Family-Outdoors

We have put up a new forum over at our site, Family-Outdoors . The look and structure is very simple now, but we have in place the capability to rapidly enhance features and capabilities of we see sufficient interest. Rules will be simple... No spamming Outdoor Conversations No Politics Polite Conversation (defined as something you would feel comfortable saying in the presence of a young person as we want our forum to be safe for all ages) We hope you will check us out and we will see where it goes.

Deer hunting was a bust this year! We could not hunt the opening weekend of gun season because of a variety of unavoidable circumstances. We got out the second weekend and headed down to one of our favorite, if not most productive spots in the Ozarks. We hunted public land in an area we had hunted several years and always found good deer numbers. We packed in our climber stands and were up in our trees, separated by 150 yards or so, an hour before legal shooting hours. Around 10:00 some bozo comes smack dab through the area we are hunting. He tells my son, "Hey, I have hunted this area for 15 years and never seen another hunter so I guess I'll hunt here today." By the time he got to me, it had only been 10 years and he apologized for messing up our hunt. He then proceeded to a tree close enough to where I could have spit on him (and I should have). Discretion is the part of valor when all three people are heavily armed and one of them is your son. Consequently...

The MDC does such a great job in all respects and their website is also outstanding. We felt was a separate resource where hunters can access information organized by county might be a big help. This resource was developed as much as an aid to us as we do our research on hunting areas as for any other reason. We like to pick a county or two, and find conservation areas that have good species populations for that species. Of course after choosing an area, we visit the MDC site for that area to check on special regs in place. We do not feel we want to include the regs as they change often and we don't want to mislead someone into a ticket. This information can be accesses at Missouri Public Lands Hunting .

Image via Wikipedia General Information : Mark Twain National Forest is divided into nine main areas spread across southern Missouri. These areas make up a total of approximately 1.5 million acres. Approximately 100,000 of these acres are roadless and/or Wilderness/National Scenic Riverways acreage. Hunting is regulated on these lands by the Missouri Department of Conservation, although wildlife habitat is mostly managed by the USFS. Because regulations change, and areas can be redesignated, it is vital to make certain that you know the regulation in the areas you will hunt. For example, some areas allow horseback and/or ATV travel and a few do not. Options: Cedar Creek This area is approximately 15,000 acres and is the northernmost section of Mark Twain. It is also situated relatively closely to a sizable population center in Columbia and Jefferson City. Having said this, there are some good opportunities here. There are plenty of areas where a hunter ca...

Ok...yesterday did not have the feel of a winter trout fishing day. But, since the rifle deer season starts next week, we decided to hit one of the local non-park trout streams. We had a great time. I thought to inspire those who put the trout gear away when winter rolls around, I'd republish this article my son wrote on Winter Trout Fishing. David Mann Many trout fisherman choose to hang up their rods for the winter. That is a shame, because some of the best fishing of the year often occurs in the cool months. You will have to adapt to the conditions however, and that means some of your summertime methods will not work very well. The first thing to remember during in the wintertime is to fish slow. The fish do not need to eat a lot of food when the water is cold, so your lure, bait, or fly needs to appear to be easy to catch. Fast moving spinners, spoons, and streamers are not a good bet now. Generally, spin fisherman will do well with jigs, worms, and other live baits, and fly fi...

One of out favorite places in the Missouri Ozarks is the Irish Wilderness and the Eleven Point River. One enhancement to a trip is a study of the history of the area. This short video will wet the taste and we are sure the book is a great addition to anyone's library. For additional information on the area and book described visit this Review . * We are in no way affiliated with the authors or publishers of this book and have no financial interest in the book sales. Image via Wikipedia

Eleven Point River Near Greer Spring Probably with poor timing and even jumping the gun a bit, we have gotten off the ground a section at Family-Outdoors devoted to Trout Fishing in the Ozarks . The area will be broken into the sections titles Trout Parks , Freestone Rivers , Tailwaters , and Smaller Streams . We believe that this will be one of the few areas on the web where such a comprehensive treatment of these areas of Missouri and Arkansas and the trout fishing opportunities available. Comprehensive descriptions of the waters and the tackle and flies that will be effective will all be a part of this section. We hope it will be a highly used and helpful resource!

