jdmidwest

Whoever said that they are just here for us to look at was wrong. Mo Elk Season is coming in 2016 possibly for 10-15 hunters. http://rhtrav.com/wordpress/missouri-elk-season-tentatively-set-for-2016/#more-13860

Background radiation from when Mo hosted the Nike Missile launch site.

You can always mount the transponder on the trolling motor or some place farther forward to get a frontal view. Most transponders shoot down. I have seen guys suspend them from poles in front of a boat to see what is coming up.

But the MDC is funded by a sales tax percentage. It relies on what people spend. It has nothing to do with what is collected as income tax. The Conservation Tax is voted on and approved. Other taxes like the new one on out of state auto purchases are government mandated and did not get a people vote to approve. The MDC remains fiscally responsible and has more control than our State or Federal government as far as spending goes. The Government spends like little kids in a candy store always knowing momma will give them more to shut them up.

Odd, my best fishing is during the afternoons after 5 in the summers. That is when they go topwater in the middle of the holes around cover. As far as the canoe, probably around 3 to 400 depending on what shape it is in.

And neither does lynching, beat downs, or stabbing with a gig handle. If he is caught now, then the law will deal with him and he will be punished. This kind of stuff occurs every day but most citizens fail to report it. Then they blame it on MDC because they are doing it.

I have watched streams in my area decline for a long time. The little creek that runs thru the farm back in the 1800's was rumored to have holes with no bottoms. Now it has riffles that disappear under the gravel for a ways. If you find a waist deep hole you are lucky. General deforestation and other practices have released many many tons of gravel into the streams. Those have filled the streams for many of years. Holes are smaller and shallower. Water warms up and fishing declines. There is not really much you can do other than let nature run its course and rebuild the tree lines. But then you see a developer come in an do that to a stream corridor, it just makes you sick. Maybe the channel will take the new old course, but I bet it will revert back. A thin coffer dam of gravel will not stop the destruction of the Castor in flood stage. And I bet the house will take a few licks too. He cut down alot of trees around the house and paved the area with concrete. The trees would have helped block the debris. Interesting to see what becomes of it. And of course, there are those yellow signs posted all over the property "release the fighter". Does not look like he is too concerned about the stream the fighter lives in.

Even below dam 3 on the weekend you can get in some good fishing early in the morning before the floater hatch and after the last launch. The launch part is usually the hot time of the day anyway

And all along, you guys were blaming the scars on the real giggers of a night in jet boats. Now you know it is kids with gigs and spears during the day. And Herons too. They leave those nasty holes too.

We did that float in a day, once. Longest day on the river in my life. Paddled from Big Creek down to camp at 2 Rivers just to get there by dark. Nice stretch of the river. Lately we put in at Williams or get picked up there.

I caught the first part about a stove with a unique form of fuel, like most did. I think it just went on from there. I wonder how much longer Coleman fuel will be made? Whatever happened to a dual fuel stove that burns unleaded gas? Did ethanol kill that?

You can refill the propane canisters from a bulk tank and save some money. Last ones I bought, a 2 pack was around 5 bucks. Don't know what the equivalent would be propane bottles vs gal of Coleman fuel. Less mess. I have a little alcohol burner when I want to pack light and just heat some water. I would not pack a propane cylinder in a backpack and trip off thru the woods.

Did a little float on the Castor today, it was in the upper part of the river. My buddy and his family were in a Mad River canoe and I had the yak. First run produced a large sycamore obstacle portage. The rest of the float was low and dragging, even in the yak. Spring rains have been nice, but the water table is still low. Fishing was slow to fair. Some dinks, longears, voracious green sunfish. Nothing large. Smallies were skittish, striking short. We did see 2 of the bounty fish as we floated over them. Sores on the back and a yellow algae coated piece of plastic dragging along side of them. Small fish about 10". We got to the nice hole that has all of the new signs to "Release a Fighter" on the trees to find a nice new huge house being built and alot of gravel work done. Enough gravel and some concrete to revert the course of the river back to an old channel on the west side of the river along an old bluff. It cuts about 20 minutes off the float and dewatered a swimming hole used by campers at a near by resort. Conversations with the locals verified the stream diggings as legit. It was approved and planned by the Corps of Engineers and Jefferson City. Lots of new gravel washing downstream, about a 1/4 mile of stream bed that is just bare gravel and dozer tracks now, one bank completely destroyed. Thanks city boys.... Did I mention how much I love how the management is taking care of a stream I have fished for about 40 years...

