Spring Turkeys on Deck

Having just made it through a week and a half of subfreezing high temperatures it is hard not to daydream about hunting in warmer seasons. Cold weather hunting, fishing, and trapping require contending with little aggravations such as ice in your beard and mustache so thick you feel it pull your face and bounce with every step. It’s nice to dream about actually needing to shave off the ‘soup-catcher’ because it is just too hot to continue wearing the long, hot, itchy thing (the wife will appreciate it as well!). Another Old Man Winter aggravation is dragging your now exhilaratingly refreshed foot and leg from the hole in the creek ice and discovering your new rubber hip-boots didn’t hold up so well to that last multi-floral rose bush. You long for temperatures warm enough so that the mile walk back to the truck is actually optional. With experiences like these (of course these are just hypothetical situations with no real-life, personal connotations intended …) it is very easy to dream of warm season activities such as baseball and spring turkey season. And, while I’m not much of a baseball watcher, to speak in baseball terms, spring turkeys are on deck.

This year spring turkey season starts with the youth hunt scheduled for the weekend of April 10 and 11, 2010 and regular season extending from Monday, April 19 through Sunday, May 9, 2010. For the youth hunter during youth weekend only, hunting hours are extended to all day long. This feature is a great advantage for getting a young hunter in on some great spring turkey hunting action. During youth weekend a youth is limited to one turkey only. Their second eligible turkey is not legal to take until the second week of regular season starting on Monday, April 26. For adult hunters two male turkeys are the season limit with only one able to be taken the first week. If both turkeys are harvested during the last two weeks of season only one turkey may be harvested per day (you can’t kill two in one day). Legal shotgun sizes include all gauges from .410 through 10 gauge. Shotgun ammunition is limited to #4 shot and smaller size (remember shot size is inversely related to its number designation).

Action is plentiful in the spring turkey woods. Gobblers are generally bunched up early and disband as the season progresses. During youth season it is not uncommon to call up several gobblers together. When 3 or 4 big toms come up running, strutting, and gobbling, it’s a test for the most experienced turkey hunter to stay calm, let alone a youth hunter. Young and inexperienced hunters often have a problem knowing when and when not to move, thus scaring off many turkeys. It is times like these that ground blinds are a great advantage. Decoys can also provide for an enormous advantage in that they will keep the tom’s attention on the decoy and away from the hunters. A word to the wise - be very cautious when using decoys on public ground. Only position decoys relative to your position in such a manner that would prevent even the most unscrupulous amateur hunter from being able to stumble onto your set and fire in your direction.

From clucks and purrs to cackles, cuts, kee kees and yelps, all turkey vocalizations are in play and effective calls to make in the spring. The accomplished caller who has mastered multiple types of calls and calling apparatuses such as box, mouth, slate, yelper, or wing bone, to name a few, will have a great advantage in the spring turkey woods. Young toms, or jakes, will sound off with some of the most bizarre sounds you have ever heard as they attempt to gobble. Those same jakes will also respond to some of the most flawed calling a beginner might ever have the misfortune to make, so beginning callers fear not. The best way to learn is to listen to real turkeys and accomplished callers and then get out there and try it yourself!

Speaking of trying it yourself, did I mention that wild turkey breast, as far as a hillbilly is concerned, is a delicacy desirable over any escargot or caviar…(but then again, I’d rather eat Spam than snails and fish eggs)? Anyway, in Nature’s Economy there are no artificial fillers, no high fructose corn syrup, no MSG or any other preservatives. Wild turkey meat is very high in protein, two percent higher than domestic turkey. Wild turkey is also lower in fat than its domestic cousin due to a wild turkey’s diet of all natural, wild food devoid of any additives. Wild turkey meat is a valuable source for vitamins B3 and B6, folic acid, zinc, potassium, and the amino acid tryptophan. These valuable nutrients are responsible for a wide rang of health benefits ranging from protection against heart disease and birth defects to fighting off cancer cells.

This winter, as Old Man Winter bears down his icy grip and your thoughts drift to warmer temperatures and spring turkey hunting, consider all the potential rewards - natural beauty, action and excitement, lifelong memories, participating in the Creator’s original design, and unsurpassed delicious, organic, and nutritional sustenance. For what more could you ask? Yes, spring turkeys are on deck. And when they get to the plate I hope they hit a home run for you, your youth hunter, and your family at dinner time. Good luck, be safe, and get a big one.

