NIGHT LIGHT at Grandma’s
June 26, 2017By Larry Whitely The warm early summer day is ending. The bright orange sun slowly begins sinking to the earth. It’s been a long, hectic day at work and I step outside to begin winding down. I love watching sunsets and sunrises. A lone whip-poor-will calls from the nearby woods testing ... Read More >>Kayakety Yak – Maneuvering, Fishing, Funning & Rigging, (Part 2 of 2)
June 22, 2017Certain optional kayak gear is handy and necessary. Customize your fishing kayak for comfort and function. By Jim Low With a new Kayak, there are quite a few features to look for, understand and think about. Here are some of the features that are important to me: ADJUSTABLE SEATS & FOOT BRACES Before writing a ... Read More >>Summer Walleyes in the Heat of Summer, NO PROBLEM!
June 21, 2017By Brent Frazee Think about the very worst conditions for walleye fishing. High noon. A hot sun beating down. Temperatures in the low 90s. A blue sky, with hardly a cloud in sight. That about covers it, doesn’t it? So why was Les Jarman, a longtime guide, so optimistic that he and his friend, ... Read More >>Kayakety Yak – Maneuvering, Fishing, Funning & Rigging, (Part 1 of 2)
June 13, 2017These craft are made to order for fishing small and remote waters. You will never go back to aluminum canoes once you’ve fished from a kayak. You can customize a fishing kayak for anything. By Jim Low Ask anyone who has fished an Ozark stream (or anywhere) in a kayak, and you are likely ... Read More >>Stalking Cypress Trout
June 7, 2017There may by has no harder-fighting fish, even in Missouri! This one’s not for the fish fry. The “Grinnell’s” ancestors swam with dinosaurs. By Jim Low Ask a dozen Missouri anglers what the Show-Me State’s hardest-fighting fish is, and you probably will hear the smallmouth bass mentioned. Stripers and hybrid striped bass will ... Read More >>A DIFFERENT KIND OF FATHER’S DAY GIFT LIST
June 5, 2017By Larry Whiteley I know there are lots of Father’s Day gift lists out there and you’re probably being bombarded with all kinds of ads and people telling you what to get. Take a little time to read this though, and it could be the best Father’s Day that dad has ... Read More >>Sandbar Hunting – Discovery, Ancestors, Archaeology
May 31, 2017A great way to spend a post-flood summer. The Missouri River is a conveyor belt for fossils and artifacts. Finding bits of the past is like stepping onto a time machine. By Jim Low A wetter-than-average spring has the Missouri River bank-full today, but it’s only a matter of time until it falls to ... Read More >>Black Powder Bushytails
May 24, 2017Made to order method for early-season squirrel hunting. Muzzleloaders lend new excitement to the old game of squirrel hunting. Where to go, What to do, How to call, Packing your game sack. By Jim Low With turkey season in the rearview mirror and Memorial Day just around the corner, Missouri hunters’ thoughts naturally turn ... Read More >>Hot Fish Bite in the Rainy Ozarks
May 20, 2017Bass, Crappie, Trout Turning On Guides and Resort Owners Report GOOD Catches High Water Offers Some Silver Lining By Brent Frazee April showers brought more than May flowers in the Ozarks. They brought near-record flooding and a mess that residents are still trying to clean up. That’s the bad news. There’s also plenty of good news. Though reservoirs ... Read More >>SPOT & STALK TURKEY HUNTING
May 19, 2017Effective, but BE VERY CAREFUL Recommended ONLY ON PRIVATE, SECURED LAND Tactics & Techniques By Tyer Mahoney Heavy rain and wind can put the turkeys in a funk where they don’t gobble or respond to calls. Severe rain can wash out nests, which means hens must breed again, thus prolonging the “henned up” effect ... Read More >>God Save the King!
