CRITTENDEN OUTDOORS HUNTING GUIDECRITTENDEN OUTDOORS 2 TWO THOUSAND SIXTEEN The Crittenden Outdoors Hunting Season Guide was designed and published by The Crittenden Press, Inc., at - [PDF Document] (2024)

HUNTINGGUIDE

FALL - WINTER 2016CRITTENDEN COUNTYKENTUCKY

www.marionkentucky.org

CRITTENDEN OUTDOORS

INSIDEDeer OutlookHarvest FiguresYouth HuntingTrophy BassProgramSeason DatesLicense InformationTurkey CallsWMA GetsBigger’15 Buck Winners

INSIDEDeer OutlookHarvest FiguresYouth HuntingTrophy BassProgramSeason DatesLicense InformationTurkey CallsWMA GetsBigger’15 Buck Winners

COVER STORYPeace Among October Acorns

COVER STORY Peace Among October Acorns

PAGE 6

CRITTENDEN OUTDOORS2 TWO THOUSAND SIXTEEN

The Crittenden Outdoors Hunting Season Guide was designedandpublished by The Crittenden Press, Inc., at 125 EastBellvilleStreet, Marion, Ky. It is available in PDF form at ThePress Online

or MarionKentucky.org. Contact us at (270) 965-3191.

124 East Depot Street Marion, Kentucky

(270) 704-6015RESERVATIONS REQUESTED

6 Rooms 4 Rooms with Private Baths

6 Rooms 4 Rooms with Private Baths

6 Rooms 4 Rooms with Private Baths

6 Rooms 4 Rooms with Private Baths

Kentucky Fall Hunting DatesKentucky hunting seasons through Feb.28, 2017 are listed

below with deer seasons applicable to Crittenden County andotherZone 1 counties.

- Bullfrog: May 20 - Oct. 31- Squirrel: Aug. 20 - Nov. 11, Nov.14 - Feb. 28- Dove: Sept. 1 - Oct. 26, Nov. 24 - Dec. 4, Dec. 17 -Jan. 8- Crow: Sept. 1 - Nov. 7, Jan. 4 - Feb. 28- Deer (archery):Sept. 3 - Jan. 16- Deer (crossbow): Oct. 1-16, Nov. 12 - Dec. 31-Deer (youth): Oct. 8-9, Dec. 31 - Jan. 1- Deer (muzzleloader): Oct.15 - 16, Dec. 10 - Dec. 18- Deer (rifle): Nov. 12 - Nov. 27- Turkey(archery): Sept. 3 - Jan. 16- Turkey (crossbow): Oct. 1 - Oct. 16,Nov. 12 - Dec. 31- Turkey (gun): Oct. 22-28, Dec. 3-9- CanadaGoose: Sept. 16-30, Nov. 24 - Feb. 15- Racoon (hunting): Oct. 1 -Feb. 28- Racoon (trapping): Nov. 14 - Feb. 28- Woodco*ck: Oct. 22 -Nov. 11, Nov. 14 - Dec. 7- Fox (hunt/trap): Nov. 14 - Feb. 28-Rabbit: Nov. 14 - Feb. 10- Quail: Nov. 14 - Feb. 10- Bobcat: Nov.26 - Feb. 28- Duck: Nov. 24-27, Dec. 5 - Jan. 29- Snow Goose: Nov.24 - Feb. 15- Waterfowl (youth): Feb. 4-5- Goose Conservation: Feb.16 - March 31- Coyote: Year-round- Coyote (trapping): Nov 14 - Feb28- Groundhog: Year-round

CRITTENDEN OUTDOORSTWO THOUSAND SIXTEEN 3

STAFF REPORTThis story of an up-and-coming

outdoorsman sounds somethinglike the legendary tale ofDanielBoone. It all started when he wasthree.Jeremiah Foster’snotoriety as

an accomplished hunter was al-ready swelling to epicproportionswhen the young man from easternCrittenden County tookdown achampionship buck in the fall of2015.Foster is always amongthe first

young hunters in this area to fill hisdeer and turkey tags, andhe’s anaccomplished competitive archer,having won a nationalchampi-onship as an eight year old.This past deer season,Foster,

who is now 10, earned a pot ofcash for winning the HodgeOut-door Sports-Marion Tourism BigBuck Contest.Foster’s winningbuck was taken

during the early muzzleloader sea-son on Oct. 17. It fielddressed 188pounds and carried and eight-pointrack with a1611⁄2-inch spread. Thecontest has a unique scoring for-mula thatuses the deer’s weight,antler width and number of points

to determine the winner. His deerscored 220.This wasn’t Foster’sfirst big

deer, however. He took another tro-phy buck as a six year oldand he’sdowned whitetails with four differ-ent types of weapons –moderngun, blackpowder, bow and cross-bow. In total, he’s baggedabout 15or more deer despite being in thedawn of his huntingcareer.Foster recalls some of his earli-

est outdoors expeditions, huntingwith his parents, Lee EllenandTony Foster.“When I was three years old, my

mom would take me with her, and Ialways took my toy gun,” hesaid.“Dad took me when I was five yearsold and I shot my firstdeer. It wasa doe.”On the first morning of blackpow-

der season last fall, Foster and hisdad started out early. “Dadand I went out to my grand-

parents’ farm, which has been inthe family for manygenerations.We had a two-man ladder stand.Dad and I made sure mygun wasloaded correctly,” recalls Foster.It wasn’t too long intotheir vigil

that some deer were spotted off in

the distance. Foster identified oneof the deer as a nice buckand heknew it was a shooter right away.“Dad said, ‘Let him get alittle

closer,’” remembers Foster. “But inmy excitement I couldn’twait. Assoon as I got him in my sights, Ishot and he dropped,”Foster ex-plained. When the smoke cleared from

the blast of his Thompson CenterEncore charged with 75 grainsofblack powder, the eight-pointer laylifeless 110 yards away. Itwas aclean shot.“I want to thank God for every-

thing,” Foster said. “He has givenme the physical and mentalabilityto do so much.”After the hunt, Foster switched

from blaze orange into his baseballuniform and raced to aballgame inGreenville, Ky., where he pitchedfor his team, thePaducah Storm.For winning the Big Buck Con-

test, Foster earned $1,000 cash.That is almost enough to buythehigh-end bow he has been wanting,which can be used forcompetitiveshooting or hunting.See details on registering forthe

contest on back page.

