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'We need a break': In the time of coronavirus, the great outdoors more important than ever

Marty Roney
Montgomery Advertiser

SARDIS — Nona Brown spent a recent afternoon, along with her three children, trying her luck fishing at Dallas County Lake.

Brown, of Valley Grande, is new to the public lake. Jada, 10, Jayden, 11, and Jordan, 14 were having a ball. The closing of schools and the widespread shutdown of community life because of the coronavirus pandemic led to Brown making the trip to the lake, which is about 5 miles south of Sardis, off Highway 41.

“We needed a break,” she said with a laugh. “The kids needed to get out of the house. It’s beautiful out here. What better activity is there to practice social distancing than fishing? I mean nobody wants to be close to other people when they are fishing.”

Jordan Brown, 14, and his brother, Jayden, 11, fish at Dallas County Lake  in Sardis, Ala., on Wednesday, March 25, 2020.

As the shutdowns associated with fight to halt the spread of the coronavirus continue and expand, people are looking for ways to cope. Outdoor activity is the choice for many.

It is the busy season for the lake, as people come out fishing for bass, crappie, sunfish and catfish, said Anthony Fail, lake manager.

“But I’ve seen a lot of folks in the past week or so that I haven’t seen before,” he said. “I’ve noticed a lot of parents and grandparents out with kids. That’s a good thing, getting the young folks involved in fishing.”

Lake manger Anthony Fail at Dallas County Lake  in Sardis, Ala., on Wednesday, March 25, 2020.

Outdoor pursuits such as hunting and fishing are traditions in the South. Hunting alone generates a $1.8 billion annual economic impact in Alabama, according to the Hunting Heritage Foundation. Fishing is a year-round activity here. Turkey season opened in most of the state March 21. Hunters take advantage of the spring breeding season to pursue Toms, or gobblers, the male turkey.

Certainly there’s an element of self-reliance at play, providing fresh food for the family at any time. But these times may have led some novices getting involved. When meat counters at grocery stores may be bare, a trip to the lake or woods can provide table fare.

In hunting, interest in providing meat for the table has been growing the past few years, said Chuck Sykes, director of the wildlife and freshwater fisheries division of the Alabama Department of Conservation.

“We have seen an increase in new hunters who want to know where their meat comes from, and how it is handled,” he said. “Hunting allows them to harvest and prepare the meat themselves. They know where it comes from, because they have been involved with every step.”

Anecdotally, there may have been more hunters in the woods opening weekend of turkey season. The state recorded 1,000 more of the birds harvested this opening weekend over 2019. The conservation department enacted its Game Check program three years ago, where hunters report deer and turkey harvest.

Rosa Doss pulls in a fish at Dallas County Lake  in Sardis, Ala., on Wednesday, March 25, 2020.

“The rise in reporting may be because more hunters are getting used to reporting their harvests,” Sykes said. “But this large an increase in numbers, I think there were more hunters in the woods. Now was it because of the times, or that it was just a good weekend to go hunting, that I can’t tell you.”

Back at Dallas County Lake, Randy and Rosa Doss were pulling in catfish. Randy was using worms and Rosa was having better luck with commercial catfish bait.

“That’s supper right there,” Rosa Doss said, taking a catfish off the hook and tossing it into a cooler half-filled with water. There were about a dozen catfish in the cooler.

The conservation department operates a network of public fishing lakes across the state. A fishing license is required and most lakes sell daily or yearly access permits. Dallas County Lake is open Tuesday through Sunday during daylight hours. A list of the public lakes is available on the conservation department’s website www.outdooralabama.com.

The lakes and publicly accessible wildlife management areas remain open.

Whether at the lake or farm pond or on the river, activity has picked up, said Cooper Jones, who owns Big Bass Bait and Tackle just west of Prattville with his brother, Crawford. The bait shop and convenience store is a popular stop for folks heading to the water.

“Worms, crickets and minnows are very popular right now,” Cooper Jones said. “There’s plenty of activity on the river. And it’s not just fishing. There are a lot of boats out there where people aren’t fishing, they are just out on the water. I guess they need a break from being in the house.”

For the Jolley family of Lowndes County, it’s a combination of both, fishing and family time. The weekend of March 21 saw them camping out on the Alabama River for three days. Rob Jolley works with the Federal Aviation Administration. He’s been teleworking from their place in Letohatchee.

“It was great to just get away and have a break from everything going on,” he said. “We went fishing and had some family time together.”

The troopers with the Alabama Marine Police are reminding people that the social distancing requirements are in effect on the water as well. That means limiting the number passengers on vessels and not gathering in group of 10 or more at your favorite sandbar or island.

Stephen Gardner, of Montgomery, has made a few trips up to Prattville to go down Autauga Creek on his kayak.

"It's an easy float and the weather has really been nice for it," he said. "I've seen a few canoes and kayaks on the creek. Everybody appears to be making an attempt at keeping their separations."

Some golf courses remain open for play, but it's a good idea to call before planning an outing. It's a simple matter to social distance in the sport. The state parks remain open and have seen an uptick in people using them.

City parks in Montgomery and Prattville are open, but playground areas in those parks are closed. It's impossible to have children in playgrounds abide by social distancing, said Prattville Police Chief Mark Thompson.

Outdoor activities are acceptable, as long as provisions on numbers gathered and distancing is followed, according to the Alabama Department of Public Health.

News media outlets across the country have reported sales of ammunition and firearms have spiked since the response to the spread of the virus began. When Gov. Kay Ivey closed non-essential businesses in the state as part of the effort  to combat the coronavirus, she left gun stores open.

Bobby Nance, who manages the sporting goods department at the Central Alabama Farmers Co-op in Selma, has seen inventory flying off the shelves. The co-op is open because it supplies the needs of farmers and agricultural producers.

Ammunition and firearms are big sales items. And there have been plenty of first time gun purchases.

“We’re selling handguns and long guns,” he said. “I’ve helped several women who are buying handguns for themselves, and they say they have never had a gun before. People are concerned about what’s going on and where things are going.”

Among the ammunition sales of all calibers, ammunition reloading supplies are also hot items, he said.

“Rifle ammo, handgun ammo, I sell as soon as its on the shelf,” he said. “On thing that has surprised me is how much buckshot I’m selling. I’m selling it by the case.”

Firearms deer season doesn’t open until November, so Nance surmises people are using the shotguns rounds to provide home security.

Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Marty Roney at mroney@gannett.com.