Have a story or photo you’d like to share? Connect with the River Hills Traveler at
(800) 874-8423 or email jimmy@ riverhillstraveler.com or text (417) 451-3798
VOL. 45, NO. 6
DECEMBER 2017
Great gift ideas for that special outdoors person
I Field Notes notebooks.
www.riverhillstraveler.com
By Michelle Turner t’s December. If you haven’t finished your Christmas shopping, it’s time to decide what to do for the special people in your life. Christmas shopping was stressful for me until I learned that I needed to avoid crowded malls and retail stores. When I realized that local businesses and online shops offer both unique and special options, Christmas shopping be-
came much more enjoyable! So, my River Hills Traveler friends, for all of you who love the state of Missouri and the great outdoors, I have a few ideas that could help take your giftgiving experience to a better level for all parties involved! 1. Visit the Missouri Department of Conservation’s Nature Shop at mdcnaPlease see GIFTS, 18
A card created by Kim Carr.
National Christmas Tree features ornaments handcrafted by an Eminence woman By MATTIE LINK
E
mattie@sextonmediagroup.com _____________
minence artist Jennifer Dodson has handcrafted 12 Christmas ornaments that represent Missouri on the National Christmas Tree in Washington, D.C., as part of the 95th annual National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on Nov. 30. Dodson is a retired school teacher and works part-time at the post office in Fremont, Mo. She also paints Christmas ornaments in her free time. She volunteers at Ozark National Scenic Riverways (ONSR) and does several crafty and artistic things for the park, which is why the ONSR nominated her to design the ornaments. “When they first asked me, I thought I wasn’t good enough. I looked at myself as a teacher first instead of an artist,” said Dodson. “I actually made a C in my painting class and I shoved my work under my bed. I now realize it wasn’t that they were bad, it was just personal preference. Because mine didn’t look like theirs I thought it was trashed, but it was good.” Dodson designed the ornaments to showcase historic structures from national parks and historic sites in Missouri, with an emphasis on the ONSR. “Historic structures have always fascinated me,” said Dodson. When she first started making ornaments, she was taking over for her daughter who made personalized snowmen for people. “I took it over for her when she went to school. In the second year I did one of
Local artist Jennifer Dodson handcrafted 12 ornaments to accompany the National Christmas Tree, featuring Missouri's six national parks and Mark Twain National Forest.
Alley Spring and that’s when I started doing other things,” said Dodson. Dodson creates ornaments of snowmen, historic structures, homesteads, and housewarming ornaments of a fam-
ily home. The 12 ornaments will be on one of the 56 trees representing each U.S. state, territory, and the District of Columbia from Dec. 1 through Jan. 1, 2018, in
BC*;9D9+-3<EEFGH-I04-:998J-A9KD9-L0;->;M !"#$%"&'()*& !"+,,-".,,/,-& !"+012"/,1$3& !"456&)5'()*&
!"78&"9"16:;,-& !"<$*$-1315,& !"=6>*,->& !"+-'55";612&
%%%F,55'&G6**,-',&F1$:
!"?@8&"A"B@8& !"C6-&"A"*-012& !"C,55";)$>,& !"'D6/&
!"#$6*& !"8'/,$"(6:,& !"E$56!"+$("1$556-&
!""#$%%#"&"' ()*+,-.-/012*+-32455-.-6*789:;0: <+:028-.-6*19-=>+*+89*4-.-?+989+>@,;0A:
Washington, D.C. “It is such an honor to decorate my home state tree and help the nation celebrate the holidays in one of our most recPlease see TREE, 19
Page 2 • December 2017
