and reducing entertainment options, and the civil unrest playing out across our state and around the nation, we need some good diversions now more than ever. And we’ve crafted this edition to highlight just those things. First off, it’s our Dog Issue and if that doesn’t immediately bring a smile to your mask-wearing face, we don’t know what will. We visit with trainers, preview dog gear and provide really beautiful photography of some furry friends doing their stuff. We also take you along on a float through Bayou DeView, one of several water trails that exist in the state. It’s an incredible experience in a really remarkable setting that we can’t recommend highly enough. And, we take you up to Northwest Arkansas for some of the best fishing in the state. The Fayetteville-Bentonville-Rogers corridor is generally touted for trails and mountain biking, but the fishing there is unbelievably good, especially for monster striped bass. You really should check it out. All in all, the great outdoors are still great and waiting for you. Which reminds us: Keeping our wild spaces pristine takes money, so if you don’t have an Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Sportsman’s License yet – or you need to renew it – take a second to handle that, will ya? Whether you camp, fish, hunt, bike, hike, photograph, float, birdwatch, climb or spelunk, you couldn’t do it without the work of the AGFC. So, show them 35 bucks worth of love; you’ll get far more in return, take our word for it. Take care of yourselves. Be nice to each other. Wander far,

Dwain Hebda Editor, Arkansas Wild

8 | Arkansas Wild JULY 2020

DREW HARRIS

FROM THE EDITOR

ARKANSASWILD.COM | 9

GO WILD

NEW FACES AND A FOND FAREWELL

ARKANSAS CROWNS FISHING CHAMPIONS, LOSES PIONEERING RETAILER

Rob Finley

Andrew Parker

Rob Finley of Mountain Home was introduced June 26 as the newest member of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. Finley, an avid sportsman and entrepreneur, was appointed to the post by Governor Hutchinson to replace Ken Reeves of Harrison, whose seven-year term expired in June. Finley, 54, began his professional career in banking and developed a credit-insurance program for financial institutions. He and his wife, Nicki, own Route 66 Warranty in Mountain Home and Cranor’s White River Lodge in Cotter. In his June 26 remarks, Finley highlighted attracting new hunters and anglers and improving access for existing ones among his top priorities. Commissioner Andrew Parker of Little Rock took over chairman duties from Reeves during the commission’s June 18 meeting. Parker, who moves up from vice chairman, is director of governmental affairs for the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce/Associated Industries of Arkansas. He was appointed as an AGFC commissioner in 2014 and has been a steadfast advocate for the protection and enhancement of Arkansas’s natural areas. Commissioner Joe Morgan, a retired auto dealer who splits his time between Little Rock and his hunting property in Stuttgart, took over vice chairman duties.

COMMISSIONERS’ CUP CROWNS WINNERS The second Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation Commissioners’ Cup bass tournament, presented by Xpress Boats, was contested June 20, featuring the best junior high and high school anglers in the state. The winning team was determined by the combined length of their best six fish. The team of Kanon Harmon of Haskell and Brody Jacks of Tull, both high school seniors, won the event with a combined total length of 102.5 inches. Two teams tied for runner-up honors with a combined length of 97 inches, so the tiebreak10 | Arkansas Wild JULY 2020

er of the team with the longest single fish was implemented. Junior high anglers Cole Martin and Kanon Goss, both of Hot Springs, landed second place, with the team of Cody McEntire of Walnut Ridge and Keaton Bassham of Salem coming in third. The 2020 event was the first to use a fishing app which eliminated the need for a central weigh-in—teams simply took a photo of their fish and sent it to judges for verification. This enabled teams to fish in locations statewide and eliminated much of the concern over social distancing.

COMMISSIONERS: AGFC THOMPSON: AGFF OUTDOOR HALL OF FAME

AGFC COMMISSION WELCOMES FINLEY

AGFF HALL OF FAME TAPS HONOREES

The Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation has announced three inductees into the Arkansas Outdoor Hall of Fame and its Legacy Award recipient for 2020. Hank Browne, a lifetime hunter and avid supporter of Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and Foundation initiatives, is also one of Arkansas’s most famous furniture entrepreneurs, having founded Hank’s Fine Furniture. A member of The Nature Conservancy and Arkansas’s Last Great Places Society along with his wife, Cathy, has championed conservation via financial support, land donations and gifts of time and talent to advance preservation of wild spaces across the state. Jerrell and Penny Dodson, owners of Archer’s Advantage in Little Rock, have grown their small specialty store into the largest archery retailer in a five-state area. An expansive inventory, paired with 85 years of combined expertise, has consistently ranked the store in the top 50 in sales for national brands such as Hoyt and Matthews and outfitted generations of bowhunters and archery enthusiasts. Mark Davis competed in his first Bassmaster tournament at age 23 and would earn Bassmaster Angler of the Year titles three times (1995, 1998, 2001). In 1995, he became the first pro to win the Bassmaster Classic and Angler of the Year in the same calendar year. He has also been heavily involved in youth fishing activities, leading the Mount Ida High School Fishing Club to numerous titles and contributing to the birth of the Arkansas Bassmaster High School Series. In 2019, he was inducted into the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame. The Mahony family of El Dorado, one of the most prominent families of south Arkansas, is this year’s Legacy Award winner. Among the collective accomplishments of brothers Joseph “Jodie” Mahony (1939-2009), Emon Mahony Jr. (1941-) and Michael Mahony (1944-2001) are serving in the Arkansas legislature, as Arkansas Game and Fish Commissioners, leading The Nature Conservancy Arkansas and the Soil and Water Commission. They combined their respective talents and influence at the state, federal and local levels in the acquisition of the 65,000-acre National Wildlife Refuge at Felsenthal. AGFF has announced the 2020 Outdoor Hall of Fame induction banquet, originally scheduled for Aug. 29 in Little Rock, will not be held due to concerns over coronavirus. The 2020 inductees and award recipient will be honored in 2021.

