Could the legendary turkey, Ol' Craz, have a rival for Champion of the Woods? Rudi Rudroff not only thinks so, he claims to have stalked such a gobbler for years. He calls this grizzled denizen of the Gasconade River valley "Wrong-Side Tom," because he's always on the opposite of the water. A depiction of Wrong-Side by Iowa artist Dan Roberts decorates our April cover.
That cover, also feat
uring a special turkey season crossword puzzle by Charlie Slovensky, was the subject of debate between publisher Emery Styron and office assistant Jo Schaper. Styron asked Jo's preference between a pretty cover photo of two turkey hunters silhouetted against a golden evening sky, or a cover featuring Wrong-Side Tom and Charlie's crossword. Jo said Wrong-Side was the "plug ugliest turkey" she had ever seen and voted for the Missouri Conservationist-style cover.
Styron argued that the paper was full and he'd have no place to run the crossword if not on the cover, and besides, an ugly turkey might stir up attention on the newsstands. He actually thought Jo had the better argument, but being stubborn and having his name over the door, he went with the plug ugly turkey. We're hoping readers will let us know what they think about the cover.
The lineup for turkey hunters includes these pieces:
• Bill Haynes, who lives near Rolla, uses elbow grease and imagination to create turkey calls from natural materials and castoffs. A story by John Meacham is part of our Made in Missouri series on sporting goods created right here in the Show Me State.
• Bill Cooper, who was named Conservation Communicator of the Year by the Conservation Federation of Missouri (Good ch
oice, CFM!), brings us up to date on the mind-boggling choices in turkey hunting gear. Things have changed since the days when we spray-painted our old Army fatigues to improvise homemade camo. Collecting wild morels is not exactly turkey hunting, but its springtime rite prized by hunters and non-hun ters alike. Coop also weighs in with his usual informative, entertaining firsthand report on that Ozarks food-gathering tradition.
•Youngsters get first crack at the gobblers, Bob Todd reminds us in his Seasons column. Regular season is April 20-May 10, in case you're wondering. Bob gives the rundown on other seasons, from coyote to groundhog to paddlefish and bass. Traveler's ex-ed & pub gets his weather-beaten mug in the paper three times this issue, making it an even better choice for wrapping the fish you catch using his advice.
Bob offers an opinion piece in regulations to improve smallmouth fishing in Missouri and he shows up with a free plug in the classified section, where we learn he is now selling real estate for for Dale Bearden's Heartland Realty at Piedmont. Who would have guessed it? He's going to specialize in recreation property listings.
Rounding out the turkey season offerings Don Rathert's story about a hunt in Truman Lake country that was interrupted by a wild boar. The property owner would have preferred Don shot the boar, but Rathert was glad to bring home the turkey.
Suppose you were a grown-up newspaper photographer, sent out for pictures of your old haunts about to be leveled for a housing development, and you saw the pond where you used to swim as a boy? Could you resist one last dip, for old times sake? Fred Ozhrada couldn't and didn't. He wrote a nice story about the experience.
If you never heard of a fringe tree, you're not alone. But that's why so many people read Traveler: it's an educational and entertaining experience. Jim and Donna Featherston, experts on all things natural, enlighten us on this flowering native Missouri shrub. The blossoms are white an delicate. The bark, leaves, roots and flowers have been used for medicinal purposes from prehistoric times.
Slovensky is not just a puzzler. He also filed a "news you can use" story on the perils of poor positioning in shooting and fishing. Some things you shouldn't take lying down, Charlie says. This includes shots at turkeys.
Jo Schaper, Traveler's on-staff rockhound, gave us a piece titled "Wayne County's Gulf: Mysterious and blue, along with a stunning photo of this southeastern Missouri sinkhole filled with still, translucent, azure water.
Tim Huffman, who Poplar Bluff's SEMO Times bills as "Southeast Missouri's Foremost Outdoorsman," sent in a rundown on spring fishing opportunities in the area. Tim says to get out there. You can catch smallmouth, largemouth, walleye and crappie on the Current, Black, St. Francis, Castor, Mississippi, Ten Mile, Little Black and Diversion Channel. He also tells you what to fish with.
The unimposing building at 4421 Chippewa in south St. Louis is an institution for anglers in the region. Paul's Bait & Tackle has been dishing out nightcrawlers, minnows, crickets, rods, reels, lines, hooks, nets and much more for a half century. Started by the late Paul Evers, a fishing expert who was said to be able to "cast a fly in a tornado," the business is carried on by daughters Ruth and Eunice, and Ruth's husband, Steve Bain. Traveler is happy to feature Paul's in their 50th anniversary year with a story and photos by Dennis McCarthy. Congratuations, Eunice, Ruth, Steve and staff.
Howard Helgenberg does some of his best thinking at his clubhouse on the Bourbeuse River. Maybe that's where he came up with the idea of writing about clubhouses, where value is counted in good times rather than dollars.
Traveler readers like Missouri history. Bob Lewis gives it to them this month with a recounting of the saga of the Iron Mountain Baby, an infant tossed in a valise from Iron Mountain & Southern train, found and raised by the Helms family in Washington County, and immortalized in song, print and word of mouth. Also on the historical front, Kathleen Brotherton recalls Cherokee myths involving nature's various creatures.
Pat Todd wraps up the editorial side of this issue with her Iron Kettle column, featuring Rosa Lee Brooks's recipe for wild turkey fajitas.
Maps in the issue include Clearwater Lake, Meramec River with Huzzah and Courtois Creeks, Lake Wappapello, Upper Current and Jacks Fork Rivers, Parkland Region and Lower Current and Eleven Point Rivers.
The April issue is on newsstands now. Enjoy reading.
