Fishing
The Missouri River is now allowing some fishing but not much
being caught. Local fishermen report a lot of action but not many being
landed. This time of year the channel cats will peck at you bait while
the big ones just ignore it. It can be aggravating but it is challenging
to catch a few small channels for a taste of what’s to come. The river
is really low which could be good and bad. The good part is that when
you’re fishing off the bank, you’re down out of the wind. And boy
has the wind been blowing! The bad part is that you can’t get a boat
in when the wind has the water chopping like it has been. The bait of
choice has been dough baits and night crawlers.
Area
ponds are clear and are providing some action with the majority of the
panfish caught being crappie and bluegills. But some bass are hitting
also. They seem to be relatively hungry and action is steady. The bait
of choice has been night crawler and small minnows.
Hunting
The warmer days have put some buds on the trees,
which seem to bring the animals out of winter hiding. I have seen a lot
of wild life out nosing around. A couple of times I’ve seen deer
standing out where they haven’t been seen for months and some to my
surprise with horns. During the late winter months the bucks loose their
horns. It’s said that the more health bucks will retain them into the
spring prior to dropping them. It always seems like during spring turkey
season or mushroom season when you find the deer sheds on the forest
floor. You would think you could find all kinds of them as many deer
that there are around, but it’s been told that the mice, squirrels,
and other critters devourer them for their mineral make up. I’ve found
several half eaten shed racks.
Spring Turkey Seasons will soon be here. Our
unit (East Missouri) has unlimited permits this year. This means: “If
you want a Turkey Permit – Buy one.”
But there is an early and a late season so plan accordingly.
Again, new for this year is the Youth Season. Youth Season shotgun
season starts one week prior to the regular shotgun season and is
statewide. Youth can also obtain a bow permit that is the same term as
the regular bow season. Youth is considered 15 years old and younger.
The Spring Turkey Seasons are as follows:
Note -
When applying for permits in the East Missouri Unit, hunters must
specify "Early" or "Late" on their application or it
will be returned.
Units
Youth Shotgun Statewide
April 9-May 22
East Missouri Early
April 16-April 24
East Missouri
Late
April 25-May 22
West
April 16-May 22
Archery
Statewide
March 25-May 22
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