Longtime Radio Personality Marv Luten interviews guests, shares community updates, National and Local sports and more.
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**Welcome to the Marv in the Morning Podcast**
**Marv:** Thanks again, and welcome to another episode of the Marv in the Morning Podcast, on the Fort Not Lost in the Woods Podcast site, brought to you by TK’s Pizza, Three Brothers Meat Company at Lynn Creek, VFW Post 3168 of Lakeway, STR Glass of Saint Robert, The Pulaski County Health Center, Seger Toyota, Saint Robert Auto Supply, Shelter Insurance agent Dave Holland of Richland, Paul’s Furniture, The Bank of Crocker, and Bailes Construction.
It’s the sixth month of the year as we’ve hit June and one might say, where has this year gone? But don’t we pretty much say that every year? Someone much older than me years ago said, the older you get, time flies by much faster. I didn’t believe it at the time, but as I’ve climbed that ladder in aging, I know what I was told years ago has now been confirmed.
The clock doesn’t move any faster, and I’m moving a lot slower than I did years ago. And while I can’t explain it, it certainly seems to be true. June is normally a quiet month as we just celebrated Memorial Day and the 4th of July holiday is coming up early next month. And because it’s the country’s 250th birthday, it will take on a new look this year.
With the 250th, the local fireworks stands are hoping it’s a benchmark in sales. Before we get to July 4th, we do have Father’s Day coming up here in the month of June. Juneteenth, officially Juneteenth National Independence Day, is a federal holiday in the United States. It is celebrated annually on June 19th to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States.
President Joe Biden signed this into law back in 2021. Also, in the sixth month of the year is June 14th, which among other things is Flag Day, and it’s also the birthday of the United States Army. It’s also President Trump’s birthday.
They’re constructing a cage at the White House for a big MMA event to celebrate the President’s birthday. And word comes the President is trying to get his picture on a $250 bill, something new the US Mint is apparently producing. This I think would be in conjunction with the country’s 250th birthday. No living President or congressional leader has their picture on US currency.
Not sure where this is going to go or whether we will have a $250 bill. It might be okay for collectors if it happens, but may end up going the same way as the Susan B Anthony silver dollar or the $2 bill, which is still good currency, but rarely used, at least as I’ve noticed, unless you’re at the track betting on horses.
There are supposed to be some big events around the White House near the end of the month, but political BS may squelch some of the entertainment. And from the latest I heard, this may just turn into a big political rally with you know who as the headliner act. I believe I saw on one of Trump’s media posts, the crowds would be bigger than an Elvis Presley concert or something like that.
At the watering hole the other day, we were discussing the overall world view and the leaders of those countries. Putin’s name came up from Russia. One said Putin’s ego is larger than anyone’s. That was quickly debunked, as several jumped in and said if anyone’s ego is larger than life, it’s the man who put his name ahead of John F Kennedy’s on the Kennedy Center.
Trump wants his legacy to stand forever. And if the way the country is going right now, the only positive part of his legacy may end up on a piece of concrete. Let’s hope he can turn this thing around, get the gas and grocery prices down, and make this country great again. Time will tell.
Today on the podcast, we’re going to visit with one of our conservation agents here in Pulaski County, find out what happened with the just completed wild turkey season. The bass fishing season is now open in Missouri’s rivers and streams. We’ll tell some stories, which Nathan Engle is pretty good at, and he’s coming up next.
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**Marv:** On the podcast today, we are rejoined by Nathan Engle, one of our conservation agents here in Pulaski County. Thank you, sir, for taking some time to join us.
**Nathan:** Always a pleasure, Marv, you know that. Always, I enjoy doing this. I look forward to it whenever I see your calls and and uh get scheduled to come in here.
**Marv:** Yeah, well, we like telling stories, and you seem to be a pretty good storyteller. Uh first off, let’s talk a little bit about the past turkey season, uh that ended. Uh turned out, how did the turkey season actually overall turn out as far as the numbers go?