Gear helps hunters bag Christmas geese T he 2016 Christmas weekend was a good one. The weather was near perfect, my whole family was home, and the hunting was outstanding. Now do not get me wrong. I did not spend the entire holiday weekend in the field. However, on Saturday morning I did manage to sneak down for a goose hunt with my good friend and waterfowlhunting expert, Kevin Brunstein. Our purpose for this hunt was twofold. First, Kevin had just recently gotten permission to goose hunt a cornfield very near his home. When I say “very near,” I mean it. We actually drove our ATVs, pulling trailers filled with fullbodied decoys, right from his house. We Mike Roux hunted within sight ———— of his yard. The other purpose for this hunt was to field test some new duck and goose calls from Mountain Screamer Game Calls. Needless to say, these new calls were awesome and I will tell you much more about them in subsequent articles. Let’s just say, for now, that they performed brilliantly. Kevin and I got there early and sat up on a rise in the middle of the field. I was shooting some new waterfowl loads from WINCHESTER called, “Xtended Range Hi Density.” I was shooting “B” sized shot. There were lots of geese in the air, even before first light. Kevin always has his geese patterned pretty well. He watches them closely and knows where they are likely to feed and at about what times. He hunts different fields in the morning than he does in the evening. His prediction for this holiday hunt was for things to heat up a bit after 8 a.m. He nailed it again. The geese were roosting on three different bodies of water within a couple of miles of this field. We really only needed one flock to decide to come to us for breakfast. We had the vast majority of the geese to our north, but the geese that came
from the south were the ones that wanted to play our game. We do not have a fancy setup for these hunts. Kevin has the birds scouted. We put out about six dozen full-bodied goose decoys and then just lay down between rows of cut corn. Kevin wears some kind of cornfield camo and I wear the grassland pattern made by SHAMAN CAMOUFLAGE, out of Wichita, Kansas. Brunstein is also a firm believer in flagging geese. He is very successful with his technique and gets the attention of most of the geese we kill. When we get two flags flapping, we really get them to notice us. The first shots came from my gun and came way too quickly. I got excited and shot too soon on a single goose that, in retrospect, would probably have landed in the decoys. After Kevin’s sermon I agreed that he was right and that I should have been more patient. The next birds in were much more “reachable.” We both stopped flagging as the eight huge birds set their wings and began their approach. A single goose peeled off to my side as the flock swung over Kevin. Two big Canada geese hit the deck among cheers from happy hunters. “Now that’s the way it’s supposed to work!” Kevin yelled as he pumped his fist in victory. “These new calls are great!” “They pulled ‘em right in,” I replied. Before long another group of six geese hit the same glide path. This time we did no flagging. We wanted to see if we could use just the calls to coax the small flock into range. When Kevin said “take ‘em,” the geese were at less than 20 yards and only two shots rang out as the lead pair folded in mid-air. With two limits down in two hours, it was time for us to return to our families and to our holiday festivities. But this short trip afield was the icing on our cake and the calls, the camo, and the new shells all did their jobs amazingly well. (Mike Roux is the Midwest Regional Director for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) Outdoor Ministry.!To become a Home Team Member of this new ministry, call him at 217257-7895.)
RiverHillsTraveler.com
In Shaman camo and blowing Mountain Screamer calls, Mike Roux brought home the Christmas geese.