C.B. THOMPSON

Oct. 26, 1930 - May 22, 2020 C.B. (Clyde Barner) Thompson Jr., founder of Fort Thompson Sporting Goods, died May 20 at age 89. He was born in Norphlet, Ark., but spent the majority of his growing up in North Little Rock where his father Clyde Barner Thompson Sr., and mother Daisy Mae (Furr) Thompson ran a grocery store. Thompson graduated from North Little Rock High School in 1948, attended Central Baptist College and the University of Arkansas, then entered the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War. Returning home after a three-year enlistment, he took over the family business and over time transitioned into an inventory of guns, ammunition and other sporting paraphernalia. In the 1980s, the company moved into a new pine-log building that resembled a fort, inspiring the name Fort Thompson Sporting Goods in 1986. Thompson’s longtime business success in the outdoor realm and his decades-long contribution to the outdoor culture of Arkansas landed him in the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation’s Outdoor Hall of Fame in 2014.

ARKANSASWILD.COM | 11

OUTDOOR ESSENTIALS

A DOG’S LIFE

PRODUCTS TO HELP YOUR FAITHFUL HUNTING BUDDY PERFORM THEIR BEST IN THE BLIND OR THE FIELD.

2 3

1. READY TO RUMBLE

Browning’s 5mm neoprene camo dog vest provides warmth, adjustability and full-body protection without breaking the bank. It’s cut-to-fit comfort and flexible chest plate are just the ticket for the thicket. browninglifestyle.com

2. POOCH PERCH

Keep your dog out of water and mud or off the frozen ground with the Drake quick-hitch retriever stand. Fast set-up, rock-solid stability and impressive extras like folding gear arms make this all-steel platform extra easy to tote and use. drakewaterfowl.com

3. FIELD FIRST-AID

You wouldn’t go into a hunt without a first-aid kit for yourself, why forget your four-legged friend? Ready Dog offers a range of kits for hunting and tactical dogs suitable for multiple patch-ups until you can get to the vet. readydogproducts.com.

4 5 12 | Arkansas Wild JULY 2020

Chase your game, not your hounds, with Garmin’s Alpha 100 dog tracking system. Able to track or train up to 20 dogs over a range of up to 9 miles, this easy-to-use handheld device is man’s second-best friend. buy.garmin. com

5. SWEET DREAMS

Reward your buddy with a good night’s sleep on the Big Barker 7-inch pillow top bed. Configured especially for large and extra-large dogs, Big Barker’s orthopedic foam won’t flatten over time. Ain’t cheap, but your big schweetie’s worth it. bigbarker.com

PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY OF VENDORS

4. TRACK YOUR TRACKER

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Lake Fayetteville

ARKANSASWILD.COM | 13

KEEPING IT NATURAL

INTO THE GREAT WIDE OPEN

ARKANSAS PARKS, TRAILS AWAIT VISITORS UNDER NEW RULES.

MK FIND BUFFALO OUTDOOR IMAGE

Riding the Northwoods Trail near Hot Springs is a great way to take in the Arkansas outdoors while maintaining social distance.

ith the dawning of summertime and the pent-up demand of a quarantine-weary public, Arkansas’s natural spaces and attractions are more popular than ever. Even if those spaces—like virtually every other aspect of life—have been altered, perhaps permanently, by coronavirus. “The [Buffalo] River has been as crowded as I’ve ever seen it and this is my 16th season this year,” said Ben Milburn, owner of Buffalo River Outfitters (buffaloriveroutfitters.com). “Seems like a lot of it could be that the river was closed for almost 60 days so people didn’t get a chance to come, and now they’re finally getting a chance so they’re all coming at the same time. They’re trying to take advantage of good water while we’ve got it.” Natural attractions and amenities from one end of the state to the other have been similarly inundated, despite overseers’ restrictions in the name of public safety. Arkansas State Parks, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission wildlife management areas and municipal hiking and biking trails are almost universally open. Lakes and rivers are as well, considering boating activities tend to have built-in social distancing. Even campgrounds have come back, in most places with all available spaces up for grabs. 14 | Arkansas Wild JULY 2020

“First, they let in RV camping with self-contained restrooms,” said Melissa Whitfield, Arkansas State Parks spokesperson. “Now, they’ve opened up tent camping again and the lodges are open again. They’re being careful to clean and sanitize in the lodges particularly; they’ll rotate the rooms so that they’re able to sanitize them properly according to CDC standards before the next guests come in.” But even with all of that, the signs of the new normal of societal life are still very much visible. Visitors to state parks are reminded to wear a mask while in public spaces within lodges and restaurants or anywhere they cannot maintain social distancing. “If you’re going to be in an area where you don’t think you can maintain that 6-foot distance, the park rangers are out to remind people they see congregating,” Whitfield said. “People don’t think about it, so they’re gently reminding that please, if this is not your family group, please remember to keep a 6-foot distance.” Other attractions have only been lightly affected this spring. In addition to a record-setting float season, Buffalo River Outfitters is still offering its cabins and has only had to make minor modifications to its amenities. “We used to transport our customers in our vans and buses

“YOU CAN GO OUTSIDE, YOU CAN DO IT SAFELY, YOU CAN SOCIAL DISTANCE, YOU CAN BE WITH YOUR FAMILY.” GET THE LATEST

For the most current COVID-19 information visit: ARKANSAS GAME AND FISH COMMISSION agfc.com/en/covid-19-response/ ARKANSAS STATE PARKS arkansasstateparks.com/covid-19-update ARKANSAS TOURISM arkansas.com/travel-advisory/covid-19 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOREST SERVICE fs.usda.gov

ANNIVERSA

Plan your escape for an adventure you’ll never forget.

