Jack's Jake and the Red Blind

JACK’S JAKE AND THE RED BLIND A campfire roars at my feet. Temperatures will drop to 37 degrees tonight. My Cabela’s sleeping bag kept me toasty warm the last two nights as cold rains pelted my tent. Tomorrow will bring the third day of the Missouri spring turkey season. I will hunt alone. I enjoyed the company of Jack Peters the first two days of the season. He is an unusual character, one of those exceptional people that haunt our minds for decades. I will never forget hunting turkeys with this incredible man. Peters knows Current River country very well. The National Park Service transferred him there in 1967 as the first Park Ranger of the newly formed Ozark National Scenic Riverways. He became intrigued with my plans to hold a youth turkey hunting camp in Shannon County for the National Wild Turkey Federation. He quickly volunteered to help. The camp provided an once-in-a-lifetime experience for 10 youngsters from across the state, largely due to Jack’s efforts. Jack Peters is full of surprises. None shocked me more than when he extended an invitation to join him on a spring turkey hunt. I have sense wondered if my poker face concealed my elation. Jack is full of surprises. My heart sank as he explained that we would hunt in separate locations since the spread he referred to as “the turkey farm” held lots of birds. My hope had been to sit side by side with the ex-Park Ranger who knew every hill and holler in Shannon County. I figured, too, that Jack knew the whereabouts of every gobbler around. Jack is full of surprises. The evening I arrived at Jack’s campground, we quickly began laying plans for opening morning. He began by saying, “Bill, I have decided that I want us to hunt together, and I want you to guide me. I have only killed two turkeys in my lifetime.” A feather would have bowled me over. Sleep evaded me. Pelting rain combined with visions of what I hoped to happen the next morning kept me tossing in my cot. The truck wipers swished back and forth across the windshield as we headed north on Highway 19. We both voiced our worries about the rainfall and its effects on turkeys. “We will stay dry,” Jack quipped. “I have a blind in place.” Fortunately the rain subsided before we reached our destination. “Birds don’t gobble much in wet weather,” I explained nervously. We shuffled our feet slowly as we descended a steep slope. The damp grass on the farm lane made footing precarious. Fifty yards into a crescent shaped valley stood Jack’s blind. He had it neatly tucked into the edge of a patch of brush. A small grove of walnut trees stood in a grassy flat directly in front of the blind. A towering hill lay to the right and the long slope we had negotiated in the dark lay to our left. Jack placed three decoys 25-yards from the blind. An old grass covered road entered the field at the base of the ridge to our right. The decoys stood there where the road entered the walnut grove. Jack assured me turkeys would come from the East, down the road right to the decoys. A gobble rang out from far behind us. In response, another gobbler bellowed to the west. Pleasantly surprised, I told Jack we were fortunate to hear anything on a misty morning. Silence dominated the next 30 minutes. I cackled loudly on an H.S. Strut double reed mouth call. A gobbler immediately answered. I called again and two more gobblers chimed in. Within minutes gobblers answered my calls from all four directions. The misty morning had quickly transformed into the best bad weather morning of my turkey hunting career. Several gobblers sounded closer at times. And then they sounded farther away. The gobbling activity continued as long as I kept calling. After 45 minutes of listening to the thundering birds, I decided to quit calling. The toms were not coming closer. They gobbled continually in their lusty attempts to get the hen to come to them. Often, going silent turns the trick. I kept checking the grassy lane to my right in hopes of seeing approaching gobblers. Ten minutes after my last call, I glanced out the left window of the blind. There stood two