October 8, 2013 • Page 18 shop online at www.missourivalleyshopper.com Of The Outdoors | Gary Howey Bow Fishing On The ‘Mo BY GARY HOWEY Hartington,?Neb. South Dakota Hunters Unfazed RAPID CITY (AP) Hunting enthusiasts attending an annual fundraising banquet in southwestern South Dakota said they are not worried about a sharp drop in pheasant numbers. The Rapid City Journal reports that a brood count survey released by South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Department two weeks ago estimated a 64 percent drop in the pheasant population. The season begins on Oct. 19 and runs through Jan. 5. Some speculate those numbers could change plans of thousands of hunters who visit every year and contribute to South Dakota’s economy. However, many outdoors enthusiasts at the Black Hills chapter of Pheasants Forever banquet Saturday said the event is more about tradition and fun than numbers. “People don’t come to get X amount of pheasants,” said Terry Hulm, Pheasants Forever chapter vice president. “They come to enjoy South Dakota and have fun. Most of these outings are with buddies you only see that time of the year. I look forward to it for that reason more than the birds sometimes.” A state report attributes the decline to weather and a reduction in habitat. But officials said South Dakota will remain one of the top destinations in the country with 1.1 million acres of public land available within the state’s main pheasant range. “I’m still going to get my birds,” Jerry Cole of Rapid City said. “You’re just going to have to work for it this year. Three years ago, a person could go out and get their limit by 1 p.m. Now it will probably take all day.” Proper Disposal Of Deer Carcass Important Part of Hunt PIERRE, S.D. - Deer hunters have enjoyed mild weather and beautiful scenery this fall, but successful hunts also bring a responsibility to care for the landscape. “Mission accomplished, your deer is dressed and ready for transportation, but there is still cleanup to take care of,” said Emmett Keyser, assistant director for the Game, Fish and Parks Division of Wildlife. “Now you have a large gut pile, and if you process the deer yourself, you’ll have legs, hide, bones and other leftovers to discard. How do you handle those remains?” Keyser said the answer begins with respect for the land and landowners. “Hunters hunting on private land should never assume they are OK to leave offal and other remains from big game in the field. Discuss it with the landowner before starting your hunt. He may be comfortable with scavengers cleaning up the gut pile, but then again he may ask that you leave no trace of your hunt behind,” Keyser said. Never leave cleanings from a big game hunt where people can see them. While it is permissible to field-dress deer on public hunting areas and leave cleanings, leaving deer carcasses near boat ramps, along roads or dumping them at public hunting areas is not only unethical but illegal. “Legally, you cannot dump the carcass along the side of a roadway, near a boat ramp, in a creek or on public property,” Keyser said. “This is criminal littering, and you can be cited for it. Sometimes, people think it is OK to dump the carcass because it is an animal, but it is considered littering.” Dumping deer carcasses in that manner also reflects poorly on hunters. If you live in town and need to dispose of your deer carcass, you do have options. Many communities allow disposal at landfills. Check with your local landfill to see if it is allowed, and if it is, how best to bag the remains for disposal. Another option for hunters is to have big game processed through a wildlife processing facility. Call Classi?eds 665-5884 Off to my left, I caught movement, something, large, a dark shadow, verily visible below as it moved just below the surface, gliding through the murky water of the Gary Missouri River. The shadow moved off to the left side of our boat as Team Outdoorsmen Adventures Member Marlyn Wiebelhaus drew back his bow and readied for the shot. Our crew, Team Member Larry Myhre (Sioux City, Iowa) our camera operator, Wayne State College Intern Morgan Ruterbories (Clearwater, Neb.), Marlyn and I were bow fishing for invasive/ rough fish species and filming another of our Outdoorsmen Adventures television segments. We were bow fishing on the Missouri River, the longest river of North America, the 100 miles of the National Recreational River. The river forms the border between southeastern South Dakota and northeast Nebraska as it makes its way down stream towards Sioux City where it picks up speed, making it's way on down to St. Louis. Bow fishing is about the only way we're able to put a dent in the populations of these fish, as they are seldom caught on hook and line. The Missouri River and other bodies of water have been invaded by invasive species, which includes numerous species of fish, Eurasian Milfoil and Zebra Mussels which have