Hunting Opportunities in the Ozarks courtesy of 724Outdoors.com

Don Schnable of 724outdoors.com shared the following:
The hunting on the Corp of Engineers property surrounding the Bull Shoals & Norfork Lakes and tributaries, combined with the Mark Twain Forest and Devils Backbone Wildlife Area is outstanding. The Missouri Department of Conservation, Arkansas Fish and Wildlife, and Corp of Engineers have numerous game plots with crops planted to attract game scattered throughout the areas mentioned. Some are accessible via motor vehicles, on foot, and by boat. I also have 48 pieces of private property that is available to my clients. They can be hunted with or without guides furnished by SCE.

Maps detailing the locations are available with no charge at the outlets for the fore mentioned agencies. The trick is to know which ones are active during the trip you are planning. My guides and I keep an active journal on the proper feed plots.

Right now Turkey are active and easily hunted. Archery deer season is also in full swing. The areas are teaming with these trophy's.

Another sought after game is one that must be controlled or the other species will be reduced drastically. This animal has migrated from the south and is doing great damage. I am speaking of the feral pigs. There is no limit on the number of animals that you can harvest. They are good table fare and we have local butchers who will dress these animals out for you. Excess kills will be cleaned by us and donated to designated needy organizations and/or individuals.

Waterfowl season dates are from November 24th through January 31st. This a prime area to hunt. The secret is to have the right places. I will gladly take you on a guided hunt at any number of places. You will not be disappointed.

I will be more than happy to arrange any accommodations that you and/or a group would need.

Autumn in the Ozarks

FALL is a great time for trout fishing, since there are usually fewer people on the water. The water is low and we still have some cabins available for Thanksgiving.

Today's Elk Report and a video to share

This from Michael Daugherty of the Buffalo River Chamber of Commerce:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4Pb_s1SG1o

Mandy took this video of a REAL bull fight on Saturday. It should be of interest to your customers. This was her first time trying to video anything. I feel like the bass pro that takes his wife fishing and she catches the state record. These fights don't come alongvery often -- I see maybe 2 a year, some years I don't see any.

September Elk Viewing Report

This year so far the very best elk viewing has been in the south end of Boxley Valley in the field north of Smith Creek.

I continue to update the viewing map (every day so far). You can access my daily reports on Blogger:

http://arkansaswildlifephotography.blogger.com

The One That Got Away

Everybody that trout fishes knows it takes more than just hooking a big one to be able to say you brought it in and caught it...
Here is an actual e-mail from a recent fisherman about an elusive big brown:


I forgot to mention, last Friday my 84 yr old dad hooked a 30 inch brown trout (had to have gone 18-20 lbs) 10 yards off your bank, down by your dirt boat ramp, maybe 20 yards upstream of the rock breakwater. We kept the brown in calm water, not wanting him to get out into the faster moving water....I was afraid of getting the line cut by the boat motor prop....The fish would take line, then my dad would retrieve most of it, a real back and forth battle....My dad fought it for 15 minutes before the hook came loose from the brown's mouth. Didn't break the 6 lb test or lose the black 1/8 oz jig (PJ's Jigs - the only bait we use - she lives in Fayetteville). It was the most exciting 15 mintes of our lives....would have bested my 9 lb 26 in long brown I caught just below the dam in 1994.

Something to tell your customers....he's still out there....the brown, not my dad...but we'll be back in May....

One of Those Magical Fall Days

I just got word that the 2011 Elk Rut has officially begun. The news coincided with a much longed-for change in the weather from "hellish hot" to "almost chilly".
It brings to mind one of those magical fall days from 2 years ago when we loaded everybody in the car and drove away from the resort on a quest to FIND THE ELK.
We'd heard about it; but needed to see for ourselves.
Armed with that day's information on where the elk were located and where we could easily view them and photograph them (courtesy of Michael Dougherty's ArkansasWildlifePhotography.com website) we vowed this would NOT be a wild goose chase.
After lunching on the Square in Jasper at the Ozark Cafe we continued on some of the most scenic routes paralleling the Buffalo River toward our intended destination. If you have never seen these magnificent creatures with your own eyes you simply must make plans to do so- add it to your "bucket list" for sure. This is an easy day trip from the resort and the color change rivals anything out east.

End of Summer Memories

 

Mary Beth's Big Labor Day Catch...
It was a team effort bringing this one in!
Thanks for sharing your picture with us.

Fish One Day- Golf the Next

TO ALL OF OUR FISHING & GOLFING ENTHUSIASTS~ If you already have plans to visit this autumn, or need a little more incentive to make a reservation...
BIG CREEK (on Golf Digest's Places to Play) is offering a fall promotion for visitors to the area: A round of golf with free range balls and free lunch from their Cart Menu. All for just $55 plus tax. Bought separately, that's about an $80 value. This offer is good Tuesdays - Saturdays from now until November 11. The required coupon can be printed from Big Creek's website or the Arkansas tourism website. Links to both sites and a link to their menu page showing the cart menu are all below.


http://www.arkansas.com/hotdeals/coupons/detail.asp?id=357

http://www.bigcreekgolf.com/html/publicrates.html

http://www.bigcreekgolf.com/html/menus.html