Thursday, November 10, 2005
Quail population drops
Bill Cochran
Recent field reports
Virginia’s quail population continues on a sharp downward trend, giving hunters little to be joyful about as the Nov. 14 opening day approaches. The number of birds encountered during Department of Game and Inland Fisheries’ calling-count surveys earlier this year declined by 31 percent.
“The downward 17-year trend for the number of quail heard is believed to reflect large-scale declines in the quantity and quality of quail habitat,” said Pat Cook, DGIF small game biologist.
The most severe drop in call-count results this year occurred in the Southwest Mountain area where the decline was 67 percent and in the Central Mountain region, where it was off 43-percent. More moderate decreases in the average number of calls heard were observed in the East Piedmont (-24 percent), West Piedmont (-34 percent) and Tidewater (-38 percent).
For some reason, the Northern region experienced a 47-percent increase in calls heard, Cook said.
A total of 146 routes were surveyed across the state.
POWER COMPANY FUNDS FISH PROJECTS
Dominion Virginia Power and Trout Unlimited have partnered on a couple projects to benefit fish habitat. The power company is providing $100,000 for a “Home Rivers Initiative” in the headwaters of the South Branch of the Potomac River in West Virginia.
The work will involve reducing stream-bank erosion and siltation in several tributaries of the river. The goal is to return the water to a first-class brook trout habitat.
Dominion also is contributing $10,000 toward the liming project of the St. Mary’s River, a stream in Augusta County that is troubled by acid rain.
“We’re responsible for some of the pollution, so we are stepping up to the plate,” said Dan Genest, a Dominion spokesman.
MOUNTAIN LION SPOTTINGS HEAT UP
The Eastern Puma Network, a West Virginia-based organization that monitors mountain lion spottings in the East, says big cats are being reported at “an alarming rate” in the mountains of Virginia.
The hotbed of observations is along Virginia’s Skyline Drive in the Sheandoah National Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway from Rockfish Gap to Stewarts Knob. The sightings were reported in the organization’s latest newsletter.
In the last 5 years, 31 sightings in the park/parkway corridor have been called into the network from numerous individuals, some with backgrounds associated with wildlife, the report said.
The author of the report was not listed, but the network is headed by John Lutz, a radio reporter from Baltimore who started the network in the 1960s.
“The most recent (sighting) occurred in late June to Veterinarian Don Peppard, who once treated cougars, and is familiar with physiology,” the newsletter said. “Paul Buschi, an avid biker from Crozet, has had six incidents in the last 10 years.”
The newsletter chastised the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries for its unbelief in saying that people sighting mountain lions likely were misidentifying what they are seeing.
“Confirming evidence has been gathered from across Virginia,” the newsletter stated. “In July, 2004, a puma was caught on film and casts of its tracks were confirmed near Craigsville. Similar tracks were found on Hawksbilll, Lewis and Loft Mountains in the last 5 years. In 1960, near Syria on Shenandoah’s eastern slope, a farmer shot a puma on film and gave it to a local game warden who promptly lost the film.”
The network is developing a new website: www.easternpumaresearch.com.
ROLAND MARTIN CALL ITS QUITS
When Roland Martin has a bad day fishing it probably is better than a good day for most of the rest of us. But Martin, one of the best known tournament fishermen in the nation, says he has been having too many bad days recently. As a result, he has announced his retirement from tournament fishing.
“I’m 65 and my fishing has gone to pot,” he said. He said he could no longer keep up with younger anglers like Michael Laconnelli.
Plus, he wants to do other things, like hunt big game and fish for tuna.
“It is fair to say Martin had as much to do with the growth of tournament bass fishing as any person,” BASS said in a news release.
He holds the BASS record for 19 tournament wins. He was Bassmaster Angler of the Year nine times. Earlier this year, he was second to Rick Clunn in the ESPN greatest angler ratings.
The one major thing Martin did not accomplish was a Bassmaster Classic win. He finished fourth in his first classic, in 1971 and fourth in his last in 2003. That doesn’t sound as if his fishing is slipping.
HUNTERS FOR THE HUNGRY
Hunters for the Hungry has initiated a Holiday Raffle to help provide funds for the increasing number of deer being contributed to the program.
“We have faced a lot of competition (for funding) as have many other charities due to the disasters around the country and our world,” said Gary Arrington, a Hunters of the hungry official.
The top prize in the raffle is a $800 Weatherby Vanguard rifle donated by the Virginia Chapter of the Quality Deer Management Association. A total of eight prizes will be awarded, including a gun safe, tree stand, spotting scope, framed print and cash.
Raffle tickets may be purchased from Arrington at 800-352-4868 or Hunt4hungry@cs.com.
OUTDOOR BRIEFS
>The Department of Game and Inland Fisheries will be in the spotlight during the annual conference of the Virginia Coalition for Open Government scheduled Nov. 17 and 18 in Lexington. Col. Gerald Massengill, along with other guests and members, will discuss problems and reforms at the DGIF. Massengill is the interim director of the agency.
