Friday, June 10, 2005
Does in the crosshairs
Mark Taylor
Mark Taylor's Outdoors column and notebook appears regularly in The Roanoke Times.
Recent columns
The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries has tried to encourage the state's deer hunters to kill more antlerless deer, a necessary task to help keep Virginia's whitetail population in check.
Tactics have included expanding either-sex hunting days and liberalizing bag limits.
"But the fact is, what we're doing is not working," said Matt Knox, the biologist who oversees Virginia's deer program.
So the game department is ready to take drastic measures, considering a radical regulation they hope will force hunters in some areas to kill more does.
The so-called earn-a-buck idea is among a long list of hunting- and fishing-related regulations changes the department has been rolling out at a series of public meetings the past couple of weeks.
Other potential rule changes aim to: rebuild Smith Mountain Lake's trophy striped bass fishery; curb deer feeding; open more hunting seasons on Saturdays; and protect nearly-trophy-sized smallmouth bass on the James and New rivers.
No boating regulation changes are being considered.
Final action on the ideas won't be taken until October, with regulations taking effect July 1, 2006.
Hunting
The earn-a-buck rules would require hunters in designated counties to tag an antlerless deer before they are allowed to shoot a second buck. A second antlerless deer would be required before a third buck could be killed in counties where the buck limit is three per year.
"We're trying to coerce hunters to kill more does," biologist Jim Bowman told a small gathering of hunters at public meeting Tuesday evening at Northside High School.
Officials hope to establish the rules in Bedford, Franklin, Patrick and Roanoke counties, as well as a handful of counties in Northern Virginia.
Knox said doe kills lag in those counties despite the liberal rules. Antlerless deer accounted for 32 percent of the deer kill in Roanoke County last year, Knox said.
"That's pathetic," said Knox, noting that the doe kill probably needs to top 50 percent for several years to get the county's deer herd in check.
A big game license for hunters west of the Blue Ridge includes two either-sex tags, as well as three tags reserved for antlerless deer only. Hunters east of the Blue Ridge get three either-sex tags. Most hunters use those tags for antlered bucks.
Many deer hunters are averse to shooting does. Some can't shake habits developed decades ago when does were strictly protected to help the herd grow. Others chose to target bucks as a matter of pride.
While department officials are resorting to the earn-a-buck tactic in a few counties, they plan to address population objectives in other counties through the more traditional means of adding or reducing days when hunters are allowed to take deer of either sex. Many counties in Southwest Virginia will likely get more either-sex hunting days.
The department also wants to make a change to regulations wording to ensure that the late muzzleloader season lasts for three weeks. Previously, the season occasionally would be just two weeks long.
Officials also hope to halt all feeding of deer from Sept.1 through the first Saturday in January.
Feeding of deer and turkeys is currently not allowed on public land. No artificial feeding of bears is allowed.
Biologists said feeding deer can increase disease transmission among the animals because it can concentrate herds. They also cited fair chase concerns because, even though hunting over bait is not allowed, a hunter could theoretically condition deer to a bait pile then legally hunt the area immediately after removing the food.
Feeding can also put some hunters at a disadvantage if neighboring landowners have massive feeding programs.
Officials also would like to open several seasons on Saturdays, following the popular decision to open deer early muzzleloader and rifle seasons on the weekend. Saturday openers are sought for quail, grouse, rabbits and for the early fall turkey season.
The early fall turkey season would remain 12 days, the final day a Friday.
The department is also contemplating extending the grouse season through the end of February. Officials also are considering a two-week squirrel hunting season in June. Falling between breeding periods, the season would apply only to certain wildlife management areas.
Fishing
The department wants to make big changes to Smith Mountain Lake's striped bass regulations.
The desired regulation would establish a protected slot limit between 26 and 37 inches from Oct.1 through May 31, with a two-fish limit. From June 1 through Sept.30 the daily bag limit would be four fish, with no length limit.
The hope is that releasing larger fish during the cooler months, when release mortality is low, would help restore the lake's population of stout stripers, which were hit hard by a recent parasite-induced fish kill. The summertime rules would help reduce the lake's stockpiled population of small- to medium-sized stripers at a time when release mortality is high.
Improving trophy fishing is also at the heart of a couple of river fishing regulations under consideration.
A James River proposal would protect smallmouths in the 14- to 22-inch size range from the river's upper boundary to the fall line in Richmond. The regulation, which allows the creeling of one fish over 22 inches, has been in place in Botetourt County for several years.
On the New River, a protected 14- to 20-inch slot would be applied to the entire river. The rule is currently in place between Claytor Dam and the West Virginia line.
The department wants to improve the trophy muskellunge fishing on the New by raising the minimum size limit to 42 inches, a foot longer than the statewide minimum. The bag limit on the New would be reduced to one fish from two fish.
Another idea under consideration would establish an 18-inch minimum size on walleyes from Philpott Lake.
Few trout fishing changes are under consideration.
One proposal is to expand the delayed harvest section of Chestnut Creek in Carroll County to 11.4 miles from 2.3 miles. The department also wants to add a 2.7-mile section of Peak Creek in Pulaski County to the delayed harvest program.
Two bait-related issues were raised. The department wants to outlaw the sale of live crayfish because of the risk of introducing potentially destructive non-native crayfish to Virginia waters. Another proposal would require that live salamanders used as bait be shorter than 6-inches. That would provided needed protection to some of the state's imperiled salamander species.
How the process will work
Present-Aug.1: DGIF will receive and review public input on changes being considered.
Mid-July -Aug.3: DGIF staff develops specific proposals.
Aug.18: DGIF board of directors reviews and votes to propose specific regulations changes.
Aug.25-Oct.10: DGIF seeks public comments on proposals. Public meetings held statewide.
Oct.1-12: DGIF staff considers public feedback and develops final staff recommendations.
Oct.27: DGIF board votes on proposals.
July 1, 2006: Changes take effect.
More information: dgif.virginia.gov; (804)367-1000
