“Dad, this is why I fish,” I said.

He’s relatively new to Missouri and very new to the creek fishing many of us enjoy in the Ozarks. It has taken me quite some time to convince him that, in the Ozarks, creek fishing is a blessing.

The Ozark streams are gems of peace and beauty. The rugged terrain, bold bluffs, clear water and abundant wildlife are blessings. And the smallmouth bass — the underdog with attitude — are a special gift for sport fishermen.

Much attention has been given lately to the quality of smallmouth fishing in the Ozarks. The Missouri Smallmouth Alliance, a club of bronzeback devotees, created a “blue-ribbon” panel to propose a plan for the Missouri Department of Conservation to create a “world-class” smallmouth fishery. Debate has been passionate among those who have differing ideas of how the state should manage Ozark waterways for the fierce fighter.

Beautiful smallmouth bass like this one, caught in Huzzah Creek, are what makes fishing in the Ozarks world class.

MDCs fisheries biologists are charged with the difficult task of managing the states fisheries for a variety of interests. While our methods and motivations vary, we are all anglers and we all have a reason to want quality fishing. As far as I can tell, the folks at the MDC are doing a fine job.

Since I moved to Missouri 12 years ago, I have always been impressed by the simplicity of fishing here. The regulations, free of influence from elected politicians looking to cozy up to lobbyists and special-interest groups, are easy to understand. A resident annual fishing permit, a mere $12, is among the lowest of any state within a day’s drive. Access to quality streams is generally easy, unlike some states that continue to experience legal battles for stream access.

Ultimately, the MDCs responsibility is not to cater to the fleeting desire of humans to practice the type of fishing they prefer. It’s role is to manage the fisheries for the fish — to ensure that they have adequate structure, food and water to sustain healthy populations for our generation and those that will follow.

In 10 years of pursuing smallmouth bass in Missouri waters — on the basin rivers and the little creeks that meander through private land — I can’t recall any trip when I was disappointed. The greatness of fishing for smallmouth bass in the Ozarks lies not in the size of the fish but in the beauty of the places in which they live.

We already have a world-class smallmouth fishery.

You can read the MDCs  2009 smallmouth bass white paper summary here.

The Missouri Smallmouth Alliance’s Power Point presentation with smallmouth bass management proposals can be downloaded here.

Instructor Jan Morris explains how to properly use a climbing stand.

So when I noticed that the Missouri Department of Conservation was offering a class at Jay Henges Education Center near St. Louis, figured I had to make the time.

It was worth every minute of the 8 hours.

Three instructors, Jan and Gwen Morris and Jake Hindman, covered topics including the history of archery, shot placement, archery safety, conservation and wilderness preparedness. Some of the material was basic review for any archer with a few years of experience and some was new material for even the most experienced bow hunters. The curriculum is based on the International Bowhunter Education Program, created by the National Bowhunter Education Foundation. The IBEPs standards are have been adopted by most states that offer bowhunter education.

What really impressed me was the amount of time spent on conservation and ethics, important topics that are being taught more but went unattended for far too long. “It’s what will save hunting,” explained Jan Morris, who has hunted all over the country for almost every game animal one can think of. Safety and gear are great, but if we can’t convince people that hunting is good as for the environment as it is for the soul, we’ll lose the battle against the anti-hunting zealots.

Students in the bowhunter education class follow a blood trail in a tracking exercise.

Bowhunter education is not required in Missouri, but 12 states and 3 Canadian provinces have some requirement for a bowhunter education certification to obtain a bowhunting permit. Popular big-game destinations Alaska, Idaho, Maine and Montana are among those areas.

There were about a dozen of us in the class, including two women. We learned things such as:

• Evidence suggests that archery was used by hunters 50,000 years ago.
• Archery was first an Olympic event in 1904 at the World’s Fair in St. Louis.
• The compound bow was invented by Holless Wilbur Allen of Billings, Mo.
• A grunt-bleat-grunt sequence, mimicking the “classic high-school fight,” as Jake Hindman described it, can be an effective call during the rut.
• The peak of the rut in Missouri is usually November 12.
• The best archers consider where the broadhead will exit, not where it will enter.
• The average kill shot with archery in Missouri is 18 yards.

Considering the increase of popularity of archery in Missouri — the state has seen a 45 percent increase in archery permit sales in the last 30 years — I’m surprised that the bowhunter education class isn’t more popular. Of course, if more bowhunters expressed interest in the class, the state would probably provide more.

There are two more classes offered this year in the eastern part of the state: Aug. 8 at the August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area in St. Charles and another Aug. 21 at Missouri Gun and Quail Club in Wright City. For information, click this link or contact the Missouri Department of Conservation St. Louis Region office at (636) 441-4554.

If you’re interested in a website with similar curriculum, visit www.bowhunter-ed.com.

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