Regardless of where you are at in your whitetail deer hunting career, there are a few basic steps that you should know or perhaps review, prior to your hunting endeavors this year. If you are new to this sport, these ideas may be new to you. If you are experienced, perhaps reviewing these will be of benefit to you. 1. Scent Control While this can be taken to any level of extremes, I guess you really cannot be too careful with regard to this matter. Some basic steps you can take include the following things. • Do not wear the clothes you will be in while hunting until you are heading into field. • Consider keeping your clothes in some form of scent proof bags until you get out of your vehicle (or camper, tent, cabin, etc.) and then slip them on just as you are ready to head out. Don’t get up and cook breakfast for example and then wear these clothes to the field. • Remember this for sure; do not wear the boots you will wear in the field until heading out in the field. On that point...

Missouri ’s Little Piney Creek is a little known stream, but it is one of the best wild trout streams in the state. Rising high in the Ozark Mountains , this creek starts as a small, ice cold trickle, and it gradually becomes a small river that holds hundreds of trout per mile. This stream is a wade-fisherman’s dream. Often too low to float, it provides a quiet area to target wild rainbows. In all, about 10 miles of stream holds trout, but the creek changes drastically along its course. Read more on this pretty stream at Little Piney

By: David Mann The littlest known trout fishery in the Ozark hills would definitely be the small wild trout streams that lace southern Missouri . These streams get very little pressure, and they provide excellent fishing. But they aren’t for everyone. It takes a lot of work, and a bit of skill to take these stream-bred trout. If you like easy fishing for hatchery raised trout, chances are you’ll only be frustrated. If you enjoy being on a quiet, natural stream, and catching trout on their own terms, you’ll really enjoy this type of fishing. Tactics are pretty universal for catching the wild rainbows that inhabit these small streams. In short, you want to imitate the natural food base. For that reason, if there’s a hatch, fly fisherman that are “matching the hatch”, will generally take more fish than others. When fish aren’t rising, spin fisherman, or fly anglers tossing streamers or nymphs will do quite well. In short, you have to know what the trout are feeding on at that part...

Fishing Missouri 's Forgotten Trout River - The Niangua River By Davidson Manning The Niangua River may be the most overlooked trout stream in the state of Missouri. It is widely known across the state as an excellent river for floating and smallmouth bass fishing, but the trout fishery is little known. Most area trout anglers only fish in the Niangua River's tributary , Bennett Spring Branch . Image by Renee May via Flickr Above Bennett Spring Branch, the Niangua is a typical warm-water fishery. Smallmouth bass fishing is very good, but few trout are present. It is the cooling flows from Bennett Spring that make the river into a true trout stream. For eleven miles, the water is cool enough to hold year-round populations of rainbow and brown trout . Both species are stocked regularly. The Niangua River isn't like other trout streams in the Ozarks . First of all, it just doesn't look like a trout stream. The river is big, and it usually isn't very clear. Also, th...

Trout Fishing in the Ozark Mountains By Davidson Manning One thing is for sure. There is no shortage of trout streams in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri and Arkansas . Some are spring-fed rivers and creeks. These provide everything from daily stocked put and take fishing for gullible trout, to the pursuit of wild rainbows in a pretty spring creek. There are also trophy brown trout streams that can and do produce stream grown trout in the ten pound range. In all, there are eighteen spring-fed streams in the Ozarks that are managed for year-round trout fishing, seventeen of which are in Missouri. All have public access. Of these, the freestone section of the North Fork of the White is often considered to be the best, with trout populations in the thousands per mile, with the upper section holding lots of w Image via Wikipedia ild rainbows and some browns, and the lower section holding a lot of browns and some rainbows. Other streams that are well worth fishing are the Eleven Point, Li...