RiverHillsTraveler.com
December 2017 • Page 3
Savoring the last fishing trip of the season
T
he alarm was set for 5 a.m. and it did its job without fail. We got up and began getting ready. The car was packed the night before with all the fishing gear and clothes, so the only thing that needed to be taken to the car this morning was the cooler after we got the ice and other stuff out of the fridge. The car had a full tank of gas and was also raring to go. It was the 23rd of October and we were headed for Montauk State Park for our last trip of the trout season, which ends at the end of the month. It is a tradition for us to close out the fishing season in this way and we normally do it at the very end of the month, but this year the 23rd was working best for us. We live in Crystal City, Mo., so our route to Montauk entails traveling south on Highway 21 to Highway 32, and then west to Salem and Montauk shortly afterward. The drive is three hours but I don’t Bill Oder mind it. ———— We’ve tried the Interstate 44 route, which involves getting off at Rolla and then heading south, and it still takes three hours but you don’t experience the nice drive through the countryside and as an extra bonus at this time of year, there’s all the impressive fall colors. Also, the Interstate 44 route involves getting into the middle of a lot of rush hour St. Louis traffic, especially at the time of morning that we like to leave. I have always been a fan of small towns so I also particularly like all the small towns through which we pass, some of which are Hillsboro, DeSoto, Old Mines, Potosi, Caledonia, Bixby, Boss, and Salem. On our first leg of the trip, going south on Highway 21, we met a lot of cars heading north to St. Louis taking their drivers and passengers to work. We were reminded of how nice it is to be retired and heading toward a fishing hole instead of off to work. Our first stop along the way, a tradition for us, was at the Hardee’s at Potosi. My wife likes their biscuits and gravy and I, with my sweet tooth, like their cinnamon and raisin biscuits. We got fresh coffee for our travel mugs and we were off again. The next interesting small town is Caledonia, population 130. This town was laid out in 1819 and features a lot of old, historic homes that have been restored. Every time we go through this town, I think that it would be a good place to retire. The speed limit is 30mph through the town and I always slow down, not only
out of respect for the law but also out of respect for the town itself. It is a neat town. After Caledonia, the turnoff on Highway 32 is not too far away. The first sight after turning onto 32 is a school on the right. We see several country schools on our trip. Country schools always seemed to me to have more personality than those in the city. I’ve often wondered what it was like to attend one of those one-room schoolhouses of the past. I’m sure those teachers earned every cent they were paid. The leg of the trip along Highway 32 is the longest part of the trip. It is a very curvy road and we often comment that if it was straightened out, it would knock at least an hour off the trip, maybe more. Several small towns dot this leg of the trip. If fall colors are to your liking, then this route is an ideal place for you to be at this time of year. Salem finally fell into view and it seemed like a big city compared to the small towns we had seen. Sometimes we stop at the McDonald’s there and sometimes not. It depends on how large our coffee intake has been. Leaving Salem, we continued on Highway 32. We could go all the way to Highway 119 which takes you all the way to the entrance of the park, but my son worked out a shorter route and we turned off onto Highway F, just a few miles out of Salem, which ends at Highway E. Turn right and we end at Highway 119. Turn left and its only 5 miles or so to the park. We arrived at the park and our first stop was at the lodge to get our daily trout tags. I have one of those plastic see-through tag holders that is attached to the back of my vest. I never throw away the previous tags so they accumulate during the year. This way I can count them to see how many days I have spent fishing. We then made it to the parking lot near our favorite spot and commenced getting the rods ready and donning our waders. My wife started with an orange mop fly and I started with an olive mohair leech. I enjoy this ritual of getting ready to fish as much as I enjoy the drive here. I have had a great day thus far and we haven’t even got into the water yet. The fish weren’t exactly jumping into our arms that morning but we did manage to catch and release a few before breaking for lunch. We usually pack a picnic lunch on these trips but since we were just going to be here for the day, we thought we’d enjoy lunch at the lodge. The special of the day was sloppy joes and they were tasty and very large. You always get big servings at the lodge dining room. After lunch, I fished a while longer and before leaving, I got some nice photos of the stream and some of the fall colors. We had a great time. The
temperature was a little chilly, forcing us to keep our sweat shirts on all day, but it was certainly not unbearable. It was sunny. The sky a brilliant blue. All the fall colors made it a great day to be outside and when you toss in a few feisty trout to boot, you have all the makings of a good day. Before we left, I thumbed through the trout tags that had accumulated in my vest. A lot of those days, it was just my wife and I but in May, we were here with my son and his family, and our daughter, which was a great time. In July, it was an all-guys trip with just myself, my son, and two grandsons
for three days… also a great time. A lot of memories have been made this past year and over the many years that we have been coming to this place… fifty years and counting to be exact. At first, it was when the kids were little and we were into tent camping. The kids loved it. Tent camping is no longer an option for my wife and I as we enjoy the comfortable accommodations of a room at the lodge. Nevertheless, my wife and I are big fans of this place and definitely plan to keep coming here for many more years to come. I’ll probably make some trips down here this winter for the catch and release season. My wife always bows out of those trips. She’s a very good fishing buddy but doesn’t like fishing in the cold weather. Come springtime, though, another year of fishing will begin and without a doubt there will be more wonderful memories made at this wonderful trout fishing haven. (Bill Oder can be reached at oderbill@yahoo.com.)
