kevin January 27th, 2010 Share
It’s tough for me to get out 
into the woods and deer hunt this time of year. It’s been a long, hard 5 months or so of hunting: scouting since the summer, bow hunting since October, muzzleloading and rifle hunting in November and December.
Not to mention weeks of duck season, which now even it is on its last leg. Unfortunately, the next hunting season I get excited about isn’t until April. But maybe most deterring is the fact that by the time the last weeks of bow season roll around, there are probably more antlers on top of the leaves than on the top of deer heads.
Of course, that isn’t to say all deer have already lost their antlers (shedding occurs at various times over several weeks), but knowing the monster buck in your area could potentially look more like “Bambi” than “Ol’ Mossy Horns” does take some of the excitement (and motivation) out of getting up early and climbing into your stand..
However, I still like to be in the woods when possible, and there is still one kind of hunting that tides me over until turkey season: deer antler shed hunting.
While your story of finding that giant antler shed may not be quite as exciting as your tale about tagging a monster B&C, deer antler shed hunting can be an exciting experience in its own right, and it offers a lot of insight leading into next year’s Arkansas deer hunting season.
Come inside the Arkansas Hunting Forum to discover facts and antler shed hunting tips, as well as find out how antler shed hunting can increase your overall hunting success next season.
ducktape January 26th, 2010 Share
Well, it seems like this time of year gets here faster and faster. Arkansas duck season closes this weekend, and what a season it has been. From the crazy freeze to the muggy weather, and the ducks just not cooperating, I would say my duck season wasn’t the best in recent years, but it surely wasn’t the worst duck season I’ve ever had either. 
Many of our members have submitted their Arkansas duck reports to our Arkansas Duck Report Map — a great resource for duck hunters around the state.
Many more have voted on and submitted their photos to our Arkansas Duck Hunting Photo Contest, where the winners will take home a custom Acrylic duck call from Killer Kallz.
A few things coming up: the conclusion to photo contest, which closes on Jan. 31st. No entries will be accepted after this date. We will have the winners reported back before the 15th of Feb.
Also, don’t forget that turkey season is just around the bend. Get ready for some great Arkansas turkey season tips, tricks, and who knows, maybe even a contest or two.
Thanks for helping the 09-10 hunting seasons our most popular ever, and for your support over the last year and a half. We look forward to another great year of Arkansas hunting.
kevin January 22nd, 2010 Share
Once again the fishing community is closing ranks to take care of one of its own. Tiffany Johnson, the wife of local Cotter, AR fly fishing guide Chad Johnson, was diagnosed with invasive Meningioma tumors.
One of them was on her spinal cord and several are on her brain. She has been in intensive care or acute therapy since the Monday before Christmas. She underwent surgery to remove the tumor from her spinal cord. Tiffany spent almost 9 hours on the operating table to remove the six inch tumor from her spine.
Several sections of vertebrae were removed to allow the neurosurgeons access, which were then able to remove the tumor, of which, three inches was entwined in her spinal column. Tiffany is paralyzed from the waist down and has limited movement and feeling on her left side.
This surgery is so rare that we are told less than 100 have been performed worldwide. She will be hospitalized for quite a while. Tiffany will then face a further six months to eight of painful physical therapy in order to regain the ability to walk with the aid of a walker and twelve to fourteen months of therapy before she can walk unassisted. She also has to endure further surgery to remove the brain tumors.
Luckily all tumors are benign. She will require home care for some time and Chad has recently moved to a new home that is wheelchair accessible to prepare for Tiffany’s return from the hospital. The family is encountering a mountain of medical bills and has no health insurance.
What can you do to help? Find out in the Arkansas Fishing Forum
kevin January 15th, 2010 Share
We try to throw out seasonal recipes around here. That is, if it’s deer season, we’ll give you a great deer jerky recipe. Turkey season, we’ll throw out our favorite way to deep fry turkey. Well, it’s duck season, so here’s our second duck recipe of the month. Following our orange glazed duck recipe last week, this boneless duck breast with rice and Cumberland sauce dish might be the end-all to your search for the perfect duck recipe.