Foster claims county’s big buck title

Young Jeremiah Foster is one of the area’s most noted huntersanda celebrated competitive archer. He also excels at baseball.

CRITTENDEN OUTDOORS4 TWO THOUSAND SIXTEEN

After months of anticipation,Kentucky deer hunters are gearedupfor what continues to look likeanother bountiful fall andwinterseason, and that bodes well forCrittenden County, one of thepre-miere places to hunt whitetail inthe Commonwealth.Kentucky’s2016-17 deer sea-

son kicked off the first Saturday inSeptember with the start ofthe136-day archery season. Huntersstatewide came out of thechutewith record-setting numbers in thefirst days of bowseason.“Everything right now points to-

ward another good season,” saidGabe Jenkins, deer programcoor-dinator for the Kentucky Depart-ment of Fish andWildlifeResources (KDFWR).That is welcome news following

what has been a string of recordharvests both locallyandstatewide. In 2015, 3,359 deerwere taken in CrittendenCounty,according to KDFWR Telechecknumbers. That total rankedthecounty third in harvest numbersand is the most on recorddatingback at least 20 years, eclipsing2014's total by more than100 ani-mals. Such improving opportunities

spell good news for local huntersand businesses alike."I thinkmost retail, grocery

stores and restaurants benefitfrom the hunters that own andleaseland in the area," said Mar-ion Tourism Commission DirectorMicheleEdwards. "Even some fi-nance at local banks."In the last 16 years,Crittenden

County has ranked second in thestate in the number of deerhar-vested 11 times, trailing onlyOwen County. Four other timesithas ranked third behind Owen andPendleton counties, both innorth-ern Kentucky. Crittenden rankedfourth in 2009 behind onlyOwen,Pendleton and Graves counties.

Such an impressive crop hasearned the county nationwideat-tention from hunters, including afew high-profile professionalath-letes who either own or lease landhere. And while the economicim-pact of deer hunting on the countyis significant, Edwards saidit isdifficult to put an exact dollar tomeasure its extent.

Statewide recordsLast year, hunters in Kentucky

established a new benchmark bytaking more than 155,730 deer.Itwas the third record harvest in thepast four seasons and included55bucks from 40 counties docu-mented by Kentucky Fish andWildlifethat met the Boone andCrockett Club’s minimum entryscore for itsawards book.“Our deer hunting in Kentucky is

better than it’s ever been,” saidSteve Beam, wildlife divisiondi-rector for Kentucky Fish andWildlife. “We’re harvestingrecordnumbers of deer and our produc-tion of large-antlered bucksiscompletely incredible.”A state believed to hold fewer

than 1,000 whitetailed deer a cen-tury ago now is considered oneofthe nation’s premiere hunting des-tinations. The latest herdestimate– derived from harvest and agestructure data – peggedthestatewide population at more than820,000 after the 2015-16huntingseason and before fawning thisspring.“We’ve really hit thescene in

the past 10 years because of ourquality whitetail,” Jenkinssaid.“That’s a product of good manage-ment, good habitat and beingdili-gent about what’s being put on thelandscape. With that, westill haveto be good stewards.”The archery season is just one

facet. Crossbow, muzzleloaderand youth deer huntingopportuni-ties are part of the overall season

framework. But it is the moderngun deer season in Novemberthatdrives the harvest, accountingfor 70 percent of the totalharvestlast season.“We’ve been setting archery

records nearly every year andevery month, so we’re seeingmoreinterest in archery hunting,”Jenkins said. “But we’re still amoderngun-dominated state andweather is the biggest key in that.”Themodern gun season opens

statewide Nov. 12 and spans 16consecutive days in Zones 1 and2and 10 consecutive days in

Zones 3 and 4. There are 43counties assigned Zone 1status,including Crittenden County, afterthe addition of Hardin andWeb-ster counties this season. Herd health assessments are

under way and results are not yetavailable from theannualstatewide mast survey. Huntersshould take into account theavail-ability of hard mast as the seasonprogresses.“Traditionally,when you have

good mast years, we usually seea decline in the harvest fromtheprevious year mainly because of a

change in feeding habits,” Jenkinssaid. “They’re not coming tocornfeeders and they’re not coming togreen fields. They’re in thewoods.“I don’t know what the mast re-

sults are going to show, but inspeaking with our staff andseeingfor myself in the field, it lookedpretty good. We’llsee.”

(Kevin Kelly with Kentucky Afieldmagazine, the officialpublication ofthe Kentucky Department of Fish andWildlifeResources, contributed to thisstory.)