**Nathan:** Overall, statewide, we were down. Uh, we were down. We had around about 45,000 harvests uh for the spring turkey season. Last year we had over 52, so we are down about 8,000 birds. Um, but man, Marv, you know, we had 90-degree days in February. So, I I really yeah, for this year, I I I’ve never turkey hunted in the springtime and just absolutely not been able to see through the foliage. And that that’s what we saw this year. I just it was so green, so early, and so hot, so early that uh I was seeing birds fanned out and strutted in late February and and all throughout March. So I just think it was kind of like how we’ve been talking about our deer season last few years. It was a perfect storm of some crummy hunting. But uh, overall, um if you were around active birds, um you did well. There were there were definitely enough birds. We uh we had a great hatch a few years ago. So we had a lot of adult birds this year. Um but I think I think we’ll have a a a really good hatch from last year to this year, and I think next year will be on the uptick, I’m I’m hoping. At least as a regional, you know, localized to our county, I think we’re going to have an uptick in our population.
**Marv:** Well, we’ve had no inclement weather to really screw up the turkey hatch this year.
**Nathan:** Right, yeah. Yeah, it’s gonna be I think it’s gonna be pose well for us as a, you know, localized area for the state. I can’t speak for there’s been a lot of storms and a lot of tornadoes up northern half of the state, but uh for us here locally, I I think we’re gonna do okay.
**Marv:** As far as the youth season goes. Um, of course, well first before we do that, how, did you get a bird?
**Nathan:** I I got two. I got two birds, uh so I’ve got a couple funny stories. Um I was uh stronghold against that TSS shot, um until this year. So, I was always, you know, I could buy 10 rounds of that Nitro Turkey at Walmart or wherever for $7 and, you know, call one in and if if they would happen to come in, I know I’d kill them. They’d pattern well. Um but I bought for that youth event, I bought a Tri-Star um 410 shotgun, semi-automatic shotgun, turkey gun. So it comes with a pistol grip. It’s dipped in camo. It’s a kind of a neat-looking gun and I put an optic on it. I put an optic on it, so, you know, especially sometimes we have really younger kids, kids on the younger side that maybe the maturity level’s not quite there yet. So, teaching them to get both beads lined up on that gun rail can be a challenge. And especially if there’s a bird in front of you, you you want as little um room for error as possible. So I put an optic on it and uh so that’s that’s the gun I ended up using. And and I did I bought some TSS shot and uh the right choke tube for it. I use an Indian Creek choke tube. Um but uh I I I I was fortunate enough. The whole first week, I I hunted at least a little bit every morning before getting out and working. But uh by Thursday, I I was pretty much tapped out. I I did hunt with my dad on Thursday morning. Didn’t hear anything, didn’t see anything. Gave up about 10 o’clock and I’m just like, “Okay, I’m done.” You know, this was three mornings in a row. I’ve been waking up at 4:00 AM and and uh just sitting out and and getting skunked. So I was a little discouraged and and absolutely my body was like, “Let’s just sleep in the morning.” So, uh we went fishing that day. Did fairly well on the lake. We fished Truman that day and and come home and that night, right around sunset, we were running his bird dog and I said, “Well, I’m gonna walk to the end of the property, the west side of our property and just to see if there’s birds out there.” And I’ll be darned if there’s not three gobblers out there in that in that pasture. And it was late enough, I told him. I said, “Well if you wanna head back to the house, I’m just gonna stand here.” because I may roost them real quick. And I’ll be darned if they didn’t roost 50 yards from our property line. Um on a uh tilled soybean field, so it it’s good visibility. And uh my blind was still set up. My decoys were in my blind. So I’m like, “Okay, well, all right, Friday morning, I’ll wake up and I’ll get out there.” And uh it thunderstormed like a son of a gun all night. Um got out there Friday morning. It was still raining on me. But they started gobbling right away. So I I I put a decoy just out across the property line. Um just to where they could at least see my decoy, have some visibility for if they’re looking for where I’m calling, they can see a decoy and kind of hone them in. And and uh they all three pitched down and and I didn’t have to make very many calls at all and they walked right into me and uh I killed my first one at uh 22 yards. Folded it and and uh dad ended up sleeping in that morning. He come in into my room and uh that I was staying in and about 4:30 and said, “Hey, I’m just gonna sleep in today.” I said, “Okay, no worries.” I said, “I’ll probably still go out there.” Well, if he’d have come out there, he’d have killed one too because the other two gobblers started flogging that one twitching on the ground. And I thought, “Well, son of a gun,” you know, he he could have killed one there too. But uh that was a great hunt. And then the second hunt I did, it was it was actually here in Pulaski County on the uh property that we used to trap feral hogs on. So I knew the landowner very well. Um know them very well through deer season and stuff. And uh kind of on that western side of Fort Leonard Wood, that boundary down there off the Roubidoux Creek. And uh I had a good buddy of mine, my best friend from high school, he was able to take one day off for turkey season. It would it would have been uh he was able to take Friday what May uh 1st maybe, I think it was what it was. It was that that uh second weekend of turkey season. And uh he come down. I scouted the day before, found some birds. So I put a blind up. Got ready. And we went down in there. And Marv, we had, I mean, at 5:45, I was putting out a decoy and I saw hens already in this tilled cornfield. That uh that is it was it was just no-till at this point. But there were already hens at 5:45. I’m like, “Son of a gun, I’m flushing birds out of this field.” So I sneak back into the blind. We get set. 6:00 rolls around, two gobblers pitch out of the roost right down in front of us. And they stayed. They hung up for four hours. We watched them. They were fanned out. But we had at one point, 19 legal birds in the field with us, but they were all about 200 to 500 yards.
