March 2018

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VOL. 45, NO. 9

MARCH 2018

www.riverhillstraveler.com

Restoring services & sustainable visitor facilities is top priority of ONSR staff

By JIMMY SEXTON

jimmy@riverhillstraveler.com _____________

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ork is proceeding at Ozark National Scenic Riverways (ONSR) to repair facilities that were damaged during the April 2017 flood.

While some heavily damaged loca-

tions will remain partially or totally closed, or operate with reduced amenities, much progress has been made and additional areas will be open in 2018.!

The National Park Service (NPS) is continuing to make repairs toward recovery at those areas, which requires coordination of a number of factors and prioritization of available

staff.!!

“Concurrent with the short-term recovery efforts, the NPS has undertaken an Integrated Park Improvement planning process to help evaluate flood impacts parkwide and develop a strategy for the long-term restoration of facilities and services in a manner that is more sustainable Please see ONSR, 18

Repairs to the exterior of the restroom at Big Spring Campground.

Just a few words about trout streams

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By Bill Oder e need to consider the probably most puzzling and paradoxical reality that we shouldn’t be going fishing just to catch fish, which is a statement I am sure must seem to most of us like something bordering uncomfortably close to heresy and without any doubt a burning at the stake should be in order, or at least a harsh scolding of some sort.

Our desire to catch fish has to be balanced with something else and if this balance is absent or lacking, then we lose the enrichment in our lives that fishing has to offer.

So… just what is this something else of which I speak? It’s not something that you can find at your favorite tackle store.

It has to be something that is extremely strong and powerful; after all, it has to counter-balance our strong and powerful desire and urge to catch fish.

My theory is it might have something to do with the places where trout reside. If you are new to trout fishing, I hope that you have noticed that trout inhabit utterly enchanting places and if you haven’t noticed that, then maybe you should hold on to those gold clubs or tennis rackets a while longer because perhaps fishing is just not your cup of tea.

I’m reminded of the words of fly fisherman and writer Robert Traver, “I fish mainly because I love the environs where trout are found: the woods; and

further because I happen to dislike the environs where crowds of men are found: large cities: but if, heaven forbid, there were no trout and men were everywhere few, I would still doubtless prowl the woods and streams because it is there and only there that I really feel at home.”

I know your goal is to catch fish. I, too, have the same goal. We arm ourselves with all this gear and don the waders and vest and hat and sunglasses, much like a knight of old donning a suit of armor preparing for battle, and amass hundreds of flies so

Please see TROUT, 14

Sappington House is a favorite attraction for those visiting the south St. Louis area

O Archaeologists dig in the Sappington House grounds looking for artifacts related to the homestead.

By Bill Wakefield ur great state of Missouri is rich in history. This was the 1804 starting point for the famous Lewis and Clark Expedition, and it is also the location where three of the greatest rivers in the United States meet.

More than 1,000 Civil War battles took place in Missouri, making it the third-most fought-over state of the war, after Virginia and Tennessee.

It was the Gateway to the West with the Pony Express, and the California, Oregon and Santé Fe trails all originating in Missouri.

At one time St. Louis was the fourth largest city in the United States. The history of agriculture, mining and timber all had an effect on Missouri and the people who lived here.

Some of the better-known Missourians include Yogi Berra, Omar Bradley,

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George Washington Carver, Walter Cronkite, T.S. Eliot, Jean Harlow, Jesse James, James Cash Penny (founder of the JC Penney Company), Harry S. Truman, and Mark Twain, just to name a few. As you travel throughout the state there are hundreds of places that have had an impact on its history, and one such place is the Historic Sappington House.

Please see HOUSE, 19

RiverHillsTraveler.com

Page 2 • March 2018

Finding peace & enjoyment outdoors in SW Illinois

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fter years of hearing tales from several co-workers about the beauty of southern Illinois, in 2012 I broke down and took a twonight solo camping trip to check it out.

I have to admit that I went into the trip with a little hesitation.

My impression of the state had been linked to that stretch of flat highway that connects St. Louis to Chicago.

Thankfully, I decided to take a leap of faith and listen to my co-workers.

My first visit was a success. To say I fell in love with southern Illinois was an understatement. In the past six years I have made several return trips. Each time I found more reasons to appreciate the sights, sounds, and people of southern Illinois.

Based on the adventures I have had, I highly recommend the following destinations to help you see Illinois in a whole new light: • Pomona Natural Bridge in the Shawnee National Forest is located Michelle Turner near Carbondale, ———— Alto Pass, Murphysboro, and Anna. It is a great place to picnic, but the hiking trail is the real highlight. It’s a short and relatively easy trail, but don’t rush it.

Go off trail and explore the areas below the 90-foot natural bridge, too.

One can easily spend several hours at Pomona Natural Bridge, but don’t forget the region is also known for wine trails, sweeping vistas, and scenic drives.

• The Alto Pass Overlook is simply breathtaking. It’s located on Skyline Drive near Alto Pass and well worth the stop. You can gaze out over southern Illinois and see for miles on most days. Catch it around sunrise or sunset for some stunning scenes.

• South of Carbondale in Makanda is Giant City State Park. The natural beauty and various opportunities to enjoy the great outdoors make Giant City a “must-see” destination.

Camping, fishing, a visitor center, hiking, horseback riding, a lodge, and more await you.

My favorite part of the experience is hitting the Giant City Nature Trail, which features bluffs of sandstone formed over 12,000 years ago.

Hands down, of all the trails I’ve hiked in our nation, it is one of my favorites.

Walking down between rocks at Garden of the Gods on the Observation Trail.

The Pomona Natural Bridge, located in Pomona, Ill., is a great quick hike for all ages.

have found great peace and enjoyment within the southern Illinois region.

I could easily add more to the list, but in my humble opinion you have to start somewhere and these four spots serve as a great first taste of what this region has to offer.

(Michelle Turner lives in Union, Mo.)

The sun above that crack in the wall of rock — that’s at Giant City on the Giant City Nature Trail.

• In my opinion, Garden of the Gods in Herod is the crowning jewel of the Shawnee National Forest. It’s heralded as one of the most photographed locations in the state of Illinois and I can see why.

The .25-mile Observation Trail may be short in distance, but just like Pomona Natural Bridge, you can spend hours on this trail exploring and simply stopping to stare at a view that seems to stretch for eternity.

The literature states this trail can take up to an hour to walk, but I recommend you take more time than that to appreciate this place that serves as a reminder to us all of why it’s important to enjoy (and protect) the spaces that makes America so special.

I have yet to camp at Garden of the Gods, but I can safely say it is on my to-do list. Watching the sunrise or set (or both!) from this area is something I look forward to.

Those are just four of the places I

RiverHillsTraveler.com

March 2018 • Page 3

Old cabin wasn’t much to look at, but it was home

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he cold spell had broken but there was still a chill in the air, so I donned a jacket as I headed out the door.

Something inside me yearned to see that old cabin one last time. It was a longing I had fought back for awhile but today, I decided to make that journey.

You see, that old cabin sat on a parcel of land that our family had leased for decades from a very nice gentleman who charged us barely anything for the use.

The elders in the family had sawn every log from the surrounding woods, skidded them to the location atop a bluff and assembled it over time.

The old cabin wasn’t much to look at — rough, crooked, not all the chinking held so there were still spots for the wind to find it’s way in, and the walls were lined with crude bunk beds to accommoRoger Smith date the members.

———— An old wood stove in the corner, a small table, a lantern hanging in the middle to provide light... but it was home for 11 days out of the year.

The past season the landowner passed away and his son, who got the inheritance, stopped our lease as he was an anti-hunter, so that was the last season we would ever be together again.

I made the drive, parked at the nowlocked gate and hiked my way in.

There it sat. To anyone else just some old shack, but to me a sight for sore eyes.

Even though I knew I wasn’t supposed to be there, I had to be. As I approached the old cabin I slipped open the old door which still creaked and peeked inside; it was dark and musty smelling.

I propped the door open while I searched for the matches, hoping the old lantern had enough fuel left for one more lighting.

I got it going, closed the door and lay down on one of the old bunks as I had did many a day.

And that’s when that old cabin came back to life.

I closed my eyes and the past started to reveal itself. The musty odor turned into the smell of gun oil, deer scent and coffee brewing.

As I listened to the hissing of the old

lantern, I seemed to drift into another dimension. Was that the crack of Homer’s old 243 up on the North ridge? I found myself walking back to camp. I was always the last one out of the woods and as I grew closer I could smell the smoke from the old wood stove drifting up the ridge.

A little closer and I could smell the skillet of potatoes and onions frying on the old stove as Jim stood there and tended to them as he had done for so many years.

I could hear the laughter as the guys chided one another as they always did over the day’s hunt. I looked at the old meat pole to see what had been hung that day.

I could hear the pans rustling as supper was prepared. As I entered through that old creaking door Frank accused me of being lost again and offered me his compass to use the following day.

An owl hooting snapped me back to reality and as I peered through the old dusty door pane, I could tell night was drawing near. I knew I had to be going but I felt frozen into a time that I couldn’t bare part with.

I took one last look around. There were still a few canned goods sitting on the counter, someone had left an old blanket and pillow, expecting to return again.

I hesitantly turned off the old lantern.

I wanted to take it with me but it seemed only fitting to let it remain where it had hung for so many years and lit our way.

As I exited and shut that old creaking door one last time, a part of me seemed to die. I was overcome with a sadness beyond explanation.

I started back down the road on my

journey back to the Jeep and something told me to turn and have one last look.

As I did a majestic buck stepped out into the logging road and just looked at me.

We locked eyes, he didn’t seem skittish or afraid... it was almost as if he was bidding one final farewell to me and to things that would be no more.

You see, my Uncle George was one of the original founders of that old lodge and he had passed away that year also. It was as though that camp ran on

his timeline.

Before rounding the corner where the cabin would be out of sight for the last time, I turned and that old Buck was still standing watching me depart.

It was almost as if he was as sad as I was, for he somehow knew the days of my pursuing him and him getting to outsmart me again had come to a close.

A lot of the family have passed on now but the memories remain. As I sit here tonight reflecting, I still wonder about that old buck.

What his thoughts were when that old cabin and surrounding woods grew silent, and I wonder if he died of old age, or does he still wander those same haunts, maybe wishing to smell that old wood smoke again and longing for one more chance to pit his skills against mine.

(Roger Smith lives in Bonne Terre, Mo., and can be reached at n0uss@yahoo.com)

AROUND the WORLD with the River Hills Traveler

Michael Reitz, 37, of St. Louis, outside Old Trafford Stadium (aka, "The Theatre of Dreams") in Manchester, England, home of the world-famous Manchester United soccer team on Halloween night, 2017.

———

If you're going on a trip or vacation, please take the River Hills Traveler with you and have someone photograph you and the magazine in front of a landmark or somewhere pretty neat. Then email the picture & info to us at jimmy@riverhillstraveler.com and we will publish it an upcoming issue. You can also text your photos & info to (417) 451-3798 or send them to us via our Facebook page.

Thank you very much and we look forward to seeing your family’s adventures!

RiverHillsTraveler.com

Page 4 • March 2018

Campground owners readying for 2018 season

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e know what campgrounds do during the summer, but what do they do in the winter? Some stay open and some close up shop, but what goes on when they are closed?

A few campgrounds have explained what it is that goes on when their doors are closed.

“We escape a lot in the winter,” said Gayle Helms, with Boiling Springs Campground in Dixon, Mo. “Most everyone does projects during the winter and we do that as well as promote our busiJimmy Sexton ness by doing trade ———— shows, gift shows, Journey On and things like that.”

Helms and her husband, Larry, also attend conventions during the winter and into the spring to learn new things and keep their business caught up with the times.

“One summer I realized that all the credit card readers were going to the chip reader, so in the winter I went out and got the chip reader, learned how to use it, and we have gotten several compliments on it,” said Helms.

Helms is always looking for new and better products to offer her customers.

In addition to owning a campground, they also own a convenience store that they work on during the winter.

“We are just a small business and we do a lot of work all year-round to stay open in the summer,” said Helms.

Bobbie Adamson, co-owner at Shady

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Beach in Noel, Mo., reported that in the winter they do all the repair work that needs to be done from the previous season.

