In the October 2009 issue of

River Hills Traveler

Autumn in the Ozarks

October's bright, blue weather is a fine excuse for a walk in the woods, write Jim and Donna Featherston. And there's no better guides to the flora and fauna than the Featherstons, who know the names and ways of everything they see.

Old-time tie-rafters were rivermen of the first order, but they only seemed to walk on water, Paul Hagey learned on a visit to Ripley County's third tie-raft re-creation at Doniphan. The rafts, used to bring fresh cut railroad ties downriver to thye railhead, floated low in the water, so those guiding them seemed to be standing on the surface.

Plummeting sales tax and permit fee revenue has the Missouri Department of Conservation hunting for ways to cut costs. One of those ways is by not hiring replacements to fill vacancies created by retirements and other departures in 173 positions.

The Missouri Conservation Commission has endorsed the No Action option in the update of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways General Management Plan.

An encounter with a Rocky Mountain elk more than 50 years ago keeps haunting Don Rathert, who would like to see the big creatures reintroduced to remoter areas of the Ozarks for his hunting pleasure.

New state parks director Bill Bryan looks on paper more like an environmental lawyer, than a parks manager and promoter, but here's hoping he's just what the park system needs, says the Traveler's editorial this month. In his column, Makin' Tracks, publisher Emery Styron details the lack of progress in prosecution of anyone in a Black River brawl that occurred Aug. 1. The case involved campers pulled into a dispute between arguing groups of canoers. Reynolds County Prosecutor Bob Johnson has handed the case off the the Missouri Attorney General's office, and there it sits.

Deer archery season is on and gun deer season is just ahead. Derrick Caudle recalls painful lessons learned in past hunts: don't let antlers rule your decisions and follow your shots, he says. Chuck Smick gives timely tips on choosing camouflage apparel.There's more to it than you might think. Rudi Rudroff bids a fond goodbye to ...well, you'll just have to read his Dear John letter to find out. Bob Todd, in his Seasons column, says an old shotgun will get you through October, but you'd better start cleaning that deer rifle.

On the fishing front, gigging is almost a sacred autumn rite in the Ozarks. Todd writes that the bottom feeders are plentiful, ugly and delicious. Bill Cooper reports that slot limits have produced a rebound in Taneycomo trout fishing, putting the southwest Missouri lake ijn the forefront of the nation's trout fisheries. Walt Fulps calls the autumn brown trout spawn "the other rut" and gives detailed instructions on hooking up with fall trout action. Hint: a mature brown will try to eat things as big as half its body size, so it's almost impossible to fish too big.

Our geology maven Jo Schaper went time-tripping in the Wayne County area, where some of the state's oldest and youngest rocks are just 10 miles apart. The blue granite from which CCC workers crafted Sam A. Baker State Park buildings is 1.6 billion years old. Dinosaur bones at the Chronister site near Glenallen and similar clay deposits near Patterson date back only 100,000 years.

Creativity is one thing, but stupidity another, advises Charlie Slovensky. Charlie recalls some stupid tricks he and others have pulled on their outdoor adventures. Sample: If you apply doe urine scent with your fingers, you might want to wash your hands before licking them.

On a more appetizing note, Pat Todd has some recipes to help you resist the common urge to store up winter fat.

Lawyer Harry Styron concludes his three-part series explaining laws governing navigible streams, property owners and users rights. Kathleen Brotherton compares the hand-crafted bows of the Native Americans with todays highly-engineered weapons.

Gracing our cover this month is Angel Rivera, Miss Missouri Outdoors 2009. The 20-year-old from Moberly was crowned Sept. 5 in Columbia. She is a college sophomore studying occupational therapy and enjoys four-wheeling, camping, riding and fishing. The Miss Missouri Outdoors Pageant promotes tourism, scenic waterways, conservation and non-profit organizations. It's motto is :Get outdoors and enjoy the beauty that surrounds you."

Publisher Emery Styron All readers are invited to take part in the second annual Traveler Readers Choice Awards. A ballot is in the October issue.. Readers are asked to name their favorite Missouri outdoor places to go, places to get their outdoor stuff and people serving the outdoors community. For a list of places to buy our October issue, go to http://www.riverhillstraveler.com/newsstands0309.php

— Emery Styron, Editor & Publisher