Hunter Johnson
email - hunter@lockedwings.com
mobile - 573-225-3625
Answers to frequent questions
When should I book?
We book hunts and fishing trips year round, it is never too early to book! Booking early insures that the camp is available for your hunt, and that you get the dates that you want. We also offer discounts at times for bookings that are several months in advance. In most cases we are usually booked close to full by September or October each year with only a few available dates left for last minute booking.
How do I book a trip?
Decide when you would like to hunt or fish and how many people will be in your group and either call me or send me an email! I will write you down for those dates and give you a week or so to gather the money for your 50% deposit. Once you gather everyone's money, mail it to me in the form of a check or money order. Once I recieve your check, your trip is booked and your dates will be held. You pay the remaining balance when you arrive.
What is the camp like?
Our camp is located just off County Rd 692 about 7 miles west of Bernie, MO. (this is about 6-8 miles from where you will be hunting). It is an old farm house that we have remodeled and turned into our duck camp. It has 2 bedrooms, one that the guides stay in and one that has 4 bunk beds for our customers. Our camp is sits in the middle of a field at the end of a dead end gravel road........our closest neighbors are about 1/2 mile away! This is the perfect place to unwind after the hunt and let your dog run loose! We have a camp fire out back, a gas BBQ grill, a fish fryer, a cook stove with oven, microwave, satellite tv and wifi internet. We have a hot shower, clean sheets on the beds, pots/pans, plates/glasses, silverware, coffee makers and a place to clean your birds.
We only put 1 group of 4-6 customers in our camp at a time, so as long as you have the minimum size group you won't be staying with another group. Our camp is free of charge to the customers that book that day first, so if you wait till fall to book your hunt it will probably already be taken and you will have to go to a motel........sorry, its still the same price!
How do I get to the camp?
GPS does not recognize the address, so here are the directions:
From Bernie, MO - Take Hwy U west about 4 miles to Hwy MM. Turn left (south) on Hwy MM and continue about 2 miles to County Rd 692. Turn right (west) on County Road 692 and continue about 1/2 mile to the 1st gravel road on the right.......this road will dead end at our duck camp!
Are there any motels close?
Yes, the town of Malden has 1 motel called the Malden Airport Inn that is located about 5-6 miles from our camp and about 12-14 miles from where you will be hunting. The town of Dexter is located about 12 miles from our camp, but only about 9-10 miles from where you will be hunting and they have several motels, as well as a little better selection of places to eat.
If we book early enough to get to stay at the camp, do you cook for us?
No, sorry! We do provide sodas and snacks and we have tried cooking for customers in the past, but we found that in almost every group of customers there is at least 1 person that enjoys cooking and that most groups of customers would rather cook for theirselves. We do provide facility's for you to cook though. If you perfer not to cook, there are several resturants in the area, including Hickory Log (famous for BBQ Ribs), Dexter BBQ (famous for BBQ), Strawberries (famous for BBQ pork steaks) and Lamberts Cafe (famous for throwed rolls).
How far will I have to walk?
Usually about 3 or 4 steps! Our guides will transport you to the blind or pit on a 4-wheeler or by boat. We dont like to walk and dont expect our customers to walk either!
What license do I need?
You will need a Federal duck stamp ($15), a Missouri Migratory Bird Permit ($6), and a small game hunting license ($11 per day for non-residents).
What do I need to bring?
You will need chest waders (hip boots will work in most locations), gun, non-toxic shells (we recommend 12ga 3" steel shot in a #2 - #4 shot. usually a box per day is plenty), warm waterproof clothing, license, and a camera (to prove to your wife that you really were hunting).
How long do we hunt?
All hunts stop at 12 noon or till we reach the legal limit, whichever comes first! Sometimes when temps get below freezing at night the ducks fly better in the afternoon, if this happens we may elect to hunt afternoons instead of mornings.
Do the guides shoot with us?
Only if its a big group of birds, otherwise, This is your hunt and the guides do not hunt with you! They may however carry a gun to shoot your cripples to make them easier to recover.
