Bill Cochran is a Roanoke Times outdoors columnist.

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Bill Cochran's Outdoors

Recent columns

• Drum fishing on Virginia’s Coast comes in two colors
• Elk advocate finally gets his day
• Turkeys are plentiful, so why are hunting regulations so tight fisted?
• Anglers say closure of the point of Cape Hatteras is for the birds
• Column archive

Bill's Mailbag

• Putting down a bear cub brings complaint
• Recommendations for Virginia’s Wild Turkey Management Plan
• Mail archive

Bill's Field Reports

• A. Willis Robertson great name for new DGIF headquarters
• Big striper smashes Optimist tournament record
• Field reports archive

Resources

• Trout stocking schedule

Gov. Tim Kaine believes that the watercraft sales and accompanying user fees should go for what they were designed for: boating. Right now, a bunch of that money is routed to general fund categories that aren’t related to boating.

The governor’s proposed executive amendments to the 2006-08 biennial budget would reclaim the boat money for the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries at the tune of $400,000 this year and as much a $2 million next fiscal year.

In 1994, the General Assembly passed legislation that transferred the watercraft sales and use taxes to DGIF. Then came a budget shortfall in 2002, when some of the money was diverted to the general fund. That didn’t change even when the financial crunch ended.

Boating programs have been hurting as a result, most noticeable in a slowdown of public ramp building, warden patrols and education efforts.

The governor’s proposal would have to be approved by the General Assembly.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY UPDATE

>Del. Allen Dudley, R-Rocky Mount, has filed two boating bills. One, HB 2373 would set a 35-mph speed limit on Smith Mountain Lake between sunset and sunrise. Violators would be subject to a maximum fine of $250. A similar bill failed last session, when officials of the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries said there was not enough data to support or reject boat speed limits. That has not changed, but it hasn’t kept Dudley from plowing ahead.

A second bill by Dudley, HB 2374, calls for mandatory boating safety training for boat operators and is a companion to a bill, HB 1627, sponsored by Del. Kathy Byron, R-Campbell County. A third bill mandating safety training, SB 1241, has been introduced by Sen. Stephen Newman, R-Forest.

BoatU.S. has said that it supports the mandatory training legislation with a couple of reservations. A course should not be required if a boater has proof of completing one in the past, and a boat owners who has registered and operated a craft for the past 20 years should be exempt.

>You have to wonder if Del. Clark Hogan, R-South Boston, has a brother or sister who owns attractive hunting land. His HB 2250 would exempt the siblings of a landowner from buying a license when hunting, fishing or trapping within the boundaries of a brother’s or sister’s property.

Most every year there is an attempt to erode requirements of hunting and fishing licenses at a time when overall license sales are declining. Such efforts are bad news for the DGIF and outdoor sportsmen. Somebody has to pay the bills for wildlife work, and that is falling on the shoulders of an increasingly declining number of people.

>When hunting dogs wander onto private property their owners have the right to go look for them -- as long as they don’t carry firearms and continue hunting. That right would be abolished by HB 2531 introduced by Del. Steven Landes, R-Weyers Cave. Another bill, SB 884, would require a hunter retrieving his dogs to identify himself upon the landowner’s request.

>Disabled hunters, fishermen and trappers would be given greater access on Department of Game and Inland Fisheries lands under SB 1976 introduced by Sen. Frank Ruff, R-Clarksville. This would include letting disabled hunters take game in a manner that would otherwise be prohibited and allowing the use of vehicles by disabled sportsmen in areas where they normally can not be driven.

>You can stuff more shells in your shotgun if a bill, HB 2309, by Del. Scott Lingamfelter, R-Woodbridge, is approved. The measure would eliminate the three-shell minimum when hunting non-migratory game. Migratory species that are under federal regulation, including ducks and doves, would remain under the three-shell restriction, but the bill would give state officials the discretion to remove that requirement should the feds drop it.

>Del. James Shuler, D-Blacksburg, is the second legislator to introduce a bill, HB 2018, that would give the DGIF authority to raise nonresident hunting licenses by as much as $100 every three years. His bill differs from the first, HB 1981, in that it also permits up to a $100 increase in nonresident fishing license and up to a $50 increase in lifetime hunting and fishing licenses.

>HB 2547, introduced by Del. Bill Carrico, R-Independence, would give counties authority to make it unlawful for a hunter to carry a loaded gun along a highway when he does not have permission from private landowners to hunt the property on both sides of the road. This would not apply to guns in vehicles.

>The NRA has disdain for SB 827, introduced by Sen. Jeannemarie Devolites Davis, R-Vienna, which would require all firearms transactions that take place at gun shows to be subject to a background check. The measure also would require gun show promoters to register all vendors, including private citizens and licensed dealers, and maintain that record for four years. The NRA calls it a “thinly veiled attempt to abolish gun shows in Virgina.”

>Owners of low-head dams built across streams would have to post warnings that the structure poses a hazard to swimmers, fishermen and boaters under a bill, HB 2695, introduced by Ben Cline, R-Amherst. The owner would be liable for accidents if warnings are not posted.

>SB 882, by Sen. Creigh Deeds, D-Charlottesville, would establish a state policy that mandates no net loss of public lands on which to hunt.

>HB 2021 would add crossbow hunting to the special youth resident and nonresident combination hunting license, which now includes big game hunting, bowhunting and muzzleloading hunting. It is sponsored by Del. James Shuler, D-Blacksburg.

Search all these bills and their status at the General Assembly Legislative Information System site.

