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Private Campgrounds Gear Up for Fall Hunting, Fishing

Originally Published in MotorHome Magazine

From National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds

 

LARKSPUR, Colo. – Summer may be ending, but there’s plenty of hunting
and fishing to do for the next couple of months at campgrounds and RV
parks across the country.

Consider Redbeard’s Ranch in Lebanon, Mo. The private campground
offers quiet campsites on a wooded 295-acre ranch with weekend bow
hunting of whitetail deer and wild turkey. The park, which is located
along the Niangua River, also offers weekend classes in fly-fishing,
along with canoe, raft and kayak rentals and hayrides.

The park also offers three heated Sioux Indian-style teepees, which
are popular with families, as well as a fully furnished, luxury
“Glamping” tent cabin.

“There are literally hundreds of private parks across the country
that offer hunting and fishing opportunities, either onsite or nearby,”
said Linda Profaizer, president and CEO of the National Association of
RV Parks and Campgrounds.

Profaizer added that hunting and fishing enthusiasts can use search
functions on the association’s Web site, GoCampingAmerica.com, to
pinpoint campgrounds close to home that offer hunting or fishing
opportunities. Here’s a sampling of the types of hunting and fishing
opportunities that are available at some of the nation’s privately owned
campgrounds and RV parks:

Boiling Spring Campground, Dixon, Mo.: This Missouri Ozarks
campground offers fishing trips the 21-mile section of the Gasconade
River’s “Gasconade Special Smallmouth Bass Research Area,” where
Smallmouth bass caught less than 18 inches must be released immediately
unharmed back into the river.

Bridgeport Reservoir RV Park & Marina, Bridgeport, Calif.:
This eastern Sierra Nevada park is located along Bridgeport Reservoir
and provides excellent opportunities for fly-fishing for trout.

Cantwell RV Park, Cantwell, Alaska: This park is in a
pristine area with many fishing creeks and rivers. “It’s fly fishing in
this area, mostly for a small trout called Grayling, a great eating
fish,” said co owner Eileen McGurk. “While people fish, they enjoy views
of Mount McKinley.” The park expects to close for the season Sept. 15th
and will reopen May 15th.

Chandler Hills Campground, Boyne Falls, Mich.: This
campground, which expects to remain open at least through the end of
October, is surrounded by thousands of acres of state land with
opportunities to hunt big game, such as deer, bear and bobcat. “We also
have the full spread of upland game, Turkey Grouse and Woodcock. We are
also within 5 miles of two fantastic freshwater lakes full of fish from
trout to perch and one has a new ADA launch ramp,” said co-owner Dennis
Hass. The park also offers mushroom hunting. “There are the favorites,
like Morals, but also the fall mushrooms, like Chanterelles,” Hass said,
adding, “All of these are either adjacent to our campground or just
minutes away.”

Carrollwoods RV Campground and Vineyard, Longs, S.C.: This
eastern South Carolina park offers both hunting and fishing. “We have
hunting clubs, game lands, the Wacamaw River and the Atlantic Ocean all
within 16 miles of us,” said Bryon Carroll, Carrollwoods’ owner. “We
have a stocked fishing pond on site with bass and crappie. And several
lakes within a 10-minute drive.

Chalk Creek Campground and RV Park, Nathrop, Colo.: “Hunting
season starts late August and goes through the end of January,
depending on the license,” said park owner Joan Skinner. “Deer and elk
are the most popular, but there is also antelope, mountain lion and
bighorn sheep hunting (nearby).” Nearby rivers offer fishing
opportunities for brown trout, with rainbows, mackinaw and cutthroats in
the reservoirs and lakes.

Chimeny Park Resort, Mission, Texas: Located along the banks
of the Rio Grande River, this park offers fishing for catfish and
largemouth bass as well as boating and kayaking opportunities. “Whether
you want to fish from its bank or launch your own boat, the fishing is
plentiful,” said park manager Wallena Haynes.

Cross Creek RV Park, Lake Ozark, Mo.: This park features a
10-acre fishing lake stocked with bass, crappie, bluegill and catfish.
The park rents paddleboats and rowboats to reach the best fishing spots.
“The campground is located one mile off the highway, so it’s peaceful
and surrounded by hundreds of acres of woods. There are plenty of
hunting opportunities nearby for deer and turkey,” said park owner John
Peters.

Deer Run RV Resort, Crossville, Tenn.: This campground is
adjacent to Catoosa Wildlife Management, an 80,000-acre wildlife
management preserve that offers hunting during the fall, winter and
spring. Fall hunting includes dove, antlerless deer and turkey hunting.

Kamp Klamath RV Park and Campground, Klamath, Calif.: This
park offers excellent salmon fishing, with one-quarter mile of frontage
along the Klamath River. “While the taking of salmon has been banned
along the Pacific Coast and in most rivers in the Golden State this
year, the Klamath River is open and expectations are that the season
will be the best in years,” said park owner Aaron Funk.

Little Orleans Campground & Park Area, Little Orleans, Md.:
This western Maryland park offers both hunting and fishing. “We have a
stocked trout stream that runs through the property, where people fish
all year,” said park owner Donna Wallizer. “We also have hunting
available in the 53,000 Green Ridge State Forest, located adjacent to
the campground. People do spring and fall turkey hunting, but mostly
antler and antlerless deer seasons, bow, rifle and muzzleloader.” Bow
season runs from September to December, while muzzleloader season is
four days in October and four days in December. “People are not allowed
to hunt on campground property as we have the state forest next door for
our campers’ convenience.”

Pacific Shores Motorcoach Resort, Newport, Ore.: This park
sits on 18 acres overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Local activities include
crabbing and fishing. The historical Yaquina Bay and Yaquina Head
lighthouses are also located nearby.

Peppertree Camping, Eastford, Conn.: This park has excellent trout fishing along a state-stocked river, said co-owner Trudy Ziegler.

Port of Siuslaw Campground, Florence, Ore.: “We have the
closest boat ramp to the ocean and one of the best salmon fishing rivers
in Oregon,” said Ken Hill, assistant harbormaster and campground
manager, adding that the park is two miles from the sand dunes and five
miles from the ocean.

Sandy Pond, Plymouth, Mass.: This park offers some of the best striper and blue fishing in Massachusetts, according to park manager Jane Doonan.

Sweetwater River Ranch, Texas Creek, Colo.: This park has a
half-mile of frontage on both sides of the Arkansas River, one of the
most rafted rivers in the United States. “We have outstanding trout
fishing in spring and autumn, and outstanding rafting and kayaking in
the summer,” said co-owner Marcia Rowland.

The Vineyards Campground on Grapevine Lake, Texas: This park
sits directly on the southeastern shores of Grapevine Lake, a U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers reservoir that stores and supplies water to Dallas
and Fort Worth. Species of fish in the lake include black and white
crappie, several species of bass and catfish. The campground has its own
boat ramp for each access to the lake, a large parking area for boat
trailers and a covered, freestanding fish cleaning station. Hunters
staying at the campground also have access to hunting for feral hog,
waterfowl and other small game. Hunters must have a valid Texas hunting
license and a Corps of Engineers hunting permit while hunting on project
lands.

For more information visit the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds’ Web site at gocampingamerica.com.

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