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VOL. 45, NO. 5
NOVEMBER 2017
Cranking for fall slab crappie
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By Chuck Smick he rod loaded up and started to bounce… a big reservoir crappie had taken Kathy’s crankbait and she had the pleasure of enjoying catching our first fish of the day. This was s special trip for us. I was giving my wife, Kathy, a guided fishing trip to celebrate her 60th birthday. Kathy and I are both avid anglers, and this trip was a special occasion for both of us. We had both had
Catch big slabs under adverse conditions
hectic work schedules all year, and this was to be our first fishing trip for the 2017 season. We were fishing with our good friend and guide, Capt. Doug Wynn, owner of Crappie-Gills-nMore Guide Service. We’ve known Doug for many years and were both
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anxious to take a fishing trip with him. Doug is an outstanding, knowledgeable guide, and a renowned taxidermist. The morning broke with a brilliant sunrise, and a brisk east wind. The ride across the lake was chilly and choppy! Kathy and I both wished we’d brought our jackets. We warmed up as the sun rose and had a great time, despite the early chill. Adverse conditions can really
Please see CRAPPIE, 18
Bait shop caters to catfishermen I
By Bill Wakefield n visiting the various bait shops throughout the River Hills country I have come to the conclusion that these independent small business owners seem to fall into two categories. The first group are individuals who have retired from their careers and are looking for something that they can do to keep them active but is fun, interesting, and offers the opportunity to meet people. The second group is much younger and are still working fulltime but are looking for something to build for their retirement plan that also has the same requirements which are fun, interesting, and the opportunity to meet people. Sam Sykes and his wife, Betsy, and their business partner, Drew Crow, fall into the second category. The Sykes and Crow own and operate Betsy Boy’s Bait Shop located
Please see BETSY, 19
Hospital has an interesting history
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By Bill O’Donnell ver the years, Ozark springs have been used as campsites, power supplies for grist mills, tourist resorts and even hospitals. Hospitals? Yes, hospitals. Back in 1913, an Illinois doctor named C.H. Diehl bought Welch Spring for eight hundred dollars. Dr. Diehl believed that the spring water had healing properties and that cool, pollen-free air coming from the adjacent cave would be beneficial for people with asthma, emphysema, and tuberculosis, which
together were called “consumption” at the time. He said that it worked for him, helping him with a chronic case of hay fever. To tap this clean air resource, Dr. Diehl built a hospital over the mouth of the cave. Welch Spring, which flowed from the cave, was dammed up so that water would close off the entrance. This was to force more air out through the cave opening into the hospital. In today’s terms, it might be better called a “health spa” since there wasn’t
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much in the way of formal medical treatment, just an invitation to breathe the fresh air of the cave. Dr. Diehl was not blind to the scenic values of the region, either. He hoped to run a thriving campground resort to supplement his medical fees with tourist dollars. In time his healing resort expanded to a few small cabins, a campground, a show cave and he even had an electric generator running off the spring. Visitors came from the local area and from
Please see WELCH, 18
RiverHillsTraveler.com
Page 2 • November 2017
Take advantage of those beautiful fall weekends
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ord knows I can rough it. Tent camping or a barebones camper cabin doesn’t faze me at all. He also knows that I like to be selective in how I spend my dollars. With that said, one of my splurges can be found in Lesterville, Missouri. From Highway 21, turn south at Lenny’s onto Peola Road. About one mile after you cross the Black River bridge is a place that has become a fall tradition for my daughter, Karlene, and me. Wilderness Lodge Resort is far from roughing it despite the idyllic forest setting. From threecourse meals to a game room filled with distractions from the hustle and bustle of life, this place has become what Karlene and I lovingly call our “Lesterville Home.” While this is a Michelle Turner popular spot in the ———— summer, it has become our autumn retreat. We typically book our visit at the end of the first quarter of school, just before it’s time to set our clocks back an hour, and while fall is showing us her finest colors. I wish I could say someone recommended this fanciful spot to me, but how I came upon it is an all-too-typical modern tale. It was Google that led me to this gem. When Karlene was in the second grade, we were both WORN OUT and ready for a break. I literally Googled “cabins for rent” because it was chilly that weekend and I didn’t want to camp.