“We fix everything that needs fixing and then we figure out what we want to do different for the next year,” said Adams.

According to Adamson, they are still working on repairs from the last two floods in 2015 and 2017.

“Aside from the floods, there is the normal wear and tear of the campground,” said Adamson. “If we are lucky and don’t have a bad winter, we will be up and ready in April with a couple weeks off.”

Linda Patrick, owner of Adventures Float Trips & Campground in Lebanon, Mo., usually works in the winter, but has decided this year to not do so.

“I usually have to work in the winter and this is the first year I am not,” said Patrick.

“I always tell people that my family doesn’t have me in the summer, so winter is my family time.”

Patrick has decided not to spend money on any new campground projects this winter because she is constantly changing things around.

“I feel like I am constantly organizing and re-arranging and busy all the time,” said Patrick. “It’s my life and I practically live here.”

At Two Sons Floating, also in Noel, Mo., they spend all winter getting ready for next summer.

“We collect firewood, fix rafts, we have to get rid of the leaves, and we take calls all winter long,” said Will Layton, employee.

So remember the next time you're at a campground for the winter or the

weekend, it takes a lot of work yearround for these owners to provide a fun and safe experience for you and your family.

And when you see them in the campground office or when they stop by your tent or trailer to see how things are going, please say "thank you."

It will mean a lot to them.

——— Mark Twain National Forest (MTNF) has partnered with OnCell to launch a free mobile app for visitors to use.

The app will guide visitors to recreation opportunities and other important sites within the forest using their personal mobile devices.

The app also serves as a communication tool, allowing forest staff to share updates and for visitors to provide feedback about their forest experience.

“We want everyone to enjoy outdoor recreation on the 1.5 million acres of public land within the Mark Twain National Forest. This app provides another great way for people to access the information they need to plan their adventures,” said Forest Supervisor Sherri Schwenke.

A smartphone is a valuable part of a traveler’s toolkit, especially with the right app installed.!This app serves the end-user as a pocket guide for quick reference.!

It can also be used in certain situations to provide visitors with real-time alerts through their personal devices, like during wildfires.!The app also features offline and GPS maps to help visitors discover points of interest and explore the forest.

Visitors can download the app from the App Store or Google Play. Search for “Mark Twain National Forest” to

Ozark rhymes keep the culture alive

like little sayings and rhymes and, used to, people in the Ozarks took many of them seriously.

Thanks to the late, great Vance Randolph we have a good depository of actual verses that folks used to recite in the long gone Ozarks of the early 20th century.

There is no telling how far back some of these actually went. So let’s get started.

By the way, you can read these in Mr. Randolph’s 1947 book “Ozark Superstitions,” later reprinted as “Ozark Wes Franklin Magic and Folk———— lore.”

Native Ozarker Here goes: • If a woman’s eyes are gray, listen close to what she’s got to say; If a woman’s eyes are black, give her room an’ plenty of track; If a woman’s eyes are brown, never let your guard down; If a woman’s eyes are green, whip her with a switch that’s keen; If a woman’s eyes are blue, she will always be true to you.

Sorry for the light reference to domestic abuse. Pretend it’s the 1940s and that you’re not offended.

• Marry in white, you have chosen just right; Marry in blue, your man will be true; Marry in brown, live out of town; Marry in green, ashamed to be seen; Marry in red, wish yourself dead; Marry in black, better turn back; Marry

in yellow, got the wrong fellow; Marry in gray, you’ll be a widow some day.

• Rain before seven, shine before eleven.

• Comb your hair after dark, comb sorry into your old man’s heart.

• Monday’s child is fair of face; Tuesday’s child is full of grace; Wednesday’s child has far to go; Thursday’s child is full of woe; Friday’s child is loving and giving; Saturday’s child must work for a living; A child that’s born on the Sabbath Day is blithe and bonnie and rich and gay.

• When you see crows flying: “One’s unlucky; Two’s lucky; Three’s health; Four’s wealth; Five’s sickness; Six is death.”

• Friday night’s dream on Saturday told, will always come true, no matter how old.

• See a pin, pick it up, all day long good luck; See a pin, leave it lay, have bad luck all day.

• Sneeze on Monday, sneeze for danger; Sneeze on Tuesday, kiss a stranger; Sneeze on Wednesday, sneeze for a letter; Sneeze on Thursday, sneeze for better; Sneeze on Friday, sneeze for sorrow; Sneeze on Saturday, a friend you seek; Sneeze on Sunday, the Devil will be with you all week.

• Stump your toe, kiss your thumb, you’ll see your beau ‘fore bedtime comes.

• If a cock crows when he goes to bed, he’ll get up with a wet head.

• Marry when the year is new, your mate will be constant, kind, and true.

• When the morning sun is red the

ewe and the lamb go wet to bed.

• Onion skin mighty thin, early winter comin’ in.

• When I my true love I want to see I put my shoes in the shape of a T. There are many more old rhymes of the Ozarks, but I don’t want to give them all away here. I encourage you to look up some of Mr. Randolph’s works and purchase them. Most have been reprinted.

Do yourself a favor and look into it.

It is up to us to keep the culture alive, at least in memory.

(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

An early morning angler enjoys the solitude and scenery at Lake of the Ozarks, Mo., one of the best bass fisheries in the nation.

With over 54,000 acres with over 64 billion gallons of water supplied by five tributaries, Lake of the Ozarks is home to a variety of fish, including largemouth and spotted bass, white bass, black and white crappie, hybrid white bass/stripers, bluegill, walleye, catfish and paddlefish and more. (photo courtesy www.funlake.com)

find the app in either store.

A web version of the app can also be accessed on demand at www.mtnf.oncell.com.

Whether you decide to “Explore by District” to see what an area has to offer, or if you want to “Explore by Activity” to hit the ground running — this app can help you find the information you need.!

Once downloaded, no cellular service is required to use most functions of this application, so it is a handy pocket guide to have in the field.!

Visitors can also receive the latest news from the forest, such as an event or closure notifications.

About the Forest Mark Twain National Forest has more than 750 miles of trails for hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, and motorized use. Sections of the Ozark Trail also traverse the forest.

More than 350 miles of perennial streams, suitable for floating, canoeing and kayaking, meander through its canopied expanses.

Its campgrounds offer visitors a variety of forest experiences, including semi-primitive and wilderness camping for solitude.

This app is meant to be an introduction to the Forest, and there are many hidden gems across the 1.5 million acre forest not yet highlighted in this app.

(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 Wes Franklin • Mike Roux Bill Wakefield • Bill Oder Tom Boydston • Bill Cooper Michelle Turner • Dana Sturgeon Chuck Smick • Ryan Walker Richard Whiteside • Roger Smith 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 © 2018 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.

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March 2018 • Page 5

VINTAGE OZARKS: ‘Hillbilly-ness’ comes to the Ozarks

his image of rural indifference to modernity was a cliché before the hillbilly image blossomed in cartoons and mass media in the 1920s and ‘30s.

George Hall costumed some Stone County residents being discovered by two well-dressed visitors (on the right).

His real photo postcard, captioned “The Arkansas Traveler,” is circa 1915.

The idea the Ozarks is inhabited by primitives has been perpetuated in books by educated travelers like Schoolcraft, in popular songs like the “Arkansas Traveler,” and in souvenir postcards, like this one by George Hall.

The full-blown hillbilly became a fixture of early Ozark tourism. Most, but not all, locals found it amusing as well as it seemed to be a useful tool to promote tourism.

(This feature is courtesy of Leland 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, is available at www.beautifulozarks.com ($35, postage paid) and on amazon.com. Their earlier river book, Damming the Osage, can be at seen www.dammingtheosage.com.)

From the March archives of the River Hills Traveler: 5 years ago • Bollinger County is not known for its righteous trout waters. Instead, we have farm ponds stocked with catfish and new rock-bottomed rivers that are ripe with sallies.

Even after being out of high school for several years, I had never seen a trout, nor had I ever even eaten one.

So when Brian, a friend from high school, contacted me about trying trout fishing for the first time, I felt a sense of adventure and a need to oblige him on this endeavor. (Shawn Seabaugh) • It was a Sunday morning and church had just let out.

“Do you trout fish?” a friend asked.

“I never have but I’d sure be willing to give it a try,” I answered Raymond May, who had just offered to introduce me to a species of fish I never had fished for, not sure had thought about over the years.

Now, some 14 years later, I’ve spent countless days in search of rainbows and browns. (Doug Smith) 10 years ago • A new advocacy group, Voice of the Ozarks, held its first organizational meeting in Eminence on Jan. 19. Over 100 concerned citizens met to discuss how to go about protecting area citizens’ rights to access rivers and lands in the Ozarks that are owned and managed by state, federal and private agencies.

Voice of the Ozarks President John Mark Brewer told the crowd that the problem associated with agencies controlling access to lands and waters of the area that locals have used for generations, has been discussed for a long time.

REMEMBER WHEN

“Now we have an organization that will give a voice to the people of the area,” Brewer said. (Bill Cooper) • The thunder of a wild turkey gobbler is reverberating in my head as I get the gun up and ready in ever slow motion, wincing as I imagine he can see me through the thick cover.

We attribute amazing powers to these creatures as they emit their throaty gobbles. Nonetheless, I am almost certain this one is going to meet his end if he shows his patriotic red, white and blue head and neck.

But the tale ends abruptly as a gun erupts somewhere up near the field that these woods border. (Don Rathert) 15 tears ago • If you would like to improve the odds of your youngster being successful during the youth turkey season, begin scouting now.

Scouting early will increase your chances of locating turkeys, allow you to become familiar with the lay of the land you will be hunting, and will give your youngster opportunities to acclimate to the turkey hunting experience.

Scouting is the most important element of turkey hunting. Unfortunately, it is often the most overlooked facet of the sport. Scouting before the season opener is especially important when youth are involved. (Bill Cooper) • February and my thoughts turn to trout fishing. When Bob Told called and asked how flexible my schedule was, and if I would like to float the trophy trout area of the Meramec River, I

was all for it.

For the record we would be floating on a Thursday and would probably have the entire stretch of water to ourselves for the day.

Our float started at the Woodson K. Woods access just above Meramec Springs Park and we would take out at the low water bridge at Scotts Ford a little less than ten miles downstream.

(Howard Helgenberg) 20 years ago • There was not another human being in sight as Carl, my 13-year-old son, and I slid our loaded canoe into icycold waters of the Current River.

Although it was January, temperatures were approaching the 40-degree mark. Our plan was to float, fish, and explore from Cedar Grove to Akers Ferry. We would camp overnight somewhere along the way. (Bill Copper) • This spring I plan to celebrate my birthday by participating in the turkey season opener. This will create consternation for my wife and daughter, who have difficulty perceiving the importance of commemorating a milestone in this manner.

But the argument that a person ought to be able to celebrate a birthday the way he or she wants is strong poise.

So I’ll probably get my way, as long as I’m home in time to go out to a restaurant to eat supper. (Charlie Slovensky) 30 years ago • A landscape of endless forest is NOT ideal turkey habitat. We don’t have endless forests from a human point of view, but from the point of view of wild turkeys, some of our forests are indeed endless.

The Missouri Wild Turkey Federation is starting to do something about

that. Mike Fiechler announced, at a fundraising banquet in Cape Girardeau, that an agreement has been signed with the Conservation Department and U.S Forest Service to improve turkey habit.

(Bob Todd) • Two issues back, we took a jab at the Missouri Department of Natural Resources with respect to the dam at Doe Run’s Fletcher mine waste pond.

We asked what our state inspectors were doing besides drinking coffee at 10 each morning. It’s terrible that something like this could exist in our state. Well, apparently DNR doesn’t inspect lead mines in Missouri at all. And apparently, all the reclamation laws we thought were protecting us from another disaster such as that one Big River don’t have a thing to do with lead mining. (Bob Todd) 40 years ago • When the Osage left their villages in southern Kansas in 1870 for the buffalo hunt further west on the plains, they would not be returning.

After perhaps 250 years of contact with the white man, they were giving up land once again. And once again, white men would write their epitaph, only to find them in his path again later in time. (Bob Todd) • Back in those yesteryears I was just one among many little girls living in the Ozarks who felt like a Queen when we were the owner of a new calico dress. The material cost about ten cents a yard. The material for our new calico dress was brought from the leftover egg money after the groceries were paid for.