made their way into the river, possibly escaping from ponds they were stocked in or from bait buckets or in boat live wells, becoming a huge problem, moving up river until their progress is blocked by the dams. In order to stop further their spread, both the Nebraska and South Dakota Game & Parks have implemented several special restrictions which include, the draining of all water from live and bait wells before leaving the body of water, preventing the transportation of the small invasive species, those almost invisible to the eye and the cleaning/removal of vegetation from watercraft when leaving the water. The majority of these invasive fish species are Lewon’s Taxidermy Studio plankton feeders, competing heavily with the native Paddlefish who live in the river. Bow fisherman can take rough fish throughout the year, with bow fishing for game fish being open from July 1st running through Dec. 31. Marlyn, the owner/operator of Wiebelhaus Guide Service, wiebelhausguiding.com is an avid archer, spending over one hundred days on the river guiding bow fisherman for rough fish and Paddlefish. Just how good is Marlyn with a bow, well, he's held or holds around twenty Nebraska and South Dakota bow fishing records, as well as having several deer registered in the Pope and Young record books. The fish I mentioned earlier was beginning to go deep when Marlin released his arrow, connecting with the huge Big Head Carp which immediately charged past the boat heading deep. going down river quickly, putting heavy pressure on the line attached to the big reel of his recurve bow. Marlyn lurched off the elevated platform, doing his best to slow the big fish, yelling for me to put another arrow in it as it looked to be pulling loose. Before I could get to him, the huge fish, tore loose. heading deep, as far away as possible from what had held it on the surface for a short time. Big Head Carp can be huge and are extremely powerful fish, with even the smaller ones, tough to handle when shot with a bow. We estimated the fish that came loose to be at least thirty-five pounds, which is a big fish, yet shy of the seventy-nine pound six ounce Nebraska state archery record. Since Wiebelhaus has spent so much time on the river, his ability at shooting a bow is unbelievable and he's fussy about what he takes aim at, as it has to be "big" for him to even give them a second look. It was late June, a time, when in most years, the huge HOWEY schools of Big Head Carp, Buffalo and other invasive species become hard to find. Not this year as the white mouths of those feeding fish cruising just below the surface were visible everywhere. Since, the last time I picked up my bow fishing rig was over a year ago, when we'd filmed our last show with Marlyn, it took me a few shots to get back in the groove, but when I did, I poked a good one, the big fish turned, charging down river, surprising me with it's speed and power. Before I could grab the line and slow him down, it hit the end of it, breaking the cap off my bow reel and dragging it and my arrow down stream. Perhaps, someday. Somewhere down near St. Louis or beyond, they'll find the fish, still dragging my gear behind it. Luckily for me, Marlyn has plenty of spare gear in his boat, helping me out, loaning me one of his spare reels, allowing me to get back into the game. The fish were working just below the surface, stacking up behind the many snags in the river. Marlyn, using his trolling motor, mounted to the 5 foot elevated deck on the front of his boat, quietly maneuvered us into position for the shot, making it seem more like a spot and stalk hunt as these fish were spooky, with any vibration sending them into the depths. The action continued for over an hour, when we made the decision to head towards the Gavin's Point dam to check out the fast water to see if any fish were cruising the water below the turbines. As we motored around the point separating the fast water from the spillway, fish could be seen all along the rock point. Anchoring the boat along the shoreline, we started hammering the rough fish cruising the shoreline. Shot after shot connected with several species of rough fish, including, Big Head Carp, Buffalo, common Carp, Long Nose Gar, Short Nose Gar and Silver Carp, the flying fish on the Missouri River. Our day ended with thirHOWEY | PAGE 19 Dog Sense Obedience and Problem Solving Z 3 ?????3^?Ž??????343????????3d??????  3 ???3^?Ž??????34????????3d?????? 3 ???3????????????3Ž?3????????3Ž?3  3 ?????3?Ž????????????????Ž?3?Ž?3?Ž??3???Ž?????Ž?  Nebraska’s Largest Taxidermy Studio We have won over 100 World, National & State Awards. 2 Full-time Taxidermists: 54 years combined experience Check us out at www.lewons.com. We are buying large deer capes. Call for information • 402-337-0077 108 W. Kemp St. • Randolph, NE Stockmen’s Trailer Sales LLC. Full Service Department 1504 E. 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