When Wilderness Lodge Resort popped up, I initially passed it by when I saw it was not “roughing it.” However, after a few more additional days of online research, I returned to their website. For some reason, the idea of staying at this resort instead of a barebones cabin, sounded more and more appealing by the minute. I finally got over my cold feet and fear of the unknown. I booked a standard room in the “Hilltops” for one night. They let me break their twonight minimum requirement because it was my first visit and it was off-season. Clearly it did not disappoint us. We have returned for a fall getaway five out of the past six years and have stayed two consecutive nights on the past three trips. Yes, Wilderness Lodge Resort has great food, accommodations, and amenities. We could easily spend our whole weekend on the grounds of the resort doing anything from playing pool in the game room to enjoying a campfire or a book from the lending libraries. Yet, there have been times we have taken side trips to the beautiful sights located nearby. Johnson’s Shut-Ins is only 13 miles away, while Taum Sauk Mountain is 20 miles from the resort. Besides those destinations, my
daughter and I have just enjoyed driving the backcountry roads that follow along the Black River. In an ideal world, we could find the time and funds to spend a full week there. I feel instantly at home when I sit on the screened in porch of the “Hilltops” sipping my coffee and watching the morning fog over the Black River. My daughter and I are able to slow
down and enjoy each other’s company without worrying about homework, chores, or the daily to-do lists that seem never-ending. However, I am a practical person and not currently living a life that can supply both the time and money for a full seven-day retreat. So, I will take those weekends in the fall every chance I can get. If you want to learn more about Wilderness Lodge Resort, visit them at www.wildernesslodgeresortltd.com/ and consider following them on Facebook. (Michelle Turner lives in Union, Mo.)
RiverHillsTraveler.com
November 2017 • Page 3
Bootheel parks rise from the waters
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By Tom Uhlenbrock he welcome sign is back up at Big Oak Tree State Park in the far southeast corner of Missouri. The sign was toppled in early May when the Army Corps of Engineers blew holes in a levee and let the overflowing Mississippi rush into the New Madrid Floodway. Big Oak Tree, and the nearby Towosahgy State Historic Site, are within the 130,000-acre floodway. Floodwaters reached 16 feet deep at the park’s visitor center. Big Oak Tree was closed temporarily, but has re-opened. Park employees spent the summer removing debris washed in by floodwaters and making other repairs, including putting up a new welcome sign. “The park fared really well, as far as the bottomland forest ecosystem is concerned,” said Chris Crabtree, the natural resource steward at the park. “We did have some tree die-off, and lost some animals, but that would have happened somewhat on a regular basis prior to the levee system. The main resource is intact, luckily.” The centerpiece of the park is a threequarter-mile walkway built of steel grating to withstand high water. The walkway, the main public use area and the Bottomland Trail are open, although some areas of the park remain closed. A hike along the walkway revealed that great egrets have returned to their roosts in the snags, warblers are in the tree canopy and the forest floor bears the tracks of raccoons, deer and other animals. Crabtree had feared the loss of the park’s swamp rabbits, which are larger than your average backyard bunny, but reports two have been spotted in the park. “Animal populations will take time to rebound,” he said. Crabtree and two full-time park maintenance workers, Chadd Thomas and Jeff Williamson, were aided in the cleanup by an inmate crew of six workers from Trails of Tears State Park, two interns from Southeast Missouri State University and seven employees of the Workforce Investment Board of Southeast Missouri. “The flood debris included at least eight big tanks, dozens of tires, road signs and three sheds, one of ours and two that washed in from somewhere else,” Crabtree said. “You could have built a shotgun shack out of everything we found.” While the flood damaged farm homes and buildings within the floodway, Crabtree said many of the farmers were able to get in a crop. “Some of the beans inside the spillway looked better than what’s growing outside,” he said. The park’s playground has been restored, with a new layer of mulch. The visitor center will remain closed and may be replaced because the current small facility is on stilts with a stairway not accessible to the disabled. The visitor center contains a cross-section of the giant bur oak that inspired creation of the park. The display was not damaged by the floodwaters. Weathering the floods The park is an oasis of tall trees surrounded by farm fields, and for a time in the 1960s was home to some 20 state or national champion trees. Many of those have died, but the park
now claims the national champion pumpkin ash, the state champion persimmon and the state co-champ bald cypress. The big bald cypress is not currently marked on the boardwalk, and Crabtree said he hopes to create signage directing visitors to the giant tree. “It’s hard to estimate its age,” Crabtree said. “But you can bet it’s been home to ivory-billed woodpeckers and Carolina parakeets.” The Carolina parakeet is now extinct, and the ivory-billed believed to be, but Crabtree noted that John James Audubon traveled through the area in November of 1820: “He wrote about nothing but hearing the ivory-billed woodpeckers calling in the forests all along the way.” Those forests are long gone. By demand of local residents anxious to save a piece of their natural heritage, the 1,023 acres of Big Oak Tree State Park
were preserved in 1937 as one of the state’s last remnants of the bottomland forests that lined the Mississippi River Valley. Ironically, 1937 also was the last year that the Corps inundated the floodway. The forest of Big Oak Tree State Park survived that manmade flood, and appears to have weathered another.