We were always told by our mother that we could choose the material we wanted for our new dress. (Rosie Alexander) (compiled by MyraGale Sexton)

— Share your camping, fishing, kayaking, hunting, outdoors & travel photos with Traveler readers by texting them to (417) 451-3798 —

RiverHillsTraveler.com

Page 6 • March 2018

Enduring a cold day fishing on the Jacks Fork

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By Bill Cooper he warming days of March provide perfect weather for float trips. I joined Billy Smith, from Summersville, for a trip on the Jacks Fork River during the recent warming trend.

Smith is the ultimate river rat, having been born on the Current River at Van Buren. He spent his entire life near the Current and Jacks Fork rivers, working on or near the river in several capacities, most recently in maintenance for the National Park Service in the Ozark National Scenic Riverways.

Billy is known far and wide for his abilities as a boatman and angler on Ozarks streams. Since his retirement from NPS, he has begun a business, Scenic Rivers Guide Service and Tours.

I met up with Billy at Jim Anderson’s Shady Lanes Cabins and Motel in Eminence. Anderson serves as mayor of Eminence and is the ultimate source for outdoor and general information concerning Eminence.

After a brief discussion of world concerns with Anderson, Billy and I dropped my truck at the public river access in Eminence and drove his truck, with a canoe on top, to Alley Spring to put in and begin our float for the day.

Bitterly cold weather for the previous two weeks had each of us in a wintertime stupor. However, the warming rays of sunshine and 50 degree temperatures raised our metabolism much like that of a cold-blooded creature. We longed for a day on the river.

Despite the fact that over an inch of rain had fallen on the Jacks Fork watershed the night before, the river ran clear and cold.

I could easily see the river bottom in several feet of water from where I stood on the river bank as we prepared to launch our canoe.

We each rigged a fishing rod with a 3-inch green pumpkin Stik-O worm.

The do nothing bait, as far as move-

ment is concerned, is a deadly bait for smallmouth bass.

The idea is to allow the Texas-rigged bait to tumble along the river bottom, where feeding bass await.

Billy indicated that the hole where we launched the canoe would be one of the best of the day to fish. The Alley Spring spring branch entered the river above us.

Spring water is often warmer than river water in the colder months. Being cold-blooded creatures, smallmouth bass will often migrate many miles upriver to find these warmer waters during cold weather.

Seconds after making my first cast of the day, I thought I felt a light tick on my plastic bait. I waited. I felt the ticktick again and set the hook.

I hooked up with the first fish of the day on my first cast of the day. The 12inch smallmouth felt much larger due to the swift current we were fishing.

My ultra-light rod bent heavily as the bass came closer to the canoe. It’s golden bronze sides flashed in the sun-

light as it rolled on the surface. A grand feeling of elation rose in my heart as I enjoyed the scene of a beautiful smallmouth bass in the crystal clear waters of the Jacks Fork River.

Minutes later, Billy set the hook on his first smallmouth and I joined him a mini-second later. We had a double on.

Thirty-mile-an-hour gusts of wind made it impossible to hold the canoe in place in the current.

I suggested to Billy that rather than burn all his strength in the first few minutes of the trip, that we float downstream in search of water pockets out of the wind.

Billy reluctantly obliged.

“There are a lot of fish in that hole,” he said. “But there will be another day.”

The raw beauty of the Jacks Fork became an immediate source of conversation. Billy and I share a bond created and held together by wild, free-flowing rivers.

High bluffs, tight bends, deep holes, bald eagles and sunning turtles pro-

vided us an endless supply of discussion topics.

We diverted our attention numerous times from the glories of nature to discuss plans for Billy’s Scenic Rivers Guide and Tour business. It is relatively new. He recently finished the complicated process of acquiring permits from the National Park Service for his new venture.

Billy will offer fishing guide services for smallmouth bass and trout within the boundaries of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways. For those who do not fish, but who still want to enjoy the wild nature of the Riverways, Billy will offer guided boat tours of the streams.

Billy is the ideal person for the business. He spent his entire life along the rivers and is extremely knowledgable about the rivers, river history, place names and wildlife that call the rivers home.

He will serve as a floating encyclopedia of information for park visitors.

Too, his pleasant manner will put clients at ease and allow them to enjoy their day on the river with him to the fullest extent.

We made several stops as we drifted downstream to take closer looks at oxbows, caves and interesting features along the river. Two of my favorites were Canes Bluff and Button Rock.

I can’t wait to see dozens more of the grand features along the Ozark National Scenic Riverways as I float and jetboat with Billy Smith to film and photograph for his upcoming Facebook page.

I do hope to catch a few of those monster smallmouth bass like he showed me on his phone, too.

If you would like to schedule a guided fished trip or river tour with Billy Smith, he can be reached at (573) 225-3390.

(Bill Cooper can be reached at 573263-4918 or billrcooper801@gmail. com.)

Overlaying this silvery base are several dark, horizontal streaks.

White bass are early spawners. In this region, white bass usually enter lake tributaries in March and remain until the middle or latter part of April.

The spawning runs normally begin when water temperatures move above 50 degrees, although length of daylight (photo-period) may play a part in the beginning of the spawn, too. Many white bass return to the same breeding site year after year.

Spawning is commonly preceded by runs of mature adults into tributary streams. Males become mature and move to the spawning grounds about a month before females.

At that time, mature adults occur in schools composed of only one sex and the schools of females are found in deeper water not far from the spawning grounds.

Spawning occurs in midwater or near the surface, over a gravelly or rocky bottom. It often takes place in a current and there is no preparation of a nest.

A female indicates her readiness to spawn by rising toward the surface, at which time several males rush in and crowd around her as the eggs and sperm are released.

The eggs settle to the bottom, where they become attached to rocks and hatch in about two days. One large female may

produce nearly a million eggs in one spawning season.

Spawning is completed at any given locality over a period of five to 10 days.

Beaver Creek and Swan Creek, both tributaries of Bulls Shoals Lake, are two well-known Springfield-area white bass locations, but spawning runs occur on other streams in the area, too.

The major tributaries of Stockton, Pomme de Terre and Table Rock all typ-

ically see good white bass action in the spring.

Minnows are the best live bait for spawning white bass. Small plugs, spoons and fly-and-spinner combinations in a variety of patterns and colors also work.

(Francis Skalicky works for the Missouri Department of Conservation in southwest Missouri. He can be reached at 417-895-6880.)

Smallmouth bass are one of the target species for Billy Smith’s Scenic Rivers Guide Service and Tours business.

White bass run is one of the biggest fishing events in the Ozarks

T

he March 1 trout park opener isn’t the only big fishing event that takes place in the Ozarks as winter transitions to spring.

There’s another annual occurrence about to take place on some local streams that’s as near and dear to many area anglers as any other outdoors event – the white bass run.

When white bass begin their spawning runs, many anglers start heading for the tributaries of area lakes. It may not make as many headlines as the trout Francis park opener, but in Skalicky terms of angling in———— terests, it could be MDC argued that the annual “white bass run” is one of the biggest early-spring fishing events in the Ozarks.

White bass belong to the group of fish known as the temperate basses (family Moronidae). This fish family is sometimes referred to as the “true” bass.

These species differ from smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, spotted bass and rock bass, which are all members of the sunfish family (family Centrarchidae).

White bass are named because of the light background color of their bodies.

RiverHillsTraveler.com

March 2018 • Page 7

The snow goose dilemma continues

T

o all the other old duck hunters in this crowd besides me, did you ever think you would see the day when it would be perfectly legal in Missouri to shoot snow geese from February until April with unplugged shotguns, electronic callers and no kill limits on the number of geese killed?

Our disbelief stems in part from the fact that for years, it was thought that snow geese might some day become extinct.

In fact, from 1916 until 1975, hunting snows in the Atlantic flyway was completely banned and hunting them in the Mississippi and Central flyways was subject to significant restrictions and limits.

All this changed in 1999, when the new rules were put into effect. I haven’t hunted snow geese very often since 1999, but when I do, I can’t shake this feeling that we are doing something really, really illegal Bill Hoagland and that any minute, ———— a SWAT team of game wardens is going to descend upon us and confiscate our guns.

But in fact, all of this is legal and actually encouraged by wildlife experts.

In other words, there is no real need to invite that obnoxious lawyer along on the trip “just in case.”

So why are we encouraged to kill a bird that was once thought to be in danger of becoming extinct?

First we need to clarify a few things.

We are not talking about the Canadian goose or the white-fronted goose (also known as the speckled belly goose).

We are talking about the white or light goose.

There are two subspecies for the light goose: the snow goose and the Ross’s goose. And as to the snow goose, there are several more subdivisions: the greater snow goose, the lesser snow goose, and a genetic variant of the lesser snow goose in the form of a socalled blue goose.

For purposes of this discussion, I will refer to all of these geese as “snow geese.” So what’s not to like about the snow goose? The white snow goose is a beautiful bird, with its all-white body, matching orange feet and beak, and black-tipped wings.

Watching a flight of snows in their migration route, seemingly a mile high in the sky, screaming as they swarm past you in a pell-mell fashion, makes most hunters stop what they are doing and watch the magic.

Another endearing thing about snows, at least as far as my wife is concerned, is that they mate for life. (As she says, “How in the world can you shoot something that mates for life?”

Actually, it is not all that hard, but I digress.) And to carry this guilt trip a little further down the road, during the first several migrations south from the breeding grounds, it is said that the offspring fly with the mother and father.

But before we get too overwhelmed here, let’s consider two disturbing things about these creatures. First, the

snow goose breeding grounds are much further north than most other waterfowl — actually they are in the arctic and subartic areas of Alaska, Canada, Greenland and even Siberia.

These areas, referred to as tundra, have a very short growing season for plants and what does manage to grow there is quite fragile. Once those plants are grazed to the point that the roots of the plant are ripped out from the ground, they will never come back.

Instead, without the benefit of plant growth, the soil becomes saline and unable to support any plant life whatsoever. In other words, this is an extremely delicate environment to begin with.

The second part of the problem is that the female snow goose, in the days leading up to the point when she lays her eggs, has a voracious appetite.

According to wildlife experts, during this period, she is gorging herself 18 hours a day. And to do this, she is eating all plant life on the tundra, including the roots of the plants she is consuming. This practice, referred to as “grubbing,” is extremely destructive and impacts all other wildlife in the arctic in addition to the snow geese.

In fact, it is estimated that 35 percent of the snow goose breeding grounds in the arctic have been completely and irretrievably destroyed, 35 percent have been “overgrazed,” and another 30 percent have been “severely damaged.”

And it isn’t just during the period leading up to the incubation of the eggs that this destruction occurs; after the eggs are hatched, the goslings — normally ranging in numbers from two to six — are soon capable of foraging on their own in preparation for the long migration trip soon to be undertaken.

The destruction of these breeding grounds is so bad that it is has been visible from satellites for some time now.

Beginning in about 1975, wildlife authorities began to realize that the snow goose population was increasing much quicker than expected. It was at that point that the greater snow goose hunting ban was lifted in the Atlantic flyway and the limits for the lesser snow geese in the Mississippi and Central flyways were modestly increased.

By the 1990’s, however, it became apparent that despite increased hunting pressure, the snow goose numbers had tripled in size and that we were moving toward a catastrophic situation.

Not only were portions of the arctic and subarctic tundra being permanently destroyed, but there was a growing possibility of a catastrophic disease outbreak among all waterfowl, not just snow geese, because of the tendency of the snow geese to “colonize” or take over habitat traditionally used by other waterfowl.

In particular, it was feared that avian cholera, a highly contagious disease affecting all waterfowl, could result from allowing the numbers of snow geese to continue unabated.

On February 12, 1999, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued a “news release” which set forth in great detail the background of the problem caused by snow geese and how and why the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service felt it was necessary to control the snow goose

population by allowing a radical departure from traditional hunting methods and limitations.

This news release, which can be found on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website, explained why reducing the snow goose population by poisons, trapping, and other so-called humane methods would not work.