Ingredients
* 4 boneless duck breasts
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon pepper
* 1 tablespoon ground sage
Directions
Rub duck breasts with salt, pepper, and ground sage. Grill on each side for 6 to 7 minutes. Serve sliced over Wild Rice Stuffing. Serve with Cumberland Sauce on the side.
* Wild Rice Stuffing, recipe follows
* Cumberland Sauce, recipe follows
Check out the full Duck Breast with Rice and Cumberland Recipe in the forum.
kevin January 12th, 2010 Share
How many fishing trips have you been on in your life that were ruined by cold weather? I can’t begin to remember 
how many times I have frozen to death trying to catch a fish. Now that I am older, I sometimes wonder why I ever fished on those arctic weather days and always tried to justify my suffering to others and myself. In reality though, I know exactly why I fish in inclement weather and the reason I will continue to do so for as long as I am able.
The answer is simply that — like many of you — I am a fisherman. I love and live to fish, and I’ll do anything humanely possible to chase and catch fish. No expense has been spared or activity shunned that would aid me in the hunt for fish. Having said that, one of the least expensive and most helpful aids to a successful fishing venture is the hand warmer.
Often overlooked, a small pack of hand warmers can bring instant relief to numb hands and fingers that will put a sudden halt to any fishing trip. Regardless of how warm the rest of your body stays, if your hands and fingers keep freezing, you can’t fish and be comfortable. This also applies to your feet and toes. A small warmer pack is available and can be slipped into your boots that will keep your feet from going completely numb. These packs are cheap and are activated by simply removing them from the packaging and shaking them back and forth for a few seconds. They quickly warm and stay heated up to 8 to 10 hours.
Several companies make this product and I have never found one to be superior to another. You can buy different sizes and place them inside socks, gloves, boots, pockets, toboggins…. really anywhere you get cold. They don’t get hot enough to cause a fire and slowly grow cold.
Check out the rest of this article by Arkansas fishing guide Shane Goodner in the Arkansas Fishing Forum.
ducktape January 7th, 2010 Share
This late season tip for hunting ducks in Arkansas is brought to you by our friends over at Game and Fish Mag.
Hunting ducks in Arkansas is hard enough — from overcrowded wildlife management areas to weary ducks and uncooperative weather — but hunting ducks late in the season is just about as hard as Arkansas duck hunting gets. We hope this year’s late season waterfowling tip helps you out this weekend because the Arkansas weather sure won’t with temperatures forecasted to be in the single digits.
“Good weather for ducks” always means bad weather for hunters. This month’s sudden turn toward wintry conditions also freezes small inland waters and drives ducks and geese to the big lakes, rivers and coastal marshes. December’s frequent northwest cold fronts or northeastern coastal storms will also put a chill in your bones and bring safety to the forefront.
Harsh conditions await hunters determined to get in on the hot shooting opportunities, but with severe weather and good gunning come conditions that early-season hunters rarely have to deal with. Ice on decoys and gear, different rig setups, rough water conditions, substantial clothing, warmer blinds and modifying hunting times may all figure into your game plan.
Here are some tips and tactics for foul-weather hunting when “fowl” weather is at its best… Read the rest in the Arkansas Duck Hunting Forum
kevin January 6th, 2010 Share
By now, you should have a few duck breasts laying around the freezer just waiting for the right recipe. So, if your Arkansas duck hunting honey hole is frozen up over the next several days because of the record cold temperatures moving into the state, and you’re forced to stay in, why not unthaw those duck breasts and do the next best thing to shooting ducks … eating them!
* 1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle orange soda
* 1 (6 ounce) can frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
* 1/2 (18 ounce) bottle honey barbecue sauce
* 1/4 cup brown sugar
* 1/3 cup bottled teriyaki sauce
* 1 (5 pound) whole frozen duckling, thawed
* 1 (4.5 ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained
- Pour the orange soda, orange juice concentrate, barbecue sauce, brown sugar, and teriyaki sauce into a bowl, and stir to combine and dissolve the sugar.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Remove any excess pieces of fat from inside the duckling, place the duck into a roasting pan, and prick the skin all over with a fork to allow the fat to drain off while roasting.
- Brush the duckling with the orange mixture. Place the mushrooms into the cavity of the duck, and spoon in some of the orange sauce.
Come inside the Arkansas duck hunting forum for step 4 for the recipe.
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