Crittenden remains among top counties

DEER HUNTING OUTLOOK GREAT FOR 2016-172000 2001 2002 2003 20042005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

106,263 103,338115,082 116,540

124,752112,462 122,233 113,436 120,610 113,584 110,376

119,663131,395

144,409 138,898155,734

2,5972,272

2,708 2,5863,032

2,5933,085 2,927

2,707 2,5492,952 2,829 3,010

3,033 3,2243,359

Deer harvestsby year since 2000

Crittenden CountyKentucky

SOURCE: KentuckyDepartment for Fish andWildlife ResourcesTelecheck totals

Source: KDFWRTelecheck Data

Changes to Telecheckthis seasonBig game hunters will find a

change in the Telecheck Systemwhen they report their deerhar-vest this season.All successful hunters must

check the animals they harvestand can do that by phone at(800)245-4263 or online at fw.ky.gov. The telecheck processincludes

some new questions. Hunterschecking an antlered deer willbeasked to enter the total number ofantler points that are at least1inch and indicate if the outsideantler spread is less thanorgreater than 11 inches. Thosechecking an antlerless male willneedto distinguish if it is a malefawn (button buck) or if theanimalhas already dropped its antlers.The additional data will helpbi-

ologists, said Gabe Jenkins, deerprogram coordinator for theKen-tucky Department of Fish andWildlife Resources (KDFWR).“Whatwe’re looking to do is ob-

tain additional age data, some-thing that indicates how oldthatharvested animal is,” he said. “Forall of the population modelsthatwe do, we need to know approxi-mate age in the harvest.Addi-tional age data allows us to betterpredict the standing cropand theage of our herd. That in turn helpsus be more efficientmanagers ofthe herd.”Kentucky Fish and Wildlife

owns, leases or manages morethan 80 wildlife managementareasacross the state for publicuse. Some require a user permit,holdquota hunts or have specialregulations for deer hunting.“We’ve beenable to add a sig-

nificant amount of acreage in re-cent years,” Beam said. “Asaresult, hunters now have morehigh-quality public huntingoppor-tunities across the state.”The Kentucky Hunting and

Trapping Guide, available on thedepartment’s website andwher-ever licenses are sold, is a valu-able resource for hunters.Itincludes the full list of fall huntingand trapping season dates,sum-marizes hunting and trappinglaws, and provides informationaboutpublic lands hunting by re-gion, youth hunting opportunities,huntereducation requirementsand quota hunts.

CRITTENDEN OUTDOORSTWO THOUSAND SIXTEEN 5

1993 ...............2,3571994 ...............1,8261995...............1,8571996 ...............2,0651997...............1,8741998 ...............2,7281999...............2,2012000 ...............2,5972001...............2,2722002 ...............2,6952003...............2,5862004 ...............3,032

2005 ...............2,5932006 ...............3,0852007...............2,9272008 ...............2,7072009...............2,5492010...............2,9522011................2,8292012...............3,0102013 ...............3,0332014...............3,2242015 ...............3,359

2013-14 Deer Harvest Results County Bucks Does Bow RifleM’loader C’bow TotalCrittenden 1,606 1,618 454 2,456 268 463,224Webster 1,238 1,204 360 1,825 215 42 2,442Livingston 943 890221 1,379 221 12 1,833Caldwell 973 737 209 1,331 145 25 1,710Union570 489 264 721 60 14 1,059Lyon 445 365 200 536 50 24 810

KDFWR Statistics

2014-15 Deer Harvest Results County Bucks Does Bow RifleM’loader C’bow TotalCrittenden 1,684 1,675 574 2,389 327 693,359Webster 1,017 1,150 403 1,523 189 52 2,167Livingston 1,008 989284 1404 278 31 1,997Caldwell 901 849 204 1,289 199 22 1,750Union550 468 256 644 97 21 1,018Lyon 464 432 251 560 57 28 896

KDFWR Statistics

TOP 15 HARVEST COUNTIES LAST SEASONCounty Male Female TotalWildlife RegionOwen 1,776 1,925 3,701 BLUEGRASS REGIONPendleton1,772 1,799 3,571 BLUEGRASS REGIONCrittenden 1,684 1,675 3,359PURCHASE REGIONChristian 1,678 1,605 3,283 PURCHASEREGIONBreckinridge 1,597 1,316 2,913 GREEN RIVER REGIONGraves 1,2851,572 2,857 PURCHASE REGIONHopkins 1,437 1,403 2,840 GREEN RIVERREGIONShelby 1,344 1,306 2,650 BLUEGRASS REGIONHardin 1,410 1,1772,587 GREEN RIVER REGIONOhio 1,364 1,159 2,523 GREEN RIVERREGIONGrant 1,286 1,135 2,421 BLUEGRASS REGIONGrayson 1,366 1,0412,407 GREEN RIVER REGIONHart 1,308 1,098 2,406 GREEN RIVERREGIONNelson 1,187 1,140 2,327 BLUEGRASS REGIONBracken 1,167 1,1592,326 NORTHEAST REGION

License or Permit Resident NonresidentAnnual Fishing $20.00$50.00Joint Husband/Wife Annual Fishing $36.00 Not available1-DayFishing $7.00 $10.003-Year Fishing (available online only) $55.00Not availableNonresident 7-Day Fishing Not available$30.00Nonresident 15-Day Fishing Not available $40.00Annual Hunting$20.00 $140.001-Day Hunting (not valid for deer or turkey) $7.00$15.007-Day Hunting (not valid for deer or turkey) Not available$55.00Annual Youth Hunting (ages 12-15 only) $6.00 $10.00AnnualCombination Hunting/Fishing $30.00 Not availableSenior/DisabledComb Hunting/Fishing $5.00 Not availableSportsman's License $95.00Not availableYouth (ages 12-15) Sportsman's License $30.00 NotavailableStatewide Deer Permit (two deer) $35.00 $120.00Youth (ages12-15) Deer Permit (one deer) $10.00 $15.00Additional Deer Permit(two deer) $15.00 $15.00Spring Turkey Permit (two turkeys) $30.00$75.00Youth Turkey Permit (one turkey, spring or fall) $10.00$15.00Fall Turkey Permit (four turkeys) $30.00 $75.00MigratoryBird/Waterfowl Permit $15.00 $15.00

KENTUCKY HUNTING LICENSE FEES

Crittenden County - KentuckyDEER HARVEST TOTALS

For Tony Travis, deer huntingprovides an ample amount of“alonetherapy” to get him throughthe work week but it’s also afamilyconnection that has created a life-long bond with his nowgrowndaughter.