In short, the snow goose breeding grounds, located in the arctic and subarctic, are so uninhabitable for humans that we could not reasonably expect a sustained and reliable method of reducing the population by having human resources there on the spot. As stated in the news release, the objective was to reduce the snow goose population by one-half within 10 years and the only realistic way to do this was by removing limitations on hunting practices directed specifically at the snow goose.

Four days later, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued proposed rules to implement this new approach. These rules included extending the season, allowing electronic callers and unplugged shotguns and eliminating the kill limits.

In November 1999, Congress passed the “Arctic Tundra Habitat Emergency Conservation Act” which allowed the

proposed rules to take effect. (The rules can be found by googling “Light Goose Conservation Order.”)

In 2009, at the end of the 10-year period proposed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to have attained a 50 percent decrease in the snow goose population, had we reached that goal?

Hardly.

While statistics suggested that there was a noticeable increase in harvested snow geese for the first few years, that trend has not continued. In fact, the snow goose population is increasing at a rate of 5 percent per year despite continuation of the Light Geese Conservation Order to the present.

It is believed one reason for the increase is that as these snow geese get older — they have a life span of about 20 years — they have become smarter and harder to hunt.

I hate to think that over the long haul, we are being outsmarted by a bunch of geese but that could be the case.

(Bill Hoagland has practiced law for more than 50 years in Madison County, Ill., and lives in the Alton area. He and his wife, Annie, have been outdoor enthusiasts all of their lives. He can be reached at billhoagland70@gmail. com.)

RiverHillsTraveler.com

Page 8 • March 2018

New tackle handles the stress of a really big fish

O

ne of the biggest blessings I have experienced in my Outdoor Ministry are the amazing people the Good Lord is putting in my path.

One of those special folks is Alex Nagy. Alex is the owner and operator of Twisted Cat Outdoors.

Early last fall I met up with Alex for a catfishing adventure. We had been planning to meet to discuss how he could sponsor a catfish tournament in the Midwest as a fundraiser for my ministry.

He suggested we have that meeting in his boat while fishing for giant cats.

Mike Roux How could I turn ———— down that invitation?

The first week of November brought the right temps for Alex to pull the trigger on our meeting. I met him at a boat ramp about a mile north of where the Missouri River meets the Mississippi.

This confluence is a prime spot for monster catfish.

Alex was cautiously confident about our chances. He had spent the previous day catching shad so our bait would be fresh.

Twisted Cat Outdoors includes one of the largest and most extensive catfish tournament series in the entire Midwest. Having five years of experience with this tournament trail, Nagy has gathered a huge following of both professional and amateur anglers along

Mike Roux’s biggest catfish ever came with the help and expertise of Alex Nagy from Twisted Cat Outdoors.

with some pretty impressive sponsors.

I will share their 2018 tournament schedule with you at the end of this article.

So, as Alex got his boat perfectly positioned and anchored at the confluence of the two great rivers, I prepared the tackle that I wanted to test that day.

New tackle company Piscifun has a baitcasting reel called the Torrent and I matched with their premier heavy-action rod called the Warrior.

I wanted to see if this combination could handle the stress of a really big fish.

Nagy took a live shad and cut it into 3 pieces. He rigged 3 rods, including

mine, and we were set. His boat is set up for exactly this style of fishing and I was as comfortable as I would be in my own living room.

We had been chatting for about an hour when my rod got hit. I picked it up out of the holder and began to retrieve the 100 feet of line that had been trailed out behind the boat.

“How does she feel?” Alex asked.

“Good, but too big,” I replied.

The fish was heavy and there was not much of a fight for the first couple of minutes. What I did not realize was that the big catfish headed upstream toward the boat the second I set the hook.

As I struggled to keep the line tight,

Alex said he thought this might be a really good one because the small ones seldom move upstream to fight.

As the fish got close to the boat, the fight changed… dramatically. As the cat went under the boat it pulled the first 3 guides of my rod into the water.

“That’s a good one!” Nagy encouraged.

He coached me to try to get the fish to the surface so he could get the huge net under it. The first time the cat came up it rolled and I was shocked to see how big it was.

As Alex Nagy netted the biggest catfish of my life, I sat down to relish the moment.

What seemed like an hour-long fight was in reality only about 8 minutes.

But it was an adrenalin-filled 8 minutes. And the Piscifun Torrent and Warrior did their job.

The Twisted Cat Outdoors catfish tournament schedule is right here: • March 3 — St, Louis • March 25 — Columbia, Mo. • April 8 — Osage Beach, Mo. • May 5 — Davenport, Ia, • May 20 — Burlington, Ia. • June 17 — Canton, Mo. • July 8 — Cape Girardeau, Mo. • July 21 — Warsaw, Ill. • August 4 — Brunswick, Mo. • August 18 — Crystal City, Mo. • September 16 — Quincy, Ill. • October 6 — New Madrid, Mo. Contact Alex Nagy at www.twistedcatoutdoors.com for all the info on this organization and the tournament trail, or you can call Alex at (217) 242-5305 (Mike Roux can be reached at 217257-7895.)

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MISSOURI NIST O I T A V R E S N CO ne app today!

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RiverHillsTraveler.com

March 2018 • Page 9

Round & round with the neighborhood cat

W

e lived in KC several years and one thing we enjoyed was archery. We joined an archery club at one time but could not keep up with their schedule, so we dropped out and began our shooting at home.

We have a paved driveway approximately a hundred feet from the street to a very small one-car garage.

We would pick our yardage and shoot at a target in the garage. It was a safe way to shoot, because neither of us were so bad as to miss the entire garage.

Well, at one of our practices, we went to retrieve our arrows and I noticed that my wife had missed the target.

And there, stuck in our tightly and neatly folded canvas tent, was an arrow.

The next time I Tom set up the tent it Boydston took me a long time ———— to patch all of the holes. I don’t even know how many holes there were.

At another one of our practices, and I don’t even remember which one of us (surely not me) had missed, but another arrow went all the way through the target.

There happened to be our five foot chest freezer behind the target. You would think I would have learned from the tent thing. Luckily the arrow did not break through the inner lining, but there sure was a large hole in the outer case.

Either we need to stop shooting in the garage or move everything out of it.

I can’t believe I did this. The lady which lived across the street from our house had this (as I called it) crazy cat.

This cat was something else. It gave us one heck of a time. We had a cat at that time, but it was fixed and stayed indoors.

At that time we did not have air conditioning so the windows were always open, but of course there were screens on all the windows.

Why that cat wanted to get into our

shot a .22-cal. bullet into her front door. Thank goodness no one got hurt, and no one knew the truth of what had happened.

I am pretty sure my wife wouldn’t tell because she wouldn’t want anyone to know she was married to someone that dumb.

One morning while eating breakfast, I looked outside to see that cat walk

house I have no idea. It would jump onto the window sill and dig at the screens, sometimes ripping them and pulling them loose.

One night as we were sound asleep, something landed in the middle of our bed which brought us sitting straight up. It was that darn cat!

After doing its best to destroy our house, we finally got that cat out. To say the least, we were not happy campers.

I got to watching this cat real close. I found that more often than not, this cat would come right up my driveway about the same time each day. This gave me an idea.

We lived in town, so a gun was out.

But archery... who would know? So one afternoon I got the ladder out and commenced to climb on top of the garage.

And waited. Sure enough here he came. Right straight toward me.

I carefully drew my bow, took close aim, and released. The cat jumped straight up and I was sure I got him.

Wrong! The arrow went just under his belly, hit the pavement and skipped across the street and “oh no” stuck in the front door of the house across the street.

Now what do I do? I had made a big mistake. I climbed down from the garage, calmly walked down the street a short distance, turn into her yard, walked quickly past the front door, grabbed the arrow and pulled it out as I passed by and kept right on walking.

A few days later she was telling everyone it looked like someone had

into the side door of my garage. I jumped up, ran out and slammed the door closed.

The cat never came out of my garage.

I went on to work, smiling.

I often wonder what happened to that cat!

(Tom Boydston lives in Neosho, Mo., and can be reached by phone or text at 417-439-6048.)

Page 10 • March 2018

RiverHillsTraveler.com

RiverHillsTraveler.com

March 2018 • Page 11

Washington State Park Thunderbird Lodge 13041 St. Hwy. 104 (south of DeSoto on MO 21)

(636) 586-2995

3 & 7 mile floats • Cabins • Camping Swimming pool • Kayaking/Tubing open April thru November!

Should closed state parks be opened? Economic impacts say yes

F

By Bill Cooper our newly-purchased state parks remain closed after heavy debates sprang up immediately after their purchase by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources last year.

Former Governor Jay Nixon announced the purchase of the four state parks — Bryant Creek, Ozark Mountain, Eleven Point and Jay Nixon State Park — on December 16, 2016, a mere three weeks before his term ended.

Nixon had been at odds with members of the Republican-led state legislature last year over his attempts to open more land to public use.

The battles roared on in 2017.

Opponents of the four parks site loss of property tax revenues as their major complaint against creating more state parks.

Senator David Slater, R-Cassville, went so far to say, “I think there is a little bit of a land grab going on. That concerns me.”

Senator Mike Cunningham, R-Rogersville, filed legislation last year requiring the state to begin paying property taxes on land belonging to DNR as a way to offset the loss of revenue incurred by local governments. The idea was debated, but did not move forward.

Proponents of opening the four state parks contend that DNR does pay in lieu of taxes for the first five years of ownership. Too, they say that park visitors spend lots of money in and around parks.

The four parks in contention include, Ozark

Eleven Point State Park is one of four newly-purchased Missouri state parks which remains closed until further decisions are made about their fate. Eleven Point State Park includes six miles of Eleven Point River frontage.

Mountain State Park in Taney County, Bryant Creek State Park, in Douglas County, and Eleven Point State Park in Oregon County and Jay Nixon State Park in Reynolds County.

The Eleven Point State Park became one of

four state parks Governor Nixon created late in his tenure. Many felt the move was a major land grab by the state while utilizing funds acquired from a suit against mining interests in the state.

Others contend that it is a bad time to acquire more lands for state parks, because of a huge backlog of maintenance issues in other parks.

Missourians are known around the world for their affinity for wild places. They love the outdoors and they clearly demonstrate their desire to pay their own way.

The people of Missouri created the politically independent Missouri Department of Conservation in 1936 and later voted in a 1/8 of one percent sales tax to fund the world-class Missouri Department of Conservation, which has become the model of conservation agencies around the world.

We, the citizens of Missouri, paid the way and still do.

In 2017 Missouri State Parks celebrated 100 years of protecting and interpreting Missouri’s exceptional natural and cultural resources. The parks also provide outstanding outdoor recreation opportunities.

Missouri State Parks are recognized as among the best in the United States. Citizen support has been the key to the success of the Missouri State Park system.

In 1982, Missouri voters approved a $600 million statewide bond issue that included $55

million for major renovation and construction projects in state parks.

In 1984, Missourians once again demonstrated their solid support by approving a sales tax to be used for state parks and soil and water conservation efforts in Missouri. In 1988, 1996, 2006 and 2016, the tax was renewed by more than two-thirds majority of Missouri voters.

Missourians maintain a loud and clear voice about their love of the outdoors, yet many legislators choose to ignore the voices and the votes of the citizens.

It is amazing that such legislators remain in office. They are relatively few and their days in office may be numbered. They waste many thousands of taxpayers dollars each legislative session attempting to undo what Missouri voters have already approved, regarding conservation and park issues.

Most Missourians have long recognized the value of using our natural resources wisely and promoting outdoor recreation opportunities in our state.

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation reported in 2006 that the total contribution from outdoor recreation in the United States was over $730 billion a year, generates 6,435,000 U.S. jobs and $88 billion in federal and state tax revenues.

Outdoor recreation sales (gear and trips combined) of $325 billion per year are more than annual returns from pharmaceutical and

Critter of the Month: Blue-winged teal

• Species: Blue-winged teal.

• Scientific name: Anas discors.

• Nicknames: None.

• Claim to fame: This small duck’s migratory flights through this area each fall provides waterfowl hunters with an early hunting opportunity.

Most of Missouri’s waterfowl seasons start in late October or November (depending on what zone you hunt in), but the state’s teal season is a state-wide event held earlier prior to these seasons.

