2016: A good year for outdoors folk

A successful turkey hunter tags his tom turkey during last year's spring hunt. (Photo by Ken White/Special to the Daily Mail)

As we ran out of time in 2016, it was a good year for most outdoors minded people. A look back shows it sta++rted out good and ended up the same. Hunting was good for most game and fishing never ended even as the new year started.

The old year saw 14 fishing records recorded. In February some big trout were caught on Lake Taneycomo before the four trout parks opened in March for catch and keep. Spoonbill anglers had a good year starting March 15. Then, in April, my favorite month, fishing really picked up when the crappie, white bass and walleye started hitting. The morel mushrooms started popping and tom turkeys were gobbling which added to the scene.

June saw some great top water bass fishing and the bluegill and catfish cooperated. The first of many float trips and camping got underway. July was a boating month with some fishing thrown in for good measure. August had it's share of fun outings as well.

September started off with some hunting and fishing as dove hunting kicked off the month. October found excellent catfishing at several lakes including Truman where many big blue and flathead cats were taken.

The fall turkey season ran for the entire month of October. Waterfowl season started, for many duck hunters it was the bet in several years. November, my second favorite month, kicked off the firearm deer season as well as several bird seasons. Crappie, bass and catfish also held up through the month.

In December, the good duck season continued, rabbits were easier to find than in several seasons and the fishing was still going strong when you could find time to check it out. The year closed with some good fishing sandwiched between hunting trips.

Looking back, 2016 was a good year overall. For many hunters and anglers the fish and game in their freezer will help them survive the winter and remind them of how good the year was for hunting and fishing.

The year also had it's downside too. The most notable was the loss of several outdoor friends, the quail season was poor again, but life goes on and we are looking forward to 2017 to be another good one in+ the Missouri outdoors.

Now that winter is officially here, it doesn't mean the end of fishing for awhile. The only thing anglers need to do to keep catching fish is to change to cold water tactics.

Fish change their habits in winter. Cold water causes their metabolism to slow down, and that causes them to feed less often as well as attack bait fish or lures less aggressively. That doesn't mean they still can't be caught, it just means you have to switch to techniques that match their behavior.

Some changes to help you catch fish in winter include slowing down, fishing deeper, find clear water and use the right tackle.

Try slow trolling spinner baits for bass and jigs jumped slow for crappie. Fishing 12-15 feet deep where the water temperature is usually 4-6 degrees warmer. Fishing around drop-offs and ledges can be productive for bass.

In contrast to spring fishing, when the dingy water heats up faster than clear water, in winter its just the opposite. Finally, use a sensitive rod so you can feel the subtle bites.

Fishing never stops in Missouri and that includes January and February.

Duck hunters in the south zone have through Jan. 22 to bag a bird. The north zone closed Dec. 27 and the middle zone closed Jan. 3. Hunters at Schell-Osage Wildlife Area saw an increase in ducks, mainly mallards, when water opened after the big freeze earlier. There were 19,000 ducks on the area last week.

The goose season that re-opened Nov. 11 will continue through Feb. 6. The light goose conservation order will be in effect Feb. 7 through April 30 with no limit. Last year, in February, there were still more than 100,000 snow geese resting on the Eagle Flats National Wildlife Refuge, a name change from the Squaw Creek National Wildlife Area near Mound City.

All in all, 2016 was a good year for the outdoor minded people in the state. All hope for an even better year in 2017.