**Marv:** A little too far.
**Nathan:** From us, yeah, so, you know, I’m not shooting with a rifle. It’s illegal. But uh I was making that joke. I said, “Man, with a 22-250, we we we could be done already.” But anyway, we uh we we toughed it out and uh we got them to come kind of in the tree line that we were backed up into, but at about 118 yards. They just kind of hung up and and it kind of got hot. It was about 9:00. And they all started laying down. They started laying down in the shade. It was it was cool in the shade, but boy it was hot in the sun that morning. And they started laying down and we just gave up. We just we started getting on our phones. We started telling high school stories and and we just gave up on the birds. We were talking as loud as you and I are right now. I mean we just kind of like, “Well, we need them to leave cuz the wives are wanting us back home, I’m sure.” And uh the last-ditch effort, I pulled out a gobbler call and I’m just like, “Well, let’s just see what we can do.” And and I started hitting that gobbler call and got him interested. And he picked up a new slate call that I had in my bag and and uh birds hadn’t heard it that morning yet. And he started scratching that to the point to where I’m like, “Hey, that’s too much.” Like, “Cool it.” Well, it got the attention of three jakes, three of the jakes. Um gobblers still laid down. But three jakes peeled off and they started walking into us and the realization of like, “Oh heck, we may get a shot off of these birds.” You good with, you know, I told him I said, “Are you okay with shooting a Jake and not a gobbler?” And he goes, “Oh yeah.” He goes, “I I’d like to harvest a legal bird.” I said, “I’m on that boat too.” So we had three jakes peel off, come to us, and just like you could imagine in your dream. The lead Jake peeled off left towards one of our decoys. He hit it. Folded it at 22 yards. Well, I thought I had a few seconds of maybe they’ll hang around and I’ll get on mine. Well, I couldn’t get the safety off. I was I was already excited. I’m watching him making sure cuz I I was okay with shooting one, but I really wanted him to kill his bird. You know, we haven’t hunted together since we were sophomores in high school. We had just bought uh our trucks and we hadn’t spring turkey hunted since that that spring. We were like, “Well, let’s get out, let’s go hunt.” You know, didn’t know a thing about turkey hunting at that stage of our life, but so we hadn’t turkey hunted in like 15, 16 years together. And I was wanting him to kill one. So he killed one. I’m trying to get on my bird and I get on my bird. And immediately, Marv, they turn around and they jump and they start flying straight away from us. And I thought, “Well, crap.” So I squeezed the trigger. Nothing. Dawns on me, frigging safety’s not off. So I clicked the safety off and I just cover up this bird’s head as he’s flying away. And I’m like, “It’s a 410, but I am shooting that TSS shot with a with an Indian Creek choke tube.” And I’m like, “Maybe I’ll knock him down and I’ll get another shot out on the ground.” Well, I cover up his head and I fold him out of the sky. I pull I squeeze the trigger and I just fold him like a ton of bricks out of the sky. We get out of the blind, you know, after about a second of like, “Okay, oh crap, we got two.” You know, we killed our birds. Let’s get out. We run out. Take off sprinting. And we get on our birds. And I I range-finded where I’m standing on my bird’s neck. Colder than a dead hammer. Standing on his neck and I range-find our blind and it’s 64 yards from our blind where that 410 folded a turkey out of the sky. So I’m like, I told him. I said, “All right, I’m a believer in this TSS shot after that.” Cuz I’d heard that it would do that, but I just could not for the life of me believe that it would do that, especially with a 410 caliber. But uh it did. So I’m like, “Yeah, I’m never carrying a 9-pound 12-gauge again. I’m gonna carry this 4-pound 410 from now on.” So.