As well as blue-winged teal, Missouri’s teal season also includes green-winged teal and cinnamon teal. Of these three, blue-winged teal are the type most often taken by hunters.

• Species status: Thanks to good habitat conditions in much of the prairie regions of Canada and the north-central U.S., blue-winged teal populations appear to be relatively stable.

• First discovered: The first scientific description of the blue-winged teal was written by the renowned naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1766.

• Family matters: The blue-winged teal belongs to the bird family Anatidae. This group includes ducks, geese and all other species commonly referred to as waterfowl.

Within this grouping, blue-winged teal belong to the sub-family Anatinae, a collection of species commonly referred to as the marsh ducks.

Members of this sub-family are usually surface feeders that are most frequently found in creeks, ponds and marshes. They feed by dabbling and up-ending and they take flight directly into the air.

• Length: Up to 16 inches (wingspan of 23 inches).

• Weight: Approximately 13 ounces.

• Diet: The main foods of blue-winged teal are seeds, other plant materials, aquatic insects and invertebrates.

• Distinguishing characteristics: The male has a slate-blue head with a large white crescent near its eyes, a mottled brown chest and sides and a white patch in front of its black tail.

The female is mottled brown all over. Both genders have a large gray-blue patch on the wing, from which the species takes its name.

• Life span: Information not available.

• Habitat: Like other species of teal, bluewings prefer marshes, shallow ponds and lakes.

• Life cycle: The breeding season begins in early May. Nesting habitat is usually adjacent to a small body of water, which may be a small pond, shallow lake or the prairie “pot-hole” lakes which are common in the northern Great Plains region of the United States and Canada.

The nest is usually placed on the ground and hidden by vegetation. The female builds the nest of grass and other plant material. She may lay as many as 15 eggs, but most often, the number is eight to 11.

Eggs are incubated by the female for approximately 24 days. Young are cared for by the female. They leave the nest shortly after hatching and gain complete independence in 35 to 44 days. (source: MDC)

Fishing • Kayaking • RV camping • Cabins • And more!

84 Cat Hollow Trail, Lebanon, MO • (417) 532-4377 www.FORTNIANGUA.com

medicine manufacturing ($162 billion), legal services ($253 billion), and power generation and supply ($283 billion.)

In July 2017 the Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) reported that the outdoor recreation economy in Missouri directly contributes 133,000 jobs and annually generates $4.6 billion in consumer spending and $889 million in state and local tax revenue.

Amy Roberts, executive director of OIA, stated, “The outdoor recreation economy is a powerful economic engine across our country.

Today’s report reminds us that no matter where we come from or our political affiliation, we all thrive outside.

"We see that in every state, the outdoor recreation economy is contributing to healthier economies and healthier communities, and we’re calling on elected officials to continue supporting and advocating for policies that invest in outdoor recreation.”

No one argues against the physical, mental and spiritual benefits of being in the outdoors anymore. It is all solid science. How can legislators continue to argue against the values of outdoor recreation and the creation of new state parks? The economics are solid.

Perhaps the best solution to our current dilemma involving closed state parks is to replace those legislators who haven’t done their homework, or who simply choose to ignore the historical record of Missourians in regard to conservation and outdoor recreation.

RiverHillsTraveler.com

Page 12 • March 2018

Neosho mucket

MISSOURI ENDANGERED SPECIES OF THE MONTH

E

ven though most Missourians have never seen – or even heard of – a Neosho mucket, making sure this species and its mollusk kin can continue to live in our streams is something everyone should care about.

At present, the Neosho mucket’s hold on existence is precarious at all places it’s found, which aren’t many.

Its entire world-wide range consists of seven stream segments (approximately 483 river miles) in Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas and Oklahoma.

In Missouri, it’s found exclusively in tributaries of the Neosho River in the southwestern part of the state.

This species has endangered status federally as well as in Missouri.

Though not all mollusks’ situations are as dire as that of the Neosho mucket, many are not faring well. It’s estimated 70 percent of the freshwater mussel species that have been documented in the U.S. are extinct, endangered or are at a heightened level of threat.

In Missouri, 29 of the state’s 69 species of mussels (42 percent) have been labelled as Species of Conservation Concern.

Taking a closer look at a mussel’s physiology and habitat needs can provide valuable insight on why the Neosho mucket and other mussel species are having problems surviving – and why it’s important that we humans find solutions to those problems.

The large freshwater mussels that reside in Missouri’s rivers and streams are in the mollusk order Unionida. (The small mussels found in marshes, ponds and streams – known as “fingernail clams” or “pea

clams” because of their tiny size – are in the order Veneroida and the family Sphaeriidae and are not the focus of this article.)

Freshwater mussels are filter-feeders that feed on plankton, bacteria and other small food particles in the water. Water enters and leaves the animal through a pair of openings at the back end.

The water is filtered by passing through tiny openings in two pairs of hollow gills. Food particles as small as bacteria are captured, transferred to the mouth along the edges of the gills and swallowed.

Fully matured adult mussels of some species can filter more than 50 gallons of water per day.

Unionid mussels have a number of unique features and characteristics, but arguably the most fascinating part of their life cycle is reproduction.

Sperm is released by the male directly into the water and enters the female during filtering. After fertilization, the eggs develop into a larval stage called glochidia.

In a variety of species-specific methods, these tiny glochidia (about the size of a grain of salt) are transferred to bodies of fish which are foraging for a meal.

The glochidia become attached to the fish’s gills and remain there for a few weeks and continue to develop before dropping to the bottom of the stream to continue development into adult mussels.

Humans developed a connection with freshwater mussels in this region long before Missouri became settled.

Mussels were a handy food source for Native Americans and their shells provided materials for tools.

In the latter part of the 19th century and first part of the 20th century, mussel shells became the primary material used for clothing buttons.

For a brief period, the commercial harvest of Missouri’s freshwater mussels for manufacturing of buttons was part of a multi-million dollar industry.

By the time plastic buttons came onto the clothing scene, this heavy harvest had reduced the populations of several mussel species.

Though commercial harvesting didn’t help Missouri’s mussels, river channelization and impoundments, pollution and other man-made changes to the waterways have probably had the biggest impact on the state’s mussel populations.

Since a constant flow of fresh water is crucial to a mussel’s life, anything that contaminates or alters a stream’s flow can have a life-ending effect.

In the case of the Neosho mucket, litter, chemical runoff and other landscape and stream changes brought about by excavation and development have all had negative impacts.

One reason Missouri’s mussel demise should concern us is that their filter feeding helps keep our water clean.

Humans can help mussels in several ways. Don’t litter and pick up any trash you see along streams. Cutting down on the use of fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides will also reduce the amount of chemicals that wash into streams.

Don’t be afraid to pick up and carry your canoe — dragging a canoe or kayak through the shallow part of a stream can also be harmful to mussels that may be embedded in the sediment. More information about mussels and creatures found in Missouri streams can be found at mdc.mo.gov. (source: MDC)

Gone from Missouri?

Changing stream conditions have hurt the Neosho mucket mussel, but it appears waterway alterations may have

had a more severe effect on another mussel once found in Missouri – the Curtis pearlymussel.

This mollusk (Epioblasma curtisii), which can get up to two inches in length, once occurred in scattered locations in the White and St. Francis river basins in southern Missouri and northern Arkansas.

The first described specimens of this species were collected from the White River in southwest Missouri in the early 1900s.

It’s thought that dam construction, channelization and gravel mining are the primary factors that have altered this mussel’s habitat by reducing its food supply and affecting the distribution of the fish hosts it needs to complete its reproductive cycle.

The last Curtis pearlymussel that was collected in Missouri was found in the Black River in 1993. No specimens have been found in Missouri since then and it’s suspected the species may be extirpated from the state.

(source: MDC)

E

ndangered species are specifically designated in the Wildlife Code of Missouri.

Here’s the text from the code: (2) The exportation, transportation, or sale of any endangered species of plant or parts thereof, or the sale of or possession with intent to sell any product made in whole or in part from any parts of any endangered species of plant is prohibited.

(3) For the purpose of this rule, endangered species of wildlife and plants shall include the following native species designated as endangered in

Characteristics What does it look like?

The Neosho mucket can have a side-to-side length of up to five inches. The shell is relatively thin, but strong, and has a yellow-to-tan coloration that is overlaid with broad greenish rays or chevrons.

The color of the interior (also known as the nacre or “mother of pearl”) ranges from bluishwhite to almost total white.

Lampsilis rafinesqueana

The Neosho mucket belongs to the order Unionida, and, more specifically, the Unionidae family of mussels.

Members of this family, which can be found in North America, Central America and Eurasia, are known as unionids or freshwater mussels.

Unionids come in various sizes and colors but a universal characteristic of these mussels is that they require a host – usually a fish – to complete their life cycle.

Where is it found?

Isolated populations of the Neosho mucket are found in Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, and Oklahoma.

In Missouri, the Neosho mucket occurs exclusively in tributaries of the Neosho River in the southwest part of the state.

It resides in small- to mediumsized streams in gravel or mix of gravel and sand substrate.

Information on the Neosho mucket can be found at mdc.mo.gov. (source: MDC)

WILDLIFE CODE OF MISSOURI Missouri: (A) Mammals: Gray bat, Ozark big-eared bat, Indiana bat, northern long-eared bat, black-tailed jackrabbit, spotted skunk.

(B) Birds: Northern harrier, interior least tern, Swainson’s warbler, snowy egret, king rail, Bachman’s sparrow, peregrine falcon, American bittern, greater prairie-chicken.

(C) Reptiles: Western chicken turtle, Blanding’s turtle, Illinois mud turtle, yellow mud turtle, Mississippi green water snake, massasauga rattlesnake. (D) Amphibians: eastern hell-

bender, Ozark hellbender.

(E) Fishes: Lake sturgeon, pallid sturgeon, taillight shiner, Neosho madtom, spring cavefish, harlequin darter, goldstripe darter, cypress minnow, central mudminnow, crystal darter, swamp darter, Ozark cavefish, Niangua darter, Sabine shiner, mountain madtom, redfin darter, longnose darter, flathead chub, Topeka shiner, grotto sculpin.

(F) Mussels: Curtis pearlymussel, Higgins’ eye, pink mucket, fat pocketbook, ebonyshell, elephant ear, winged mapleleaf, sheepnose, snuffbox,

scaleshell, spectaclecase, Neosho mucket, rabbitsfoot, salamander mussel, slippershell mussel.

(G) Other Invertebrates: American burying beetle, Hine’s emerald dragonfly, Tumbling Creek cavesnail.

(H) Plants: Small whorled pogonia, Mead’s milkweed, decurrent false aster, Missouri bladderpod, geocarpon, running buffalo clover, pondberry, eastern prairie fringed orchid, western prairie fringed orchid, Virginia sneezeweed. (source: MDC)

RiverHillsTraveler.com

March 2018 • Page 13

Scout now for next season’s buck

M

By John L. Sloan aybe one of the most important factors of hunting a mature buck – post-season scouting – is no longer important to some deer hunters, being replaced by feeders, supplemental feeding and trail cameras.

But it is to me, and it should be to you. Post-season scouting is, quite simply, scouting after the season for what is, hopefully, going to happen next season.

To me, when I was trophy hunting, it was the most important thing I did in terms of deer hunting. It is also one of the most misunderstood aspects of deer hunting. I am going to try to simplify and clarify it.

First, some bona fides. For close to 30 years, I spent a good part of my year guiding hunters, and hunting myself, for trophy bucks. !

I have 22 whitetail racks that score over 125 inches gross. That is not an accident, nor a brag.!When I was serious about deer hunting, I spent over 100 days a year scouting, mostly postseason. Here is why.

If you are hunting public ground or large tracts of woodland where feeding, baiting and cameras are not feasible, you have to hunt the old-fashioned way. You have to develop and use skill.

That means planning, scouting, understanding what you see.

Important scouting points: 1. The best months for post-season scouting are January, February, and March. That is when Mother Nature is naked. You can see terrain variations, dips and dives, ups and downs.

This is necessary because deer hate level ground. Any terrain variation, even the slightest, attracts them, forms their travel routes.

Best of all is when a jump or two puts them out of sight over a hill or down a ridge. Now, with the leaves off the trees, you can see their road signs.