May 17, 2017King Monarch Butterflies Weigh 1/20th as Much as Hummingbirds, but Migrate Just As Far. How You Can Help Ensure the Future of the Monarch Butterfly Milkweed Plants Are The Essential Key By Jim Low “Acts of creation are ordinarily reserved for gods and poets, but humbler folk may circumvent this restriction if they know ... Read More >>WHERE TO FIND MISSOURI JACK SALMON
May 16, 2017Secrets to Finding and Catching Jack Salmon Hot Lures can be Simple Lures When They Work Missouri Fishing With a Special Friend By Larry Whiteley Many years ago during a beautiful spring in the Missouri Ozarks, a good friend of mine, Bob Nelson, invited me to go fishing with him for a fish ... Read More >>Bobbing Tails & Black Scales
May 10, 2017How two very different species found homes in our homes This tale of two species has a happy ending We are all part of Aldo Leupold’s “Land Mechanism” at work By Jim Low You step out your front door to walk the dog before bedtime, and are startled by a flutter of departing ... Read More >>Turkey Flocks Weather the Missouri Rainstorm
May 3, 2017Last weekend’s deluge won’t cut too deeply into this year’s production. Expect normal breeding behavior for the rest of the season. By Jim Low Like everyone else, I was astonished at how much rain fell on southern Missouri over the past weekend, and I was riveted by news of the flooding it caused. ... Read More >>Finding a Place to Deer Hunt
May 2, 2017Where to Look and Why You Need to START NOW By Larry Whiteley I know it’s a long time until fall, but if you don’t have your own land to hunt or know somebody that will let you hunt on their land, or have a deer hunting lease; now is the time ... Read More >>One of Too Few
May 1, 2017One Man Trout Angler, Fly-Tyer, Wisdom-Provider Roaring River State Park Trout Secrets Tim’s Fly Shop – Fishing Advice for the Day By David Gray Opening the door to Tim’s Fly Shop, I walked onto “I Tie Flies” Boulevard. Grinning without knowing it, I somehow felt a new twang of destiny on my side, positive ... Read More >>Scrumptious Wild Turkey Cookery
April 26, 2017Wild Turkey is as Versatile as Domestic Poultry Don’t Hesitate to Try Something New This Turkey Parmesan Recipe is Easy for Hunters By Jim Low Rain and wind made hunting conditions less than ideal for the first week of this year’s spring turkey season in Missouri. As a result, I wasn’t feeling choosy when ... Read More >>College Team Bass Fishing – Lake of the Ozarks is “On-Fire!”
April 21, 2017Kansas State Collegiate Bass Team A Day in the Life of a College Angler Tournament Planning in Calculus Class By Hunter Whiteley My partner and I took 11 days to fish the B.A.S.S. Carhartt College series Midwest regional and the FLW regional. At Lake of the Ozarks, all I can say is, “The ... Read More >>Conservation Goes to the Capitol
April 19, 2017Annual Event Reminds Lawmakers that Constituents Care About Nature. Hunters, Anglers, Bird-Watchers, Hikers, Campers Missouri Hunters for Fair Chase By Jim Low We often hear that politicians in Washington, D.C., live in a “bubble,” where only lobbyists and other power brokers matter. The same is true in Jefferson City, Missouri, where state lawmakers sometimes ... Read More >>Spring Fever, a Highly Contagious Disease in Missouri
April 18, 2017Turkey Hunting Crappie Fishing, Bass Fishing Exploring, Camping, Hiking, Canoeing Morel Hunting By Brent Frazee Once the weather warms, the fish and wild turkeys start stirring, morels starting popping up, the redbud and dogwoods trees bud out. It’s time to head outdoors! Where? Here are some places in Missouri where spring is in full display. TURKEY HUNTING AT ... Read More >>Aging Turkeys, by the Numbers
April 12, 2017Older gobblers aren’t always bigger, but their spurs are. Keep an outdoor journal, like building a time machine. By Jim Low Math has never been my strong suit, but a recent trip down memory lane sent me reaching for pencil, paper and a calculator. As I often do when a hunting season approaches, ... Read More >>Giant Paddlefish Make “Show-Me” Memories
April 11, 2017By Brent Frazee Welcome to fishing’s version of blue-collar labor. You won’t find wrapped bass boats, glitzy weigh-in ceremonies or fishing jerseys filled with patches here. Neither will you find bait buckets, ultralight rods or tackle boxes filled with the latest lures. When you go paddlefish snagging, life is really quite simple. You rig ... Read More >>Early Smallmouths – Tricks, Lessons, Lore and Fun
April 5, 2017Learning where and how to catch early-season smallmouth bass on the middle Gasconade River We shoulda’ been there tomorrow! By Jim Low April is, indeed, the cruelest month for those of us who live to wade-fish for smallmouth bass in skinny water. Small streams that teem with bronzebacks in July are strangely empty ... Read More >>Morel Tales to Tell a Spring Story
March 29, 2017Mushroom season is almost here. It’s likely to be earlier than usual. But if you are still seeing these flowers, it’s probably not here yet. By Jim Low Mushroom season is almost here, and as usual, I got the itch to hunt for them weeks ahead of their appearance. My rational side told me ... Read More >>Fire!