Going down in the Flat

Prior to the 1850’s, during the golden age of trapping, mountain men trappers came out of the mountains only once a year to sell their furs and socialize. Amongst themselves the practice was known as ‘going down in the flat,’ the ‘flat’ being anywhere down and out of the mountains. It was always after the thaw in the late spring of the year and it was quite the occasion. The rendezvous, as it came to be known, entailed so much socializing that often the trappers, depleted of their earnings, didn’t make it back to the mountains with their much-needed provisions or anything in their poke to show for the past years trapping. Likewise, during those days market hunters and fishermen came to town or made port only occasionally to sell their harvest. Their visits to town were similar to that of their trapping counterparts in that the visits were festive times and not always financially profitable if the adventurer was not cautious and disciplined with his money. There were many vices to be found by the over-indulgent at rendezvous down in the flat. Purchasing various food staples, firearms, traps, powder, etc., as well as learning the latest news, catching up with old friends, making new friends, and learning new practices in their respective line of work were some of the many positive aspects of the rendezvous. Regardless of their undertakings, mountain men were characters that possessed many similar traits that the independent minded, red-blooded, southern Missouri outdoorsman possesses today.

Today times have changed in that most of us now live much closer to civilization if not directly in town (unfortunately). And, hopefully, when we do get to town we are a little more responsible with our choice of activities and money expenditures than some of our over-indulgent forefathers. Through the years we have learned from the mistakes of our past. Modern outdoorsmen now understand the destructive nature of market hunting and its potentially devastating effect on the wildlife resource. We understand the fragility of the natural environment and our responsibility to preserve habitat in the face of unchecked urban development. We more completely comprehend our role within the cycle of life in nature. We freely self-impose taxation of our equipment and ammunition through acts such as the Pittman- Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act in order to maintain and restore wildlife populations. Finally, we understand today a lesson we must continually pass on is the importance of maintaining our connection to and interaction within nature. We must keep the heritage alive.

In today’s world, with many misguided and misinformed ideologies raising funds with the sole intention of stopping us from participating in Mother Nature’s circle of life, I encourage each of you to ‘go down in the flat’ and attend a rendezvous with likeminded folks. Put your money where your mouth and heart are. Today there are ample opportunities to meet with hunters, fishermen, trappers, and shooters at gatherings designed for fun, fellowship, and learning, and all while generating operating funds for your outdoor cause of choice. From habitat enhancement and protection to wildlife enhancement to shooting sports, locally there is an annual outdoor related rendezvous within 45 minutes of your house designed to support your outdoor beliefs. Even if you only purchase a ticket for entry you will receive great value for your investment. You will receive a great meal, fellowship with friends, meet new likeminded people, and you will hear the latest news regarding your field of interest.

Various groups such as National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF), Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF), National Trappers Association (NTA), Quail Forever (QF), and Friends of NRA (FNRA), to name but a few, sponsor local benefit banquets at various times of the year. The banquets are great opportunities to come in from the woods, off the river, or down from the hills to rendezvous and support our great outdoor heritage. There is great fun to be had by young and old alike. Valuable merchandise such as firearms, outdoor equipment, and outdoor art are all available to buy or win. This year NWTF will hold their banquet in Dent County in mid February. The Missouri Trappers Association, District 9 will hold their banquet in late February. RMEF will hold their banquet in Phelps County in April. FNRA and QF will hold banquets later in the year in Dent and Texas Counties respectively. I hope to see each of you there.

In closing, of all the traits and characteristics of crusty old mountain men types, a propensity toward absolute blunt candor regarding issues about which we have a stake can be considered a fault. I, however, believe it to be a great asset. You will never wonder where an old mountain man type stands on the issues. To that end I will say to you, in this great country of ours if you love our outdoor heritage, our right to bear arms, and our inherent right to provide sustenance for ourselves by harvesting from nature’s bounty, then you have a responsibility to ‘go down in the flat’ and rendezvous at banquet designed to preserve that heritage and those rights. And if you don’t want a blunt, cut-and-dry, and possibly politically-incorrect answer don’t ask an old mountain man. By the way, take a young person with you, they are our future. Good luck, be safe, and get a big one.

Cold Weather Trout

You think you are a hardcore fisherman? Do you love solitude and unsurpassed natural beauty in the winter wilderness? Are you willing to fight some very uncomfortable elements to get in on some potentially large fish and great fishing action? Yes? Well then, winter fishing for big browns might be your bag. The Ozarks have some great winter fishing opportunities that have the potential for very large to state record and even world record size trout. This past November an angler from St. Louis landed the new state record brown trout, 37 inches long, 24.75 inches in girth, and 28.8 pounds, from Lake Taneycomo. He caught it while fishing for rainbows using bait just below Cooper Creek. It’s not just the size of the fish but what’s even more unbelievable about this monster is that it was caught on 4 pound test line!