A crewman for the Crittenden-Livingston Water District,Travis,59, is accustomed to late-night callsto repair distributionlines and long,sometimes wet hours in a trench.

Perhaps that’s why he covetsthose lonesome vigils perched inadeer stand overlooking the familyfarm in rural CrittendenCounty.

“I can’t relax fishing so I hunt,”he said with a chuckle. “Itgets meaway from work and I don’t think ofanything else while I’mout there.”

Over the years, Travis hasscored some nice deer with hisbow.This fall, on Oct. 13, hetagged the nicest of all – amature10-pointer.

“It was definitely the best oneI’ve ever gotten,” said Travis,whohas three or four more Pope andYoung Class bucks.

This one scored 152, “and Igave him the benefit of the doubtinspots,” Travis said while scoring thebuck.

A bowhunter since the early1970s, Travis has learned a thingortwo about deer. He uses age-oldtactics when it comes to huntingthewind, but he also likes the newtechnology. Things like trailcam-eras and scent-shields are amonghis favorite.

“I use the no-scent soaps andHodge’s has a cedar cover scentthatI really like,” he said. “I’ve haddeer right under me eatingacornsand they never know I’m there.”

The buck he took in Octoberwas eating acorns. The woodswere fullof them at the time. Thebuck was feeding alongside a doeand twosmall twins.

“I shot him high and didn’t havea blood trail,” he said. “Ilookedaround a little, but waited till thenext morning when I knewI couldfind him.”

The buck lay about 150 yardsfrom where he made the shot.

Travis estimates him a 51⁄2 yearsold.

One of the first things Travis didafter shooting the buck wastophone his daughter and son-in-law,Brodi and Justin Sutton.Theycame over to help track the deer.

Travis reared his daughter toenjoy hunting. Now, she’squitesuccessful in her own rite. Shebagged a nice gobbler lastspringand loves to deer hunt.

“She called me the other after-noon and said, ‘Dad, I’m walkingtomy stand and some does arewatching me. What should I do?,’”Travissaid with a grin, recalling hisfatherly advise to pay noattentionand keep moving.

“Everything I know about hunt-ing I got from him,” said Brodi.“Myearliest memories hunting were forturkeys. That’s what we alwaysdid.

“I never got one back then, but Ishot at one. The way I recallit, theturkey was too close,” she added.

Father and daughter live only afew miles apart and they spendagreat deal of time perfecting theirsporting skills.

“He teaches me how to shoot,how to hold the bow and how to

stand,” said Brodi, now 32. Shehunts in order to be more intunewith her surroundings. She andJustin own a farm and Brodispendsa whole lot of time groom-ing it for wildlife. She also hasdad’ssecret feed recipe – call it a familyheirloom because no oneelse isgetting his hands on it.

It’s a secret blend of grains andwhat Travis calls other “oddsandends.” It’s something he’s con-cocted over the years and sayshemay one day retire from his day joband commercially manufactureit.

The feed was part of the bigbuck’s diet.

“I didn’t weigh him, but he wasbig and had a double whitepatchon his neck. That’s the third oneI’ve gotten like that,” hesaid.

Travis had hunted the samestand the evening before he got thebigbuck and let two pretty nicedeer pass by.

“You have to let those walk. I liketo find a deer I want andhunt him,”he said. “I’m pretty particular aboutwhat I will shoot.Sometimes I’ll goa few years without taking one if Idon’t see whatI want.”

He said several folks in hisneighborhood hunt by thesamephilosophy and it’s paying divi-dends.

“They all feel the same way andwe all just bow hunt. If you willpassthese smaller bucks up and letthem grow, it really works toyouradvantage,” he said. “I don’t wantto knock the way anyonehunts, butif you want bigger deer you have tobe selective.”

Learning to be patient and enjoythe hunt more than the harvestissomething Travis’ daughter contin-ues to seek and dad is quick topro-vide a path for finding it.

“He always tells me how muchhe enjoys hunting. It is just amind-clearing time for him. He can sit ina deer stand and not worryaboutanything – it’s just him and nature,”said Brodi. “I am alittle more impa-tient, but I would like to find thesame peace. I’mtrying to getthere.”

CRITTENDEN OUTDOORS6 TWO THOUSAND SIXTEEN

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Family legacy provides therapyfor hunts amid October acorns

COVER STORY - BOWHUNTING

Brodi (Travis) Sutton with thetom she bagged last spring.

CRITTENDEN OUTDOORSTWO THOUSAND SIXTEEN 7

CRITTENDEN OUTDOORS8 TWO THOUSAND SIXTEEN

Nathan Brantley’s hunting heritageis strong and deep. Theyounghunter’s family has lived in CrittendenCounty for decades, buthe now re-sides in Arkansas where his father,Chris, is minister ofa General Baptistchurch.Last fall, he came back to Kentucky

and the Happy Hunting Grounds totake a buck that won the juniordivisionof the Big Buck Contest, sponsored byMarion Tourism andHodge’s Sportsand Apparel.Brantley, 11, was born in Marion and

harvested his first deer at the age ofsix. Two years later, hetook a whitetailwith a bow.His grandfather, Karl Brantley, is a

longtime hunter with a number of Popeand Young bucks and hisnamesake,great-grandfather Nathan Brantley Jr.,took a 21-point buckin 1969.During the 2015 deer season, Brant-

ley was sitting in a tower stand with hisgrandpa when aneight-point buckcame across a cut bean field. Itstopped at 50 yardsand the younggunner made a clean shot with his.308.

