I recently acquired a copy of a new book regarding fly fishing in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This is a subject near and dear to my heart and having purchased every other guide book on the subject that I am aware of, I must say that this one is superior in every way.
Jim Casada’s Fly Fishing In The Great Smoky Mountains National Park: An insider’s Guide to A Pursuit of Passion deals with all aspects of fly fishing in the park. However, this not just an ordinary guide book. The author is a son of the smokies, having been raised on the North Carolina side of the park. He has fished these streams extensively and is knowledgeable about the ins and outs of the regions fly fishing.
The one thing that makes this book so important is all of the historical information it provides. It should come as no surprise, because Mr. Casada is a historian of the first order and a retired history professor. In addition to covering all of the major watersheds in the park, each stream has a base of operation section and a “Back of Beyond” listing, a phrase coined by the legendary Horace Kephart.
In addition, there are elevation charts provided by the author’s brother and a map of park’s streams. The book is rounded out by spectacular photos, and true to the author’s background in history, an excellent bibliographical section completes it.
The book comes in a hardback version which sells for $37.50 or a soft cover version for $24.95. You can purchase inscribed copies from Mr. Casada’s web site www.jimcasadaoutdoors.com.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Friday, December 4, 2009
Elk hunt application process underway
It is time once again big game hunters. If you want a shot at Kentucky's biggest game of all, now is the time to submit your application for the state's elk hunt drawing. Applications cost $10, and give the purchaser a chance to win a bull or cow elk tag. Applications are available online only.
You may apply by logging onto the homepage of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources at fw.ky.gov and clicking on the yellow “Buy Licenses Here” box on the right side of the page. If you wish to purchase a chance for someone on your Christmas shopping list, you will need that person’s social security number.
Kentucky Fish and Wildlife issued 750 cow elk tags and 250 bull elk tags for the regular 2009 lottery quota hunts. More than 46,000 people applied for the 2009 hunts.
Youth hunters 15 years old and younger may apply for the 2010 youth-only elk hunt at Paul Van Booven Wildlife Management Area. Youth may apply for the regular quota elk hunts and the youth-only hunt, but each application costs $10.
You can only apply one time (except those youth applying for the youth-only and regular elk quota hunts). The lottery is open to Kentucky residents and non-residents. The deadline to apply is April 30. The drawing will be conducted in May.
Eighty-seven percent of those drawn for the 2009 bull elk hunt successfully harvested a bull elk during the current season.
You may apply by logging onto the homepage of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources at fw.ky.gov and clicking on the yellow “Buy Licenses Here” box on the right side of the page. If you wish to purchase a chance for someone on your Christmas shopping list, you will need that person’s social security number.
Kentucky Fish and Wildlife issued 750 cow elk tags and 250 bull elk tags for the regular 2009 lottery quota hunts. More than 46,000 people applied for the 2009 hunts.
Youth hunters 15 years old and younger may apply for the 2010 youth-only elk hunt at Paul Van Booven Wildlife Management Area. Youth may apply for the regular quota elk hunts and the youth-only hunt, but each application costs $10.
You can only apply one time (except those youth applying for the youth-only and regular elk quota hunts). The lottery is open to Kentucky residents and non-residents. The deadline to apply is April 30. The drawing will be conducted in May.
Eighty-seven percent of those drawn for the 2009 bull elk hunt successfully harvested a bull elk during the current season.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Good friends, Good Times and No Deer
The arrival at the primitive campground at Yellowbank Wildlife Management Area was not originally planned for 9:30 p.m. on Thursday evening. Of course a homecoming parade and a missed turn contributed to the four of us setting up camp by lantern light.
Once tents were erected and wood was gathered, a campfire was blazing and a bull session with beverages was planned. Of course it was short lived thanks to rain and thunderstorms that moved through the area, sending us scrambling into tents. The rain continued throughout early Friday, cancelling the morning hunt.
A trip to the nearby town of Hardinsburg was hatched in order to gather our groceries for the rest of the weekend. The menu consisted of lot’s of bologna, hot dogs and canned beef stew. No gourmet meals for us hard-as-leather bowhunters.
We were finally able to get in the woods Friday evening and hunted till dark. Two of us saw deer (I was not one of them) and one of us got really lost (once again, not me). Our lost companion made it back to camp before any of us, after hitching a seven mile ride with a farm lady who spent the better part of her days around smelly livestock and obviously wasn’t offended by a one-eyed man in camouflage who hadn’t showered in a couple of days.
The wind swirled around 20 mph for the rest of the weekend and the moon was full, making less than idea hunting conditions. We did finally start figuring them out by Saturday afternoon and the other two of us finally saw deer.
The final tally from the weekend went something like this: four cans of beef stew, two 30 packs of Busch Light, four packs of hot dogs, three packs of bologna, a fifth of Jim Beam Red Stag and no deer.
We enjoyed it so much we will be doing this again at the end of the month.
Once tents were erected and wood was gathered, a campfire was blazing and a bull session with beverages was planned. Of course it was short lived thanks to rain and thunderstorms that moved through the area, sending us scrambling into tents. The rain continued throughout early Friday, cancelling the morning hunt.
A trip to the nearby town of Hardinsburg was hatched in order to gather our groceries for the rest of the weekend. The menu consisted of lot’s of bologna, hot dogs and canned beef stew. No gourmet meals for us hard-as-leather bowhunters.
We were finally able to get in the woods Friday evening and hunted till dark. Two of us saw deer (I was not one of them) and one of us got really lost (once again, not me). Our lost companion made it back to camp before any of us, after hitching a seven mile ride with a farm lady who spent the better part of her days around smelly livestock and obviously wasn’t offended by a one-eyed man in camouflage who hadn’t showered in a couple of days.
The wind swirled around 20 mph for the rest of the weekend and the moon was full, making less than idea hunting conditions. We did finally start figuring them out by Saturday afternoon and the other two of us finally saw deer.
The final tally from the weekend went something like this: four cans of beef stew, two 30 packs of Busch Light, four packs of hot dogs, three packs of bologna, a fifth of Jim Beam Red Stag and no deer.
We enjoyed it so much we will be doing this again at the end of the month.
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