majestic toms less than 25-yards away. “Gobblers to your left,” I whispered to Jack. He slowly turned his head to locate the birds. For some reason, he had laid his gun in the far left corner of the blind. And he had only killed two turkeys in his lifetime? He slowly crawled across the blind floor to retrieve his shotgun. Meanwhile, I jammed two rounds into my gun. I had not loaded because I could not shoot to the right where the turkeys were supposed to come from. I know better than to believe a turkey hunting partner. Another tom joined the other two birds. They had fed 10 more yards down the lane by the time Jack and I got organized. I clucked softly. The three gobblers snapped to attention, spotted the decoys to their right and began a slow stroll in that direction. The birds stopped in the walnut grove 25-yards in front of our blind. Perfect. I had clearly demonstrated my turkey hunting prowess. “On three,” Jack instructed. “You shoot first,” I replied. I wanted to be sure Jack harvested a bird. Too, I figured when he knocked the first bird down the other two would stand and watch it flop and then I would take my bird. Jack is full of surprises. He missed! “Shoot again,” I yelled. He issed again. I fired at a bird running to the left and missed, too! A perfect plan fell apart in two seconds. Jack and I looked at one another in total disbelief. “How in the xxxx did we miss those birds”? Jack grumbled. We laughed until tears streamed down our cheeks as we recounted again and again what had just happened to us. The blind became unbearably hot by 9:00 a.m. We decided to take a hike and try to work some birds we had heard earlier on the west end of the farm. Two hours and three setups later we had not managed to strike a single bird. Tired and still disgusted with our earlier performance, we headed towards the blind. As we made the turn through the scattered woods to enter the field holding the blind, I stopped in disbelief. Jack’s blind stuck out like a neon sign. It was red. Against the greenery of spring, it was no place to be hiding. Jack whispered, “Look, there are five gobblers in the decoys.” “This ain’t for real,” I muttered. “The regular sonic booms from all the aerial dogfights in this area has warped these birds,” I muttered under I breath. We slowly sat down and crawled to a nearby cedar tree. Over the next 30 minutes I tried to coax the birds across the field. They approached part way three different times, only to return to the decoys by the glowing red blind. The birds had to be aliens. Jack and I decided to backtrack and use the cover of a dry creek bed that we could sneak up and close the distance between us and the turkeys. Our decoy set stood only 20 yards from the edge of the creek. We formulated a plan to call one or more of the birds down the side of the field next to the creek cover, where we would be waiting. All 5 gobblers glanced in my direction when I gave the first series of soft yelps on my mouth call. Next I began soft feeding chatter and scratching in the leaves. Minutes passed before two jakes broke from the group and began feeding in our direction. Ten minutes later the pair of young gobblers stood 15 yards in front of Jack. I tensed expecting the report of his 12-gauge at any second. A cloud of feathers puffed from the lead jake when Jack fired. The other bird stood for a couple of seconds watching his fallen brother, offering me a clear neck shot. I passed. Jack and I hustled towards his bird to investigate. We laughed and joked aloud, happy at the outcome of our well executed plan. I felt a tingle of satisfaction as I congratulated Jack on the harvest of his third wild turkey in his lifetime. Turkey hunting with Current River legend Jack Peters provided a memorable experience. His stories of the cultural and natural history of the area both entertained and educated me. His wit and canny manner challenged my intellect. Too, he provided me a fun-filled day of turkey hunting in the Missouri Ozarks that I will not soon forget. I still laugh when I think of Jack posing proudly with his jake in front of the red blind. Go figure.