mounds in the floodplain have been bulldozed for agriculture. “This was a fortified village with a wood wall on three sides and a moat,” Crabtree said. “An estimated 250 to 300 dwellings were within the village. The tallest mound is called Temple Mound because it was used in ceremonies to elevate the leader above everybody else.” Only the two tallest mounds were above the floodwaters, and they provided a dry haven for animals. In an unlikely gathering of predators and prey, dozens of turkey and deer sought refuge on the mounds, along with several coyote and what may have been two bobcat cubs. The site has re-opened and the public is invited to climb atop the highest mound to view the blanket of stars from the same vantage point as Native Americans did more than 1,000 years ago. (Tom Uhlenbrock is a writer for Missouri State Parks.)
A spot for star-gazing The scene was the same a few miles away at the Towosahgy State Historic Site, which sits along a gravel road winding back through the farm fields. Debris has been removed, and a mowed path leads to the seven mounds, which survived the flooding intact. Towosahgy is an Osage word for “old village,” and the site was a thriving community between about A.D. 800 to 1400. It is the only Mississippian Culture site preserved by the state; the majority of
AROUND the WORLD with the River Hills Traveler
Dana Sturgeon recently visited Bonneville Salt Flats in Wendover, Utah, where they have the speed races in August and in October. "A motorcycle rider from Canada happened to be there, so I took his picture and he took mine," she said. She took a friend along with her. ——— 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 particular setting. Then email the picture to us at jimmy@riverhillstraveler.com and we will publish it an upcoming issue. You can also text 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 • November 2017
Here’s what to do if you run into a black bear
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s summer turns to fall, Missouri's estimated 350 native black bears enter a phase called!hyperphagiain which they eat heavily, accumulating a layer of fat that results in a 30 percent weight gain preparing them for hibernation. In preparation for hibernation, bears eat a wide variety of food including grasses and forbs, berries, ants, bees and wasps, beetles, crickets, fish, frogs, small rodents and other small animals. Remember to be "bear aware" and the phrase, "A fed bear is a dead bear." Leaving food or garbage cans outside attracts bears, and thus feeding them makes them Jimmy Sexton more comfortable ———— being around huJourney On mans. Trust me, you don't want that. In recent years bears are being spotted in all kinds of places around the state, not just rural areas, including parking lots, cemeteries, crossing major highways, stairwells of apartment buildings, etc. So, it's entirely possible you could see a bear today, wherever you go. If you do, here are some tips offered by the MDC: • Make noise while walking or hiking to prevent surprising a bear. Clap, sing, or talk loudly. • Travel in a group, if possible. • Pay attention to the surroundings and watch for bear sign, such as tracks or claw or bite marks on trees. • Keep dogs leashed. • Leave a bear alone! Do not approach it. Make sure it has an escape route.