In the Ozarks there are ample fishing opportunities state wide including, but not limited to, Lake Taneycomo, Current River, Meramec River, White River, Roaring River, and the Eleven Point River. With travel times ranging from 30 minutes to 3 hours, a southern Missouri angler can be sitting at just about as good a trout fishery as there is to be had in Missouri. Most of these fisheries have adequate amenities for camping for the whole family. Access is more limited on the Eleven Point and upper Current than many of the other locations and thus they provide for a more pure wilderness experience, especially in the winter when very few others are around. Sometimes you can go all day without seeing anyone and sometimes you might only see a lone trapper. If you are nice, a trapper can be a treasure trove of scouting information. He can most likely tell you where in the river the big ones are laying since he’s been on the river every day for several days up to a few weeks running his trap line.

Using ultra-light or fly-fishing fishing equipment certainly seems the norm when fishing in the state trout parks and rivers. Those methods are effective and they do provide for a great deal of enjoyment when utilized during the right times and lighting conditions. However, when strictly fishing for bigger fish there are other methods employing heavier tackle to which big browns and rainbows are susceptible. Heavy tackle methods provide more of a sense of confidence than when reeling in a monster brown trout with an ultra-light rig and 4 pound test. Spin fishing with medium-heavy weight rods and reels strung with 8 to 10 pound test line is a great way to hook into an aggressive brown in the early morning mist or late evening shadows.

Utilizing stick baits such as a suspending Rapala # 11 is a great way to get a big trout’s attention. A suspending stick bait allows the angler to crank the lure down to the depths where the fish are laying without continuously dragging the bottom and hanging on rocks as is experienced when using a sinking stick bait. When employing heavier line it is advisable to use a stick bait with very good action. While it is more due to a function of weight and drag coefficient between lure and line, some speculate the action of the lure will divert the fish’s attention from heavy line. The truth is that fish generally can’t see well enough to see your line; however, they can see the shadow cast by the line as it streams through the water. This is what scares trout. So, it is advisable to utilize heavier line on dim, overcast days or in the dim early morning and late evening light and switch to lighter line during the brighter part of the day. A word of advice on heavy fishing line – while the new braided superlines have superior tensile strength over that of monofilament due to the woven gel-spun polyethylene fibers, those same braided fibers also provide for water penetration and thus, ice crystal formation in below-freezing temperatures. So, while use of this type of line in moderately cold temperatures can be an enormous strength advantage, in extremely cold temperatures it is functionally prohibitive. One final environmental factor of which to be aware is that some fly-fishing purists will turn their noses up at you when you throw that big Rapala hog zinging across the river. As they reel in their 14 incher they will likewise turn up their nose as you reel in a 10 pound Brown with your heavy weight rod and reel. But there aren’t too many of us hillbilly anglers that subscribe to elitist fishing ideologies. Fish and let fish, I always say.

This winter I hope you take the time to introduce a child to the outdoors by taking them fishing. It is a beautiful time of the year in the woods and at the water. It is never too late to help a young person begin to understand the true cycle of life and our responsibility to participate in it as a part of the whole. Good luck, be safe, and get a big one.

Recipe - Southern Squirrel Stew

~ 2 - 3 squirrels
~ salt
~ pepper
~ Adolph's meat tenderizer
~ oil
~ 1 bag frozen mixed vegetables
~ 1 - 18 oz jar Heinz chicken gravy
~ 1 - 2 cans Pillsbury buttermilk biscuits


Heat the oil in a large skillet.

Rub the squirrel with the Adolph's. Season to taste with the salt and pepper.

Add to the skillet and cook on high until browned on all sides. Flip as needed.

Remove the meat and place in a crock pot. Add 1 inch of water and cook on high 3 - 4 hours or until meat starts to fall off the bone.

Remove the meat and allow to cool. Save the water/broth if you want thinner gravy.

Remove the meat from the bones and return to crock pot.

Add the veggies, gravy and broth if desired. Stir together.

Cook on high 1 1/2 hours or until hot.

Serve over buttermilk biscuits.

Enjoy.