March 22, 2017It’s not a four-letter word if you are trying to maintain high-quality habitat. It’s a prescription for healthy wildlife By Jim Low They probably didn’t understand the role of fire in nutrient cycling, but they knew that fire renewed landscapes. They might not have known that periodic removal of dead vegetation from ground ... Read More >>Meeting the Next Challenge: Chronic Wasting Disease
March 15, 2017
• Once again, it’s time for Missourians to stand up for wild resources
• White-tail Deer Herd in Trouble
• Missouri Constitution Change Required, Needs Voter Help
By Jim Low
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
The growing menace posed by chronic wasting disease (CWD), if left unchecked, will ultimately destroy ... Read More >>CFM ANNOUNCES 2017 CONSERVATIONIST OF THE YEAR
March 14, 2017
by Larry Whiteley
Bob and Barb Kipfer were honored with the 2017 Conservationist of the Year Award by the Conservation Federation of Missouri at their annual awards banquet held March 10th in Jefferson City, MO.
Bob, a military veteran, and his wife Barb are both retired medical professionals who live in Springfield, ... Read More >>Missouri Hunters Share the Bounty
March 8, 2017
• Feeding the hungry is a public-private partnership everyone can get behind.
By Jim Low
It started out small. In 1991, the Columbia Area Archers (CAA) organized an effort to share Missouri’s growing white-tailed deer bounty with indigent families. Archers who took part in the Charitable Deer Meat Donation Program that year ... Read More >>Border Collies vs. Tiger Poop
February 28, 2017
Deer are well-nourished in many American yards, but a herding dog, such as a border collie,
could be the solution if deer are damaging your landscape. Photo courtesy of MDC
• Deer Problem: Deer Love Shrubs and Seedlings
• Dogs Love to Chase Deer
• Secret Fence and Dog Collar = Solution
By Jim Low
The ... Read More >>Opening Day Trout Fishing is Just Ahead
February 21, 2017
Fishing the Opener is Tradition
Opening Day Fishing, About Making Memories
Memories With Friends Last for All Time
By Brent Frazee
When Chet Snyder had a seizure in the winter of 2015, he had one pressing question for his doctor.
“Can I go fishing two days from now?”
Understand, this was no ordinary fishing trip. Snyder ... Read More >>Winter Trout – Another Kind of Madness!
February 15, 2017
Trophy Trout, Trophy Memories
Trophy Science and Management
Lilley’s Landing is Popular Spot for Annual Trout Trek
By Jim Low
In most of the United States, “March Madness” refers to basketball. In Missouri, the term has a whole different meaning for trout anglers. March 1 marks the opening of the regular fishing season at ... Read More >>Shed the Winter Blahs
February 8, 2017
…by hunting antlers (Jim Low)
I needed to get out of the house yesterday, so I took a brisk, 3-mile walk on trails at the Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) Runge Nature Center in Jefferson City. At one point, I spied half a dozen deer. The three bucks were easy ... Read More >>Mountain Lions in Missouri
February 1, 2017
Female Cat Noted in Shannon County
Increasing Number of Reported Sightings
Ozarks May be Perfect Wilderness Nesting Area
By Jim Low
A famous author once said, “If you build it…”, you know the rest.
Some of the brightest and darkest moments in conservation history have been the result of “unintended consequences.” The attempt to ... Read More >>Duck Ship of Fools
January 25, 2017
Fog, Friends, Food, Fun – All About Duck Hunting
Farms Ponds Frozen, Search Reservoirs for Quacker’s
Using Google Maps and Digital Reckoning
By Jim Low
Like a faithless lover, duck hunting is hard to give up on. I, along with many other Missouri waterfowlers, wrote off the 2016-2017 duck season as a bad ... Read More >>Midwinter Flickers and Colorful Woodpeckers
January 18, 2017
We Watch Wildlife and Learn About Nature
Sunflower Seeds Bring Birds to You in Winter
It’s a Great Year for the Birds!