Image via Wikipedia Fishing - Table Rock Lake By Davidson Manning Main Species Present: Largemouth Bass , Smallmouth Bass , Spotted Bass, Channel Catfish , Blue Catfish, Walleye , Rainbow Trout , White Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Carp Missouri's Table Rock Lake is certainly famous. The lake plays host to everything from important Bassmaster Tournaments to Cable Television Shows. There is a reason for this. It is one of the best bass fishing lakes in the United States . The lake holds almost equal numbers of largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted bass. During the summertime, look for large mouth in fiv Image by matneym via Flickr e to ten feet of water, and smallmouth and spotted bass in ten to thirty feet of water. The lake's water is gin clear; it is common to be able to see the bottom in fifteen feet of water. This necessitates two things. The first is light line. Eight pound line is the norm, and you shouldn't use anything a whole lot larger than ten pound test mono filame...

Fishing the Current River of Missouri 's Ozarks By Davidson Manning There is no doubt that the Current River is the most diverse stream in Missouri. It begins as a spring creek style trout river, and slowly transforms into one of the best smallmouth bass streams in the nation. Besides these species, there are also populations of Rock Bass , Walleye, and of course Bluegill. Image via Wikipedia The first twenty miles of the river make up the classic trout water. The river begins where Montauk Spring rises in the streambed of Pigeon Creek. For three miles below this point, the stream is stocked once a day with rainbow trout from March 1 through October 31. The upper part of this stretch which flows through Montauk State Park is managed for flies only. Artificial lures such as marabou jigs and single hooked rooster tail spinners fished on a spinning rod are perfectly legal, along with traditional fly gear. The rest of the river in the park allows all lures and baits. Montauk Spri...

Fishing the Eleven Point - A Crown Jewel of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways By Davidson Manning There is no other river like the Eleven Point. Its wilderness atmosphere, combined with blue ribbon trout and smallmouth bass populations make this one of the true jewels of the Oza Image by Nick Turland via Flickr rks. The river is situated in south-central Missouri, and north central Arkansas. The forty miles of river between the Thomasville, and the Narrows Access to the river is part of the National Scenic Riverways system. This means there is little or no commercial activity, or private land along the river. This helps keep the habitat, water quality, and beauty at a level unsurpassed in the Midwest. The Eleven Point begins as a small stream high in the Ozark Mountains . From the headwaters to Thomasville, the river is lightly fished, but can produce very well for smallmouth bass. Almost no one floats this section. Below Thomasville, the river becomes a national river, and fishin...

Smallmouth Fishing's Best Kept Secret - The Gasconade River of Missouri By Davidson Manning Image by B, K & G via Flickr The Gasconade River that flows through the northern Ozarks of Missouri is a fisherman's paradise in every sense of the expression. It is widely considered to be one of the nations best smallmouth bass streams. It is both a good place to catch and release twenty Bronzebacks, or specifically target lunker bass in the three to four pound range. The smallmouth fishing is best from the river's humble beginnings in Wright County until Jerome. There are a lot of big bass in this part of the river, and the overall numbers are ample. The entire river also holds catfish, rock bass , and bluegill. It is a great floating stream, and has many springs that flow into it that cause it to be navigable all year. The upper river is a medium sized or even small stream, but because of the streams such as the Osage Fork River, the Woods Fork River, the Big Piney River...

Trophy Bass Fishing in Missouri - Locations and Techniques By Davidson Manning While Missouri may not be known for its trophy bass fishing , there are plenty of large bass around to keep an angler busy for a lifetime. In order to catch them, you will probably have to use different techniques than you use to catch smaller bass. If you are willing to catch a few less fish in search of that wall hanger, then this article is for you. First, I will share some of my Image via Wikipedia favorite big bass techniques. Then I will choose a few of the best lakes and rivers in the state to find the bass of a lifetime. Techniques: Live Baitfish This is personally my favorite way to catch big largemouth bass . The setup is very simple. I use a 2/0 plastic worm hook, a split shot, and a large bobber. I hook the bait (I prefer a green sunfish between two and five inches) in the back, just under the spine. The depth I fish depends on where I am, but generally two to four feet is best. It is important t...