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U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE fws.gov U.S. NATIONAL PARK SERVICE nps.gov

to and from the river,” Milburn said. “Now, we’re providing a vehicle shuttle; they meet us at the river where their gear is staged and we’ll take their car to their takeout point and leave it for them. We’re trying to mitigate the potential risk as much as we can.” The pandemic has dealt communities that rely on tourism and conventions a particularly crippling economic blow. Bill Sollender, director of marketing for Visit Hot Springs (hotsprings.org), said scheduled events and conventions dropped like flies off the city’s calendar this spring, things that generally don’t reanimate overnight. As a result, he said the city is leaning more heavily on its natural amenities than ever before. “Right at Memorial Day weekend, that’s when we saw a change,” he said. “We definitely saw people ready to get back out. They were coming out and some restaurants were opening for limited capacity and some were doing curbside. The attractions were adjusting. “What we were promoting at that time was just a portion of what we always offer and that was outdoor activities—boating, hiking, biking, fishing. You can go outside, you can do it safely, you can social distance, you can be with your family, you can enjoy Hot Springs. And we began to see hotels fill up. If you’re out on the weekend in Hot Springs it will look very busy and hotels are said to report high numbers, even at 100 percent capacity. So that’s exciting for us.” Still, Sollender admits, it’s a long way back. “Everyone’s just holding their breath and hoping that the virus subsides and we stay healthy,” he said. “I’m staying very positive and we’re beginning to plan events again and we’re working with the [state] Health Department to do events safely. The world will change and events will look different, but that’s OK. I think all of us are ready for staying on our toes and trying something new. We can do it.”

Mountain Harbor Resort & Spa on Lake Ouachita, Mt. Ida, Arkansas 870-867-2191 • 800-832-2276 MountainHarborResort.com

ARKANSASWILD.COM | 15

DWAIN HEBDA

ARKANSAS MADE

SMALL BUT MIGHTY MIGHTY WHITE MARINE IS THE MOUSE THAT ROARED. BY DWAIN HEBDA

“I like [the White River]. Grew up on it.” Mighty White Marine founder and local Augusta product Shandon Nichols.

16 | Arkansas Wild JULY 2020

m TATE.

Albino Hummingbird Photo courtesy of Kenny Nations of an albino ruby-throated hummingbird taken in White County. What a rare and special sight!

he people who live here. That’s why we created an sit OnlyInArk.com for everything from great bike trails ank is only in Arkansas, ots of people have pride in you know it’s all about you.

where they came from, but few show the depth of that love like Shandon Nichols. Among the Augusta native’s many colorful tattoos is a map of the White River on his arm and across his back, a picture of the bridge spanning that same river headed into his hometown and the words “Bridging the Gap.” “I like this river. Grew up on it. I like the muddy water. I don’t like clear [lake] water,” he said. “Always been around boats and duck hunting, deer hunting, squirrel hunting, country boy stuff.” For lovers of the outdoors, Augusta (Woodruff County) is as real as it gets. A sleepy Delta community of right around 2,000 people, it sports some of the best hunting and fishing anywhere in Arkansas. Just driving up here, one sees blinds dotting the landscape and boats in many driveways. Nichols grew up in this culture; underscored by his father’s trade as a commercial fisherman, his was a love affair with the outdoors from the start. “Growing up, me and my brother went to fish bass, fish turtles,” he said. “I think he told a guy yesterday the biggest one we caught was 102 pounds, alligator snapping turtle.”

Great Horned Owlets Courtesy of Ralph Wood. This photo of “Great Horned Owlets” was taken in Northeast Arkansas.

Presented by Arkansas State Capitol in Spring Courtesy of Arkansas photographer, Linda Henderson. It is called “Arkansas State Capitol in Spring” taken through a tulip tree with its fresh buds.

Submit your own photos at onlyinark.com/photos

ARKANSASWILD.COM | 17

“DUCK HUNTERS, THE NEW GENERATION, THEY WANT TO BE ABLE TO BUILD THEIR OWN STUFF.”

(From left) Boats line up for painting and modification; a finished rig shows off the familiar MWM snapping turtle logo; Donald Deese works the company paint booth; multiple camo pattern stencils hang at the ready in the painting booth.

