HIWASSE -- It's a wonderful time of year for the outdoorsman or woman.
Deer hunting is a popular sport in Arkansas. More than 200,000 deer were killed in the state last year. Modern gun season opened Saturday and continues through the end of November, and the archery deer season opened Sept. 27 and will run through Feb. 28, 2015.
One veteran bass angler insists November is a great time to catch lots of fish and big fish -- if you know where to look and what bait to use.
Tommy Biffle, a Bassmaster Elite Series angler from Oklahoma, says, "Everybody's deer hunting, and nobody's fishing. This leaves the lakes virtually empty. But I tell you, you can usually 'kill' the bass this time of year -- I mean catch a hundred of them. It's unbelievable how good the fishing can be, but how few people know about it and do it!"
Biffle, a bass angler with several tournament wins to his credit, says almost everyone is in the woods and what few fishermen are on the lake are fishing deeper water, thinking the bass would move out because of the colder temperatures.
"So, how much better can it get?" he asked.
Whether their interest is in hunting, fishing or archery, area sportsmen have a local business available where they can buy supplies and equipment for their favorite sport. That business is Knoedl's Outdoor Tech at 13565 W. Highway 72 in Hiwasse. Owner Jake Knoedl opened the store in August, 2013, and says he's had many customers from Bella Vista and Centerton. He'd like to have more folks from Gravette, Gentry and other towns on the west side of the county come in to see what he has to offer, as well.
"We are just a small-town business looking for small-town support," he said.
Knoedl, of Bella Vista, was a fast-pitch softball and football coach and social studies teacher at Gravette High School for six years but had an urge to go into business for himself. He moved to the area from Central Arkansas in December, 2006, and tries to spend as much time as possible in the woods or on the water. He has been married to his wife Lacee for almost six years. She taught at Glenn Duffy Elementary in Gravette for three years but is now staying home with their young son, born in March.
He is assisted in the store by Dustin James of Gravette, who moved here four years ago from the Texas Panhandle. Dustin archery hunts in Bella Vista. And Tank, the store mascot, a Bracque du Bourbonnais gun dog, can usually be found lounging under a table nearby so he won't be too far from his master.
Outdoor Tech carries a full line of hunting and fishing supplies. They have an excellent selection of guns and ammo and Knoedl is a federally licensed firearms dealer. Customers can order guns online and pick them up at the store but there is a paperwork charge for processing the guns. Once a hunter has shot his deer, he can purchase seasonings here to make deer sausage, venison jerky or meatloaf.
Store inventory includes a variety of fishing rods and reels, fishing lures, tackle boxes and minnow buckets. But Knoedel says his main focus is actually archery supplies. Area archers can shop here for bows, arrows and cases. Outdoor Tech offers custom strings for compounds, crossbows and traditional bows. Other services include fletching and cutting arrows, tuning bows and more. They have a 50-yard outdoor archery range.
With the holidays just around the corner, Outdoor Tech is the perfect spot to shop for gifts for the sportsmen or outdoor enthusiasts in the family. Shoppers can add to their stock of sporting goods, purchase a warm pair of gloves or an outdoor-design cover for their cell phone. Framed wildlife prints and outdoor photos by Gravette photographer Steve Huckreide are also available. Unsure of a person's preferences? Buy a gift card and let the recipient choose his own gift.
Arkansas hunting licenses can be purchased at Outdoor Tech for $25 and resident fishing licenses are $10.50. Their business card is a punch card offering one punch per $20 purchase or 1/2 hour range use. After 10 punches, the holder can receive 10 percent off a purchase, up to $25.
Outdoor Tech business hours are 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. The store phone number is 479-344-6131. Knoedl can also be reached by email: [email protected].
Community on 11/12/2014