RiverHillsTraveler.com
Page 4 • December 2017
Answering reader email about hunting deer
E
sionally, a fawn can be seen still nursing as late summer transitions to early fall, but that’s more from habit than from nutritional need. Fawns may still be hanging around their mother in the fall, but most are foraging on their own. Notice I said “usually”… deer, like every other animal species, have exceptions and, yes, sometimes fawns are born later than usual in the year and are not as far in the development stage. A good rule of thumb… if the fawn still has spots – even though that is a legal harvest if you have the permits for it – if you are concerned about the age of that deer, let it go. But again, that’s entirely the choice of the hunter.
very fall my office gets lots of calls and emails from new deer hunters asking about Missouri law, as well as some general "do's and don'ts" as it relates to deer hunting. I decided to take a few of those questions to Francis Skalicky, the media specialist for the Missouri Department of Conservation's (MDC) southwest region, out of Springfield. Here are the questions posed by our readers, followed by his answers:
Q: If I see a deer that is limping, or otherwise appears sick or unhealthy for some reason, what should I do? Should I leave it alone and just reJimmy Sexton port the location, ———— or shoot it dead Journey On and then call and report it, or go ahead and shoot it and try to harvest it for myself if I think the meat looks OK? A: In answer to your first question, if someone sees a sick deer, they can report it to their nearest MDC office or to their county conservation agent. If you don’t have the phone number of your county’s conservation agent, you can either call your nearest Missouri Department of Conservation office or you can go to the Missouri Department of Conservation’s website – mdc.mo.gov – and along the top of the home page there is a “Contact and Engage” tab. (It’s the farthest right tab at the top of the page). That’ll get you a drop-down menu of the counties of Missouri. Go to your county and your county’s conservation agent’s phone number will be listed there. But back to your question... if you don’t want to harvest that deer for
I
yourself, call your nearest MDC contact (office or agent) and yes, provide location and time of day when you saw it. If you shoot the deer, you need to have a permit for it because that will count as a deer you harvested. And, no, you can’t shoot it, call an MDC agent or staff person and then let the deer lay where it is… that would very likely be a classified as a “wanton waste” wildlife violation and you would be ticketed for it. And as far as your question about “putting down a deer, if they don’t want to harvest it,” again, the answer is no. Only shoot a deer if you have a permit to harvest that deer. If there’s a concern about the deer, but you don’t want to kill it for yourself, call a conservation agent and let our staff take it from there. Q: If a deer is killed and on the side of the road, hit by a car, who should someone call to report it? A: You can either call your nearest MoDOT (Missouri Department of Transportation) office or your county conservation agent.