Dang ole coleman fuel is running about 10 bucks now. I will stick with propane unless I need to travel light.

Yea, who knows. I had the B&W tv with an antenna that picked up CBS and NBC, party line telephones that we had to interrupt if we needed to use phone, and no 4x4 on the farm at all. Those days were alot simpler and more relaxing.

I don't know if you ever build up an immunity. I think with experience, you learn what not to do with them. And you get used to the pain, And you learn the trick of how to get the stinger out without mashing the poison sac to get a good dose. You learn to move slower and give them a chance to get out of the way. But I had been swatting mosquitoes and gnats so my first instinct was to swat, that turned it madder. It was close to dark the other night and I did not have protective gear on. They get more defensive as light goes dim. But I thought it would not be a problem, most on the feeders are hive bees that have not converted to field flyer bees. They tend just to crawl around and I just brushed 3 off the feeder lid. This one knew how to use its wings, and stinger.

Gavin, that works on wasp stings pretty good, but I have not seen much effect on bees. I use the little pouches and I shoved one in my ear that I had in my mouth. Did not seem to help. Ice seemed to work.

I still have to buy my own honey.

Musta said something the NSA did not like to hear.

Yeah to me, fifty today! Started the morning with one ear swelled shut from a onry little bee last night. Gonna have to soak in barley and hops today to get rid of the pain. And of course, Happy Birthday to our Independence. Seems like we are losing more of it all of the time. Fly a flag, eat some bbq, and watch some big bangs tonight. And remember those guys that risked it all years ago when they signed the Constitution making our great country what it is today.

Found a new level of pain yesterday, got stung in the ear hole. Whole side of face and ear swelled up today.

Nope, just one little ole rambo bee with a grudge.

We have a local club that meets once a month. It is headed by the Beekeeper of the Year in MO, Grant Gillard. Great guy, pastor of the church we hold meetings in. It is a very informal club, but has a great bunch of people. Great place to bounce ideas around and keep up with what is going on. I have a mentor, an 88 year old fellow that has been keeping bees for about 50 years, he is alot of help. And I remembered the basics from my grandfather when he used to keep bees. I have just been going for about a year now this month. I just doubled my hive count this month and am actually ahead of what I planned to be at now. Weather keeps up I may make another split or two for a couple of more. I will start moving them out to the country later this summer and start scattering them around on some of the family farms. I have access to over a thousand acres on just the immediate family farms, so I have plenty of room to grow. Many of them are begging me to bring the hives over so they can watch them. It is just a hobby for now, still trying to decide to go sideline or full blown in the business. I have never met a rich beekeeper or one that did not have another source of income for support. But it is good, fun, honest work that gives you alot of reward.

I am suffering from the cost of doing this new little hobby of mine. I went thru the hives on Sat. and did alot of work on them without a sting. There were 2 bees that were really mad and chased me around the yard with my suit on, dive bombing my face mask. I did the usual, walked away from the hives a good distance to where they normally lose interest in me. Those 2 suckers kept at and one got the clapping hands and a good stomping. The other gave up. Sunday around noon, I walked down and checked in on the girls. All of a sudden, there was this buzzing in my ear. Then it bounced off my hair, which usually ends in entanglement and a sting, but I dodged it. I went running back up the hill with that buzzing noise still loud in my ears waving my cap at it. Around the pine trees and what should have been safety, then it hit me. Fire shot into my finger. I looked and pulled out the poison sac, then the barbed stinger. He still made a few more whacks on me but he was disarmed. The finger started swelling and I applied the sting relief. By the afternoon, the whole finger was swelled tight and throbbing past the knuckles into my hand. Here is what I have today, looks like a huge blood blister. It itches like the dickens and I still can't bend the finger.

I spoke with a couple of the employees and was wondering why they were not carrying certain items. Both stated that they did not receive as much stock as they had ordered because they were not expecting the store to perform like it did. They did a pretty soft start with only some TV and a mailer with a $10 off any apparel or shoe purchase. The parking lot was packed every time I was there. Grand opening is slated for the weekend of July 15. I had never been in one, but had always heard good things. When I checked the website, they are offering free shipping on all orders over $39 too. That shipping kills me on ordering alot of stuff, that alone is a big plus. They were out of some of the things I was looking for. They had 22lr, but it was limit of one box. About everyone was getting the one box, which on Sat. was a 50rd box. Bricks were gone on Fri. That is some of the first 22lr in the area since Nov. that is normal price unless you can catch it at Wally World when a truck delivers.