**Marv:** Is it unusual to shoot a bird out of the sky?
**Nathan:** Uh, I mean if they spook and they’re flying, the the second guy maybe, but uh I’ve uh I did it back in the day, um Kansas, way back. I was I was young, young, um but I was old enough to need a permit and and Kansas bird hunting used to have a you could you could bonus tag. You could add it onto your permit for, I think it was like 50 or 60 bucks. And my dad and I would always do it. Well, what it allowed you to do was shoot a turkey if your dog happens to point one. type deal as a non-resident. Um attached to your small game hunting for pheasant and quail. And we have shot a couple of turkeys out of the sky, you know, dogs flush them. Here they come. We make sure they’re legal bird and and we can harvest a turkey that way. And we’ve done that. Um but that was yeah, for the first time in probably 15, 18 years that uh I’d killed one out of the sky like that. So, yeah.
**Marv:** Did you talk to Dave Holland at all about his turkey hunting?
**Nathan:** Yeah, um I don’t know that he had very much luck at all. Um I did I was watching Telecheck see if he’d come across. I never did uh see if he’d come across. I was talking with Art Booth. Um he was able to kill one, but it was late season. And and they had a hard time I think on their farm. And I think it was just the birds weren’t gobbling. They weren’t answering. So heck, they’d appear out of nowhere. So, what did what did Dave do? Did you talk to him?
**Marv:** Oh yeah, I talked to Dave. I said, “You go turkey hunting?” He goes, “Yeah, I was in the woods five minutes and back home.” That quick.
**Nathan:** That quick. Did he Did he shoot it out of a roost?
**Marv:** I didn’t ask him where he shot him.
**Nathan:** He wouldn’t do that. I know he wouldn’t do that.
**Marv:** I I I think he probably just called him in and bang, there he goes and, you know, his his turkey hunting uh is done for the day and done for the week. So he got he got real lucky. What about the uh youth season that you all participated in? Did your kid uh do good?
**Nathan:** So, we got to see, my my specific hunter, um she got to see a lot of birds. Uh the first day I think we saw 14 hens. No legal birds. Um but the second day, we put our blind up at a little different spot. And weather was perfect. It was dead calm. It was kind of crisp that morning. Um and at about 9:30, three jakes ran across the the field. And we were hunting our booths farm. And ran across the field. We were hunting kind of low by the Gasconade River. So we put up in a spot that I’d never hunted before. But boy, it looks incredible. And uh they come screaming across the field and uh and I kind of hit him with a call and it dawned on me that they couldn’t really see our spread because the way the field is kind of loped. Uh they they really they heard me, but they didn’t know where we were. So they stopped right on the field edge. And it took an hour to get them to calm down enough. And they were looking over at us to where they finally put their heads down and come in. And when they did, uh my hunter, she got to see the full spring turkey. So she didn’t hear him gobble. She didn’t hear him, you know, do that stomp and drum. But they fanned out. They were fighting their decoys. You know, they were spinning around each other. And uh it was kind of entertaining to be like, “Okay, shoot that one.” “Oh, okay, hold on, shoot this one.” “Oh, okay, hold on, this one separates, shoot that one.” But uh she she was able to squeeze a trigger, but she ended up missing. She ended up missing a a nice jake at about 25, 30 yards. Um but she did miss. Uh I don’t think she hit the bird at all because of just the way it acted. I don’t think she hit it at all. Um so fortunately we didn’t hurt the bird. You know, we may have scared the crap out of it, but uh we didn’t hurt the bird. So it’ll live. It’ll be fine for next year. It’ll be a gobbler next year. But she did uh she did get to see everything, get to hear him gobble and roost. She got to see him come up, fanned out. Got to see him fight and uh got to squeeze a trigger on one. So, um I I’m not totally disgruntled. Uh I’ll definitely try and get her out this fall and we’ll get her out next spring as well.
**Marv:** Bottom line, she walks away with a smile on her face.
**Nathan:** She she was lit In fact, they were uh they came over last night. Uh we had some fried turkey that I’d killed uh for supper on Sunday and uh and uh she was talking about how how much she enjoyed getting up and, you know, as a 13-year-old girl, her priorities probably aren’t waking up at 4:00 AM to go turkey hunting. You know, there’s she’s going through a stage where electronics are a thing, boys are a thing and I know she she really appreciated and she goes, “Man, I I miss that was a lot of fun waking up early and sitting in the blind with her dad and me for those few days just to talk about whatever came about and to watch birds and listen to wildlife.” So.
