Thursday, September 16, 2004
Doves, area code, duck dates
Bill Cochran
Recent mail
BILL: I loved the article on dove fields. It wasn't too long ago that my Dad and Grandfather and I would head out to the recently cut cornfields and shoot two boxes of shells by 2 p.m. Nowadays, one has to hunt a lot harder to find a productive field than to find the birds! I just can't imagine sharing the experience with 74 other guys!
We had a pretty good opening day -- killed about six birds in 3 hours. It was not quite as good as the days of old, but still better than that enjoyed by a lot of hunters.
I'm just biding my time until the fall turkey season opens. I have a new pointer and can’t wait to get him in the woods!
FRANK MARTIN
BILL: Do you have a different phone number for Cripple Creek? The one posted doesn’t work.
TERRY HUFFMAN
TERRY: The phone number for Cripple Creek, the popular pay-fishing area near Rural Retreat, is 276-686-4505, which represents a new area code.
BILL
BILL: Do you know why the four-day early duck season has been changed from the long established Wednesday-Saturday period to a Thursday-Monday one (with no Sunday hunting in Virginia, of course)? The dates listed this year are October 7-11. Are these correct dates?
J.B.
J.B.: The dates are correct. They were changed by in order to include Monday, Oct. 11 because it is a holiday, which means additional hunters would have a day off and a chance to hunt.
BILL
BILL: I have incubated, hatched and raised hundreds of Mongolian ringneck pheasants and a few hundred chukar. All are absolutely beautiful, and quite tasty. I am at a loss as to what to do with them. I know there are places in the Sheandoah Valley who put on hunts, but have no way to find out where these places are, and who might be interest in purchasing pheasants for their hunt. Do you have any information on these places/people you can share with me? I understand people with hunting dogs use chukar to train their dogs. Any assistance will be greatly appreciated.
JOYCE/GARY JARVIS
JOYCE/GARY: Most shooting preserves reserve the birds that they need for the season will in advance since their business requires a reliable supply. So this puts you at the disadvantage of having a product without a ready market. I recommend that you contact as many hunting preserves in Virginia as you can locate. The best list of them is found in “Black’s 2004 Wing & Clay” book. It is available for $14.95 from Ehlert Publishing Group, 800-848-6247.
An advertisement in Woods and Water Magazine, which has a Sheandoah Valley edition, could also be a source for contacting preserves and individual hunters who may want a few birds to use in dog training. The publisher is Chris McCotter, mcfish@ns.gemlink.com.
BILL