What kind of waterfowl should we expect to see/shoot?
We have a wide variety of ducks and geese that use our property, the most common are Mallard, Pintail, Gadwall, Whitefront Goose and Show Goose but also Wiegon, Blue Wing Teal, Green Wing Teal, Shoveler, Wood Duck, Canvasback, Redhead, Scoup, and Canada Goose are all fairly common.
Since we only hunt a 1/2 day, what else is there to do?
Most of our customers enjoy heading back to the camp to have a drink and watch the game. Some would rather run down to the upland preserve and shoot quail, pheasants, and chukars (additional charges apply). Or some guys perfer to ride around and view waterfowl on the refuges at Otter Slough Conservation area. Or, just kick back and relax around the campfire!
If the duck club is in Missouri, why do you have an Arkansas address?
I was born and raised in Arkansas, but moved to Missouri where I lived for 28 years and started a hunting club and guide service there. I have recently moved back to Arkansas but continue to run my club in Missouri, where I have for the last 12 years! There are times that I can not be in Missouri at the duck club, but I have the best guides in the bussiness that do an awesome job of running the club when I'm not there. However, if you need anything........I'm only a phone call away!
I have heard a rumor that Locked Wings & Labs was moving operations to Arkansas?
Yes, we have plans to move everything to central Arkansas after the 2011 duck season! We have some awesome duck hunting property in Arkansas near the White and Cache Rivers and we have plans to start guiding on this property as well as offering some seasonal leases starting in 2012! We are very excited about this move and we will have a lot to offer, from duck hunting flooded timber, flooded grain fields and hunting the river systems to hunting dry grain fields for Specklebellies and guided fishing trips!
I thought I read something in a magazine about Locked Wings and Labs?
We have been mentioned or have had articles about our club in several magazines since we started back in 1999. The major articles were in Ducks Unlimited, Field & Stream, Outdoor Life, Cabela's Outfitters Journal, Wildfowl, American Waterfowler and Missouri Game & Fish Magazine.
What is Gumbo Calls and how can I get one?
Gumbo Calls is a call company that I co-own along with my partner Brandon Knight. We make wood and acrylic duck, speck and Canada goose calls. We have a website www.gumbocalls.com and also sell calls in several stores nation wide. Calls can be obtained by contacting Brandon or I, or by visiting our website or one of our dealers.
What is your affiliation with Avery Outdoors?
I have been a part of the Avery Outdoors Pro-Staff for about 6 years. All of the gear that we use at our club is a product of Avery or GreenHead Gear. Avery has helped promote us over the years and they make great products that we are proud to use.
Do you offer guided fishing trips in the "off season"?
Yes, starting Feb 1st 2012 (as soon as duck season is over) we will start offering guided trips for crappie fishing, YoYo fishing for crappie, trotlining for catfish, and bowfishing! I have been fishing my whole life and have fished Arkansas a lot over the last couple of years with great success and I have decided to pass this along to my customers. I have over 12 years experience as a guide, and I know what it takes to make my customers happy so instead of just running a waterfowl guide service in the fall and winter, I will also offer guided fishing trips in the spring and summer! All trips must be pre-booked, and we are now booking fishing trips for 2012! Call me today to reserve your spot!
Other Services we offer - Call for details!
* Bookings for Spring Snow goose Hunts with several different reputable outfitters!
* Custom made calls & Lanyards - Duck, Canada, Speck, and Turkey friction calls built to your specifications!
* Website design - We are not professional, but we can design and build a website for your outdoor or hunting bussiness that you can maintain and update yourself at a fraction of the cost!
* Nuisance Beaver, Muskrat & Coyote Eradication on your property and trapping lessons and instructions!
* Wetlands design/ Waterfowl habitat management and construction - We can assist you in designing, construction, maintaining and managing your waterfowl habitat. Several states have cost share assistance available!
For questions or to book your trip, please contact us!
Hunter Johnson
101 Glennview Rd
Judsonia, AR 72081
Mobile - 573-225-3625
Email - hunter@lockedwings.com