By Jim Low
What do you suppose is the most popular wildlife-based activity in Missouri and nationwide? If you guessed deer hunting or bass fishing, you missed the mark. The U.S. Fish ... Read More >>(No) Duck, (No) Duck, Goose
January 12, 2017
Abundant Honkers Offer Nice Compromise
How to Find a Goose Pond
Tasting the Bounty, a Great Recipe
By Jim Low
I admire perseverance as much as the next guy, but at some point in a dismal duck season, a sensible person cuts his losses and finds something else to do. If the alternative ... Read More >>Ugly Ducking: Hunting Show or Hunting Porn?
January 4, 2017
New Shotshells DO Shoot Farther and Kill – BE CAREFUL
Hunt for the Camaraderie, the Excitement, the Deep Spiritual Meaning
By Jim Low
I don’t ordinarily watch hunting shows on television, but the Hunt Channel caught me in a weak moment. I’m still coming to terms with the fact that my 2016 duck ... Read More >>Dogs, Rabbits and Smith & Wesson
December 21, 2016
Labs, Beagles & Bassets
Secret, Succulent Rabbit Recipe
By Jim Low
My friend Dave Urich has hunted rabbits behind beagles since childhood. He has always loved the music of baying hounds, but he doesn’t enjoy racing to rescue freshly shot bunnies from a pack of crazed canines. He has never succeeded in ... Read More >>Dogs, Rabbits and Smith & Wesson
December 21, 2016
Labs, Beagles & Bassets
Secret, Succulent Rabbit Recipe
By Jim Low
My friend Dave Urich has hunted rabbits behind beagles since childhood. He has always loved the music of baying hounds, but he doesn’t enjoy racing to rescue freshly shot bunnies from a pack of crazed canines. He has never succeeded in ... Read More >>Short Corn, the Silver Bullet for Duck Hunters?
December 14, 2016
Missouri Harvests Reported Low
Location, Location, Location…Short Corn
Weather Factors are Key
By Jim Low
Last week I attended a meeting of the Conservation Federation’s board of directors, a group that includes quite a few duck hunters. While we were waiting for the meeting to start, we convened a neoprene caucus to compare notes ... Read More >>Deer Hunting with Friends is Tradition
November 30, 2016
Missouri Deer Magic
Mentoring – Builds Character, Humility
Camaraderie, Friendship, Fun
Organic Meat for the Freezer
By Jim Low
One of the things I love about deer hunting in Missouri is its democratic nature. With 2.5 million acres of public hunting land managed by the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and the USDA Forest ... Read More >>Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) – Part 2
November 25, 2016
Arkansas and Missouri News
Fenced Enclosure Deer add to Cause
Spread by Infected Proteins called Prions
Eradication Not Possible
Healthy Deer Could Become RARE
By Jim Low
I hate to think about how the spread of chronic wasting disease (CWD) will change the rich deer hunting tradition of Missouri. This month’s issue of Arkansas Wildlife, published ... Read More >>Targeting Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD)
November 23, 2016
Learn What It Is, What It Means
By Jim Low
Last weekend, Missouri hunters brought 19,200 deer to 75 stations set up by the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) to gather tissue samples to be tested for chronic wasting disease (CWD). It was a huge effort that involved approximately 1,200 MDC employees ... Read More >>Green Timber Duck Hunting
November 16, 2016
-Fun, Tasty Harvest, Little Gear Needed
By Jim Low
One of the things I miss from time that I have spent in Arkansas is green-timber duck hunting. Missouri once had a considerable cypress-tupelo swamp in the southeastern corner of the state, but precious little of that is left. What remains is a ... Read More >>Just Doodling, Timber-Doodling
November 9, 2016
-Woodcock Hunting is a Challenge
-Flushes, Shots, Missouri Fun
By Jim Low
It isn’t my favorite game bird – that would be the wild turkey. Nor is it the most delicious I’ve ever eaten – that would the rock ptarmigan. But for a wingshooting challenge, my hands-down favorite is the American woodcock. If ... Read More >>Going to Ground – All about Hunting Blinds
November 2, 2016
–Ground Blinds offer Advantages of Comfort and Safety
-Low cost, Protection from Weather
By Jim Low
A while back, a friend invited me to hunt deer on his property. When I asked if he had a tree stand I could hunt from, or if I needed to bring my own, he said he ... Read More >>Teeing Off for Bass
October 27, 2016
-Lake of the Ozarks and Old Kinderhook Golf Course COMBO
-Meet Dion Hibdon and many other Pro Bass Anglers
-Affordable Tickets for Meet & Greet/Banquet, Open to Public
By Brent Frazee
So, what do bass fishing and golf have in common?