Find More Morels

Increase Your Morel Hunting Skills Bill Cooper 3/22/16 Interest in morel hunting has mushroomed in recent years. Competition for the succulent morsels is keen and those who have honed their fungi hunting skills are in the kitchen repeatedly during the season serving up mounds of golden fried morels. Hunters who practice shooting, anglers who cast often, or golfers who spend extra time on the course, all excel at what they do. Time and effort spent improving their sports skills shows off when the chips are down. The best morel hunter in the Ozarks, the late “Spud” Gibson, used to say that it gets into your blood. “I’ve hunted morel mushrooms since I was a boy, “ Gibson said. “By nature I know when they start popping.” Possessing a sixth sense about the appearance of morels is a skill set which is acquired from many years of experience in the woods looking for them come spring time. “Most people these days don’t have the time to dedicate days at a time to hunting morels,” said naturalist Jim DiPardo, a personal friend of Gibson’s. “Gibson was an exceptional woodsman, having been reared in the Ozark Mountains,” DiPardo continued. “I learned a good deal about morels from him and learned a few tricks of my own by ‘burning some shoe’ leather as Ozarkians say. Don’t wait for the sun - A common conception about morel hunting is to wait until the sun pops out after a spring rain. “Morels grow incredibly fast,” Dipardo noted. If all conditions are right and it is going to rain until 3p.m., be there before noon. You may beat someone else to the prize.” Calculate the pop - “Morels begin to emerge when a combination of climactic factors converge,” according to DiPardo. “Part of the mystery of hunting morels is figuring out when temperature, humidity, variance between daytime and nighttime temperatures lessen, and when soil acidity and other factors are just right. When temperatures reach the forties at night and the sixties in the daytime, you better have your pickin’ bag ready. Paying close attention to these factors will greatly improve you success rate of finding newly popped morels.” Don’t trust Mother Nature - “Mother Nature loves to pull tricks,” Gibson used to say. “Just because you found morels in one spot one season, does not mean you will the next. The best plan is to have many locations where you have found morels over the years. Then you will have morels to eat every spring.” Look, look, look - Morels may be found in a variety of locations. However the best locations are usually damp creek or river bottoms. Search around fallen timber that is decaying. Some suggest looking around trees that have just died. Many old timers say that once a tree has lost it’s bark, morels will no longer grow around it. Check inside the gooseberry and multi-flora rose brambles, too. You may be pleasantly surprised. Use your binoculars - I got the shock of my life one spring turkey season. Kevin Small, a guide in north Missouri stopped on a gravel farm road and broke out his binoculars. I thought he was looking for turkeys. “There are dozens of big morels under those maple trees over there,” he announced. “Let’s go get them.” Pack a bag - Be prepared. Pack a bag in your vehicle. The urge to hunt morels may catch you off guard. Small plastic bags or handy, but to insure morels for the future, use a woven mesh bag, such as the ones oranges come in. Spores will fall from the morels you pick, seeding the area for the next season.

Avoid Crossbow Problems

Outdoor Revelations Avoid Crossbow Problems Bill Cooper 3/22/16 The struggle to legalize crossbows during the Missouri deer season proved difficult. Now that crossbows are legal for the 2016 deer seasons, crossbows fans are facing other difficulties. Crossbow sales have taken a steep climb after the announcements by the Missouri Department of Conservation that crossbows would be legal for anyone old enough to hold a hunting license during the 2016 Missouri deer seasons. However, many crossbow users are running into difficulties. Apparently, all crossbow retail outlets are not created equal. Danny Sanazaro, of 66 Outpost Archery Shop in Fanning, believes people need to take several things into consideration before buying a crossbow. “Crossbows can be a big investment,” he said. “A lot of hunters are excited about the possibility of being able to hunt with a crossbow in 2016 and they are in the market to buy one. For many hunters, this will be their first time to own a crossbow.” The excitement of being able to participate in a new hunting method can often lead to quick, spur of the moment purchases, without considering all the facts “One of the biggest mistakes