Squirrels in the big timber

Several years ago I had blood work done at Doc Carnett’s office in Salem. When I went to get the results Doc dropped an informational packet in my lap. Over the top of his glasses frame he looked at me with that piercing, serious stare and in his serious voice he said, “Read it and live it.” It was a low fat diet. “NO WAY!”, I remember thinking to myself. He knew my family health history and apparently my eating habits were not to his liking. Only Doc could get away with telling you what to do as opposed to asking and he told me to quit consuming so much red meat. Apparently my cholesterol was right on the cusp of being too high and I was only in my early 20’s. After some serious discussion about what I could and couldn’t eat I asked him, “What about wild meat – deer, turkey, squirrel, rabbit, etc.?” He replied, “All you want, just don’t fry it.” Problem solved. I consume as much wild meat as possible. In between fall deer and spring turkey seasons squirrel is a tasty change of pace that is easy to find, healthy to eat, and cheap to hunt, not to mention fun.

Squirrel season extends from the 3rd Saturday in May through the following February 15th. The bag limit is 6 and the possession limit is 12. Both gray squirrels and red fox squirrels are legal to take. As far as eating is concerned, young gray squirrels are the best. Because of their smaller size you need more to make a meal but they are much tenderer when prepared.

Methods for hunting squirrels vary. Some of the most fun hunting you will ever pursue is hunting squirrels with a good squirrel dog. Some of the best squirrel hunting dogs are Feist and Cur breeds. They make good pets and can even be trained as well-mannered house pets. I believe house squirrel dogs bond better with their masters and give more in the woods while hunting than their outside dog counterparts. Since they spend more time around their human masters they respond better to verbal commands and more fully understand what their masters want. I know some will not agree however my kids want a house dog and I’m vying for a Feist. Another more predominant method is still hunting. In the Ozarks the squirrel population is adequate enough to still-hunt in the big timber and have a lot of action and the opportunity to limit-out. In normal years big oak flats and ridges are great opportunities to still-hunt for squirrels. 2009 – 2010 season has proved a little more difficult because to the spotty acorn mast. However, they are out there.

Adequate firearms for squirrel hunting range from the 12 gauge shotgun to the .22 magnum rifle. The newer .17’s are also proving to be quite good squirrel guns. For my purposes the .22 long rifle is the caliber of choice and the most economical. The subsonic ammunition variants provide all the velocity needed at a greatly reduced noise level, thus spooking fewer non-targeted squirrels into their dens. At around $0.07 per round, if you shoot straight your limit can be had for as little as $0.42. When compared to $5.00 for hamburger or $7.00 for pork chops on average for a family of 4 it becomes a pretty good economic choice as well as nutritional choice. For folks and youth who prefer a shotgun the .410 is a great choice but much more expensive to shoot. For our very young beginners the small, inexpensive, and accurate Cricket and Chipmunk .22 rifles are great choices that are readily available at the local sporting goods store.

Squirrel hunting– easy to learn and teach, cheap to outfit, fun to hunt, and good to eat, what more could you ask for? One of my favorite recipes for squirrel is Southern Squirrel Stew. For the recipe visit my blog at www.natureseconomy.blogspot.com. It’s a tasty recipe that is not fried so it passes the Doc Carnett litmus test and he would be proud of me. Hope you enjoy it. Remember, in Nature’s Economy the food is more or less free and replenishes itself when properly conserved. Take the kids to the woods and introduce them to ‘free living designed by Mother Nature.’ Good luck, be safe, and get a big one.

Christmas Rabbits

Listening to beagles run on a cold, crisp winter afternoon is a great way to create a life-long memory that will stand tall in a child’s eyes for many years to come when they reflect back on Christmases past. If, at your family Christmas gathering, dinner is served early and you either live in a rural area or have quick access to a rural area briar patch, that span of time between Christmas dinner and dark, when most others are exhausted from the huge meal, is a great time to turn out the dogs. Not only will you work off some turkey gravy but the excitement of watching a beagle race with cottontail rabbits and then the satisfaction of harvesting the following day’s dinner, is an experience that the young will ask to repeat time and time again. And for the beagles, well, they are ready to go any time the dog box is opened in the back of the truck.

Beagles - what a completely happy-go-lucky, up-beat, and loyal breed. Short in stature, warm in demeanor, and large in perseverance, beagles will bawl at a rabbit’s trail all afternoon and then, after your long days hunt, they will jump in your lap in front of a warm fire and lay there all evening. When it comes to beagles if you are a dog lover then true happiness comes in multiples - the more the merrier. Hunting, while still possible with only one good beagle, is much more exciting and faster paced with multiple dogs. Likewise at the fire in the evening if you have several beagles competing for lap-time, between dogs jumping, tails wagging and tongues licking, it can be quite a trying experience! It’s similar to many young children all trying to get under the Christmas tree at the same time on Christmas morning.