For Nichols, those monster snappers are the embodiment of the outdoors and he carries that image everywhere: a tatt on the back of his right hand, a ceiling light fixture made out of a shell, even keeping a live one in a tank in his office. And it was a no-brainer of a mascot for his business, Mighty White Marine. He opened the place in 2014 with less than $1,000 in his pocket, offering boat service, painting, repairs and customization as well as sales of new boats and outboards, at that time Mercury and Tohatsu engines and Havoc boats. Almost immediately, he grew to the No. 2 Tohatsu dealer in the nation (tops in Arkansas) and the No. 1 Havoc dealer in the country. Not bad for a guy whose original business plan didn’t include a sales side at all. In two years, he’d burst the seams on the company’s original location —three bays in a 1950s-era gas station—and moved to Mighty White Marine’s current 65,000-square-foot digs. There, seven employees work on just about anything that floats for clients from all 18 | Arkansas Wild JULY 2020

over North America. As well-established as the company is, it’s still an anomaly for doing sales, shop work and customization under one roof, even though about 90 percent of new boat buyers drop additional cash on tricking them out. “That’s part of it and that’s why they come here. We let them build their boat,” Nichols said. “Duck hunters, the new generation, they want to be able to build their own stuff.” Customization keeps the workday interesting. Nichols recalls one guy from Michigan who presented some particularly challenging ideas. “This guy brings this canoe in, Osage canoe, and he was like, ‘I’m going to duck hunt out of this.’ OK,” Nichols said. ‘He says, ‘I want you to put lights in the front. I need a built-in gas tank. I want it camouflaged and laddered. And I want LED lights. I want a troller motor mount on it and an outboard.’ On a canoe. “So, we fabricate these pod lights on the front. Builtin gas tank. We fabricate an aluminum trolling motor

bracket out of the side of the boat that he could just let down and operate from where he was sitting. We put him a brand-new Tohatsu motor on the back of it. And he apparently liked that work, so he brings in a big boat. “Now, I’m not even sure what kind of boat it was; one of them Great Lakes boats, 18 feet long, probably from the ’70s or ’80s. Put a brand-new motor on it, added a hunting deck to the back of it. Lots of fabrication on the inside, painted it. Lights, jack plates, hydraulic steering, new hydroturf inside. He ends up spending $30,000 on this boat. He could have bought a brand-new one, but it was the custom-built boat that he wanted.” As the company has grown, so has the inventory. Might White Marine doesn’t carry Havoc anymore, but does carry a bevy of other brands, including Arkansasbuilt Edge (Little Rock), Alweld (Lonsdale) and Weldbilt (Benton) plus Louisiana-based Gator Tail and a new addition, Indiana-based PolarKraft. The company also carries Mercury, Tohatsu, Gator Tail and Copperhead

motors. Enjoying 30-40 percent growth year after year, Nichols said demand remains high, provided he can get merchandise into the showroom. “You see there’s no boats out there. No boats to sell,” he said waving to where merchandise would normally be stacked high. “Three months. It’s killing us. We’re getting them, but when we get them, they’re gone. I’ve probably sold more 20-horse and down than I’ve ever sold. I don’t know if it’s because everybody’s outfitting their little johnboats wanting to get out on the water or it’s that stimulus check and they can afford a $3,000 boat motor.” Asked why he never steered the company into building their own models, Nichols said he didn’t see the need, given the number and quality of Arkansas’s existing boat-builders. Asked why he never opened a branch location or hauled Mighty White Marine to larger, greener pastures, he just smiles a warm, satisfied smile. “Born and raised here,” he said. ARKANSASWILD.COM | 19

EXPLORE

EARN YOUR STRIPES

FOR FISHING ENJOYMENT, NORTHWEST ARKANSAS HANGS WITH ANYBODY

JON CONKLIN

BY DWAIN HEBDA

Beaver Lake in Northwest Arkansas is fast becoming a national destination of choice for monster stripers like this one. 20 | Arkansas Wild JULY 2020

“WE’VE GOT PEOPLE WHO COME FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY JUST TO FISH HERE IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS.”

hen thinking about Arkansas’s prize fishing locales, Lake Ouachita, Bull Shoals Lake and Lake Dardanelle readily spring to mind. But the waterways of Northwest Arkansas should also be mentioned in the same breath. “This part of the state is very popular,” said Mike Bailey of Bailey’s Beaver Lake Striper Fishing Guide Service in Rocky Branch. “The economy in this area is based on a lot of different factors, but tourism is one of our largest. We’ve got people who come from all over the country just to fish here in Northwest Arkansas.” Bailey, who was raised in this part of the state and has been guiding for the past decade or so, said the diversity of species and of fishing methods is one reason why Northwest Arkansas holds so much appeal for anglers of all ages. “Beaver Lake is known because we are stocked by [the Arkansas] Game and Fish [Commission]; they manage this lake for the striper and walleye and the excellent bass and crappie fishing. “Beaver Lake is the biggest body of water in this area so it’s definitely going to get the notoriety, but you’ve got the Buffalo River, which gets fished a lot. Then you’ve got Kings River outside of Eureka Springs and it gets fished hard,” Bailey said. “I’ve even started taking people out striper fishing with the kayak. A lot of folks are looking for these little bodies of water like the Buffalo and King to float and fish on. “Lake Elmdale outside Springdale and Lake Fayetteville, that’s another small city lake. They don’t get the notoriety but they get fished hard.” Kenny Cumnock of Little Rock has been fishing for fun and in tournaments for decades. He said outside of hardcore anglers, fishing tends to be a local pursuit, which is why people from other parts of Arkansas are surprised once they give the northwest corner a go. “It’s because of location,” he said. “Everybody from Central Arkansas can be at Greer’s Ferry in an hour and a half or Hot Springs or Russellville, but if you’re wanting to go up there, it’s a two-and-a-half hour drive. It’s a weekend to go up there. All the anglers up in Northwest Arkansas love it up there, but they don’t travel down here, either. So, it’s a logistics kind of thing. It has nothing to do with the fishing because the fishing up there is spectacular.” Striped bass are a headliner in Northwest Arkansas and little wonder why. The fish are big, look good on the dock, and, according to Jon Conklin, owner of Fishon Guide Service in Goshen, are not particularly hard to catch when you pair with a guide. “The stripers are always seeking the most ideal temperature, oxygen and bait levels all the time,” he said. “They’re predators and they’re always moving. Not like a crappie that’s on a brush pile that’s going to sit there. Stripers move, they can move 20 miles from one cove to