I see people making in crossbow purchases,” Sanazaro said, “is not buying from a reputable dealer.” Hunting and shooting with crossbows has grown considerably in the last three decades. Battles raged as hunting enthusiasts of different disciplines argued pros and cons. Many compound bow users felt that crossbows would give users extra advantages. However, after 30 years of research by several states which allowed crossbows for hunting, statistics indicated that compound and crossbow users have the exact same harvest ratio of deer, 15% success rates. The Missouri Department of Conservation is cautious about making regulation changes, but could not ignore the facts. Additionally, crossbows have proven to be an asset when it comes to attracting new hunters and shooters, especially women and children. Too, the average male bowhunter drops out of the sport because of shoulder, elbow and wrist problems. Crossbows allows this age group to participate in hunting for many more years. And with sales of hunting license sales dropping in many states, allowing the growing number of crossbow users to hunt with their weapon of choice not only bolstered hunter numbers, but conservation coffers as well. The numbers of crossbow hunters is definitely increasing in Missouri, according to Sanarzo. “Sales are up, but people are making mistakes in their purchases,” he said. “Customers need to ask the dealer they buy from about warranties and service capabilities. Crossbows are not cheap and warranties need to come with them. Too, dealers need to service what they sell. If an individual buys from a dealer who does not offer service, when a problem arises, that individual will have to pay the expense of sending his crossbow off somewhere plus b with his bow for an extended period of time.” Sanazaro recommends that people not buy used crossbows, if they can keep from it. “There are a lot of moving parts on a crossbow and a number of things can go wrong,” he said. “Many people may not be able to recognize some of the problems that can exist such as, hairline cracks in limbs, worn pins, strings and limbs. If buying a used crossbow, you can be setting yourself up for equipment failure and disappointment. Too, you have no warranty. Buying crossbows over the Internet is not a good proposition, either, according to Sanazaro. “You may have a warranty with an Internet purchase of a crossbow, but most likely, they will be no service available. Even if there is service available, you are going to have to pay expensive shipping costs to and from the service location. Another problem attached to buying used crossbows and crossbows from the Internet is the fact that a local dealer may not have the capability to work on that crossbow, or simply may not want to work on an item not purchased at their facility. “To replace a string on a crossbow, it has to go on a press,” Sanazaro explained. If we work on a used crossbow or one bought elsewhere, we take on a liability if one of the limbs break. There most likely is no warranty. That puts us in a spot. So, like most reputable dealers, we don’t work on those items. “If potential crossbow buyers will take these few tips into consideration before giving up their hard earned money, they will be a lot happier and a lot more successful in the field in the long run,” Sanazaro concluded. Sanazaro welcomes anyone to stop by 66 Outpost Archery on old Rt. 66 west of Cuba to check their line of crossbows. They offer a full line of crossbows from Ten Point, PSE, Mission and Stryker. Service is also available. It’s not too early to get ready for the upcoming fall hunting seasons. fanning66outpost.com, www.facebook.com/Outsidealways.

Secrets of the Gasconade Bill Cooper 3/13/16 The Gasconade River holds the title of one of the most crooked rivers in the world. Less publicized are the towering bluffs, hairpin turns, hundreds of caves and springs and spectacular hardwood forests that line the river. One need not dig much to uncover a fascinating history of the Gasconade which include stories of Osage Indians, French fur trappers, Civil War raiders, Jesse James, tie hackers and legends of buried gold in the Moccasin Bend area north of Waynesville. The Gasconade’s rich history may not be as evident today, but river users are still in the know about Gasconade gold... the golden trout of the pioneers, more commonly called the brown bass, bronze-backed bass, redeye, smallie, or smallmouth bass by modern day anglers. The angling history of the Gasconade is quite fascinating, but never more fascinating than today with modern fisheries management programs in place. The Gasconade is home to one of the Missouri Department