Brantley’s buck is top for youths

DETA

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More than 840 acres added tothe Big Rivers Wildlife Manage-mentArea were dedicated in Oc-tober to two conservation officerswhodevoted their lives to protect-ing Kentucky’s natural resources.Theaddition of the Jenkins-Rich

Tract grew the WMA straddlingCrittenden and Union countiesto11.6 square miles. It is named forthe late Capt. David“Donan”Jenkins and the late ConservationOfficer Ronnie Rich.Familymembers, officials from

the two counties and a coupledozen biologists, conservationoffi-cers, law enforcement and admin-istrators with theKentuckyDepartment of Fish and WildlifeResources (KDFWR) crowdedasmall, freshly mowed clearing in-side the tract for thededicationceremony in October.“There are more stories about

these guys than you can imagine,”said Wildlife DivisionDirectorSteve Beam during the brief cere-mony. Before you leave,“taketime to look around, but reflect onthese men.”Jenkins earnedOfficer of the

Year accolades in 1964 and 1965.

Altogether, he served with the de-partment for 39 years beforeretir-ing as a law enforcement captainin 1997.While Jenkins gaineda reputa-

tion for his toughness – he wonnovice boxing championshipswhileserving in the U.S. Army –he had a soft spot for kids. He andhiswife, Georgia “Jo” Jenkins, de-veloped a technique forcultivatingthe highly-prized ginseng plant.The couple took proceedsfromtheir ginseng sales to help fundpartial college scholarshipsforkids of department employees andstudents at Crittenden andUnioncounty high schools.“There are givers and takers,”

Jenkins explained at the time,“and I’m a giver.”“Both made kidsfeel important,”

said KDFWR Game ManagementForeman Curt Divine, speakingfrom hisown personal experience.Rich began his 25-year career

at Kentucky Fish and Wildlife in1979 as a wildlife technician attheSauerheber Unit of SloughsWildlife Management AreanearHenderson. After three years, heswitched to the department’slaw

enforcement division to become aconservation officer.Jenkinstook Rich under his

wing. Jenkins saw Rich’s passionfor the outdoors, and servedasthe new officer’s mentor for manyyears. Rich grew into astrongleader, yet remained humble andnever stopped trying toqualify forthe position. A compassionatehusband and exemplaryfather, heled by example and believed inseeking the truth.Rich,jokingly nicknamed “The

Godfather” by others for his fieldknowledge, constantly taughtoth-ers about his craft. He strongly be-lieved that respect wasearned,not given. Over his career, Richearned his respect bywinningseveral awards, including the1987 Kentucky Officer of theYear;1998-99 Waterfowl EnforcementOfficer of the Year; and1999United Bowhunters of KentuckyOfficer of the Year.Rich’s serviceto the public did

not end with his retirement in2004. He used his knowledgeand

See WMA/page 11

CRITTENDEN OUTDOORSTWO THOUSAND SIXTEEN 9

Expanded WMA dedicated to game wardens

Wildlife officials gather on Oct. 13 to dedicate the WMA.

CRITTENDEN OUTDOORS10 TWO THOUSAND SIXTEEN

From The Critttenden PressEveryone knows that necessity

is the mother on invention, espe-cially the wild turkeyhunter.

Those who pursue the cautiousstrutters of spring are quick totryanything to get an edge on their un-predictable prey. For ToluresidentJake Perryman, the drive to harvestturkeys has led to asideline jobmaking calls.

The 41-year-old lifelong Critten-den Countian unveiled recentlyhishandmade custom turkey calls.They are now available atHodge'sSports & Apparel in Marion.

Perryman says he started mak-ing calls last year when “callshy”turkeys hung up on him time andagain. In order to lure themwithinshotgun range, Perryman triedsomething that most hadn’t –acopper surface on a handheld potturkey call.

“I couldn’t buy a copper call any-where,” he said.

When he built his own, theturkeys came running. His personal

success went up, so he figured oth-ers might be interested. Overtheprevious 12 months, he handmadealmost 100 calls and soldmorethan half of them.

They’re constructed of exoticwood bases from trees that noonewould find along the Ohio Riverbottoms where Perryman grewup.Some of the wood comes fromAfrica. There’s Bocote,walnut,cherry, Ziricote, Osage orange,wenge and leopard wood inhisartist’s bag.

By trial and error, Perryman hasperfected his craft, learningthefiner points of mimicking the lonelyhen looking for springcompanion-ship in the Kentucky forests.

“The wood controls the tone,”Perryman said, who works foraHenderson manufacturing com-pany by day and tinkers with callsinthe evenings.

His new bride doesn’t mind.She’s a school teacher inMadis-onville and never really got into thehunting gig until theymarried. Now,

Sarah is as tuned in to a turkeycluck as anyone who claims tobea seasoned hunter.

“Some of my first calls didn’t seethe light of day,” saysPerrymanwith a chuckle. They were tossedout.

It took him a while to learn howto change pitches and tonesinorder to create a natural sound witha striker and piece ofcopper.

“The pedestal and sound boardit sets on and the shelf for theplay-ing surface is what makes the call.And the distance betweenthe twois critical,” he said.

There have been others fromthese parts who have made anamecreating custom game callsand Perryman knows why. He saidCrittendenCounty is a perfectplace to perfect hunting skills andto learn whatworks. He has grownup fishing, trapping and hunting thehills andhollows of this communityand right now he is concernedabout thenumber of animals he’sseeing.

“Turkey numbers are down,”Perryman said.

He, like other outdoorsmen inthe area, believe recent harshwin-ters are partly to blame. He foundfive dead toms last yearafter alarge snowfall.