**Marv:** That’s what youth turkey season is all about. That’s what it’s all about. trying to step take that stepping stone to get them to become a turkey hunter.
**Nathan:** Yeah. as a group, I think uh Dave Hallett and his clan that went into Camden County, I think they killed two or three of five. And uh on the Art Booth farm, we killed one of three. Um but we had two misses. So we did uh majority of every kid got to see plenty of birds. I think only one individual, one young boy, um didn’t see a bird when he hunted uh with one of one of our guides. But uh I think everybody got to see birds and and most everybody got to squeeze a trigger on one and and, you know, in hopes that they would harvest a bird.
**Marv:** We’re going to take a break. We’re going to come back with Nathan Engle. We’re going to talk a little bit about fishing because bass season is open here in the state of Missouri for smallmouth. Don’t go away.
**Marv:** We are back with Nathan Engle, one of our conservation agents here in Pulaski County. Bass season opened up, of course, Memorial Day weekend. A little late getting this uh interview done. I’d like to do it before, but uh things came up and you were busy, I was busy and uh we didn’t. How’s Casey doing? I haven’t talked to Casey. He’s probably busy as well.
**Nathan:** Casey’s doing well. We’re both, we’re both just managing calls and getting out and patrolling. Memorial Day came and went with little to no, you know, we worry about on Memorial Day, especially with the Gasconade, it it kind of can look like Daytona Beach down there. Um with shore runners and everybody. And and Casey and I are always out there with water patrol. Um highway patrol. Um just to make sure everybody’s being safe. You know, the violations may come up for wildlife enforcement and and we handle those as we see them. But our biggest factor is, hey, there’s a lot of floaters. Make sure everybody’s got life jackets. Make sure the kids that are required to wear life jackets all day long are wearing them because we don’t want to have to pull injured people out of the river. So, we uh fortunately that didn’t happen. We did have uh a fairly decent uh we had an Operation Game Thief report. And um uh on uh some Blue Ribbon Trout area that I was able to respond to on Memorial Day and resulted in 33 resource violations and 26 illegal trout and ended up being a fairly good report and uh well, it fortunately was handled on time before they left.
**Marv:** Where is the Blue Ribbon Trout area in Pulaski County?
**Nathan:** So this this ended up being, you know, Spring Creek on the on the uh upper Piney near J Highway is a Blue Ribbon Trout. Um it’s just kind of on that Pulaski Phelps line. This report actually came out of Lane Spring. If you know where Lane Spring is, right off 63 Highway, just north of Edgar Springs. You you can’t miss it. You go over the Lane Spring Bridge and it it’s a big uh State Park or it’s it’s it it’s a brown sign, but it says Lane Spring Branch. And it’s a big uh spring, but it’s a Blue Ribbon because it’s it’s highly suitable for trout habitat. So it’s, you know, restricted. One trout per day uh per person, 18 inches or better. And it’s only flies only. So you can’t use, you know, um artificial lures with more than one hook, barbed, or especially uh treble hooks with with power bait or natural bait or anything like that. It’s only flies with a single barb. So.
**Marv:** So you how many people do you end up nailing?
**Nathan:** Quite a bit. Yeah, quite a bit. Um it was it was uh um several of them had multiple things. They were they were they were using uh worms and chicken livers on treble hooks. So they were gut-hooking a lot of, you know, very young trout. Um and and all those trout died. There there were the guy who actually reported it in uh was downstream from them about 200 yards and he was netting all the dead fish floating down river. Um and he was sending me pictures of, yeah, they were, you know, their stomachs and their gills were ripped out where the individuals as soon as they lane the fish, they just ripped the treble hook straight out, killed the fish, and tossed it back because it it was these were very small. Um but when I when I made contact, um they had, you know, multiple guys had nine, had eight, had seven, and they were in their backpacks trying to conceal them to a degree. Um but uh once I kind of stopped them and interviewed them, they were they were cooperative. They understood what that was going on. Um and they were voluntary in that aspect. But uh when they knew they were caught, they were they knew they were caught. So.
**Marv:** How’s the bass season look?
**Nathan:** It’s looking good. I mean, it’s looking really good. I was actually out on the water uh this last week. Um for pleasure purposes and and fished and man, it was very well. Very it was great. Uh smallmouth were hammering really well. Um I don’t know if it was the rain that influx of fresh water. I would say it would be. Um but uh man, the smallmouth were on fire. Caught several nice goggle eye. And I was even having uh gar go after my lures and I landed a few short-nose gar as well, which is always kind of entertaining. But uh they put up a fun fight. So.