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• If encountering a bear up close, back away slowly with arms raised to look larger. Speak in a calm, loud voice. Do not turn away from the bear. Back away slowly. Do not run. • Report bear sightings by calling the MDC at (573) 522-4115, ext. 3080. • Also, please call the River Hills Traveler at (800) 874-8423, ext. 1, and report your sighting. We will inform our readers about it in our next issue. And if you were able to take any photos, without putting yourself in harm's way, please text them to (417) 4513798 or email jimmy@riverhillstraveler.com. A native of Missouri, black bears were abundant throughout the state until the late 1800s when they were nearly wiped out from unregulated killing and from habitat loss when Ozark forests were logged. MDC research shows that a small
number of native black bears survived and others from Arkansas moved north into Missouri. Over time, their numbers increased and continue to do so. Results of ongoing black-bear research by MDC staff and others show that the animals have been sighted in about half the counties in Missouri, primarily south of the Missouri River, with most bears located in the southern third of the state in the Missouri Ozarks. ——— The MDC, Back Country Horsemen of Missouri (BCHMO), and the Summersville Saddle Club have opened nearly 12 miles of multi-use trails located on the Gist Ranch Conservation Area.!! Gist Ranch!is located in Texas County just northwest of Summersville off Highway 17. Travis Mills, resource forester with MDC, and his work team spent time the past year enhancing an existing trail network as multi-use trails.! “We are happy to provide this recreational opportunity to a wide group of
Talkin’ about deer and such
was telling someone the other day that Missouri’s state conservation program really does seem to be top notch. This rings especially true when one considers how Missouri has rebuilt its whitetailed deer population from critical status to one where there are now generous bag limits. In 1925, Missouri’s deer population was estimated to be as low as only 400 in the entire state! I’ve heard stories passed down in my neck of the woods about how in those days it used to be Wes Franklin remarkable when ———— someone would acNative Ozarker tually see a deer, and would be the subject of conversation at the local general store. “Did you hear about ol’ so-and-so? Said he saw a buck deer the other day.” “No kidding? Where at?” Today the state’s deer population tops 1.4 million due to responsible management, and we’ve had an official deer season since 1944. Hats off to Missouri! As you hit the deer woods this season, keep in mind some old Ozark tips, as recorded by the late, great folklorist
Vance Randolph in his wonderful book “Ozark Superstitions,” first published in 1947. First of all, it’s bad luck to hunt on a Sunday. Venturing out on the Lord’s Day, when you ought to be at rest as commanded by Scripture, won’t get you anything but trouble. When I say it’s bad luck to hunt on Sunday, I don’t mean you won’t see a deer. The chances of seeing a whitetail on a Sunday are just as good as any other day. However, if you shoot that deer on a Sunday you won’t get another one for another seven weeks, and by then your season is probably ruined anyway, unless you’re a bowhunter. This one is very important: If you should ever be one of the few souls to spot an albino deer out in the wild, by no means shoot it. It is considered very bad luck to even SEE an all-white deer, much less kill it. The old-timers used to consider an albino deer a bad sign in general, and maybe even connected to witchcraft. No, sir. If you see an albino deer, you best just hope it leaves – or perhaps you should. While you’re in deer camp this fall, if your campfire spits and sputters it means a rain or snowfall is coming. Pay attention to how the deer react after it snows. If you see a deer lie down in the snow, without pawing it out first, or you find evidence of such,
it means another good snowfall is coming soon, according to the old Ozark folk wisdom. But if the deer paw out the snow, and make a bed for themselves, it means there won’t be anymore snow for at least a week or two. Going back to the subject of campfires, don’t ever use sassafras wood or it could bring about the death of your mother (hey, I don’t make the rules). If she has already gone to Heaven it is OK. Peach tree wood is very bad luck to burn as well. Of course, never burn the wood of a tree that has been struck by lightning. Also, never look directly into the flames of a campfire as you are lighting it. If you do, you’ll have trouble with the fire for the rest of the evening. It could also bring other bad luck as well, such as a quarrel with a friend. And nobody wants bad blood on a hunting trip! Best of luck out there! (Wes Franklin can be reached at 417658-8443 or cato.uticensis46@gmail .com.)
On the Cover
Steve Lewis, Mike Roux, and Mike Hamski really DO NOT hate deer season. Really. (Full story on page 6)
the public, including horseback riders, bicyclists, and hikers,” Mills said. MDC welcomes volunteer help to maintain the trails on an ongoing basis. A partnership has been developed between the Summersville Saddle Club and MDC for ongoing maintenance of the trails.! Ronnie Harper, president of the Saddle Club, said the club is looking forward to a lasting relationship with MDC and that they will appreciate the opportunity to have trails close to home. “I’m pleased to see these multi-use trails developed, and to have played a part with getting these organizations together to create a long-term partnership,” said John Turner, a representative of BCHMO. ——— The 25th annual Let's Go Fishing Show is scheduled for Jan. 5-7, 2018, at the Gateway Center in Collinsville, Ill. This fishing show attracts fishing enthusiasts from near and far. Visitors to the show not only find a "fishing tackle super-store" but attend seminars and see exhibits (boats, fishing gear, resorts and destinations to visit & fish) of interest. We'll have more on the show in our December issue. Put the dates on your calendar and plan to attend. You won't be disappointed, plus it's a great way to help get over the post-holiday season blues. (Jimmy Sexton is owner and publisher of the River Hills Traveler. He can be reached at (800) 874-8423, ext. 1, or jimmy@riverhillstraveler.com.)