of Conservation’s 10 Special Bass Management Areas. Justin Richardson of Rolla is a longtime fan of the Gasconade. “It is the perfect smallmouth river,” he stated. “You can catch smallmouth far upstream, where you can only wade or very near where it runs into the Missouri 300 miles downstream.” The Gasconade contains 20 miles of specially managed smallmouth area from Riddle Bridge at the end of Highway Y, north of St. Roberts, to the Highway D Bridge at Jerome. However, Richardson prefers to fish above the managed area. “The managed area has some terrific fishing, but tends to attract more people,” he advised. “I prefer to put in at the Highway 17 bridge north of Waynesville. It is 15 miles to Riddle Bridge where the managed area begins, but I spend most of my fishing time in the first five or six miles below Highway 17. There are lots of big rocks in this stretch. The channels are deep, and the current moves right along.” Richardson has fished the Gasconade for decades and still uses a time-tested lure, the Twin Spin “Nugget.” “I slow-roll the lure over rocks and logs. I look for this structure in 4 to 6 feet of water. Adding a No. 101 green and white pork frog to the bait makes it a killer.” Richardson rigs his favorite baitcaster with 10-pound P Line. “I catch a lot of 12- to 14-inch smallmouths in this stretch,” he said, “but I like to be prepared for the three or four 2 1/2- to 4-pound fish I catch on most trips.” Nick Miller, of Bourbon, spends a lot of time on the Gasconade and prefers to fish in the SMA region of the river. “Smallmouth fishing on the Gasconade has improved dramatically since the beginning of the Special Management Area,” he stated. Rule changes instituted over a decade ago have allowed smallmouth bass to increase in size. Limits on smallmouth are now one fish per day, with an 18-inch length limit. “That’s a big smallmouth,” Miller stated. The new regulations came into play not long after bass anglers had begun to accept the idea of catch and release. ‘“I wouldn't think of killing a smallmouth,” Miller said. “Too, I believe most fishermen on the rivers these days feel the same way. It takes a long time for a smallmouth to grow to 18-inches. If handled properly, a smallmouth bass may be caught and released several times by the time it reaches 18-inches. Such a fish will have provided a thrill for a number of anglers in it’s lifetime. That scenario is far more favorable than someone taking a smallmouth home to eat.” Miller is quite good at smallmouth fishing and has earned himself a slot on Cowtown USA’s pro fishing staff. He runs one of Cowtown’s Legend SS jetboats while fishing the Gasconade. “You have to have a good boat to run the river,” Miller said. “All waters are not created equal and I often run a lot of miles to find the best smallmouth fishing spots. I have fished all of my life and the Legend SS is the best boat I have ever used.” I tagged along with Miller on a recent fishing trip to the Gasconade. He normally likes to put it at the Jerome access, but recent floods destroyed the MDC access. It is now under repair. Miller spends most of his fishing time between Jerome and Boiling Spring, eight miles up stream. This day, he took the long way around and took Highway P off of 28, south of Dixon, and put in at Boiling Spring. Within minutes Miller had the first smallmouth of the day in the boat. He religiously fishes a Smithwick Rogue in the winter months. “ I like a suspending model that will suspend to eight feet, but I seldom take it that deep,” Miller said. After catching several fish in the vicinity of Boiling Spring, Miller reluctantly headed towards Jerome. He had caught a 5-pound largemouth within a 100 yards of Boiling Spring two days previous. Miller catches a lot of fish near the Jerome Bridge during the cold winter months. He rotated between the bridges and a mile long stretch of boulder strewn banks upriver from the bridges. I filmed as Miller steadily put bass in the boat using a Smithwick Rogue and a Storm Wiggle Wart. Patience is still key to fishing and Miller exercised his perfectly as he utilized his trolling motor to put the Legend boat in perfect position to cast to awaiting smallmouth bass. I had as much fun filming as Miller did fishing. And as we motored back towards Boiling Spring, I couldn’t help but think about the allure of the Gasconade River, the stories and the legends that endure yet today. However, it is the real gold of the Gasconade, the big brownies, bronzeback, smallmouth bass, that Miller caught, which will haunt my dreams. Note: Videos of Miller fishing the Gasconade may be seen at: www.aoutdoorstv.com and www.facebook.com/CowtownUSAinc.