**Marv:** The last weekend in May did not turn out to be very good for being on the river because we had, we didn’t have rain much rain here, but down around Hartville and down in Texas County, they got five, seven inches of rain. And it all came up. I went down to uh try to get my cows some food and couldn’t get down to the river because the river was all over the uh bottom. Yeah. Luckily the cows were in the upper hayfield, but so I had to go find another alternative route to get there. But kind of surprised me when I went down there. But then again, I remember seeing the news on the rain. So, yeah, no surprises when you realize what actually happened because down there in the South, when Hartville gets it, man, Texas County gets it. Ruby Du’s coming up. Piney’s coming up. The Gasconade’s coming up.
**Nathan:** Yeah, that was such a weird and interesting storm system because you the Gasconade near Hartville got slammed. So we got the Gasconade come up quite a bit, but it didn’t seem like the Piney and the Roubidoux side, you know, on the more eastern side of Texas County, they didn’t uh they didn’t come up hardly at all. And it was it was a neat confluence at the meet, you know, of the Piney and Gasconade because you had Gasconade running chocolate milk and it’s pretty turbulent and debris is floating down. And then the Piney’s, you know, relatively clear and you can see down and and it’s fishable. But uh it was uh it was just an interesting storm storm system the way it developed. Really hit Lebanon hard, that area. And then it just kind of dissipated. Because I know what our house, our my Sydney and I live in Waynesville. Sydney says hi, by the way. I told her I was coming to record.
**Marv:** All right, tell her I said hello.
**Nathan:** And uh yeah, she was excited to to hear the podcast and uh to to know that I was coming to see you. But uh in Waynesville locally, we maybe got an inch, inch and a half that whole week spread out. So we didn’t get hit very hard at all. Nothing compared to yeah, the four or five inches that that uh West Plains and Hartville and all them got down there. So.
**Marv:** We want to before we get out of here, I do want to remind everybody, 4th of July is coming up and I know we’re still about a month away, but we have rules on gravel bars for the 4th of July and we just want to kind of pass them along for people who might be listening, who might plan on spending some time on the gravel bar uh around the area with fireworks and the no-no with fireworks.
**Nathan:** Yeah, so uh with fireworks, I’ll caveat too, all MDC areas, um are prohibited for firework use. So I know our parking lots are wide, open, and good visible, but uh we don’t allow fireworks on our conservation areas for liability purposes and because for litter. Um and that’ll caveat right back into the gravel bar stuff. If you do plan on shooting fireworks off the gravel bar, so be it. But be respectful. In the state of Missouri, um the the gravel bar use is dependent on who the landowner is. So the landowner actually owns all the way to the waterline. It’s not a high level mark uh within the riverbanks. It is if you are on a gravel bar and it’s not your gravel bar, you are on somebody’s property. Now, a lot of people um are okay with people using their gravel bar for camping, you know, but but but please be considerate of that. And uh don’t litter. Um and uh if you are drinking through 4th of July, uh a lot of people lose their appendages and if you’re on the river, you’re kind of remote and we can’t get to you to maybe save those appendages. So just keep that in mind. If you’re gonna be doing that kind of stuff, um just be wary and cautious of that.
**Marv:** And a lot of times cell phones do not work down on gravel bars in low-lying areas. So, also keep that in mind. Any other stories you have for us before we go?