River Hills Traveler 212 E. Main St., Neosho, MO 64850 Phone & Fax: 800-874-8423
www.riverhillstraveler.com Email: jimmy@riverhillstraveler. com Owner & Publisher Jimmy Sexton Managing Editor Madeleine Link Circulation Manager Amanda Harvel Staff Writers Chuck Smick, Wes Franklin, Mike Roux, Bill Wakefield, Bill Oder, Bill Cooper, Michelle Turner & Dana Sturgeon Advertising All of us River Hills Traveler, established in 1973, is published monthly by Sexton Media Group and Traveler Publishing Company at 212 E. Main St., Neosho, MO 64850. Postmaster: Send change of address notices to: River Hills Traveler, 212 E. Main St., Neosho, MO 64850. Subscription prices: $22 per year; 2 years, $40. Back issues available up to one year from publication, $5 plus sales tax & shipping. COPYRIGHT © 2017 No part of this publication may be reproduced without the express written permission of the publisher of the River Hills Traveler or his duly appointed agent. The publisher reserves the right to reject any advertising or editorial submission for any reason.
RiverHillsTraveler.com
November 2017 • Page 5
VINTAGE OZARKS:
Congressman Dewey Short & government officials survey Table Rock dam site
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ongressman Dewey Short and unidentified colleagues look at a potential White River dam site in 1941. On the back of this Townsend Godsey photograph is written, “Table Rock Dam site 9-14-41.” Dewey appears to be pointing out the location where the long-delayed dam would be built. Only a month earlier, the President had signed the Flood Control Act of 1941, which included both Table Rock and Bull Shoals. The headline of the October 11, 1952, Kansas City Times announced: “Start A Big Dam Barbecue And Music At
REMEMBER WHEN
From the November archives of the River Hills Traveler: 5 years ago • About 3:30 p.m. I was sitting in my ground blind, some 100 yards from the farmhouse we use as a junking cabin these days. As I watched a doe feed across the hillside in front of me, my phone rang. I had heard a shot a minute earlier from the direction of my son's tree stand on the other side of the property. Even though he'd hunted by himself since age 15, I still asked that he call me when he killed a deer so I could share in his good fortune. "I just shot a small buck within sight of my stand, it isn't moving," he reported. I replied by telling him I was watching two small bucks trail a doe across the hillside through a tangle of some downed trees. "Do you need me to come help you take care of it," I asked. "No," he said, "I'll take care of it. Go ahead and hunt." (Doug Smith) • Every year around July and August, I began looking for new places to hunt, trying to find those particular spots that will produce areas, old rubs and pinch points — any kind of sign that will help determine the best location for seeing deer. All of this, along with game camera pictures, help me determine where to hang a stand. I try to hang multiple stands in different areas. Multiple stands allow me not to overhang an area. This creates to much pressure on bucks, and will make them leave a particular area. (Health Wood) 10 years ago • Deer hunting one of southern Missouri's vast wilderness areas has long been on my list of outdoor adventures to do. Last season I scratched that one off of my list. However, I added that adventure to the list again. Deer hunting in the Irish Wilderness proved to be an adventure that my wife, Dian, and I will long remember. At a foreboding 16,500 acres, the Irish Wilderness is the largest in Missouri. It is a forlorn place where an individual can still get lost if attention is not paid to detail. (Bill Cooper) • It was still dark and there was no moon. That made it even darker. I was taking my time because I wasn't familiar with the terrain, but I knew that there were some bodacious gullies in the area and I had no desire to slip into one of them, or worse yet fall into one of the ones with steeper sides.
