We in Dent County love our outdoors, and the Top 10 most-read web stories for 2024 are evidence of that. Two stories from outdoor columnist Bill Cooper and stories on trapping and the sale of Akers Ferry Canoe Rental took four of the Top 10 spots. Stories on dogs and cats made the list. Go figure.
All 10 stories can still be found at thesalemnewsonline.com.
1.
The rut is coming…how to hunt it
By Bill Cooper
Hunting the annual deer rut can be a short event, if you utilize the right tactics, he wrote.
The whitetail rut is the most exciting time of the year for deer hunters. Most hunters realize that the rut is the best time to kill a mature buck. Too, it seems that the most successful deer hunters hunt the rut with specific factors in mind.
The rut captures the hearts and minds of deer lovers everywhere, Cooper went on to write. The rut is the breeding season when does are in heat and bucks are crazed with the pursuit of the estrous does. Mating deer lose their caution during this time, resulting in what otherwise would seem like very weird behavior, causing deer to run foot loose and fancy free in pursuit of mates. It’s the one time of the year when the woods come alive with movement of wild, free roaming deer.
What else did Cooper write about the rut? You will need to go to thesalemnewsonline.com to find out.
2.
Trapping is an age-old practice still alive in Missouri
By Ben Johnson
Trapping of animals has likely been a part of Ozarkian culture since humans first began inhabiting the area, the former reporter for The Salem News wrote. Once, Native American tribes and early European settlers relied on the practice for the very clothes on their backs. As trade routes opened up to the west, the furs became a powerful economic commodity, with expedition parties traveling up north along rivers such as the Missouri in hopes of bountiful trapping.
Today, the need for the practice as a condition of survival is a thing of the past for most in the United States. . . . However, trapping is still an important part of conservation practices, and there are those who keep the skill alive.
Tim Cahill of Phelps County, formerly of Salem, shared some photos from a recent trapping trip he and his son, Phillip, took with friends Brian Glenn and Justin Fleener. The group trapped from below Montauk to Baptist Camp on the Current River, according to Cahill, and reportedly found great success.
3.
Akers Ferry Canoe Rental now owned by the Blackwell family
By Nick Stogdill
Akers Ferry Canoe Rental is now owned and operated by the Blackwell family, who have been a Concessioner of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways at Jadwin Canoe Rental since 1973, according to a story that appeared in The Salem News and on its website. January of 2023 marked the 50 year anniversary since Darrel and Shelia Blackwell purchased Jadwin Canoe Rental and became a concessioner for the National Park Service (NPS).
Akers Ferry Canoe Rental has roots at Akers Ferry dating back to the mid-1800’s. The rental office is located at Akers on Current River, 16.7 miles from its source at Montauk State Park and 23 miles from Salem.
“It needed somebody to operate it,” said Darrel Blackwell on the purchase of Akers Ferry Canoe Rental. “And we happened to be in the right place at the right time, and we purchased it from the Maggard family.”
4.
New look for county government
Salem News staff
Three of four Dent County incumbents running for reelection were defeated in the April primary election, according to unofficial election results.
Both county commissioners – District 1’s Wes Mobray and District 2’s Gary Polk – lost to challengers.
District 2 was won by Jimmy Williams (684 votes), with Polk (485) second and Denver Ellis (349) a distant third. District 1 was won by Keith Green (763 votes), and Mobray (731) finished a close second.
In the race for assessor, incumbent Jamie Homeyer (1,405 votes) lost to Alisa Brookshire (1,602).
The only incumbent to win was sheriff Bob Wells, who garnered 1,762 votes to Micheal Loveday’s 1,310.
All of the candidates are Republicans, and there were no Democrat candidates, so there was no general election for county positions in November.
5.
Many big bucks are killed mid-day
By Bill Cooper
As the rut approaches its peak, mid-day becomes one of the most likely times for hunters to kill big bucks. In my 50 years of chasing whitetails during the rut, I have learned a good deal from my own experiences, plus the experiences of others, Cooper wrote. The availability of information from articles, tv shows, videos and social media have brought the information age to us like no other generation. And now the incredible hunting apps like DeerCast and HuntWise and onX Hunt leave little to question about deer movement during the rut, or any other time of the year, as far as that goes.
I vividly recall the days when I would head to the deer woods two hours before daylight, regardless of whether the rut was on or not. It was what a good hunter did back then. Get there before the competition was the plan. In fact, the plan was to be on the stand by the time most hunters hit the woods. It worked like a charm. Late comers often bumped deer and many of them went home with me after being pushed by me.
Eventually a pattern emerged in my deer hunting trips.
What was the pattern. If you missed the rest of the story, go to thesalemnewsonline.com.
6.
Semis wrecking county roads to get to Royal Oak, residents say
By Nick Stogdill
Sheriff Bob Wells met with Royal Oak management to discuss the issue of semi-truck traffic on County Road 3290 and 3300 on May 30.
