Elk seem to be visiting Iowa more frequently each fall, and thanks to social media, their visits are now shared at the speed of downloads among tens of thousands of people among the various social networks.

Most of these sightings are in western Iowa due to the proximity of the larger wild elk herd found in the Black Hills of South Dakota and in central and western Nebraska. These visitors tend to be young males conceivably searching for new territory.

Ready for a fun event for a good cause? Here it is: The first annual East Okoboji Yellow Bass Beatdown. Scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 11, the Beatdown is presented by Delta Waterfowl Prairie Lakes Chapter and Oak Hill Outdoor. The tournament will run from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. with tournament takeoff at Hattie Elston State Park boat ramp on East Lake Okoboji. Teams will be allowed to fish any area on East Okoboji.

A look out the window tells me that I should be thinking about ice fishing, and I am. But I’m also starting to plan for open water fishing trips. I’ve had the good fortune to visit hundreds of fishing locations through the years. There are a few that I look forward to visiting as often as possible. Following are some of those locations.

Need a break after all of this snow and wind? How about a chance for a good meal, an opportunity to learn more about fishing and the chance to win a few prizes? Well, this is your opportunity. The Iowa Great Lakes Fishing Club will be hosting its annual Club Fishing Seminar at the Hap Ketelsen Center in Everly on Wednesday, Feb. 8, with doors opening at 5:30 p.m.

RIDGE VIEW — Spencer girls wrestling traveled to Ridge View High School Friday to compete in the Raptor duals. The Tigers would dominate MOC-Floyd Valley winning the dual 60-12, defeated South Central Calhoun 54-23, and beat Sheldon/South O’Brien 64-12. Spencer received seven forfeits in their victory over the Dutchmen, and picked up six more against the Titans and Sheldon/South O’Brien.

ALGONA — After dropping their first game of the year to Estherville Lincoln-Central, Spencer picked up two wins over Storm Lake and Algona to improve to 7-1. Algona took a 23-17 lead over the Tigers going into halftime. An offensive explosion in the second half, led Spencer to another victory, outscoring the Bulldogs 41-24. Leading to a 58-47 win.

PERRY — The Spencer boys wrestling team traveled to Perry Saturday to compete in the annual Perry Invitational. The Tigers would finish in eighth place as a team. The two best placings on the day came from Logan Huckfelt who finished in second, and Gabe Cauthron who finished in fourth.

FORT DODGE — Spencer boys swimming hit the road on Saturday to compete in the Rusty Garst Invitational at Fort Dodge Senior High School. The Tigers would finish in eighth place scoring 55 team points. Reid Tigges picked up the only two wins for Spencer, winning the 50- and 100-yard freestyle races. In the 50-yard, Tigges put together a time of 21.46. In the 100-yard, he clocked a 47.85.

ALGONA — Spencer had two games over the weekend, hosting Storm Lake on Friday and traveling to Algona on Saturday. The Tigers would lose to the Tornadoes 50-47 and lose to the Bulldogs 60-50. A poor start to the first quarter only scoring six points against Algona, the Bulldogs would lead 17-6 after one. Spencer would outscore Algona 44-43 for the rest of the way.

EMMETSBURG — Sioux Central traveled to Emmetsburg Saturday to compete in the Twin Lakes Conference championships. Hannah Illg-Keith made history, becoming the first Rebels girl wrestler to officially be crowned conference champion. Stevy Griffin came close, finishing in second, Jazzmin Deshazer also had a runner-up finish.

SIOUX RAPIDS — The Rebels hosted Southeast Valley Friday looking to pick up their third Twin Lakes Conference victory on the season. The first quarter was even, sitting at 8-8. The second and third quarter completely changed the outcome of the game, with the Rebels outscoring the Jaguars 54-21. Sioux Central would hold on to defeat Southeast Valley 72-48.

EMMETSBURG — Sioux Central took a trip to Emmetsburg on Saturday to compete in the Twin Lakes Conference tournament. Keagan Riley took first in the 126-pound class, defeating Blake Jones, Nash Larson and Joel Carranza to win the class. Kaben Morrow and Hunter Cooper both finished in second place, Cooper was unable to compete in his final match due to a medical forfeit. Morrow would lose his championship match to Caelan Oakes-Sudhish of Southeast Valley.

SPENCER — Senior soccer player Aliza Edwards officially signed her letter of intent to commit to the Northwestern Raiders on Monday. Edwards still has one last high school season here in Spencer before she joins the Raiders this upcoming August.

“It just fit for me,” Edwards said. “I was impressed with the campus, I just felt comfortable being at Northwestern. It just seemed like the right decision for me to make.”

SPENCER — Spencer High School senior Campbell Wessels made his decision to continue to play football at Northwestern College in Orange City. Wessels official signing took place on Thursday morning, making him a future Raider. Wessels is expected to be a defensive back for the school.

SPENCER — The Tigers stood tall facing off against the reigning state champions and current No. 1-ranked team in 2A in the Estherville Lincoln-Central girls basketball team. A back-and-forth low scoring first quarter set the stage for a contested battle. Estherville executed when it was necessary and defeated Spencer 64-44. The score may not show, but the game was played a lot closer for a majority of the game.