“And that was on a 100-acre

farm,” he said.With gobbling a bit less frequent

from the ridges of CrittendenCounty, Perryman says everyhunterneeds something special togive him an advantage. He sug-gests oneof his custom calls.

Jake Perryman, 41, of Tolu recently unveiled to retail customershis handmade customturkey calls. They are now available at Hodge'sSports & Apparel in Marion.

Crittenden call-maker says shy toms ledhim to work on perfectinglurring sounds

CRITTENDEN OUTDOORSTWO THOUSAND SIXTEEN 11

WMAContinued from page 9

spare time to help underprivilegedkids and injured veterans.Hepartnered with local youth

conservation groups and theWounded Warrior Project to cre-atememorable hunting and fish-ing experiences at Wild WingLodge andRiverbend WhitetailOutfitters for those in need ofhisassistance.Jenkins died May 23, 2014, at

the age of 80. Rich died Dec. 8,2011, at the age of 58.“Thesem*n had a passion for

the land, for wildlife and for con-servation in this part ofKentucky,”Divine told onlookers at the event.All of theJenkins-Rich Tract lies

in Crittenden County, borderingBells Mine Road to the south.Thenew property also includes a bit offrontage on Ky. 365 acrossfromformer coal mining property. Thecommonwealth already ownedtheland north of Bells Mine Road.To acquire the property, the

state paid $2.27 million to Heart-wood Forestland Fund VILimitedPartnership, which equates to$2,700 acres per acre. Itexpandsthe total area of the WMA to 7,570

acres, making it one of the largestmanagement areas inKentucky.The expansion is already

marked with paint and signs andimmediately becomes part ofthehunting and management pro-gram. It is mostly wooded. Apowerline right-of-way is aboutthe only open land on the tract.Thoughnot in the Jenkins-Rich

Tract, just down the road is a newviewing platform for one ofthebest vistas in the county. Off BellsMine Road and marked onmapsof the WMA, the wooden deckoverlooks the Ohio River andintoIllinois. Riverview Park/Dam 50lies to the left of a big hookin theriver and is visible in the winter-time when trees have shedtheirleaves, said Divine.(Kentucky Afield Outdoors contributed tothis story.)

Jenkins Rich

CRITTENDEN OUTDOORS12 TWO THOUSAND SIXTEEN

Kentucky offers youth hunters anassortment of special seasonsinthe fall and winter months.

In the mind of a young huntermaking the transition fromobserverto participant, these opportunitiesto hunt deer, elk,furbearers, smallgame and waterfowl are mile-stones never to beforgotten. Assuch, adult mentors know it falls ontheir shoulders todeliver a safeand enjoyable experience thatleaves their youngcompanionwanting to return to the field an-other day. It can be alot of pres-sure.

Three experienced hunters andmentors – Capt. RichardAdkins,Derek Beard and Mark Marraccini– have developedstrategiesthrough the experience of teachingtheir own children tohunt. The fol-lowing is an assortment of theirtips.

•Children should be confident intheir ability to make a goodshotwhen the opportunity presents.Taking them to a shootingrangeahead of time establishes a com-fort level, allows forrepetition andinstruction in a controlled environ-ment.

“If you just want them to developgood, strong shootingfundamen-tals, you can do that with a pelletrifle or a .22 riflerather than hurry-ing them into a loud centerfire rifle,”saidMarraccini, executive staff ad-visor for the Kentucky DepartmentofFish and Wildlife Resources.“The fundamentals will transfer.Theyoung shooter will not feel therecoil in a hunting situationandhe’ll barely remember the noise.”

Stress safe handling of anyfirearm. Adkins, the trainingsectionsupervisor for the Law Enforce-ment division of KentuckyFish andWildlife, wants his children to be asadept as possible withthe firearmthat they will use in the field. To thatend, considerutilizing dummyrounds for practice.

“I want them familiar with thatgun,” he said. “That way there’snoconfusion.”

•Consider starting young huntersoff small and work up.Squirrelhunting is the perfect introductionbecause it teacheswoodsmanshipand hunting skills that will translateto larger gameanimals. Utilizing arimfire or small caliber rifle forsquirrelswill help marksmanship.

Review the rules and regulationsbefore going afield.

•As any parent knows, kids canhave the attention span of a fruitflyand expecting them to sit still forextended stretches isunreason-

able. A ground blind allows forsome freedom of movementandprotection from the elements.

“I’m a firm believer in groundblinds for kids and usegroundblinds all the time for kids,” Adkinssaid.

Setting up a stable hunting restin the blind will help a younghuntersteady their aim by guardingagainst the muscle fatigue thatcanset in quickly when the gun isshouldered.

“I think it’s imperative that theyhave some kind of mount to putthegun in so they can shoot accu-rately,” Adkins said. “It allowsme tosecure the gun so it’s like shootingoff of a bench. I’m a bigproponentof them because they increase ac-curacy and increasesafety. It wasthe best money I ever spent forthem.”

•Comfort is key. Consider lettingthem sleep in and hunt in theafter-noon. Either way, do not forget thesnacks and drinks. Beardand hischildren have made it a tradition tostop at a gas station onthe way totheir hunt location.

“They can buy anything theywant, within reason,” said Beard,whois the Bluegrass Wildlife Re-gion coordinator for Kentucky FishandWildlife. “My oldest likes get-ting a Big Red soda and someSourPatch kids, sunflower seeds andchips.”

•Dress them appropriately for theweather. Wet clothes and coldtoesand fingers can make for a miser-able experience and end ahuntquickly.

Snoopy mittens are usually notadequate.