As a result of the meeting, Royal Oak agreed to install extra signage at all warehouse exits and before the north warehouse parking lot. This signage directs trucks to exit towards Highway 19 only. Furthermore, additional signage was placed at the north warehouse to indicate that no trucks are allowed beyond that point.
Additionally, all drivers were provided with a map and instructions on the correct route to use. The county will also be adding no truck signs to the intersection of 3290 and Highway 68.
Sheriff Wells expressed gratitude to Royal Oak for their cooperation in addressing this issue. While it may take some time to fully resolve the issue, these measures are expected to be a significant step in the right direction, Stogdill wrote.
The story and solving the issue were a result of resident Phillip Karr’s visit to a county commission meeting to draw more attention to the problem. Karr lives on one of the county roads that experience the issue.
7.
Dog attack results in serious injury; dogs scheduled for euthanasia
By Nick Stogdill
Five dogs attacked and caused serious injury Thursday, July 25, to a Salem resident, according to a Notice of Disposal delivered to the owner and made available to The Salem News by prosecuting attorney Andrew Curley, Stogdill wrote.
The letter was delivered to the owner of the dogs, said Curley. It states in part:
“Pursuant to Salem City Ordinance 205.150 and Missouri Revised Statute 578.024, which provides:
‘If a dog that has not previously bitten a person attacks and causes serious injury to or the death of any human, the dog shall be seized immediately by an animal control authority or by the county sheriff. The dog shall be impounded and held for ten business days after the owner or possessor is given written notification and thereafter destroyed.’”
The letter serves as notice of intent to euthanize the animals that were impounded on July 25, the same day as the attack. The animals will be scheduled for euthanasia, at the owner’s expense, 10 days following the date of the letter. The letter was dated July 31, which means the animals could be euthanized Saturday, August 10.
News of the incident circulated on social media at the time of the attack.
A release from Salem PD stated officers were dispatched to the 1000 block of East Center for a report of a U.S. Postal Service worker being attacked by 5-6 dogs as per witnesses. An investigation into the incident was conducted, and officers met with the victim at the hospital where he was treated for his wounds and injuries.
8.
Fire destroys SRI workshop, toy drive donations
By Salem News staff
In the early morning hours of Tuesday, Dec. 17 a fire at Scenic Rivers Industries – Dent County Sheltered Workshop was ablaze.
A captain of the Dent County Fire Protection District said the fire started around 3 a.m.
Units from Doolittle Rural Fire Protection District, Rolla Rural, Rolla City, St. James, Salem, Licking, Lenox, Houston, Steelville, Raymondville, and Jadwin were all on scene, according to DRFPD.
The workshop is home to around 30 employees and managers who recycle cardboard, newspaper, office paper, and more. In addition, the employees build birdhouses, complete a variety of tasks for larger corporations including assembly work, and mowing for over 150 area apartments and homes.
The Dent County Toy Drive had over 130 kids’ Christmas presents organized in the workshop for distribution. The amount of loss is estimated around $13,000.
The sheltered workshop is for people within the community with disabilities. It provides dignified work and teaches essential work habits as well as helping them participate as members within their community.
The toy drive organizers shared that they are completely overwhelmed with the support and toys that have been donated.
9.
Four Rivers purchases old factory, plans to build
By Donald Dodd
Four Rivers Community Health Center announced the purchase of the vacant building at the corner of South Grand Avenue and West International Street with the intention to demolish the old building and build a new healthcare facility in its place.
The building, across from the old fairgrounds, previously housed International Shoe Company and most recently Hagale Industries. The building has been vacant and in disrepair for several years.
Four Rivers, a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), has had a presence in Salem since 2020 and has been in its current location on the corner of South MacArthur and West Franklin for two years, according to the Monday press release.
10.
The story of Murph, Manny and a couple vicious dogs
By Donald Dodd
By all accounts, Murph and Manny led a pretty good life. They had a garage with beds to sleep in and toys to play with. Every other day there was cat food and fresh water. But just as important, they had two little girls who adored them and loved them and spent time with them, letting them in the house sometimes when they weren’t supposed to be let in the house, Dodd wrote in a column.
But life as Murph and Manny know it ended sometime around Aug. 5, the day the girls, mom and dad got back from vacation. A couple hours before the family was to return, Papa and Neena went to their house to make sure Murph and Manny were fed, bring in the mail, water the plants and see that all was in order.
As Papa watered the plants, he noticed something under dad’s truck. He went over to investigate and found a mangled and mutilated carcass that turned out to be Murph. It was so mangled and mutilated that Papa had to go home and get his truck and scoop shovel so he could pick up Murph. Manny was nowhere to be found.
The girls would be home in a few hours. What would Papa say? What could Papa do, he wondered, as he scoured the property looking for Manny, dead or alive. Manny showed back up days later, alive and a bit skiddish.
Dodd’s column got a lot of attention, and a few months later county commissioners at the urging of sheriff Bob Wells and prosecutor Andrew Curley passed a county ordinance on dogs at large. I refer to it as Murph’s Law.