When we get this question from the public (“What do we do if we see a dead deer on the side of the highway?”), we tell people to call MoDOT because those are the people who pick up the deer in most cases. But if, for whatever reason, calling MoDOT is not a viable option, you can call your local conservation agent, too. Q: What are the ethics of killing young deer? Meaning, how young is too young to be killed and harvested? A: All deer are legal harvests in Missouri’s deer seasons as long as you have the permits for that type of harvest (i.e., if you have an any-deer or antlerless permits). But, to go a little deeper into this answer, there’s biological reasoning behind our regulations. Missouri’s deer seasons (as is the case with the deer seasons of all other states) are set up so that by the time the archery – and then the firearms – seasons commence, young deer are usually weaned from their mothers. Fawns are usually weaned somewhere around 10 weeks of age. Occa-
Dreams had meaning in the old Ozarks
don’t believe dreams mean a darn thing. However, I think psychiatrists and old-time Ozarkers had/have one thing in common in that they did/do put a lot of stock in dreams, albeit for different reasons and from very different perspectives. While psychiatrists look inward, Ozarkers looked outward when it comes to dreams. To quote directly from folklorist Vance Randolph’s 1947 book, “Ozark Superstitions”: “To dream of Wes Franklin muddy water means ———— trouble, to dream of Native Ozarker snakes presages a battle with one’s enemies, to dream of money means that the dreamer will be poorer than ever before. “A dream of white horses is unlucky, and may mean sickness or death in the family. A dream of death is good luck if the dream comes at night and usually signifies a wedding, but to fall asleep in the daytime and dream of death is very unfortunate. “A dream of childbirth is always welcome, a sign of a happy and prosperous marriage. The man who dreams repeat-
edly of fishes will attain great wealth. To dream of chickens is bad luck, and the vision of a black boat means an early death.” It is also supposedly bad luck to dream about cattle; dreaming about a hoe or a rake is a sign of a happy marriage; girls who always dream about storms and floods will marry into money; and it is good luck to dream about pigeons or doves and, of course, signifies future romance. To continue directly from Mr. Randolph: “The first dream that one has in a new house, or when sleeping under a new quilt, will nearly always come true – many mountain girls are anxious to ‘dream out’ a new quilt or coverlet. The same may be said of a dream related before breakfast, or of one dreamed on Friday and told on Saturday.” You can stop bad dreams by stuffing a cloth in the keyhole of your bedroom door, or by having someone place a knife under your pillow (not sure if it works if you place it there yourself). If you’re single and curious about who your future mate might be, look at the new moon over your right shoulder and say these words: “New moon, new moon, do tell me who my own true lover will be, the color of his (or her) hair, the clothes that he/she will wear, and the happy day he/she will wed
me.” You’ll dream of your special someone to be that night. You can also count nine stars every night for nine consecutive nights, and on the ninth night you will dream of your future spouse. “A simpler method,” wrote Randolph, “is to stare very hard at the brightest star in sight and wink three times; this produces the dream on the first night and gets the same result with much less expenditure of time and energy.” Like most Ozark superstitions, these can probably trace their origins to the British Isles, though I suspect the rugged and mysterious Ozarks created its own variations. So, what old Ozark superstitions do you know about? Feel free to write me at the email or mailing address posted below. (Wes Franklin!can be reached by email at cato.uticensis46@gmail.com, or by USPS mail at 12161 Norway Road, Neosho, MO 64850.)
On the Cover
Eminence artist Jennifer Dodson looks forward to attending the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on Nov. 30. (courtesy photo)
Q: A doe is running around and playing with her young deer. When is it considered “OK” to shoot the mother, so the young deer can go off on their own? In other words, how long do the young need to be with their mother before they can go off? A: It is legal for you to harvest either deer, as long as the hunter has the proper permits for that harvest. If this is a situation where the hunter deems he or she would rather wait for a single deer or group of larger deer, that’s a fine… if he wants to harvest and can do so legally, that’s good, too. It’s the choice of the hunter. ——— (Jimmy Sexton is owner and publisher of the River Hills Traveler. He can be reached at (800) 874-8423, ext. 1, or jimmy@riverhillstraveler.com.)
River Hills Traveler 212 E. Main St., Neosho, MO 64850 Phone & Fax: 800-874-8423
www.riverhillstraveler.com Email: jimmy@riverhillstraveler. com Owner & Publisher Jimmy Sexton Managing Editor Madeleine Link Circulation Manager Amanda Harvel Staff Writers Chuck Smick, Wes Franklin, Mike Roux, Bill Wakefield, Bill Oder, Tom Boydston, Bill Cooper, Michelle Turner & Dana Sturgeon Advertising All of us River Hills Traveler, established in 1973, is published monthly by Sexton Media Group and Traveler Publishing Company at 212 E. Main St., Neosho, MO 64850. Postmaster: Send change of address notices to: River Hills Traveler, 212 E. Main St., Neosho, MO 64850. Subscription prices: $22 per year; 2 years, $40. Back issues available up to one year from publication, $5 plus sales tax & shipping. COPYRIGHT © 2017 No part of this publication may be reproduced without the express written permission of the publisher of the River Hills Traveler or his duly appointed agent. The publisher reserves the right to reject any advertising or editorial submission for any reason.