**Nathan:** Oh boy, I mean, we we made it through deer season and and made it through our gigging season. Boy, gigging season was one of the greatest uh times I’ve ever experienced in my life. There were so many fish this year on uh on the stretch that Casey and I have permission to go on and and uh we actually took a few um we did several programs this spring that were like it kind of time-consuming. But we took the Rolla S&T um volleyball or softball girls, maybe both of them. But we had about 80 people down at Boiling Springs on January 10th. Uh we had nine boats running. So we we we used a lot of resources from our region, but we came up and and uh those girls, I think I think we cleaned over 280 fish with, you know, the 50 people that we had down there. It was just unreal. I mean, there were several girls that they got their limits. You know, most of them got eight or nine a piece, but there were several girls that got their limits. And Casey and I are frying fish. We had six burners running and it’s just like, “Oh my gosh, we’re feeding a ton of people.” And uh they’re flaying fish just as fast as we can fry them down on the gravel bar. So those girls, hats off to them, they did phenomenal of of gigging fish. I kind of didn’t expect that because most of them had never done that a day in their life. So that was really uh fun and impressive to watch. But then we took another smaller group on the Piney and uh my goodness, Marv, it was like a salmon run. It was like, you couldn’t believe how many fish are are migrating up and and were this year. And I asked Casey, you know, this is only my fifth year uh gigging as an agent. And I asked him. I said, “Is this, you know, is this normal? Have you seen it like this?” And Casey goes, well he and I were staying on the front of our boat and and uh he Casey goes, “No, I’ve never I’ve never seen it like this.” I’m like, “Okay.” So, you know, he’s got 26 years here. So, so I’m like, “Okay, I’ll this is a good year.” That really appreciate this as it’s coming. Um but we were talking with it. It was kind of interesting. We were kind of talking with the Fisheries biologist on Fort Leonard Wood. And um the amount of fish, Mizzou has a a grad student that’s using that um not the low head dam, but you know, that that ladder-based shoot system, that bypass, the fish bypass around the dam near the Piney golf course. Um he’s using that as a as a research project, as a grant. And he’s got lasers and he’s fish-counting. And I guess his data, the Fisheries biologist and the game warden out there said, “You would not believe the amount of fish using that fish bypass, that ladder system that they built around that weir, that uh that low-head dam. That it’s like I think that’s why the sucker population was so good is that they can finally, they have that flux of water to drive that instinct to swim upriver and they’re migrating the way they should be.” And man, the fishing was great.
**Marv:** Man, that’s goggle eye heaven down there.
**Nathan:** You wouldn’t believe. Yeah. Yeah.
**Marv:** I can’t imagine. Nathan, thanks so much.
**Nathan:** Ah, thank you, Marv. I appreciate it. I know I felt like I talked the whole time. We didn’t really uh yeah, I was excited to get in here.
**Marv:** That’s all right, buddy. That’s what you’re here for to fill uh to keep me from talking so much. All right, Nathan Engle, our guest on our podcast today. We’ll see you back here in just a moment.
**Paul’s Furniture Ad:** Are you tired of all the games that other furniture stores play? At Paul’s Furniture, we’ve got the biggest name brands at the guaranteed lowest prices. You come in, you’re gonna see that price on it. The next time you come in, it’s gonna be the exact same price because we always have the best deals, the best prices, and the biggest name brands with free delivery. We’re gonna do whatever it takes to earn your business at Paul’s Furniture. That’s what’s made us the number one furniture store in Pulaski and Phelps County for the last 30 years. All right, if you’re tired of the games that others play, come see us at Paul’s Furniture.
**Bank of Crocker Ad:** Since 1911, The Bank of Crocker has served the greater Pulaski County area. This year marks their 115th year. How do you last that long? Well, by giving their customers cutting-edge banking services with a hometown flair. You can do your banking from anywhere in the world with their convenient online banking. At the big banks, you’re just another number. At The Bank of Crocker, they know your name, maybe some of your family, and might even know the name of the dog sitting next to you in the drive-in facility. It’s called the personal touch, which is why they’re celebrating their 115th year as your hometown bank. And there’s four locations for your convenience in Crocker, Richland, Waynesville, and St Robert. The Bank of Crocker, remember, FDIC and Equal Housing Lender.
**Three Brothers Meat Company Ad:** Need to fill your freezer and save some serious money? Well, that’s a problem Three Brothers Meat Company is happy to fix. We’re talking whole beef bundles, quarter beef bundles, and the mighty freezer buster, stacked with beef, chicken, and pork. So good, you might start inviting yourself to your own house for dinner. These bundles are perfect for grilling, family dinners, or just beating grocery store prices with much better quality food. Check them all out on our Facebook page. They’re pinned right there at the top of the page. Call 573-346-5233 or just swing by and see us, 2179 State Highway A in Montreal.
**Marv:** Time for some Sports, brought to you by Three Brothers Meat Company at Lynn Creek. Your grill is begging for some good brats and there’s none better with a big selection than at Three Brothers Meat Company on Highway A outside of Richland at Lynn Creek. Just a hop, skip, and a jump from Osage Beach. A must stop on your way to or from the lake.