CRITTENDEN OUTDOORSTWO THOUSAND SIXTEEN 13

Improve youth hunting

CRITTENDEN OUTDOORS14 TWO THOUSAND SIXTEEN

346 Rooster Ln. (just off KY 654 N, 3 mi. from US 60 E.)Open 6Days A Week 5 a.m. - 10 p.m. / No Sunday Business

Out-of-State Hunters WelcomeQuick Processing Available

Participant for Hunters for the Hungry Program

DEER PROCESSINGCUSTOM PROCESSING

Summer Sausage • Jerky • Snack Stix Skin, Cool & Process $68• Caping $20

Local Grass or Grain Fed Beef or Pork For Your Freezer

Public land hunting opportunitiesin Kentucky have grown thisfall bymore than 4,600 acres.The Kentucky Department of

Fish and Wildlife Resources an-nounced in October the openingofsix new properties ranging fromBallard County in the west toBathCounty in the east. Newly openedproperties include one newwildlifemanagement area in Nelson andLaRue counties, plus additionstofive existing wildlife managementareas.Kentucky Fish and WildlifeCom-

missioner Gregory K. Johnson saidthe acquisitions are anoutgrowth ofthe department’s sportsmen-centricphilosophy.“Oursurveys show that sports-

men and sportswomen want moreplaces where they can huntandfish,” he said. “These new publiclands help us work towardthatgoal. We’re proud to offer thesenew opportunities wherepeoplecan go and create lasting memo-ries.”The newest wildlifemanagement

area (WMA) is Rolling Fork River

WMA, Frasiur and Theresa ReesorFamily Tract, in Nelson andLaRuecounties. This nearly 2,900-acrearea, which is bisected bytheRolling Fork River, features a mix ofheavy forested hillsidesand fallowfields. This property will be open tohunting understatewide regula-tions, including modern gun seasonfordeer.Additions to existing properties

include:· Big Rivers WMA and State For-

est, 842 acres in CrittendenCounty.· Clay WMA, addition to theJus-

tice Tract, 148 acres in BathCounty.· Kleber WMA, 505 acresin

Owen County.· Kentucky River WMA, 70 acres

in Owen County and 5 acres inHenry County.· Boatwright WMA, 217acres in

Ballard County.Hunting regulations for each ad-

dition are the same as the mainwildlife management area. Mapsandmore information about eacharea may be found online.

KDFWR adds 4,600 public acres

CRITTENDEN OUTDOORSTWO THOUSAND SIXTEEN 14

BY LEE McCLELLANKENTUCKY AFIELD

My first shotgun was an old.410-gauge Mossberg with a boltactionand pistol grip that once be-longed to my grandmother. A de-centsquirrel gun, yet working thebolt to get off three shots atincom-ing doves was nearly impossible forme when excited. Dovesflyingnearby had little to fear when Ishouldered that old .410.Manythink a .410-gauge is a

good beginner’s shotgun becauseof its lighter weight and reducedre-coil, but in reality, it is the worstchoice.“I don’t recommendthem for a

first shotgun,” said Bill Balda,hunter education supervisor fortheKentucky Department of Fish andWildlife Resources. “They areanexpert’s gun. You are much betteroff with a 20-gaugesemi-auto-matic. The semi-automatic actionsoaks up much of therecoil. Youget much more shot in a 20-gaugeshotshell.”Baldaexplained the extra shot in

a 20-gauge shotshell than in a.410-gauge makes it muchmoreforgiving. A typical .410 gauge shot-shell holds ½-ounce ofshot whichcorrelates to 175 pellets of No. 7½shot. A regular gameload in a 20-gauge shotshell holds 7⁄8-ounce ofshot and 306 pelletsof No. 7½shot. You do the math.Plus, with a semi-automaticshot-

gun, three trigger pulls gets youthree shots quickly if youneedthem. Price, however, may be a de-terrent to a semi-automaticshot-gun. They are a large costcommitment, especially for some-onejust dipping their toes into theshotgun sports.A single shotshotgun runs about

$150 brand new, with used onesavailable at half that price. Anaver-age semi-automatic shotgun costsseveral times more than asingleshot. Both though, with propercare, should last a lifetime.Mygrandmother’s .410 still shootsgreat today.“Single shots areeffective and

they are good beginner guns,”

Balda said. “Single shots are hingeactions and easy to use. Theyaresafe to handle for beginners asthey are easy to see if theyareloaded. Even with a shotshell in it,the gun can’t go off withthe actionopen.”These attributes make single

shots a good option for a youthhunter. A single shot alsoteachesyoung hunters shot discipline. Youare much less likely totake imprac-tical, out-of-range shots when youhave just one try atthe target.“Single shots are lighter and

easy to carry in the woods,” Baldasaid. However, the lightweightbrings with it more pronounced re-coil or “kick.” Baldarecommends alow recoil shotshell for single shots.A pump-actionshotgun, where

the shooter manually pulls the ac-tion to cycle a shotshell,falls inprice between single shots andsemi-automatics. New onesfromestablished manufacturers runroughly $300 - $400, but somefromless well known manufacturers gofor as little as $200.

“A pump is really reliable and al-most any load will shoot inthem,”Balda said. “I think as a first shot-gun, they are a littlemuch to keepup with from worrying about pump-ing the action for thenext shot.”Pump-action shotguns perform

for decade after decade with rou-tine maintenance. “They wearlikeiron,” Balda said. “If money is anissue, a pump is a goodchoice fora repeating shotgun.”Proper fit is an importantconsid-

eration for buying a first shotgun aswell. “For the averageperson,length of pull is most important,”Balda said.The length ofpull is the distance

between the trigger and the buttend of the stock. A simple waytogauge length of pull is to place thebutt of the stock of theunloadedshotgun in the crux of your arm,fold your arm into the gunandplace your first finger on the trigger.“You should be able toget the

first notch of your finger on the trig-ger,” Balda said. “If youcan’t, thestock is too long. If you get to the

second notch of your finger, then itis too short.”Installing arecoil pad lengthens

the stock and often remedies onethat is too short. Herecommendstaking the shotgun to a gunsmithfor a proper fitting ifthe stock is toolong.Most manufacturers offer youth

model shotguns with shorterstocks. These make excellentchoicesfor many female shootersas well. Don’t force a shooter to fitacertain shotgun, have the shot-gun fit the shooter.Also, mount theshotgun you are

considering to your shoulder andplace your cheek firmly on thegunstock as if ready to fire. “All youshould see is the bead on thefrontof the barrel,” Balda said. “If youare having trouble withthat, mountthe gun higher on your shoulder.”Consider these optionsfor a first

shotgun. The most important thingis the end result. “Lookstraightdown the barrel at the target andpaint it out of the sky,”Balda said.