RiverHillsTraveler.com
VINTAGE OZARKS:
December 2017 • Page 5
Camp on White River — George E. Hall vintage photograph
W
e think this uncommon George Hall postcard shows a portrait of Hall himself (on the left) holding a very fine postcard camera. Most of his river photographs were of the James River around Galena, but he did obviously make the classic float from Galena on the James to Branson on the White. We used this image in our new book, "James Fork of the White: Transformation of an Ozark River." This image is reproduced, but not credited to Hall, in a 1920 Ozark Playgrounds Association Annual. The Playgrounds Association was organized in Joplin in 1919, so the issue is either the first or second annual edition they put out. That makes it one of the earliest publications of the tourism cooperative that promoted the region as a vacation destination. Their motto, “Land of a Million Smiles,” was ‘borrowed’ by numerous businesses and civic organizations. George Hall’s photographs are an invaluable record of life in the BransonGalena area during the early decades of the 1900s. In an article on the Hall Photo Collection for the Winter 1995!White River Valley Historical Quarterly, historians Linda Myers-Phinney and Lynn Morrow said of Hall: “… photographer
George Edward Hall created perhaps the single most important body of historic images documenting the beginnings of southwest Missouri’s commercial tourism.” (This feature is courtesy of Leland
From the December archives of the River Hills Traveler: 10 years ago • The feeble light of the dawning late December morning filtered through the only window in the room. The old woman hobbled around the old oak table placing plates, silverware, cups and saucers for two. She shuffled slowly on arthritic legs, her white hair pulled severely back into a bun, reflecting the soft glow of the kerosene lamp in the center of the table. Her stooped shadow circled the walls as she went about her work. (Jim and Donna Featherston) • If you build it, will they come? You bet! And here they came. A couple dozen or so smaller ducks, circling our blinds at a lower level while perhaps half that number of big ducks circled higher up, in the other direction. And another group of small ducks roared in from somewhere. The sky above and around us was alive with ducks, gradually getting down into identifiable and shootable range. (Bob Todd) 15 years ago • I would not have imagined that the wind roaring through the trees at night would be a highlight of a trip to Taum Sauk Mountain State Park. But it was. Awakened by the sound of leaves scurrying across the roof of the camper, I lay awake for a few minutes and listened as the wind pushed northward overhead. I reflected on the fact that this old, old mountain is still here, a rounded off knob of it former self. That’s what a couple of billion years will do to you, I said to myself. (Bob Todd) • Have you ever wondered, when driving through the Ozarks, what is going on when you see a sign that says “fox pen’’? Even those who know that these are fences placed where hounds chase foxes or coyotes, often don’t know much about them — like how they get the animals to chase, for instance. A story crossed our desk recently titled, “Trapping Coyotes for the Live Market.” We wondered what kind of live market there night be for coyotes.
and Crystal Payton at Lens & Pen Press, publishers of all-color books on the Ozarks. Their new book, "James Fork of the White: Transformation of an Ozark River," 354 all-color pages, has been published and is available at
REMEMBER WHEN
Well, it is the fox pens. Chasing foxes with hounds is an old, old tradition in the Ozarks, dating back to a time when everyone was appreciative of anyone who would rid the world of varmints — foxes in particular. (Bob Todd) 20 years ago • I was partly in the duck blind, my body pressed against it, with camouflage breaking up my pattern. I held my head down as a good duck hunter must, hiding under the brim of my cap. I’d held this position without moving for perhaps 30 minutes, but snow was blowing in my right ear, and as it melted and trickled on in, I could stand it no longer. As I moved my arm and head to rub the unbearable tickle, there he was…. a green-headed mallard careening down through the air toward the decoys. The dumb duck was landing WITH the wind instead of INTO the wind, the way he was supposed to — the way I’d been watching. (Bob Todd) • I watched Cousin Gary deal the cards. As pictures of a small log cabin nestled among snow-covered hills slid across Grandma’s kitchen table, I stared at the score sheet. Three-ninety to three-eighty-five. I was finally in the lead in the 500 point rummy game. “Big boy for ya,” Gary said, lacing an ace of of diamonds beside the rest of the deck. “I need that,” I lied, jamming the ace in my hand. I had no idea how it was to fit with my three spades, three clubs, and king of heats. I discarded a four of clubs. (Ryan Thornsberry) 35 years ago • When old-timers meet on Christmas morning in Jake’s Prairie, they greet each other with a cordial, “You got the beans on cooking yet?”