2. The trail you cannot see. In late October, bucks begin to move. They move into places they have never been.

They move on trails you and I cannot see. We, here in the South, do not have the luxury of snow. So, somehow, we must find these trails that are hidden by layers of leaves.

3. What do we look for? These trails are side roads to you and me. Most are used only by a few deer for a few weeks and almost totally by bucks and, quite often, by bucks that have never been there before.

How do these bucks know where to go? The same way we do – signs, such

Some hunters don’t always have snow for a post-season advantage.

as the signpost rub. How do we know one when we see it? (Read on.)

4. Once we find these trails, what do we do? The placement of a stand that is not even going to be looked at again until late October or early November is a tough pill to swallow.

But that is exactly what is important, so be patient. A trail like this is not what you are looking for unless you are just hunting any deer. By way of explanation, my partner and I, at Tri-State Trophy Outfitters, had an operation in IA-NE-MO. We took 22-25 bowhunters a year.

This was before trail cameras. On a bleak February day, cold with no snow, I found a rub line deep in a cedar thicket. I had no idea it was there.

I then found a lone sycamore that was the perfect tree. I marked it and made notes in my notebook.

Early the following September, we hung a stand in the sycamore. On November 7, we put a hunter in the stand, the first time any of us had been near it since we hung it.

At 8:40, he shot a 172-score buck.

Two weeks later, I shot a 136-score from the same stand.

What to look for When I post-season scout, I look for three specific things: 1. Signpost rubs 2. Terrain variations 3. Crossings I look in places I have neglected dur-

Make notes… you must make good notes. Don’t try to commit all the necessary details to memory.

ing the season. I look at a time the woods are mine.

On public ground I am looking almost totally for signpost rubs relating to road or fence crossings, and I don’t care how close to the road I may place the stand. !

I relate the signpost rub to the terrain, i.e., how is that buck(s) going to travel?

Why is he going to travel there and when? During this time, I am not at all concerned with a food source. The does are, so I’ll let them worry about that.

I am only concerned with how the buck(s), looking for the does, are traveling. I am hunting a deer that does not

even know he is going to be there.

How do I recognize a signpost rub?

1. First, it must be obvious, fresh and shiny, made in the recent autumn.

Then, can I find an old one nearby?

Then, can I find a second one? Then, most important… can I figure out why it is there? !

But I have to be able to see or make an educated guess why that rub is where it is. Does it signify a crossing or a place to stop, listen and smell? Rub size is relative to the size of the deer in my area, so that factors in, too.

2. Step two is picking the stand tree.

What is the spot going to look like in the chase phase of the rut next fall?

Now also is the time to trim a shooting lane.

3. Step three is to put in the stand, usually in August or early September.

Once that is done, I will not be back until the “signs” tell me the bucks are traveling, searching, using those invisible trails I would never see if I scouted in pre-season.

The next time I or one of my hunters see this stand, it will be to kill a mature buck. If they don’t know I am there, how can they be alarmed?

Conclusions You must use a notebook. Do not rely on memory to find that spot in August. You must have notes indicating when, where and why.

Mark the stand tree clearly.!Make sure you can find it in three months, in the dark. Then… stay away.

Yeah, maybe post-season scouting may be dying out, but it is still the most effective way to kill a buck that never went past your camera and you have no idea he existed.

Or maybe that buck you have only nocturnal photos of. It is also, for me, the most enjoyable part of hunting.

RiverHillsTraveler.com

Page 14 • March 2018

Rocky Falls is our Creator’s handiwork at its best

W

illiam Blake believed one could see “a world in a grain of sand.” Such introspection is available to us all if we but try.

The smile of a child upon discovering something new; the crimson leaf yet to fall from a sassafras in the depth of winter.

These might serve as the portals to that universe of beauty and wonder that is always around us but too often unnoticed.

That is, if we only let them.

This past week we ventured to what former teacher and outdoorsmen Swinney Rayfield referred to as a local treasure, rivaling anything western mountains had to Rick Mansfield offer. Perhaps quite ———— true.

Reflections Rocky Falls in from the Road Shannon County is indeed spectacular; no less so with much of its stream frozen by our recent chill. Water running beneath the layer of ice; the babbling of the crystal liquid in those spots where it had broken through to the surface.

Boughs of evergreen set against a cobalt sky and chestnut-colored outcroppings of lava that cooled ages before much of the Rockies had emerged.

A panorama of nature with a freeflowing stream meandering through remnants of a hardwood forest. Pine and cedar providing accent by their diversity. Our Creator’s handiwork at its

best.

Then the emotional element. Accompanied by my helpmate and wife of a quarter of a century, she leading our last pet, Dharma. All that remains of our little “puppy pack” that for nearly a decade entertained us by running rabbits on our small farm.

Now, in the “Golden Years of doghood,” she is content to sleep around the house and share the occasional brief adventure with her adopted parents.

And a new human couple. Jon and Linda, from Ava, whom had driven up just to see the falls. I first noticed them climbing the base of the falls, he carefully helping her secure each ascending foot and handhold.

They did not attempt the summit, but did reach a position where the frozen pool and exiting stream was easily visi-

ble as a whole. A view they enjoyed several moments together.

We visited after our mutual descent.

They were husband and wife, as I’d speculated; and for sure first and foremost friends.

That is how they said their relationship had begun. It has been my experience that is how all good marriages begin. Friendship that directs such acts as the holding of a hand; the placement of a foot onto a solid niche of stone.

The glory of His creation. Evergreen and hardwood silhouetted against a crystalline creek; water silent at times and then bubbling forth with gurgling whispers as it emerged through unspoiled structures of ice.

Ghostlike memories of friends who had long ago called this area home; families gathered to swim and picnic at the popular hole.

TROUT from 1 we can catch fish and what conceivable other reason could there be for this seeming lunacy.

Borrowing something from our far eastern philosophers, there has to be a yin and a yang in our lives so that things are in balance.

I know the tendency is to focus only on catching fish and nothing else, but in doing so we miss so much… so much.

The water in a stream or river has always been extra special to me for some strange reason that I have never been able to establish.

Perhaps it is because the water is always moving and I am constantly seeing new water that is eager to reveal new and exciting wonders up on the stage that nature has set before me.

A stream is like a perpetual motion machine; something that man has never been able to create but nature does with so little effort.

I like lakes and ponds but not as much as a moving stream. A stream is alive. I love the sound. I love the panoramic views; especially if there are large stones in the water creating waterfall effects.

But it’s just not the water. It’s also when I see the forest by the stream, I have the feeling that everything is all right, that everything is working as it should; maybe not with the whole world out there but definitely in the immediate world in which I am momentarily entranced.

Something as simple as seeing a deer reinforces the feeling or even seeing a tiny insect will have the same effect; a butterfly or caddisfly or mayfly, even

an annoying gnat is not all that bad.

I feel comforted knowing that everything is in working order. The happenings in the world might be chaotic but not so with nature. Everything is perfect at the stream, even on a cloudy or rainy day.

I’ll never forget my first trip to a trout stream. I stood completely in awe of what was before me. This stream wasn’t anything like the streams I had been fishing all my life.

The stream was utterly the most beautiful thing in nature that I had ever beheld. The water seemed superior in every way. It looked cleaner and clearer. The water felt icy cold, like it had ice in it but there was no ice.

I was hooked and it wasn’t just this particular stream because all the other trout streams that I have fished in Missouri also cast the same magical spell on me.

I have had good fishing days on the stream and I have had bad fishing days on the stream. That is, if you are keeping score and counting the number of fish caught.

However, that is not the way to judge or grade your time spent on the stream because I have never, and I want to emphasize the word “never,” had a bad day spent fishing.

That may sound like a contradiction of terms, but it is a fact. I have had bad fishing days on the stream but never a bad day spent fishing.

Writer and fly fisherman John Gierach also has an interesting comment about trout streams: “They say you forget your troubles on a trout stream, but that’s not quite it. What happens is that you begin to see where your troubles fit into the grand scheme of things, and suddenly they’re just not such a big deal anymore.”

Like I said, a trout stream is a living thing and I think it most assuredly knows the reason why we show up at its banks as it reaches out and comforts us.

We need to take advantage of what the stream is offering at absolutely no cost for the enrichment of our total fishing experience.

Sometimes I find an aluminum can that some thoughtless soul had dropped or a wad of monofilament lying on the ground ready to entangle a bird or wild animal of some sort.

I don’t understand people that do that unless they’re the hapless people who have invested a small fortune in fishing gear and then found out that fishing wasn’t for them, so they said the heck with it.

An outing with the last of a group of animals that had brought us great enjoyment for years. Had shared our home and warmed our hearts.

The runt we’d brought home rather than leave on its own, who had somehow outlasted her three siblings.

A couple that exemplified what had made this country great. The type of friendship that looks to support and assist; the sort of union where the welfare of the other was tantamount.

A relationship founded on and recognizing the teachings of our Savior.

A world in a grain of sand. All that He is and all He wishes us to be in a brief visit to a small little part of our Ozarks.

Perhaps this summer we should all seek that “Heaven in a wildflower.”

(Rick Mansfield is a storyteller and writer, and is always looking for new audiences. He can be reached at emansfield2004@yahoo.com.)

If that is the case, I would bet money that they most certainly fall in that group of unfortunate souls who thought that the sport of fishing was only for catching fish.

So… no matter if you are new to this sport or a seasoned veteran, I implore you to please remember, for your own peace of mind, that this whole thing is not just about catching fish.

A stream is a wonderful, magical, living thing and when you step off into the water and are getting ready to cast, you have just entered into a realm of nature that cannot be experienced or felt anywhere else.

It is true that catching fish is a big deal and it is a reason why we go to all this trouble, but it is not the only reason why and things need to be balanced.

The right perspective is what we are seeking.

Yes, we “want” to catch fish but we also “need” to enjoy the environs in which the trout lives.

We “want” one thing and “need” another.

Those two human cravings and demands need to be in balance for us to truly reap the full benefits and enrichment of our lives that fishing for trout has to offer.

(Bill Oder can be reached at oderbill@yahoo.com.)

RiverHillsTraveler.com

March 2018 • Page 15

Concealed carry & outdoor pursuits Why outdoorsmen should carry a gun while pursuing their outdoor passion

T

By Chuck Smick he bowhunter approached his truck after dark, which was parked in the parking area on the public land that he was hunting.

As he approached the truck, he observed two individuals attempting to break into the vehicle. He yelled for them to stop.

As he got closer, the pair pulled out weapons — a knife and a tire iron.

Armed with only his bow, he was in a precarious position. Thankfully, the state where he lived allowed hunters to carry a concealed pistol while bowhunting.

Remembering his pistol, the bowhunter pulled out his gun and stopped the attack before the two individuals could cause him any harm, or steal his truck. A call to 911 brought the police, who apprehended the pair.

The police informed the hunter that he’d been lucky. Other hunters had been assaulted and seriously injured by the pair. Also, other vehicles had been broken into in the same area.

This type of encounter occurs more often than many people realize. Criminals take advantage of any situation they can, to carry on their criminal activities.

Outdoorsmen can prepare for such unexpected encounters, whether it’s in their outdoor recreation area, or at a quick stop on the way to or from the hunting, fishing or trapping areas.

Getting a concealed carry license takes some time, effort and expense, but could save your life, or prevent serious bodily harm in the event of an encounter with the criminal element in our society.

Training Most states that issue concealed carry licenses require the individual to take a state-mandated training course from a certified instructor, qualified to teach the course.

If your state does not require such a course, or you live in a Constitutional Carry State, I strongly urge you to take the course, if available, or seek out an NRA Certified Instructor and take the NRA Basic Pistol Course and Personal Protection in the Home Course and Personal Protection Outside the Home Course.

The U.S. Concealed Carry Association also offers several great courses that are helpful. Seek out a qualified instructor and get some training before you carry.

These courses will give you the basic skills to use a personal defense weapon of choice safely, and can give you a basic understanding of the legal requirements of self-defense.

I also highly recommend continual training, as time, finances and courses are available. You can also get together and train with an experienced partner.

Dry firing with snap-caps or laser training cartridges can help to build and keep muscle memory and hewn your self-defense skills, too.

You cannot ever have enough training for unforeseen bad situations that you may encounter. Building your selfdefense skills (and confidence) and awareness is an ongoing process.