>Last week I reported that the number of hunting license sales nationally have increased slightly. Now comes word from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that the number of paid fishing license holders in the United States also has slightly increased over the previous year. Numbers rose 2.1 percent from 27,908,272 in 2003 to 28,499,206 in 2004. The sport-fishing industry sees this as a good sign that the trend of flat or slightly decreasing sales may be on the upswing.
>Following a long wait, road signs that mark the Virginia Birding and Wildlife Trail are expected to go up over the next several months.
>Spot, a popular saltwater panfish, will be getting attention when the Tournament Committee of the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament meets Nov. 30 to discuss potential rule changes for next year’s event. The minimum size for a spot is 1.02 pounds. This season, 186 spot met that requirement. The committee meeting is open to the public, 6:45 p.m. at the Oceans East Tackle Shop, 5785 Northampton Blvd., Virginia Beach.
>Identifying hawks in flight can be a tricky business, but growing numbers of people are taking up the challenge. A new book, “Hawks From Every Angle,” can be a big help. Unlike many bird books, this one features raptors soaring, gliding or flapping in the distance. The author is Jerry Liguori and the publisher is Princeton University Press, www.nathist.princeton.edu.
>The National Wild Turkey Federation has provided 26,730 frozen, turkeys to food pantries, shelters and other needy groups since its Turkey Hunters Care program began in 2001. By the way, these are domestic turkeys.
SALTWATER TOURNAMENT
The number of citations registered in the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament is down sharply this year from the two previous years. At the end of October, citations numbered 4,733. During the same time period last year the tally was 6,564, and the year before 65,571. Here are the standings:
BLACK DRUM: 93 pounds, 9 ounces, Willie McWhite, Jr., Richmond, lower eastern Chesapeake Bay.
COBIA: 96 pounds, Michael Goodove, Virginia Beach, lower western Chesapeake Bay.
CROAKER: 4-pounds, 8 ounces, Elliott Souldourian, Virginia Beach, lower western Chesapeake Bay.
DOLPHIN: 52 pounds, Willi Fenske, Hopewell, ocean off Virginia Beach.
FLOUNDER: 17 pounds, 2 ounces, Hopie Firth, Poquoson, lower western Chesapeake Bay.
GRAY TRIGGERFISH: 4 pounds, 12 ounces, James Daughtrey III, Suffolk, lower eastern Chesapeake Bay.
GRAY TROUT: 12 pounds, 14 ounces, William Flipin, Hayes, upper eastern Chesapeake Bay.
KING MACKEREL: 47 pounds, Frank Riganto, Virginia Beach off Virginia Beach.
KINGFISH: 2 pounds, Joseph Phelan, Virginia Beach, off Virginia Beach.
POMPANO: 3 pounds, 2 ounces, Mark Ottarson, North, Mobjack Bay.
SEA BASS: 6 pounds, 14 ounces, Chad Stoker, Chesapeake, off Virginia Beach.
SHEEPSHEAD: 20 pounds, 12 ounces, Arun Nhek, Newport News, pier of Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.
SPADEFISH: 12 pounds, 8 ounces, Jerry Carnell, Jr. Oxford, N.C. upper eastern Chesapeake Bay.
SPANISH MACKEREL: 9 pounds, 2 ounces, Bob Tolhurst, King George, upper western Chesapeake Bay.
SPECKLED TROUT: 11 pounds, 3 ounces, Brain Pomije, Chesapeake, Elizabeth River.
SPOT: 1 pound, 8 ounces, Willie Fleetwood, Hampton, lower James River.
STRIPED BASS: 63 pounds, 8 ounces, state record, Paul Leckner, Greenbackville, Bradford Bay.
TAUTOG: 18 pounds, 4 ounces, Larry Larue, Virginia Beach, ocean off Virginia Beach.
TUNA (BLUEFIN) 158 pounds, Eric Holum, Silver Springs, Md., ocean off Eastern Shore.
TUNA: 90 pounds, 8 ounces, John Mackey, Virginia Beach, ocean off Virginia Beach.
WAHOO: 83 pounds, 3 ounces, John Hamilton, Norfolk, ocean off Eastern Shore.
MEETINGS/EVENTS/SEASONS
Muzzleloading season west of Blue Ridge Mountains, Nov. 12-18
Woodcock season Nov. 12-26 and Dec. 17-31, three per day limit.
Deer hunting season west of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Nov. 19-Dec. 3
Deer hunting season east of Blue Ridge Mountains, Nov. 19-Jan. 7
Board meeting of the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, Nov. 29, 9 a.m., DGIF headquarters, 4000 W. Broad Street, Richmond.
Smith River Trout Unlimited Christmas meeting, 7 p.m. Dec. 1, Riana’s Restaurant, Martinsville. Review of 2005 chapter activities, update on local issues and plans for next year including officer elections.
CCA-Green Top 12th annual Rockfish Tournament, Dec. 3, Norview Marina, Deltaville, $250 per boat, 200 boat limit, $100,000
offered to angler breaking state striped bass record. Other prizes include a $6,000 first-place purse, information from 804-346-1926.Board meeting of the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, Dec. 16, 9 a.m., DGIF headquarters, 4000 W. Broad Street, Richmond.
Late muzzleloading season, Dec. 17-Jan. 7.
Got an event? Let us know: xtrails@earthlink.net.