the next in one day. They’re always looking for that perfect balance between temperature, oxygen and bait.” Conklin said one key to keeping up with the fish’s movements is knowing the seasonal terrain which is where a guide is invaluable. Mastery of electronics also helps greatly, he said. “In the winter time, the fish migrate basically to Point 12, where the War Eagle and the White River intersect. It’s a good starting point in the winter. They’ll usually be on top or anywhere from 0 feet to 20 feet,” he said. “In the summertime, it’s flip-flopped; they migrate towards the dam, the clear water, all the major points to the dam. In the summertime you’re going to want to be out early and I mean really early. You’ll get a flurry of top water, usually, as soon as that sun comes up. Then they’ll be deep, down anywhere from 55-100 feet deep, in the heat of the day.” Bailey said the lure of choice should align with fish behavior that day, as well. He recommends a Cotton Cordell Redfin or Zara Spook for shallower fishing and favors a down rig to get deeper. A Rapala works well, he said. “Me, I fly-fish for some,” he said. “If you fly-fish you’re going to typically be using a Steamer and it’s going to be something that matches their baitfish pattern. According to where the fish is located, you might be using a sinking line or a floating line.” Cumnock said another attractive part of the area is the fishing is good year-round. “For winter fishing, there’s SWEPCO Lake up there outside of Fayetteville. It’s a power plant lake, which means they pump hot water out of it, so in the middle of the winter the water’s 60 degrees,” he said. “Somebody took me up there years ago and the fish were in full spawn mode in February. It was awesome. We caught the bazingas out of it.” Alas, the fishing that’s such a well-kept secret to the rest of Arkansas has gotten out to locals and people across the border in Missouri and Oklahoma. Timing is therefore critical to a good experience. “We’ve got excellent Game and Fish [management} here. They really work hard with their studies and their stocking and their programs,” Bailey said. “As far as habitat and stuff like that, yeah, it’s being taxed. The waterways are being taxed with the traffic. You’ve got a lot more pleasure boaters these days out on Beaver Lake and floating the rivers. “You’ve got to pick your times and your moments, especially if you’re going to go out on your own. Don’t go on Saturday or Fourth of July when it’s really packed and busy. You might want to go the weekend before or after. If you go during the week, you’re always going to have some kind of success because there’s just not that much traffic so you don’t have to deal with the crowds.” ARKANSASWILD.COM | 21

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THE BIG DOGS THREE OF ARKANSAS’S TOP TRAINERS TALK SHOP BY DWAIN HEBDA PHOTOGRAPHY BY NOVO STUDIO

Retriever puppies exposed to the water early often have a leg up on those who don’t.

24 | Arkansas Wild JULY 2020

A pup catches air at the command of Keith Allison, a trainer based in Pea Ridge.

Keith Allison has made a career out of working with celebrities. Trained as a physical therapist, he worked on the likes of NBA great Scottie Pippen from Hamburg and multiple University of Arkansas Razorback players during his career. But the athletes he hones these days are arguably even more valuable than these storied competitors as he’s one of the most sought-after retriever trainers in The Natural State. “I grew up in McGehee, Arkansas,” he said. “My dad was a quail hunter. I grew up around bird dogs. I have memories of him working a little pointer puppy with a cane pole, a string and a quail wing out in the yard. I was just blown away by the fact that little puppy would point to that wing laying on the ground.” Allison, who trains dogs in Pea Ridge, took to training his own dogs which performed so well, other hunters began hiring him to train theirs. Finally, demand got so high, he had to make a choice. “It got to where I was having so many people come to me and ask me ARKANSASWILD.COM | 25

“When I’m looking at that puppy I want to know first, does it love to retrieve?” Allison works a retriever.

TRAINER TIPS

CHRIS AKIN, WEBB FOOTED KENNEL Dog training is very expensive. Get a breed that works. Get something that’s a proven vehicle and they’re built for what you want it to do. A Labrador retriever is absolutely built for the job and it has a long line of prudent, great personality. Once the dog goes home, the owner has to hold him to the same standard that we do, which is working on heel, sit, stay, here, no. You’ve got to get him home and you’ve got to spend the time. A dog is only going to do what you make him do, no matter what kind of dog he is. Give a little bit more money to make sure you’re buying from somebody reputable and buying a good, healthy puppy. The health clearances now are 10 to 1 what they used to be; dogs are tested now from hips, elbows, shoulders, eyes. [Reputable breeders] do all kinds of stuff now to make sure you’re going to have longevity and a healthy dog.

TRAINER TIPS

EDDIE CARTER, CANEY CREEK KENNELS Dominance is the whole key to training a dog. Dominance doesn’t mean that you’re mean to a dog, it’s that as pack animals, they have to understand who is in charge. If you don’t establish that, it’s their nature to try and challenge you to be in charge. That’s where most people fail. The best program I have found is to buy a puppy, take it home for six months, spend time with it so it’s your dog, and then bring it back to your trainer to be trained. You end up with a personable dog for yourself because you have raised this dog yourself for six months. The hardest dog to train is one that doesn’t have any guidelines, because that dog does everything it wants to all day long. You want to give your dog free time, but you want the dog to have boundaries to where, if he’s going to be a house dog, that he’s got a place that’s his, like a kennel or a bed. Get him where he’s on a lead a lot and where he’s under control. 26 | Arkansas Wild JULY 2020

One of Allisonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s star pupils prepares for splashdown during training drills.