I am a trained and experienced infantry officer and paratrooper. I have carried and used various weapons over the years, but when I decided to conceal carry (and occasionally open carry), I took the required concealed carry class and NRA Basic Pistol Course to start.

Later, I took other courses to improve my knowledge and skills of concealed carry and self-defense. DON’T SKIMP ON TRAINING with your weapon of choice. It could save your life or prevent serious bodily harm to you or loved ones.

Choosing a concealed carry pistol I would recommend contacting a friend who carries, or contact a concealed carry instructor, to get the help that you may need to purchase the pistol that you plan to carry.

Pistols come in various calibers, but I strongly suggest staying with a pistol in 9mm-.45 caliber range. Smaller calibers don’t have the stopping power to stop a drug- or alcohol-fused thug.

Larger calibers can be difficult to handle in stressful situations, and difficult to conceal. Chose a pistol and caliber that you can easily and accurately handle!

Also important is a gun that is relatively easy to conceal. Once you have chosen a concealed carry pistol, practice with it as often as you can (live fire), and do your dry fire drills (REMEMBER: NO LOADED GUN, NO AMMO IN THE SAME ROOM — REMEMBER SAFETY FIRST!).

Practice drawing from your concealed holster, remember slow in smooth, smooth is fast! Practice these movements until you are comfortable with it, and can easily perform these movements.

Practice with an experienced partner if you know someone who routinely conceal carries. Have your partner watch you perform these movements and suggest improvement.

There are a number of good training DVDs out there that are helpful, also.

Spend the money for your education and improvement. It could save your life!

Accessories If you decide to conceal carry, you will need some accessories, starting with a holster. You will want to buy a QUALITY HOLSTER! Cheap doesn’t cut it!

Both leather and Kydex work great.

You will need to decide which method of carry suits your needs and body style and comfort. There are several methods: outside the waistband, inside the waistband, shoulder holsters, crossdraw holsters and pocket holsters to

start.

Most people carry outside the waistband or inside the waistband, being the two most popular methods to carry.

You will need to dress “around the gun” when you carry, so plan your wardrobe as such.

You will need several other accessories which will prove helpful in a life or death situation. A good, high-lumen flashlight, either handheld or attached to the gun, will prove useful, especially in low-light conditions or darkness.

A good laser sight or combo light and laser on the gun are great assets when you carry, too. Remember, you will need a holster that will fit the gun and accessory when you buy it and attach it to the pistol.

Another option is upgraded sights.

High-quality fiber optics/tritium combination sites are a great asset, especially if you have poor eyesight, aging or have difficulty with night vision.

A cell phone should be on your person at all times, especially if you are carrying. If you have an encounter, or have to use your gun in self-defense (even if no shots are fired), call 911 immediately and tell the dispatcher what happened.

This could alleviate legal issues later.

You want to always be the first to call!

Ammo Quality ammo is critical in a self-defense situation. You can get by with cheaper ball ammo for practice, but you will want good, name-brand hollow point self-defense ammo when you are carrying your self-defense gun.

You should purchase a variety of self-defense ammo and test it in your gun. Once you determine which brand and style works best for you and your gun, buy 10-15 boxes and shoot this ammo to insure it functions smoothly in your gun, with no hiccups.

You don’t want any miss-feeds or jams in a dynamic critical incident/selfdefense encounter!

Shooting and practicing can be a lot of fun and enjoyment. Take the time and effort to practice as often as you can. Introduce your wife, girlfriend or significant other to shooting.

Women are the fastest growing segment of society getting into the concealed carry/self-defense and shooting arena today.

Situational awareness Last but not lease in the self-defense area is situational awareness. Situational awareness will help you spot trouble and avoid it if possible.

Staying alert and vigilant is critical in protecting yourself and others. LTC Jeff Cooper came up with the Cooper Color Code of awareness. Most quality instructors will teach this in their con-

cealed carry/ self-defense courses.

Here is a brief synopsis of the code: • White — Totally oblivious to their surroundings and what is going on around them. Most people with their face stuck in a cell phone, texting, reading e-mails and searching the internet in public fall into this category.

I see it all the time… unfortunately, some are driving vehicles. Put the cell phone away and be alert! Criminals pray on unaware and unalert people.

• Yellow — You are in a relaxed state of awareness, not paranoid, but searching your surroundings and aware of what is going on around you.

Criminals read people before they attack in most cases. If you appear alert and aware, you can avoid becoming a target in many cases.

• Orange — Something has gotten your attention, or “just doesn’t feel right.” You have a potential perceived threat: someone approaches you suddenly on your blind side asking for money; suspicious activities are occurring nearby; or any other activity or action, or person that may cause serious concern to you.

Your senses are on high alert and you may even decide to put your hand on your concealed firearm (don’t unless the threat is real).

This could escalate with you having to pull your defensive firearm, or hopefully the problem never materializes and you can go back to condition yellow.

NOTE: This has occurred four times with me, but thankfully I never had to pull my defensive firearm. The presence of my firearms under my shirt did prevent me from getting assaulted when the thugs realized I was armed on one occasion!

• Red — The threat is REAL! You have to pull out and present your defensive firearm. This could deescalate once you pull the gun, or you may have to shoot the thug assaulting you.

No matter what happens, when it is safe, call 911 immediately and inform the dispatcher what has happened.

Insure the scene is safe and do not approach the assailant if that person is down. Wait for the police to arrive and call your lawyer.

Hopefully this information will prove to be helpful to outdoorsmen. The threat could be 2-legged or 4-legged. A good self-defense firearm is a great backup tool for a variety of situations.

Take the time to get training and get your CCW permit. This may well save your life or prevent serious bodily harm to you or loved ones.

(Chuck Smick is an avid hunter, fisherman, and trapper and enjoys pursuing these activities in Western Kentucky. He can be reached at csmickpaducah@yahoo.com.)

RiverHillsTraveler.com

Page 16 • March 2018

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RiverHillsTraveler.com

March 2018 • Page 17

Standing in the woods, I realized time stops for nothing

I

s it possible to be in heaven while still here on earth? I think so. Standing along in the middle of the woods, I wonder about this. The shivers and goosebumps that have just ravaged my body causes me to question this.

Turning to see what just touched me but nothing was there. Was it the touch of an angel? Did the wings of an angel just brush up against me?

The peace and joy and freedom I feel while standing here on this ridge with my shotgun strapped to my back is powerful.

Without a doubt this place was designed for my enjoyment. I believe when God made the Ozarks, He made it for guys like me.

I believe He slowed down and paid special attention to the details of what He was doing here in the Ozarks.

When He finished the Current River I do not think He said “this is good” but rather I think He Richard said, “Now this Whiteside place is really ———— good.”

I think He said, “Now, Rich is going to really like what I have done here.” How could He have done any better?

This place truly is heaven on earth. It doesn’t take much to begin to appreciate the sheer beauty of the Ozarks.

Timber as far as you can see. An endless amount of hills and hollers.

Streams so clean and clear it makes you wanna just drink right out of them.

Beautiful springs by the hundreds just gushing out millions of gallons of life-giving water a day.

Giant whitetail bucks and thundering toms. Walleye as big as your leg and smallmouth bass that will tear a new plug up in a morning’s fishing trip.

Yes, it’s Heaven all right. With one stroke of a paddle a person can be in turkey heaven for days. Oh, it’s not like turkey hunting in Alabama or Mississippi.

You’re not promised a bird and more times than not you come home without the bird. And you might even have some competition here in the Ozarks because after all, most of the good

hunting is on public land.

But what a place to learn how to hunt turkey. We have the prettiest, biggest, the loudest and most vocal gobblers a turkey hunter could ever wish for.

And who could ask for a more beautiful place to hunt gobblers?! Over 1.5 million acres of the Mark Twain National Forest. But don’t be fooled.

These birds are the hardest gobblers you will ever hunt.

But then the pain in my right knee reminded!me of another place that has about broken me down. The hills of Tennessee.

For years I have been killing turkey two to three weeks before the Missouri season would open in the steep hills of the Volunteer state. Their season would open that much earlier than ours.

While all the Missouri hunters were getting ready for Missouri turkey season, I was already hunting in Tennessee so by the time ours opened I was already limping from the hills of my uncle’s farm.

So, when my uncle bought his farm in Montgomery County, Tennessee, I had my first opportunity to hunt out of state.

At first it was deer hunting only on his farm. There were no wild turkey in that part of Tennessee and hadn’t been for nearly a hundred years, but that changed when Tennessee Game and Fish worked out a deal with the Missouri Game and Fish Commission.

Because of the trade, now Tennessee has some of the finest turkey hunting in the world.

So, a few years passed by and the restocking program was a big success for Tennessee. My uncle’s farm now had turkey on it so all I had to do was wait for Tennessee to open a turkey season and this long-legged Missoura boy was gonna kill me a Missoura bird in the Tennessee mountains..

Little did I know just how much fun was ahead.

My uncle’s farm was big and beautiful. Looked a lot like the Ozarks. It was all there. Big hay fields on top of round top knobs. Deep hollow,!caves and springs.

The ridges in Tennessee on my uncle’s farm had no rhyme or reason to them. They aren’t like the ridges here in Current country. Here the ridges are

long with big saddles and swags and hog-backed on top sometimes.

Here the big ridges are easy to navigate but in Tennessee the ridges just dumbfounded me. I didn’t care, there was just too many turkey to worry about getting turned around.

The first year Tennessee allowed four toms to be harvested. That first year my gun was the only gun I heard go off.

For several years I pretty much had the run of the mill. But that was about to change.

There was an old man that went to church with my aunt and uncle that had asked to hunt his property the next spring. I just knew the world was about to end because of having to share with the other guy.

Really, there was plenty of land for the both of us but the thought of having to share with someone just killed me at the time. I wanted it all to myself, I was being selfish. So it was, the old-timer took the north side of the farm and I the south part of the farm. Both places were perfect.

Each year the old-timer would kill the biggest and oldest bird on the farm.

It would just bug the heck out of me how he did it. I mean, I was a young, long-legged whippersnapper from the Ozarks and this old man was killing the oldest and smartest bird on the farm each year.

I now know how he did it. He had something that I didn’t have, and that was patience.

One day coming down the hill I saw him standing next to his four-wheeler with the most beautiful bird I had ever seen. Head as big as a baseball bat. Big spurs and a paint brush beard.

With tears in his eyes he lifted his head and said, “Hillbilly, I’m all tagged out and Lord willing I’ll see you this deer season.”

I did not know it then but that would be the last time I would see the old-

timer. He passed away that summer sitting in his rocking chair.

Often I’ve wondered if he was thinking about the old bird when he passed.

Many years have gone by since then.

I have killed many birds where the oldtimer used to sit. I have killed several with my two sons beside me, but they never knew the sentimental significance of the area.

I used to get up there early enough on a clear morning with the stars still high in the sky and I would lay down in the middle of the big hay field and listen to the whippoorwills and think of the oldtimer and the lessons I learned.

I realized time stops for nothing.

So next time you’re in the deep timber and run across an old-timer, yield to him, give him that first shot at it because one day it just might be you in your last season of life.

(Richard Whiteside lives in Doniphan, Mo., and can be reached at rlwhiteside72@gmail.com. His blog can be followed at www.ozarkriverman.wordpress. com.)

RiverHillsTraveler.com

Page 18 • March 2018

ONSR from 1 in a flood-prone river corridor,” said Dena Matteson, chief of interpretation, planning, and partnerships for the ONSR.!

“That process is expected to conclude early this summer, and will help the park compete for future funds for flood recovery and re-development projects.”

Restoring services and sustainable visitor facilities throughout the park will be the top priority for park staff in 2018, she said, and could result in shifting workload away from other tasks or programs to accomplish those goals.!

In addition, park staff will plan to focus debris removal efforts this spring in the Two Rivers area and along the lower Current River near Big Spring.!!

“Our challenge this year is to restore as many damaged areas for public use as we can.!That means we’ll have to temporarily discontinue some things that we’ve normally done so we can instead focus on making repairs,” said ONSR Superintendent Larry Johnson.