First gun? Consider the 20 guage instead of .410

CRITTENDEN OUTDOORS16 TWO THOUSAND SIXTEEN

Now that water temperaturesare settling downward for thefall,the Kentucky Department of Fishand Wildlife Resources isresum-ing its trophy bass propagationprogram.

The program only accepts tro-phy-sized largemouth bassfromanglers. In return, anglers receivea free replica mount of thefish.Bass accepted for the programare used as broodstock to growanew generation of large fish.

“By pairing male and femalelargemouth bass that have al-readyshown the ability to grow tolarger-than-average size, we hopetoproduce offspring with the samegenetic growth potential,” saidJeffRoss, assistant director of fish-eries at Kentucky FishandWildlife.“Stocking these offspringacross the state couldprovide an-glers a better chance at catching amemorable fish oreven a newstate record.”

The program launched in spring2016. Department officialsshutdown the program for the summerbecause higher temperaturesarestressful for fish being transportedto hatcheries.

This fall, the department will ac-cept largemouth bass exceeding7pounds. In spring, when fish arepreparing to spawn, thedepart-ment will accept male largemouthbass weighing more than6pounds and female largemouth

bass weighing more than 8pounds. The swollen bellies ofegg-ladenfish make it easier toseparate the males from femalebass in thespring.

Anglers donated four trophybass in the spring.Unfortunately,only one was caught early enoughfor the hatchery tospawn it. Off-spring from that fish will bestocked in Fishpond andGreenbolakes, where the adult trophy fishwere caught. Trophy bassoff-spring will eventually be stockedat lakes across the state.

For more information about howto donate fish to the program,visitthe Kentucky Fish and Wildlifewebsite at fw.ky.gov andsearchunder the keywords, “trophybass.”

Trophy bass programback with cool water

Winter fishing in the BluegrassState is pretty tricky at times,butthe rewards are huge when itcomes to big bass and sauger.Thetailwaters on the Ohio Riverand downstream of Kentuckyand Barkleydams are the bestfor sauger.

CRITTENDEN OUTDOORSTWO THOUSAND SIXTEEN 17

Preparing a turkeyfor mount or tableFROM KDFWR REPORTS

Turkey hunting is relatively newin modern day Kentucky,althoughthey were prominant table fare forearly pioneers. Therestocking ofturkeys in Crittenden County tookplace in the 1980sand early1990s. Many of the turkeys werebrought here from MissouriandIowa.

Hunting for spring and fallturkeys in the commonwealth hasbecomequite popular over thepast 25 years.

Did you know that field dress-ing a turkey is much likecleaninga chicken? The easiest way todress yourfreshly-harvestedturkey is to split the skin on thebelly betweenthe tip of the breastand the tail. Reach under thebreast and bringout the internalorgans. If the turkey has beenshot in the head andneck, as pre-ferred, the organs should have lit-tle damage. If theintestines havebeen punctured, wipe any residueout of the bodycavity. If you in-tend to save the pelt or any part

for a trophy mount, you will wantto have paper towels toabsorbblood from the feathers. Washingthe blood off is notrecommended,as the feathers absorb the water.

Whether you skin or pluck yourturkey depends on what you in-tendfor a trophy and a meal. Ifyou plan to use the skin and feath-ersfor a trophy, talk to a taxider-mist for advise before you hunt.Heor she can advise you on thebest methods of removing skinandfeather parts you want to pre-serve as your mount. If you wanttouse the turkey as a traditionalroast turkey, you may want topluckthe feathers and save theskin on the bird. This will keep themeatmoist during cooking. Anybird that will be frozen wholeshould becompletely wrapped,preferably in an air-tight bag.

CRITTENDEN OUTDOORSPAGE 18 TWO THOUSAND SIXTEEN

Big RiversWildlife Manage-ment Area innorthern Critten-den andsouthernUnion countiesoffers a variety ofhunting, hiking,fishingand na-ture watching op-portunities on7,570 acres ofwoodedhillsidesand open grass-lands. The OhioRiver overlook isone of themostmagnificantviews on theWMA. The WMAoffers quota andnon-quotadeerhunting forarchers. Themodern rifle sea-son is a quotahunt.Youth hunt-ing is a non-quota firearmsopportunity forwhitetaildeer.

Big Rivers WMACrittenden & Union countiesBig RiversWMACrittenden & Union counties

CRITTENDEN OUTDOORSTWO THOUSAND FIFTEEN 19

FARMLAND - Plant, grow, harvest and then start all over. Farmsgrow the crops and livestock that feed us, the trees that shelterus and the whitetails that unite us. Whatever you plant, whateveryou harvest, we’ll grow with you. At Whitetail Properties, we growdreams!

MARK WILLIAMSAGENT, LAND SPECIALIST

SPECIALIZING IN SELLING HUNTING AND FARMLAND

(270) 836-0819

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CRITTENDEN OUTDOORS20 TWO THOUSAND SIXTEEN