ARKANSASWILD.COM | 27

“THEY’VE GOT TO HAVE THE DRIVE TO RETRIEVE BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT’S GOING TO GET THEM THROUGH THEIR TRAINING.”

28 | Arkansas Wild JULY 2020

to train their dogs I finally told my wife I’ve either got to stick with therapy or go full-time with the dogs,” he said. “And I was enjoying the dogs so much that we just decided to pull the plug and do it. We bought some land and built a kennel. My hobby turned into a job.” There is nothing quite like the bond between a human and their pet and that goes double for a hunter and his or her dog. A hunting dog is more than a companion in the field, although that role alone is worth bringing them along. A good hound is also a key component of the hunt itself, working in tandem with its master to flush, track, tree or retrieve game. That’s why serious hunters shell out serious money for a dog with good bloodlines and additional funds on top of that for the months of training it takes to transform a puppy into a hunting companion. “Picking out the right puppy needs to be called picking out the right genetics. That’s what we’re moving towards,” said Chris Akin, owner of Webb Footed Kennel in Jonesboro and a trainer of some 30 years. “In today’s world, with the power of the internet and Facebook and social media, it’s not hard to find great puppies, at all. It’s more readily available than it ever has been. The knowledge out there now is incredible.” On the downside, Akin said, there’s also a lot more chaff than wheat in a lot of claims, and with absolutely no licensing or government oversight, it is the very definition of buyer beware. “In today’s world, you got a dog and your buddy’s got a dog and you breed them and put it on Facebook,” he said. “You can sell them on a picture of some damn Junior Ribbons, which is nothing. That’s kind of like pee-wee baseball. But the common guy doesn’t know the difference; all they’re seeing is ribbons and that they got first place.” Allison agreed, saying buyers need to do their due diligence when picking out a puppy, including touring the kennels and asking some direct questions about the dog. “What I’m looking for as far as the puppy, number one, were they raised right in the litter? Did the breeder do the things they needed to do with them? That’s going to give them a good head start,” he said. “A lot of times, if it’s warm enough, a good breeder will have introduced them to water already with their mom. They’ll take the female down and let the puppies wade in with momma. Peer pressure does a lot for those puppies getting introduced to water right.” Just as a dog owner must do legwork to be satisfied with the provenance of their dog, they should put the same effort into choosing a trainer. Reputable ones, like Eddie Carter, owner of Caney Creek Kennel in DeWitt, have reams of recommendations and can clearly and completely discuss their methods. “I’m old school on training. I’m one of the last to not use electric collars in training,” he said. “I also only train dogs that I sell as pups. That way, I know how the pup’s going to turn out, without any effort at all. I know the dogs, I know what to do and how long it’s going to take to do this.” A hunting dog’s training begins at four months in length and can stretch much longer. Another sign of an experienced trainer is the flexibility to accommodate differences in dogs’ learning style. “One thing that you have to remember is that no two dogs train exactly alike,” Carter said. “You have to read each individual dog. Some dogs will pick up on one thing quicker than the other, but that doesn’t mean that dog is a better dog. It’s like kids in school; at graduation, they’re all there. These dogs are all going to retrieve whatever you shoot.”

TRAINER TIPS

KEITH ALLISON, PEA RIDGE If you’ve got a little fire-breathing dragon for a dog but you’re a low-key, soft-spoken person, that dog’s going to take advantage of you. And the opposite of that, people who are very overbearing with dogs that are sensitive. You’ve got to flip your personality to adjust to that particular dog. When I’m looking at that puppy I want to know first, does it love to retrieve? Is he crazy about it? You know, ‘Do it again!’ Or is he, ‘Oh, one or two and I’m done.’ They’ve got to have the drive to retrieve because that’s what’s going to get them through their training. What are the goals for your dog? I tell everybody first and foremost the dog has got to be a good citizen, a good companion. Your typical hunting dog, that dog is going to be a family member the majority of its life, so they’ve got to be a good member of the family.

ARKANSASWILD.COM | 29

Cpl. Landon Mills and K-9 Officer June, a 4-year-old black Lab, take a break between drills.

By any measurement, K-9 Officer Lucy and Cpl. Gary Don Stell of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission K-9 Unit are bona fide heroes. Last year, the duo was awarded multiple citations for valor in the line of duty that saved lives; two in 2019 alone. They have been similarly recognized by the Arkansas Attorney General’s office, National Wild Turkey Federation and multiple local sheriff ’s departments in Arkansas, not to mention making the cover of Arkansas WILD as 2019 Champion of the Wild honorees. As part of the AGFC’s unit, Stell and Lucy are one of 10 elite canine-human officer teams that are versatile tools for enforcing game laws and serving the public. “Our Game and Fish Commission Enforcement Division is divided into 12 districts, and 10 of those 12 districts currently have K-9s,” said Special Operations Lt. Brian Aston. “They have regular patrol responsibilities within their assigned county, but within their assigned district and associated municipalities they assist with everything from felony tracking to evidence recovery, homicide investigations, to addressing Game and Fish violations. They will also track persons who get lost.” All of the K-9s currently on duty are Labrador retrievers, favored specifically for their individual breed attributes. “With a Lab, in my opinion, their nose is hard to beat,” said Cpl. Landon Mills, who partners with a 4-year-old black Lab named June. “You can put some of the shepherds and the Malinois up there with them, but a Lab’s nose is going to be superior. “They’re going to be able to pick a track up and follow it a long way, even being several hours old. Any item that’s got human scent on it or gunpowder residue, they’re going to be able to pick that up on the wind a lot farther than most dogs can.” Aston said the dogs’ roles as brand ambassadors for AGFC also figured into using Labradors, noted for their mild temperament. “These canines, a big portion of what they do is public relations,” he said. “During

DREW HARRIS

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“WHEN YOU’RE ASSIGNED A K-9, THEY STAY WITH YOU 24/7.”