Not a lot if you’re Dion Hibdon, a nationally known pro bass fisherman. Except ... Read More >>Crossbow Deer
October 25, 2016
-Boundless Potential
-Youth Replenished for Aging Hunters
By Jim Low
Only 7 a.m., and my mind already wandered. The temperature was in the low 40s, not bad for bowhunting in early October. I was excited about being in my favorite tree stand, 20 yards from the intersection of two deer trails, a creek ... Read More >>Last Chance for Missouri Parks, Soil and Water
October 19, 2016
-Don’t let disgust with politics rob you and your children of productive soil, healthy water and outdoor fun
-Support the low cost tax
By Jim Low
With Election Day looming, it’s time to revisit a topic covered on this page in recent months. Don’t panic! This isn’t about Trump or Clinton. It’s about ... Read More >>Missouri State Parks – Show Me a Sign!
October 5, 2016
If you have visited one of Missouri’s 88 state parks and historic sites recently, you probably know that our park system – just like the national parks system – is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. That’s good timing, because in a little more than a month Missourians will vote ... Read More >>Close Encounters of the Bird Kind
September 7, 2016
It’s amazing what you see if you take time to be there for natural events.
A while back, as I sat working on an article, two hummingbirds were playing keep-away with the nectar feeder outside my office window. One would be peacefully sipping away when the other would scream in from ... Read More >>“Show Me”- Quest for Personal Best Bass
September 6, 2016
Ozarks – Part III
“What goes around comes around.”
Many people believe in that statement and follow a path in life that subscribes to that way of thinking. To a certain extent, it worked for Scott Pauley and me during our recent visit to the “Show Me” State in and around Lake ... Read More >>Hunter Preparations – Mixed Bag
August 30, 2016
-Doves, Ducks and Deer are sure to be on hunters’ minds this week
-Missouri Hunters Smile and Say, “Whata’ We Hunting Today?”
We made it! The long dry spell for hunting is nearly over, and Show-Me State hunters once again will be savoring the piquant smell of burned gunpowder and the twang ... Read More >>Lake of the Ozarks – Part 2
August 23, 2016Ozarks Attractions Abound Above and Beneath the Water, and Below the Ground Too Leaving Alhonna Resort on the shores of Lake of the Ozarks was bittersweet. We felt we had only scratched the surface and we begged for more as we pulled away in our Chevy Tahoe. The Tahoe was made ... Read More >>When Fish Don’t Bite
August 18, 2016
Once-in-a-Lifetime Experiences Can Happen
I’m not the world’s greatest angler. The average outing sees me catch few fish and small ones at that. Not infrequently, I catch none at all. That’s how I came to be an expert in what to do when fish aren’t biting.
A recent trip is a case ... Read More >>Lake of the Ozarks Region
August 17, 2016
Water Sports, Family Fun, Quiet Fishing, Orange Sunsets and More
Growing up in the “Land of the Ozarks” had to offer a certain amount of inspiration for the band, Ozark Mountain Daredevils. After a recent visit to Central Missouri, we could certainly relate to the lyrics of their song. We could ... Read More >>Zinging Meteorites in August Night Sky
August 15, 2016
Spectacular Perseid Meteor Showers
Extraordinary Celestial Moments
As an indifferent star-gazer at best, I am naturally skeptical about astronomy geek predictions of “spectacular” celestial events. They usually leave me wondering why I got up at 2:00 a.m. and risked mosquito or frostbite for sights that turned out to be ho-hum.
Last night, ... Read More >>Beat the Heat: Catch a Trout
July 12, 2016
Trout Parks in Missouri
This is the time of year when the only way to enjoy time outdoors is to have all or part of your body immersed in water. It’s the perfect time of year to immerse yourself in one of Missouri’s many trout waters.
The Show-Me State has a wealth ... Read More >>Smallmouth Changes in Wind for Missouri Anglers
June 29, 2016
Trophy Fish, Regular Fish, Fun Fishing and Healthy Fishery is Goal
At their regular meeting on June 24, the Missouri Conservation Commission heard a staff presentation that leads me to believe that change is in the air for smallmouth bass anglers.
The presentation covered research conducted in recent years, including surveys of ... Read More >>