www.beautifulozarks.com ($35,postage paid) and on amazon.com and Barnes & Noble. Their earlier river book, "Damming the Osage," can be at seen www.dammingtheosage.com.)
Yes, here many folk keep to the old custom of having beans on Christmas Day, to bring good luck to the household for the coming year. No matter how sumptuous the holiday feast, they say, on your dining table you should always find room for that humble brown pot of beans cooked with a hambone or bacon rind — just for luck. (A.E. Lucas) • Not much chance to get a nap — it was the most exciting deer hunt I’ve ever had, even if my feet didn’t move for a couple hours. We didn’t know what the temperature was opening morning, only that it was cold. (Learned later it was between 10 and 20.) At any rate, we were dressed with most of the warm clothes we possess — except on the feet. I’d just put on a pair of wool socks and leather boots, figuring I could move my feet and wiggle my toes and stand up enough to keep them warm. We arrived and eased into the woods — Pat going about a quarter-mile, me about an eighth further. The strong winds of the night before were now dead, but the air still had a definite direction to it and I faced into it. (Bob Todd) 40 years ago • When you think of fish gigging, you probably think of Current River. That’s where the sport is really visible. Huge jon boats with powerful motors. On-board generators for a row of high-powered lights. Or a row of gasoline lanterns with specially built reflectors. Fish gigs are prominently displayed wherever sporting goods are sold. There is even a gigger’s association along the Current and lately, there have been gigging tournaments. (Bob Todd) • Progress, morality, politics, and even a sense of humanity were given as excuses by the Americans when they took land from the Indians. It seemed the Americans must satisfy their conscience that what they were doing was just before they could act. (Bob Todd) (compiled by MyraGale Sexton)
RiverHillsTraveler.com
Page 6 • December 2017
Age nor weather will keep me from tent camping
T
By Tom Boydston ent camping is my favorite sport. My family and I spent many days and nights tent camping and we always used the primitive sites. We enjoyed meeting new people and exchanging ideas on camping. I have also been backpack camping several times. I started while living in Kansas City in the mid-70s. That’s when I started deer hunting. I had to drive sixty miles to a hunting area and had no tent at that time. I backpacked in, cleared a spot, laid down a sheet of plastic and slept on the ground. More than once I woke up with two to four inches of snow on top me. After that I purchased a nylon pop tent. Boy was that better! One year my wife, two sons (ages 11
and 13 at the time), father, mother, brother, and myself backpacked in the Arapaho National Forest in Colorado. We spent three days up in the mountain and back. The view and wildlife was great. I no longer go backpack camping. I leave that to others. After our sons left home we moved back to the Neosho area. I still wanted to camp, but my wife couldn’t sleep on the cold, hard ground anymore. I thought I would have to go by myself, which I did for some time. Then I met Charlie, a neighbor and now best friend, who also enjoyed camping. We planned a trip and went to Mark Twain National Forest. We found a spot we liked, cleared it and set up camp.
We both liked the way each other camped, and we have been camping twice a year for about 15 years now. Most of the time we camp in the spring and fall, because summer is just too hot. In dry times it is best to check at the Forest headquarters to see if fires are a problem. Most of the time we cooked dutch oven and over fires; when not allowed, we used a camp stove. We spent our time hiking. It was rugged country but very beautiful. There are so many stories I could tell from these trips. For instance, if you needed rain, just ask us to go camping. Seventy percent of our trips had either rain or storms. We became used to it and were wellprepared.