“The more you run them, the better they are.” Cpl. Mills and K-9 June go through their paces during recent training exercises.

calendar year 2019, our canine units came in contact with 28,000 Arkansans. The reason we primarily use Labs is because of their ability to be multifunctional. Secondly, it’s because most people have a memory, association or affiliation that they can connect with that canine. “At these public relations events, people can make a connection with an officer that’s personal, especially children. It bridges the gap between officers and civilians who might not otherwise think favorably of law enforcement.” The dogs serving in the unit generally enter the training program between ages 1-2 and come from a variety of backgrounds. “We get dogs that have some training when they get here and some that don’t have any training. We have some of both,” said Stell, who is also the program coordinator. “We’ve got some that were high-dollar retrievers, you know, duck dogs. And we got some that came out of the pound. We got one that came through as a rescue dog out of Florida.” Aston said, “We don’t have a specific kennel that we deal with. These dogs are acquired through whichever means available. We look for certain attributes within the dog, and if they meet the parameters, then we’ll progress with the training. “Once we find a dog and they meet those

parameters, we’ll look at acquiring that dog. The last two we got were donations. And we’ve had some purchases, too, throughout the years.” Upon entering the program, the dog is paired with a human partner and the two complete 500 hours of basic training together. But that’s not the end of the team’s interaction. “When you’re assigned a K-9, they stay with you 24/7,” Mills said. “We’ve got some that are outside dogs, some that are inside. I think the majority of the ones that we have now are living inside the house with family. [The dogs] stay with us from the time we’re assigned to them until they retire and then we’re allowed to keep them after that as well.” Stell said, “These dogs are just like a family member to us, all the handlers. If somebody puts their hands on them, it’s just like them trying to fight us.” Continuing education is a fact of life in the K-9 unit, to keep both two- and four-legged officers sharp and up to date on the latest criminal threats and police tactics. Last year, the K-9s and their handlers completed more than 2,000 hours of training. “A lot of it is scenario-based,” said Aston, who worked with a K-9 partner in the unit for two years before moving into administration two years ago. “Once the K-9s have reached a level of

proficiency, the dogs are introduced to different scenarios that our seasoned officers have encountered over the years. This prepares the K-9 as well as the handler on how to address situations that they might encounter during their patrol work. “The hardest part about using a Lab is getting the Lab with his head on the track. They’re bred to hunt waterfowl, and so you’re taking your dog’s natural desire and trying to mold that into what we want, tracking being the hardest. That’s what we start with first.” With just one K-9 team for every enforcement district in the state, getting into the unit is a highly competitive process. “We’re not normal law enforcement officers reacting to calls,” Mills said. “We’re more along the proactive side where we’re going and trying to drum up stuff, doing investigations out on our own. With a canine, you have to be that much more self-motivated because, in addition to your patrol and work as a game warden, you’ve got your partner there that requires a lot of training outside of what we do with just normal training. “You’ve got to be doing something with them pretty much every day to keep that skill honed. The more you train them, the more you run them, the better they are.”

FLOATING THE PRIMEVAL BAYOU DEVIEW WATER TRAIL BY DWAIN HEBDA PHOTOGRAPHY DREW HARRIS

On the Water Trail, the party glides through miles of silent flooded timber. 32 | Arkansas Wild JULY 2020

omewhere in the first half of a 5-mile, point-to-point kayak trip through the ethereal swamp of Bayou DeView Water Trail in Monroe County, the backrest of my kayak seat slipped. I’d come here with resident experts and trail architects Debbie Doss and her husband, Cowper Chadbourn, wanting to get a new perspective of Arkansas terrain. Nearly flat on my back wasn’t exactly the perspective I had in mind, but as my day-long excursion proved, this mysterious place was beautiful from any angle. First things first: Swamps have never been high up on my to-do list. I don’t care for water I can’t reasonably see through and my youthful 1970s diet of Burt Reynolds movies “Gator” and “White Lightning” painted swamps as places that hid things, dangerous things, the kinds of things that swallow a person whole. It also didn’t help that right before my trip into Arkansas’s heart of darkness, I’d seen social media posts about alligator sightings as far north as Scott. One friend of mine filmed two of the critters lolling about the irrigation lagoon of their Stuttgart farm. I briefly, though seriously, considered bringing my sidearm to the party. I arrived early at the rendezvous point, Apple Lake Waterfowl Rest Area, just past the Sheffield Nelson Dagmar Wildlife Management Area entrance on U.S. Highway 70 between Brinkley and Biscoe. With time to kill, I took a casual tour of the WMA, something I highly recommend. A well-maintained gravel road slices through stands of flooded timber, water mirroring the trees on one side and clad in glowing, vibrant algae on the other. At one bend in the road was glimmering open water where anglers had put out their boats; at others, primitive campsites where the day’s first cups of coffee were just going dry. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission made its initial purchase of nearly 5,300 acres here in 1952 and today, the WMA covers almost 8,000 acres of backwater ecosystem. It’s a great gateway drug for swamp neophytes. I started to feel better, even eager, for what was to come. Once the expeditionary force assembled, we trucked the watercraft to Hickson Lake. Doss had been watching weather and water levels all week, predicting conditions would be perfect. It was no exaggeration: Despite being June, temps were ridiculously comfortable and the high-riding White River ensured 34 | Arkansas Wild JULY 2020

The trail is marked with blue signs pointing the way for visitors.