Well, the Licking Wildcats are in the Final Four in prep baseball for the 11th time in school history this week. They have made the dance again. This time under coach Cole Roark. Others who have taken Licking to the finals were Byron Hagler, Randy Gardner, and Harvantel. And speaking of Antel, one of his sons, Gideon, is playing in the Bananas Baseball League, a league of six teams dedicated to bring an entirely different brand of baseball to the nation. And they are selling out stadiums everywhere they go.
I had the chance to catch Gideon Antel on the CW about a month or so ago, and he’s doing well, playing for the Loco Beach Coconuts. I also watched the Savannah Bananas play the Indianapolis Clowns last Sunday at Kaufman Stadium in Kansas City. The Royals have not seen a crowd like that at the K since they won the World Series.
The Bananas will take on the Loco Beach Coconuts in August at Bush Stadium in St Louis for a two-game set. I think it’s the 21st and 22nd, and I believe it was a sellout long ago when Gideon Antel joined me on this podcast prior to the season even starting. And by the way, Gideon, congratulations on your recent marriage.
Girls soccer is wrapping up this weekend, Fenton bringing an end to the high school sports season. New Covenant Academy out of Springfield, winner of the Lakeway district is in the Final Four trying to add a state championship banner to their gymnasium.
Onto the Cardinals, and this past weekend on my free antenna TV, I had the chance to see the Cards and Cubs play their entire three-game series from the comfort of my recliner. And give my wife, a Cubs fan, the business because the Cardinals took two or three from Chicago for the series win. In this close National League Central race, where all five teams are playing above 500 ball, and while Milwaukee is leading St Louis by four and a half games, last place Cincinnati is only six games out and the National League Central remains the closest of all six divisions in the Major League.
Each week there’s more leapfrogging in the Central than any other division, and it might stay that way for a while. Kansas City has fallen to 11 games back of Cleveland in the American League Central, and they have some work to do. Sports brought to you by Three Brothers Meat Company at Lynn Creek and we’ll be back right after this.
**VFW Ad:** “Meet you at the V” is a popular saying in our Neck of the Woods, and for a good reason. VFW Post 3168 at Exit 150 off 544 is a popular place, especially on Friday and Saturday night, because it’s steak night from 4:00 to 9:00, where folks come from miles around to get some of the best steaks at a price that makes even the most thrifty smile. With several cuts of juicy steaks cooked the way you like, complimented by salad, baked potato, and a veggie. Their canteen is open Monday through Thursday from 3:00 to midnight, and Friday from 3:00 to 1:00, and they open at noon on Saturday and Sundays. Their kitchen is open from 5:00 to 9:00, Mondays through Thursdays with daily specials. And did I mention steak nights, Fridays and Saturdays, and there’s karaoke Tuesdays through Saturdays from 8:00 to close. Plenty of TVs to catch up on all the big games and a huge meeting room for rent for your special occasions. Queen of Hearts runs every Tuesday and check out their website for Bingo nights. And every second Saturday of the month, from 12:00 noon to 3:00 PM, they host a veteran service officer event. Lakeway VFW Post 3168, Exit 150 off 544. See why more people are heading to the V every day.
**St Robert Auto Supply Ad:** Your NAPA auto parts store, Saint Robert Auto Supply, has everything you need for your vehicle and more when you need it. NAPA brand oil and anti-freeze, windshield wipers, and vehicle accessories, plus tools and equipment for all of your projects. From car covers and flashlights to car wash, air fresheners, sun shades, and glass and tire cleaner, you’ll find it all at your NAPA Auto Parts store, Saint Robert Auto Supply, just off Missouri Avenue. Stop by today and get the good stuff, seven days a week.
**Marv:** Again, a thanks to my sponsors: TK’s Pizza, VFW Post 3168 of Lakeway, STR Glass of Saint Robert, the Pulaski County Health Center, Seger Toyota, Saint Robert Auto Supply, Shelter Insurance agent Dave Holland of Richland, Paul’s Furniture, the Bank of Crocker, Bailes Construction, and Three Brothers Meat Company. Thanks to my producer, Tracy, and thanks to you for letting me be a small part of your life. If you’re enjoying the Marv in the Morning Podcast, we invite you to leave a review on whatever app you’re listening on. We would also love for you to share the episode with family and friends on your social media accounts. Be sure to follow our podcast on Facebook on the Marv in the Morning Podcast page, and you’re also invited to join us on Facebook on the Fort Not Lost in the Woods Podcast Group. This podcast is a production of O Quinn Media. Well, that’s gonna do it for now. Until next time, take care, stay safe. Later.