Brauer Finds March Bass at LOZ

Outdoor Revelations March Bass at Lake of the Ozarks Bill Cooper for 3/16/16 Three time Bassmaster Classic qualifier Chad Brauer, from Camdenton, looked forward to a day of bass fishing after a long week of teaching school. A 65-degree, blustery day welcomed Brauer and his son Colby as they launched their Legend SS boat at the Larry R. Gale access on the Niangua arm of Lake of the Ozarks. Brauer had fished the Glaize arm of the lake the previous day without much success. “The water was very dirty,” Brauer said. “Visibility was abut 6-inches deep and fishing was very slow. We really had to work hard for the few bass we caught.” Brauer grew up on Lake of the Ozarks fishing under the tutelage of his father, Denny Brauer, one of the most successful pro bass fishermen of all time. “I definitely wanted to fish clearer water on Sunday,” Brauer stated. The Niangua area of the lake provided what I was looking for.” I followed the Brauers in my boat in order to film for an episode of “Outside gain Adventures TV - Online.” The Brauer duo headed straight for boat docks, the proverbial hiding places of untold numbers of lake of the Ozarks bass. Chad tossed a favorite jig, while Colby rigged a Shaky Head worm. Chad laughed at Colby’s choice of baits. Colby ‘s bass fishing experience is considerable as well. He is a member of the Mizzou Collegiate Fishing Team and looked forward to a productive day on the water. “I chose a Shaky Head worm, because I know I can catch fish on it,” the younger Brauer said. “They may not be the biggest bass in the lake, but I will catch fish.” Colby had fished several days over the last month with very little success. “The bite has been tough,” he explained. “I simply need to catch some fish to raise my confidence level. I have a tournament next weekend on Kentucky Lake. I like to approach a tournament with a little success behind me.” Within minutes of approaching a boat dock, Colby leaned back hard on his rod. he had managed to entice the first strike of the day. He missed the hookup. Chad stepped on the trolling motor control and eased the sleek Legend SS around the corner of the boat dock. Along, sloping, rocky bank stretched out for 50 yards or more. “This time of year, dark rock banks like this is what you want to look for,” Chad said. “The days are gradually getting longer and these dark rocks soak up the heat of the sun. The rocks transfer heat into the water and a couple of degrees difference in water temperature is all it takes for bass to seek the area out.” The elder Brauer had no more completed his explanation when he and Colby simultaneously set their hooks hard on fish. Colby swung a chunky 14-incher into the boat. The arc in Chad’s rod indicated he had something much bigger on the business end of his line. Colby lipped his dad’s fish and swung it into the boat. “Now, that’s a good early spring bass,” Chad chuckled. He went directly into another bass fishing tip. “When fishing with a partner, it is wise to fish different lures,” Chad explained. “A fish may pass on my jig and then nab Colby’s Shaky Head right behind me. You never know on any given day what the fish will want.” “This is a solid four and a half pound bass,” Brauer said. “ I love tho catch these guys on tournament days. They help insure a check for sure.” Chad moved on down the bank to the next boat dock. With a couple of fish in the boat already, the Brauers fished with obvious anticipation. I heard the swish of a rod as Colby whipped his rod hard once again. “He had it in his mouth,” he said. As so often happens, the fish had spit the worm a milli-second prior to the hook set attempt. On his first cast along the next boat dock, Colby nailed another small bass. He repeated the process a couple more ties over the next 15 minutes. “That tis exactly why I don’t like using a Shaky Head worm,” Chad stated. “You can catch lots of bass on them, but they tend to be small. I have caught thousands of those in my lifetime and I prefer to catch larger fish. That’s why I stick to my jig.” Chad pulled up the trolling motor and prepared to make a move. “I want to move about half way back into the cove to see if fish have moved towards the backs of the coves yet,” he said. “They should be starting to move in preparation for the upcoming spawn.” “I like the looks of this area,” Chad explained. “There is a bluff line just outside the cove. As you enter the cove, the water begins to get more shallow as you move towards the back of the cove. Bass cruise these cove shorelines looking for little pockets or indentations to use as spawning beds. It’s just like a highway from the deep winter bluffs to the backs of the coves.” Seventy-five yards down the cove shoreline, Chad set the hook on a hefty three pounder. Chad’s explanation proved right on as he moved from one cove to another to search for bass. “They have started the move, but don’t appear to be here in large numbers yet. But, fishing will only get better over the next few weeks as water temperatures rise and the fish move to the far backs of these coves to spawn.” “That is when the real fun begins,” Brauer explained. “There is nothing quite like sight fishing for the big females sitting on the nest. It’s all coming very soon.” Chad Brauer is a pro-staffer for Cowtown USA and Legend SS boats in Cuba. His fishing excursions may be viewed on www.Facebook.com/CowtownUSAinc and www.Facebook.com/Outsidealways.