Red-winged blackbirds are just one of the many bird species in and around Bayou DeView (above). The Easter Island Tree, a natural landmark at about the halfway point of our journey (below).

ARKANSASWILD.COM | 35

we’d have smooth passage, even if it curtailed the already-gentle current to a standstill, requiring more paddling. Best of all, the marauding mosquitoes had yet to invade—a luxury usually not enjoyed this late in the year. I had yet to be converted from swamp atheist to true believer, but Mother Nature was certainly doing her part. Doss and Chadbourn know this area better than most people know their backyards. As activists with the Arkansas Watertrails Partnership, of which Doss is director, they’ve played an integral role in mapping the water trail at Bayou DeView, have paddled it well over 100 times, and practically call the trees by name. “Nature is my only religion and the outdoors is my only church,” Doss told me. “DeView is a very sacred one.” Coming through as we were on a Sunday, Doss’ description was particularly apt. It’s difficult to adequately summarize the cathedral setting, by turn majestic, eerie, natural and alien. The swamp was nearly silent save for the call of birds and the lapping of the water. As we glided through grove after grove of trees—cypress, tupelo and various oaks—Doss informed me the oldest of them were easily 900 years old. To put that into context, Christian Europeans were still waging Crusades in the Holy Land when these ancients were saplings. Arkansas’s water trails display some of the last remaining dioramas of Arkansas wilderness. White explorers recorded such ecosystems across as much as a third of what would become Arkansas, areas teeming with fish, game and waterfowl. Later, settlers would also discover some of the richest soils on earth here, created by seasonal flooding of the Mississippi River, among others. However, it was this very flooding that made large-scale cultivation impossible in the vast majority of areas. Over time, technological advancements helped drain many of these swamps, efforts accelerated by state and federal backing. Arkansas gained millions of acres of rich farmland at the expense of the very flood-flush-fortify system that helped create and nourish them. 36 | Arkansas Wild JULY 2020

Bayou DeView, and places like it, might have disappeared altogether were it not for a battery of conservation groups—Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, The Nature Conservancy, Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission and others—that have worked to bring them under protection. And water trails like Bayou DeView, which meanders through marked channels designated by blue reflective signs tacked onto trees, would not exist without the work of the Arkansas Watertrails Partnership, and passionate paddlers like Doss and Chadbourn. In addition to Bayou DeView, the partnership lists trails on the Little Maumelle River (Pulaski County), Wattensaw Bayou (Prairie County), Grassy Lake (Faulkner County) and Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge (Ashley and Union counties). AGFC lists other water trails, most of which are lighter on the swamp experience, save for the behemoth Bayou Bartholomew, which runs for hundreds of miles between Pine Bluff and Louisiana. By the time we reached our takeout point at Apple Lake, my mind and arms had had enough. I’d seen trees so massive they’d survived direct lightning strikes and kept growing. I saw old logging chains dangling like Christmas ornaments from trunks and gazed with wonder at a resurrection fern climbing the length of a tree, reaching for the sun. I’d walked a moonshiner’s lair at Whiskey Island during a noontime break and gazed into the sightless eyes of the Easter Island Tree, so named for its distinctive profile. No primordial monster had breached the latte-colored water save for a brightly colored rat snake at the base of a tree and turtles sunning themselves on a fallen log, both more curious than menacing. As for gators, Doss swore they didn’t like the neighborhood, favoring marshier environs. Call it overactive imagination, but I didn’t buy that for a second. Little as I wanted to tangle with one, I don’t know how any self-respecting gator could resist loving a place as primeval as Bayou DeView. I knew, from now on, that I couldn’t, either.

BEFORE YOU GO

First-timers should pack a compass, map and GPS. Trails are marked and surprisingly few people get lost, but when they say the trees all look alike, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not kidding. The first quarter of the year is recommended; heat, bugs and water levels all become more problematic as the summer wears on. Observe all rules and courtesies such as required use of personal flotation devices, respecting personal property, following all hunting and fishing requirements and packing out your trash. Consult U.S. Army Corps of Engineers or U.S. Geological Survey for water levels in advance of your float. In Bayou DeView, water levels of 14 feet are ideal. See https://waterdata.usgs. gov/ar/nwis/uv?site_no=07077730 ADDITIONAL HELPFUL INFORMATION: Arkansas Watertrails Partnership: arkansaswatertrails.com Arkansas Game and Fish Commission: agfc.com/en/explore-outdoors/ wildlife-viewing/water-trails/

BAYOU DEVIEW

BENSON CREEK ACCESS UTM - 15S 0660654, 3867324 Latitude/Longitude - N 34.93569, W 091.24092 HICKSON LAKE ACCESS UTM - 15S 0655501, 3862210 Latitude/Longitude - N 34.89039, W 091.29826 ROCK ISLAND ACCESS UTM - 15S 0656292, 3858752 Latitude/Longitude - N 34.85911, W 091.29025 APPLE LAKE ACCESS UTM - 15S 0657081, 3856822 Latitude/Longitude - N 34.84159, W 091.28200 Bayou DeView is full of unusual and beautiful sights from the weird (left) to the dainty (top) to the slithery.

BANK OF BRINKLEY ACCESS UTM - 15S 0655467, 3852207 Latitude/Longitude - N 34.80024, W 091.30049

ARKANSASWILD.COM | 37

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