“We apologize to the public for any inconvenience and we appreciate their continuing patience as we work through the difficult tasks ahead. Our hope is that even though the appearances of some of the repaired facilities may not be up to visitor standards (or ours, for that matter), they will at least be open and available for public use.!

“The damage has been of such magnitude that we cannot restore the areas to the way they were before the flood in time for the visitor season, so we’ll instead focus on getting the basic repairs needed to re-open. ”!

An update on current work progress and anticipated 2018 facilities and operations is listed below.!

Lower Current River area • Big Spring Lodge and Cabins — Planning is beginning for the installation of new water and sewer lines, repair and restoration of the lodge and cabins, and landscaping of the damaged grounds.!

As of Feb. 22, it is expected the actual renovation of the lodge and cabins and installation of the utilities will begin in 2020.!!

• Big Spring Campground — Crews began repairing the Big Spring Campground in December 2017.!Due to the extreme damage to the Big Spring area during the 2017 flood, the entire campground was closed to the public for the remainder of the year so that park staff could focus on repairing and opening less-damaged areas and facilities.!

Five restrooms in the campground that were damaged beyond repair will be de-

Work to repair the restroom at Alley Spring Campground.

Sand and silt is removed from Big Spring Campground.

molished and removed.! Several other buildings are undergoing extensive repairs, including the hot shower house, the restroom in the 300 Loop, and the cold shower house restroom in the group campsite area.!

Repairs include re-roofing the buildings and replacing electrical components, interior walls, and fixtures.!The electrical components at the trailer sites in the 200 Loop are being repaired or replaced as needed so that there will be electrical service available for recreational vehicles.!

Dozens of truckloads of sand, silt and flood debris continue to be removed from throughout the area.!

Part of the Big Spring Campground is expected to reopen by Memorial Day weekend, with an option for reservations to become available at that time.

Temporary restrooms may be used to serve the 100 and 200 Loops in absence of a restroom building in that part of the campground.

• Replacement of the Big Spring bridge will begin after March and is expected to take approximately one year for completion.!

While the bridge is closed during construction, visitors will still be able to reach Big Spring, the boat ramp, and campground via Peavine Road.!!

• Big Spring and Peavine pavilions — Both pavilions were destroyed in the flood and are not expected to be replaced in 2018.

The concrete slabs remain intact at both pavilions, and picnic tables have been placed on them for gatherings and picnics.!

At the Big Spring pavilion, restrooms are available nearby, with water and a grill available at the pavilion.! At the Peavine pavilion, a grill and water will be available, but there is no restroom at the site.!

Both pavilion sites are available for reservations for $15 per day at www.recreation.gov.!Pop-up tents will be allowed as long as they remain on the concrete slab.!!

• Pin Oak campground was completely destroyed during the flood and is not expected to reopen.!However, as part of the long-term recovery effort, the NPS is exploring other options for developing campsites in that area of the park in the future.!

• Due to the perennial flood damage to the popular Waymeyer access, and in accordance with the park’s 2015 General Management Plan, the Environmental Assessment process has started to find a more sustainable location for the access and to identify a way to separate concessioner access to avoid conflict with private floaters.!

As the process evolves, there will be opportunities for public comment in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act.!

Middle Current River • Powder Mill Campground and river access — This area sustained extensive damage.!The river landing reopened in August 2017, but the campground and

nearby restroom will remain closed in 2018 due to the lack of electrical service to the area and the extensive work needed to modify the road.!

Major work is needed to restore the badly damaged Powder Mill Campground and to reroute the road to the river access.!That process is underway but may take a considerable amount of time to complete.! !

• Two Rivers Campground — Two Rivers Canoe Rental will operate in a temporary mobile office building that was installed near the former site of the Two Rivers Store that was washed away in the flood.!

Jacks Fork River • Alley Spring Campground — Currently the Alley Spring Campground is closed due to issues with the water line on the damaged pedestrian bridge over the Jacks Fork River.!

The campground is expected to reopen once the potential for the water line to freeze is eliminated, no later than April

15.!

Repairs to four restroom buildings (located in the 300 Loop, 600 Loop, 800 Loop and Group Campsite 2) in Alley Spring Campground began in January.

Repairs include cleaning building exteriors and replacing electrical components and interior walls and fixtures.! !

It is expected that these buildings will open as repairs are completed and utilities are restored, with all four being available by Memorial Day weekend.

The remaining damaged restrooms are slated for repairs and are expected to open sometime this summer.

Temporary restroom facilities may be provided, if necessary, to supplement the rehabilitated facilities and the shower house/restroom facility that was installed in 2017.

• Alley Spring and Mill area — Because of the damage to the utility lines on the pedestrian bridge, the restrooms near the Alley Pavilion and Burr Oak Pavilion are expected to remain closed in 2018.!

Portable toilets will be made available through the summer.!

• Replacement of the vehicle bridge over the Alley Spring Branch will begin in 2018.!

• Shawnee Creek Campground — This backcountry camping area is currently open, but the restroom at the site is closed due to flood damage.!

“In 2018, we plan to replace the restroom at Shawnee Creek Campground with a new durable concrete vault toilet, designed for use in flood prone areas,” said Matteson.

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RiverHillsTraveler.com

March 2018 • Page 19

HOUSE from 1 The Sappington Center is tucked away in the southwest part of St. Louis County, near the intersection of Interstates 44 and 270.

This 2.5-acre park features the Thomas Sappington House Museum, the Library of the Americana and Decorative Arts, the Barn Restaurant and Loft Gift Shop.

For added interest and enjoyment, the Sappington House is adjacent to Grant’s Trail.

The Thomas Sappington House Museum is a National Historical Landmark.

This restored historic site is an outstanding example of Federal architecture, which was popular during the post-revolutionary period (1780-1830) but it is rare in Missouri.!

The period furnishings add to the ambiance of this site. This historic structure and its flower and herb gardens appear as they did nearly 200 years ago.

Meticulously restored and renovated, the site allows visitors to look back in time to see how the Sappington family lived in the early 1800s.

Volunteer guides will take you back in time as you tour the historic house and the adjacent Americana Library. Listen to the history of the Sappington family as they traveled from Kentucky to Missouri at the urging of Daniel Boone.

Thomas Sappington was the second of 17 children of John and Jemima Sappington. Thomas was a successful farmer, a justice of the peace and was a first lieutenant in the War of 1812.

Thomas built this Federalist brick house for his bride, Mary Ann Kinkead, in 1808. Their marriage is credited as being the first documented marriage license issued in St. Louis County.

This historic house is also acknowledged as the oldest surviving brick house in St. Louis County.

A well-informed guide will take you on a tour of the kitchen, dining room, parlor, master bedroom, and the children’s room and point out the many historical items that were carefully collected, and describe how they were used in the early 1800s.

Learn the Native American method of making a broom. They will explain the uses of mirrors for security, courtship and expanding a light source.

Furnishings include the liquor and sugar chests, whose contents were so valuable that each had its own lock and key. There is a custom-made corner china cabinet with 13 panes of glass that represent the 13 original colonies.

The tin oven next to the kitchen fireplace is the forerunner of today’s rotisserie oven. Some of the silverware on display have bone or stag horn handles.

There are several long stem clay pipes on display. Do you know why the pipes have long stems? Your personal tour guide will explain why, and also why having doors on built-in closets and cabinets was considered a luxury.

They will also explain the purpose and how to use various items such as the sugar snippers, the different types of candle holders, and cooking utensils.

Examine the craftsmanship of the furniture such as the writing desk, chairs made to look like bamboo, fireplace mantels and tables all built circa 1835 or earlier.

Your guide will also inform you of the Sappington family genealogy, which includes John Sappington (the patriarch) who was a bodyguard to General George Washington at Valley Forge, Thomas Sappington (his son), and his 16 other siblings, the relationship between the

• Grant National Historic Site – An early home belonging to President Grant.

• Grant’s Farm – Animal park open seasonally with no admission charge.

• Clydesdale stables and pastures – Famous Anheuser-Busch Clydesdales.

• Whitecliff Park – Park with wooded trails, quarry pond and recreational facilities.

• Father Dickson Cemetery – An old historic cemetery.

The Thomas Sappington House Museum is a National Historical Landmark.

This restored historic site is an outstanding example of Federal architecture.

Visitors to the Barn Restaurant enjoy sitting outside and viewing the pond.

Sappington and the Hawken family (the inventor of the famous Hawken rifle) to the more recent genealogy which includes actress Ginger Rogers.

The Historic Sappington House also includes the nationally-recognized Library of Americana and Decorative Arts, where you can either perform extensive research or casually browse through the collection of resources on American history and decorative arts.

The library is also used as a resource for genealogy. Decorative art books cover subjects like quilts, silverware, pottery and furniture, etc., from the 1790 to 1835.

One of my favorite places in this historic place is the Barn Restaurant. I enjoy sitting on the outside deck that overlooks the mature trees, gardens, and pond with a fountain while eating the best Eggs Benedict that I have ever tasted.

The Sappington Barn Center was!built in 1969 in honor of Carolyn C. McDonnell, who! directed the Sappington House! renovation. The! building was modeled!after an early barn building!on the property and is typical!of an early 19th century!Missouri barn.

Beyond its charming surroundings, the Barn has quickly become a favorite spot for cyclists and walkers looking to refuel after a brisk walk or ride on Grant’s Trail. The restaurant has developed a mouthwatering menu of made from scratch, farm-fresh breakfasts and lunches.

There is a changing selection of handcrafted pastries and rich baked goods, especially a variety of scones that keep guests coming back for more. The restaurant is open Tuesday through Friday, from 6 a.m.-2 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, from 6 a.m.-3 p.m. They are closed on Monday, and they can be found online at www.crestwoodbarn.com.

After you have completed touring the Sappington House and enjoyed a relax-

ing lunch at the Barn Restaurant, be sure to visit the Loft Gift Shop located over the Barn Restaurant.

The boutique is full of unique gifts specializing in “rustic chic.” The Loft was chosen by the Riverfront Times readers as the Best St. Louis Gift Shop.!

Another attraction that the Sappington House Center has to offer is the easy access and ample parking to enjoy the Ulysses S. Grant Trail.

Grant’s Trail is an eight mile long “rails to trails” bike trail stretching through south and southwest St. Louis County. As a former railroad right of way, Grant’s Trail is flat and is good for all skill levels for biking, running, inline skating and walking.

Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on a leash. Besides the scenic views there are many other points of interest along the trail that would be both fun and educational to explore, such as: • The Lodge at Grant’s Trail – A rustic bed & breakfast lodge.

• St. Louis BMX Bike Park – BMX bike trails and Clydesdale park trails.

The 50-plus dedicated volunteers who operate the museum, library and gift shop also organize several events throughout the year.

Some of the upcoming events include: • County Craft Festival – See vendors selling hand-crafted wares and old-time artisans demonstrating their historic skills. Enjoy live music and delicious food. (April 28-29) • Student Archaeological Dig – Watch students and supervising professional archaeologists dig in the Sappington House grounds looking for artifacts related to the homestead or even Native American inhabitants. (May 31 & June 16) • Ice Cream Social and Outdoor Concert – Enjoy tasty treats and the cool sound of music. (Sept. 22) • Spirits of Sappington House Tour – Hear costumed ghosts tell tales from beyond. See the macabre 18th century surgeon Dr. John Murphy demonstrate authentic colonial medical practices.

(Oct. 19-20) There are many more events planned.

You can find a description of these and other events on the Sappington House website (sappingtonhouse.org) or visit the calendar drop down on the River Hills Traveler website.

Tours of the house are available from 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Wednesday through Friday, and the third Saturday of the month.

The last tour starts at 1:30 p.m.

Admission to the Sappington House is $5 for adults and $1 for children. Special group tours of the house may be arranged. A videotaped tour of the house with its history is available for individuals who are unable to physically tour the Sappington Museum.

After I had taken a tour with my personal guide, Sally Cakouros, I can say that they have accomplished their mission with me. If you are looking for an entertaining, educational and cultural experience I encourage everyone to visit Historic Sappington House to learn about the people and their customs that helped shaped Missouri and America.

(Bill Wakefield runs the Traveler’s St. Louis office and can be reached at w3@charter.net.)

Listen to the history of the Sappington family as they traveled from Kentucky to Missouri at the urging of Daniel Boone while touring the Americana Library.