Speaking of children, Christmas trees and presents, mixing Christmas vacation with hunting creates a great opportunity for a new hunting shotgun or rifle as a gift under the Christmas tree. A young person never forgets that first .22 rifle or .410 shotgun. The excitement is even sweeter when the recipient gets to use the gun the same day they get it. Some very inexpensive (as far as firearms go) yet sturdy examples of youth firearms for rabbit hunting include Rossi or New England Firearms .410 shotgun - .22 rifle combos, Cricket .22 rifles, Chipmunk .22 rifles, and many others. It is best to fit your child to the gun just as you would a pair of pants or shoes. Different brands have different youth sized stocks and so ‘trying on a new gun’ at the local sporting goods store is the best way to find the perfect fit.

A new perfectly fitted Christmas .22 rifle, a child bundled up in their hunting garb, beagles running, snow softly falling - what great excitement and what a great foundation for a Christmas tradition for years to come. This year rabbit season runs from October 1st through February 15. The bag limit is 6 and the possession limit is 12. With a limit that liberal opportunities abound for spending time in the outdoors hunting with friends and family. This winter I encourage you to take your child rabbit hunting with a pack of good beagles. It’s an experience both the children and you will forever cherish. The kids will want to go back again and again.

In closing, as a collector of valuable thoughts and sayings one of my favorites is the quote: “All that we are we will pass on to our children - our loves, our hopes, our dreams, our character. Therefore let your thoughts be planted in rich soil and let your actions stand tall in a child’s eyes. Just as fruit does not fall far from the tree, children do not stray far from their heroes.” As an outdoorsman with unsurpassed love for Nature’s Economy and the circle of life, I encourage each of you to introduce a child to the Great Outdoors. Remember, as their role model and their hero, children will emulate your example for the rest of their lives. Merry Christmas, good luck, be safe, and get a big one.

New Years in the Great Outdoors

Want a change from the run-of-the-mill New Years celebration? How about hitting Nature’s reset button and getting in touch with the real foundation to this life? Spend your New Years in the Great Outdoors. An ultimately peaceful star-filled sky on a crisp winter night along a river bank in the Ozark wilderness is a lesson in solitude that can be learned nowhere else. You have to feel it to understand. After the midnight buzz dies down, the children turn in and the wilderness becomes deafeningly quiet. If not for the sound of the river forever surging on, the occasional lonely coyote in distance, and the crackling of the campfire, one can almost feel the utter stillness of the winter wilderness. But make no mistake, the wilderness is not asleep and old man winter will, more than likely, throw some cold yet refreshing chills your way.

This is not a camping trip for the ill-prepared or faint of heart. The elements, like Nature itself, are beautiful yet completely indifferent to the comforts of man. With children it is easiest to use a camper with a furnace; however, in years past I have taken friends and family along in the wall tent with a wood stove and managed to stay very dry and warm. It is a tremendous effort but it is also a tremendously gratifying experience to be able to barter with Mother Nature on her terms. Sleeping bags are best if rated to 0°F. Army Surplus Extreme Cold variants are very adequate for this type of camping. An air mattress to get you off the ground is also a great way to insulate yourself from the heat-draining ground. Clothing needs to be worn in layers. Warm underclothes under layers of wool or modern thermal insulated clothing are best. Those layers of clothing will keep your backside warm after midnight as you sit at the campfire breathing in the crisp night air, searching the star-filled sky and contemplating worthy New Years resolutions.

In Nature’s Economy, tuning in the Designer on New Years provides for resolutions that seem to have a higher calling with deeper meaning and more far reaching personal and worldly impact. Likewise, vivid understandings of powerful quotes jump into the conscience, such as a line in a quote by Dean Alfange, “I refuse to barter incentive for a dole, I prefer the challenges of life to the guaranteed existence; the thrill of fulfillment to the stale calm utopia.” While written to apply to man’s economy, in Nature’s Economy it is just as applicable. A camping trip on New Years Eve is as much a challenge as you will find in the Ozarks. And it is rewarding beyond your imagination. Not to mention fun when you consider the outdoor activities you might pursue. Trapping, hunting, and fishing are all on the menu through the New Years holiday. With children, a two or three day camping and fishing trip is generally the easiest and most fun for the kids. Not to mention the fact that the cold part of the year is the best time to catch a big trout in the river or lake.

This year I encourage you to try something new. Get out of the New Years rut and open yourself to Mother Nature’s New Years party. It will bring pause to the soul that is constantly exposed to the hustle and bustle of society. Start a tradition for a young child away from the video games and TV. Expose them to the foundation of life and society in Nature’s Economy. I hope to hear many wonderful stories from children who got a change of pace and a new experience on the eve of 2010. Good luck, be safe, and get a big one.