As we headed for one area, we came across someone who warned us about recent sitings of black bears in that area. We didn’t care, we would have loved to see a bear, but no luck. Charlie and I have not stopped yet. We talk about that when we get to where we can’t get around very well, we will get us a couple of 4x4 wheelchairs and have the OATS bus take us to our campsite. People camp in so many different ways nowadays, but no matter how you prefer to camp, don’t quit. Enjoy the outdoors and all it has to offer. (Tom Boydston lives in Neosho, Mo., and can be reached by phone or text at 417-439-6048.)
that is tied, glued, or otherwise permanently attached to the hook. To be double-sure, anglers can check at the park office to be certain their lure is legal. You should also check at the park office to make sure you know the boundaries and specific regulations of fishing zones at the park where you intend to fish. The winter catch-and-release season doesn’t draw as many anglers as the summer park trout season, which runs from March 1 through Oct. 31 and, for some, that’s part of the winter seasons’ attraction. In addition to supplying anglers with their occasional “fishing fix” to get them through the winter, this season is also a good chance to get out and enjoy the winter scenery at the trout parks. All four trout parks have their own distinctive wildlife and topographic features that can be viewed much better in the winter because of the lack of foliage. Keep in mind that during the winter
season, you don’t need to buy a daily trout park tag when you fish. You will need a trout permit and, if you are age 16 through 64, you will also need a Missouri fishing permit. (If you are exempt from needing a Missouri fishing permit because of age or other conditions, you will still need to purchase a trout permit to fish the winter catchand-release season at the trout parks.) Trout permits can be purchased at any location that sells fishing permits. In addition to the catch-and-release opportunities at trout parks, the trout permit allows you to fish at Missouri’s other managed trout areas. Of course, trout parks aren’t the only places trout anglers can go in winter. Lake Taneycomo offers good trout fishing opportunities, as do a number of streams in southern Missouri that have designated trout management zones. (Francis Skalicky works for the Missouri Department of Conservation in southwest Missouri. He can be reached at 417-895-6880.)
Winter trout season underway in Missouri, so give it a try
N
ow is the time when many outdoor enthusiasts still have deer hunting on their minds. However, if you’re not ready to put your fishing gear away yet, look no further than your nearest trout park for some angling enjoyment. The winter catch-and-release season at Missouri’s four trout parks has become something of a winter tradition for some local anglers. The trout parks this season applies to are Bennett Spring State Park near Lebanon, Roaring River State Park near Cassville, Francis Montauk State Park Skalicky near Salem, and ———— Maramec Spring Park near St. James. This year, the season opened Nov. 10 and runs through Feb. 12. The season, as its name states, is for catch-and-release fishing only – no trout may be kept. This is not a throughout-the-week fishing opportunity at all the trout parks like the trout parks’ summer season is. During the winter season, the three state parks (Bennett Spring, Roaring River, and Montauk) are open for fishing on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Maramec Spring Park is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Flies are the only type of lures permitted during the winter season, but
don’t interpret this to mean that you need a fly rod to fish for trout at the parks. You can use spin casting or baitcasting equipment as long as you have a fly-type lure on your hook. Flies are defined as artificial lures constructed on single-point hooks using any material except soft plastic bait and natural or scented bait (as defined in the Wildlife Code of Missouri)
Special Pricing
On Avalanche Coolers!!
Inside ~ Outside ~ To op to Bottom ~ We Do It ALL!
Yo Yo ou uC Ca Can an De an Dep Depend epend epen end d on 3 3R R
10% offff
To all Military To y,, Fire and Police. Past & present
7819 HIGHWA WA AY Y 47 4 SOUTH | UNION, MO 630 084 | 3 rrv v..com 44 W We est – Exit 240 – Go North – 1.5 1 5 Miles On Left