A New Month
A New Month
Times Outdoors Columnist
We finally managed to get through February, the shortest month of the year.
This February was brutal with freezing cold weather, high winds, and an unusual amount of rain fall, producing high water in all the lakes and rivers. The old saying was “in like a lion and out like a lamb”.
This year was lion all month with big sharp teeth! March has arrived with leftovers from February.
Let’s hope March will be good to the outdoors folks.
Last Friday Lakeside Taxidermy was invited to bring a display to the annual Germantown Baptist Outdoor Expo and wild game supper. This is a very large church and it was filled with folks interested in the outdoors.
The exhibit area was filled with vendors from hunting and fishing guides, game wardens, archery clubs, to a honey bee grower with local honey. Lakeside was the only taxidermist present and our Lakeside duck bands were very popular.
More than 500 hunters and fishermen enjoyed the supper. The wild game was spectacular with duck, pheasant, fish, buffalo, several recipes for deer, BBQ wild hog ,and even bear.
For the non game eaters, pizzas were available. Why go to a wild game supper to eat a pizza, no matter the topping? Outdoor TV personality Brodie Swisher, who lives in East Tennessee, was guest speaker. He is a champion coyote and wild game caller and kept the audience laughing with his hunting stories and his Christian testimony.
The program closed with a drawing for many prizes with the top prize being a four person fishing day on Picwick. This was Lakeside’s first trip and it was an hour long drive, but we look forward to next year.
Papa Duck will remind my readers when it comes around next year. This is a good time of year to enjoy wild game eating events with Angels Way Baptist Church having their annual event last week. While enjoying Angels Way’s dinner, old friends Ricky and Debbie McKay came up to me excited. Debbie had gotten her first hunting license and had taken a deer on her first hunt. She had pictures and a cut under her eye from the scope. She learned that lesson!
With spring just around the corner, it’s time to think about fishing. One of the of the first things that is important is fishing equipment like rods, reels, and of course, boats and motors. The new fad in boats is fish finders and other electronics. Hummingbird, Lowrance, and Garmin are the big names and have been around for a long time with prices starting at $110 and $4500 at the top end. Some will even control the trolling motor and Hydrowave makes a fish caller that sounds like feeding fish.
Once you pick out your electronics, decide how are you going to mount them on the boat because the installation can be very complex. While visiting with crappie guide Ronnie Tice, 901-687-6800, and admiring his new boat, he had Jeff Ward installing his new Garmin 93 SV Echo map plus live scope. Jeff installs electronics of all kind and can do anything the boat needs like pole holders. Jeff is a guide on the Mississippi Big Four lakes and is a crappie tournament fisherman. If the new equipment is too hard to install, give Jeff Ward a call at 901-650-1566. He makes house calls.
Needless to say, fishing and other outdoors past times are very limited due to cold and wet weather.
Papa Duck and Buddy Dunston did catch 40+ small to medium sized crappie last week in a small private pond. These small shallow ponds are the first to warm up and get the fish active. We caught the crappie on 1/32 oz blue and white jigs fished very slowly. Always make sure you have permission to fish on any pond.
When it warms up a tad, take that young fisherman with you and catch supper. Lakeside Taxidermy appreciates you business.
We offer quality service at a reasonable price and we get it back to you quickly.
Papa Duck needs pictures and tales, and questions for the game warden.
Papa Duck Lakeside Taxidermy 870-732-0455 or 901482-3430 jhcriner@hotmail.com
By John Criner