That could lead to a broken leg or possibly something worse, then I would probably miss out on a deer hunt. There were four of us who had been invited to hunt on 160 acres of prime Missouri Ozark land, and the Ozarks are famous for being up one steep hill and down another. They are also famous for the quantity and quality of their whitetail deer. (Fred Ohrazda) 15 years ago • Joe Blattel advertises that there are 50,000 acres of pubic land to hunt, available at his Holliday Landing Resort. Joe is being modest. With somewhat over 40,000 acres of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers land on Lake Wappapello and nearly 160,000 acres of the Poplar Bluff District of Mark Twain National Forest at hand, Joe could reasonably claim much more. This story is about the 160,000 acres of Mark Twain Forest in the Popular Bluff District. Besides Joe and others at Lake Wappapello, it can also be claimed by Poplar Bluff, Piedmont, Ellsimore, Greenville and Clearwater Lake. It is near or includes all of the above. It occupies an area pretty much bounded by those locations. Actual land ownership amounts to about 46 percent of the 335,000 acres authorized by the National Forest boundaries. (Bob Todd) • Son Bo likes to quote the old TV show adventure line where the hero says, "I love it when a plan comes together." Well, it did for him on opening weekend last deer season and for me later in the week. His plan was to bag a buck Saturday morning, freeing himself to go duck hunting Sunday. He's got four and six point deer to his credit and was looking for an eight. What he got was a two-pointer, a spike buck. It was a fairly big deer regardless of the skimpy headgear, and delivered the variety he sought, albeit in a different direction. (Bob Todd) 20 years ago • If you deer hunt on public lands and are looking for something different, consider the Ozark National Scenic Riverways. It is the national park that covers nearly 150 miles of the Current and Jacks Fork rivers,
Launching of 76-Million-Dollar Reservoir.” Mayor Claude Binkley, of Branson, remarked he had "hurried to the Ozarks twenty-six years ago" to be here for the construction start. (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, is available from the publisher at www.beautifulozarks.com. Their earlier river book, Damming the Osage, can be at seen www.damming theosage.com)
through much of Dent, Shannon and Carter counties. Southern Missouri is rich in places to hunt deer, including all the major national forest units, plus the state conservation areas, and U.S. Corps of Engineers lands around the two major reservoirs — a tremendous amount of land. (Bob Todd) • The sun is just coming up behind me as I turn onto the westbound ramp of I-44 heading out of St. Louis. After several months of planning and preparation, it's finally time to hit the road. If I've forgotten something, it's too late now. If anything, I know I've packed my rifle and ammunition and my deer tag is in my wallet, and I can see my sleeping bag inside the camper shell through the back window. At least I've got the bare necessities covered. (Howard Helgenberg) 30 years ago • They say you should learn something every time you hunt. I learned one thing for sure. I am going to have one of those Gore-Tex rain suits. I don't care how much they cost! The rain meant even more to those of us who hunted with muzzleloaders. It's very humbling to have a Boone and Crockett buck walk away after your damp powder has failed to go off. (Guy W. Berry) • The biggest hunting season of the year in Missouri is the firearms deer season, open Nov. 14-22 this year. Basically it is a buck's only season with a season limit of one unless you were drawn for an any deer tag, and/or a tag for a second deer. If you didn't apply, you didn't have a chance. If you did apply, you should know how you fared by early November. (Bob Todd) 40 years ago • When the Gasconade County farm I'd deer-hunted for 15 years changed hands, I felt like a fledgling leaving the nest. I'd learned enough about whitetails to take them consistently in that utopian mixture of hardwood ridges, creek bottom fields, and cedar thickets, but I was apprehensive about having to hunt a new territory. (Charlie Slovensky) • It was a hot July day and a crowd had gathered on the riverfront anxiously watching downstairs. Men loosened their collars and ladies waved their fans in the oppressive heat. Barefoot boys ran to the river's edge, leaning as far over the water as possible hoping to be the first to see the miracle that was expected. (Emma Dunn) (compiled by MyraGale Sexton)
OUTDOOR FINES & SUSPENSIONS The Missouri Conservation Commission met on Oct. 19-20 at The River Centre at The Landing, in Van Buren. Commissioners suspended or revoked several hunting, fishing, or trapping privileges of 22 people for cause: • James R. Barker, Jefferson City, Hunting, additional three years. • Mark J. Bax, Jefferson City, all sport, one year. • Zachary N. Berry, Bois D’Arc, hunting and fishing, three years. • James D. Bradbury, II, Craig, all sport, one year.
• Jeremiah C. Cline, Republic, hunting, six years. • Bryson W. Dean, Canton, all sport, two years. • Jeffery W. Dibben, Long Lane, hunting and fishing, one year. • Travis J. Eacret, Kearney, hunting, three years. • Andy J. Fitzwater, Bismarck, all sport, three years. • Tyler L. Goodale, Poplar Bluff, all sport, one year. • Codie Hudson, Camden (AR), hunting, five years. • Thang V. Lam, Columbia, fishing, one year. • Jonathan McGowan, Bernie, all sport, one year. • Dalton A. McSwain, Sparta, hunting, three years.
• Brian A. Parker, Wheatland, fishing, one year. • Scott A. Perkins, Fulton, hunting, one year. • Andrey V. Rotar, Springfield, fishing, three years. • Bradley R. Smith, Florence, hunting, 15 years. • Anthony K. Stacy, Arcadia, hunting and fishing, additional five years. • John O. Summerville, Carrollton (MS), all sport, additional 2.5 years. • Matthew A. Winter, Springfield, hunting and fishing, three years. • Jeffrey T. Young, Versailles, hunting, six years.