The men and women who have served as fire tower lookouts have played an important role in wildland firefighting throughout Forest Service history. Working in solitude, they scanned the horizon for smoke and alerted dispatchers to potential wildfires. Mark Twain National Forest still employs the use of fire lookouts to aid in early…
Back before there was a preventative vaccination, and before the vaccine had made its way to the Ozark hills and hollows, the deadly threat of rabies was very real. By the time human beings exhibit symptoms, the end result of contracting the virus, usually transmitted through animal bites, was oftentimes fatal. Never fear, though. The…
The predominate color of both smallmouth and largemouth bass are varying shades of green. Depending upon water clarity and the depth at which they are living, these greens can range from pale or very vivid. All bass, however, do not share these color characteristics. Striped bass, white bass and hybrid bass all sport a…
I use a specific midge leader-tippet arrangement for each fishing locale. My experiences include Roaring River, Taneycomo, Bennett Springs, Montauk, White River, San Juan in New Mexico, and North Platte in Wyoming). Later, I will describe my process at Roaring River in detail. At Bennett Springs, the water is clearer and I use a…
Springtime is always beautiful in Missouri. It is like a beginning or rebirth of things that were dormant in the wintertime. The eastern redbud is one of these trees. Caesalpiniaceae (sennas) is the family name and sometimes in the Fabaceae (beans, peas) family. It has small clustered, rose-purple flowers covering the bare branches before…
When I was 13-years-old my parents took me, my sister, Grampa J.D. and Mickey out west. I will never forget my Grampa J.D. saying several times during our time out west that he wouldn’t trade all this country with one acre of Ripley County land. He would say how he couldn’t wait to get back…
I think every single time I have gone on a canoe trip with my buddies in the Ozarks since 1972, sooner or later, someone jokes about hearing a banjo. They are referring to a scene from the movie, “Deliverance.” This persistent joke is not really intended as a comment about people living in the…
I am, without any doubt whatsoever, partial to the trout fishing waters at Montauk State Park. That’s where I caught my first trout 50 years ago. That’s where our family camped when our kids were little and the place holds many fond memories. I hope I’m not sounding boastful when I say there’s…