Dr. Julie Ball with citation sea bass, one of five citations she has landed in January.

BALL REELING IN THE CITATIONS

Dr. Julie Ball and Jamal Esfahani, both of Virginia Beach, were Virginia’s top 2006 saltwater anglers. Each accounted for citations in 18 different species in the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament.

But get this: Ball, who is a dentist, already has citations for five species in 2007. They include: a 9-pound tautog; a 4-3 grey triggerfish; a 5-5 sea bass; a 6-12 speckled trout and a 45-inch striped bass.

Forty anglers registered at least six different species of fish for citation awards last season, qualifying them for Virginia Expert Saltwater Anglers status. This was the smallest number in six years, according to Claude Bain, tournament director.

OUTDOOR NOTES

>A bunch of money came rolling into Hunters for the Hungry in late December, giving the organization the boost it needed to process its goal of 350,000 pounds of venison for the season. That’s 1.4 million servings, according to program director Gary Arrington. “We still need to come up with new was of getting funding,” Arrington said during a meeting in Roanoke Tuesday. “We don’t have the basic funding that this organization needs to accomplish would it could do.”

>On the way to church Sunday, my wife, Katherine, and I spotted a flock of turkeys in a field. At least three of the gobblers in the bunch were in full strut. I shared that information with my Sunday School members, saying maybe all the warm weather we are having has advanced the ardor of the toms. One lady dryly replied: "There have been a lot of gobblers strutting" following Virginia Tech’s basketball win over North Carolina Saturday.

>West Virginia’s deer kill was 136,289, according to preliminary date. That is slightly more than the 135,361 of the previous year. The antlerless deer kill was 20-percent below the previous season and is credited to more restrictive doe regulations. This means the state hammered the buck population.

>John Bellemore, the forest ecology group leader of the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests is retiring after a 36-year career with the national forest service. Bellemore worked out of the supervisor’s office in Roanoke and was in charge of wildlife management.

> Virginian Ivan Morris and 53 other anglers are competing in the BASS Federation National Championship this week on Alabama’s Lake Neely Henry. At stake is $103,000 in cash and prizes. More importantly, the event will advance six anglers to the 2007 Bassmaster Classic. A telecast of the Federation event is set for ESPN2, 9 a.m., Jan. 27.

>Business at the Jan. 11-14 SHOT Show in Orlando set a record pace, an indicator that the shooting, hunting and outdoor industry is poised for a big year, industry officials say.

>The Labrador Retriever is he most popular breed of dog for the 16th consecutive year, according to the American kennel Club. The Yorkshire Terrier is No. 2.

SALTWATER FISHING TOURNAMENT FINALS

The final results of catch-and-keep citations in the 2006 Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament:

BLACK DRUM: 83 pounds, 13 ounces, Charles Porter, Birdsnest, caught at Oyster Bay.

BLUEFISH: 21 pounds, 8 ounces, Jason Layman, Johnstown, Pa., off Virginia Beach.

COBIA: 109 pound pending state record, Joseph Berberich II, Hayes, lower-western Chesapeake Bay.

CROAKER: 5 pounds, 4 ounces, William Bull, Jr., Poquoson, lower-western Chesapeake Bay.

DOLPHIN: 56 pounds, 6 ounces, Richard Koch, Virginia Beach, off Virginia Beach.

FLOUNDER: 13 pounds, 13 ounces, Lewis Graves, Sr., Fredericksburg, lower-eastern Chesapeake Bay.

GRAY TRIGGERFISH: 5 pounds, 13 ounces, Earl Sari, Chesapeake, ocean off Virginia Beach.

GRAY TROUT: 12 pounds, 4 ounces, Marvin Williams III, Virginia Beach, off Virginia Beach.

KING MACKEREL: 39 pounds, David Worton, Norfolk, off Virginia Beach.

KINGFISH: 2 pounds, 3 ounces, Robert Vick, Virginia Beach, off Virginia Beach.

POMPANO: 2 pounds, 12 ounces, James Jordon, Jr. Williamsburg off Virginia Beach.

SEA BASS: 8 pounds, 4 ounces, James Pruitt, Wallops Island, ocean off Eastern Shore.

SHEEPSHEAD: 17 pounds, 13 ounces, Arun Nhek, Newport News, lower western Chesapeake Bay.

SPADEFISH: 14 pound state record, Austin Edwards, Powhatan, Cell in the Chesapeake Bay.

SPANISH MACKEREL: 6 pounds, 13 ounces, Charles Quann, King George, upper western Chesapeake Bay.

SPECKLED TROUT: 13 pounds, 4 ounce, Jerry Doughten, Sr., Chesapeake, Elizabeth River.

SPOT: 1 pound, 7 ounces, Herman Jones, Norfolk, lower-western Chesapeake Bay.

STRIPED BASS: 68 pounds, 1 ounce state record, Clay Armstrong, Mechanicsville, off Virginia Beach.

SWORDFISH, 226 pounds, Jacob Morton, Virginia Beach, ocean off Virginia Beach.

TAUTOG: 18 pounds, 1 ounce, Paul Hurtubise, McGaheysville, off Virginia Beach.

TRUE ALBACORE: 40 pounds, John Hanna, Seaford, ocean off Virginia Beach.

TUNA, BLUEFIN: 207 pounds, 8 ounces Warren Howard, Virginia Beach, off Virginia Beach.

TUNA: 260 pounds, John Travers, Damascus, Md., off Eastern Shore.

WAHOO: 91 pounds, Aurelio Diaz, Jr., Glen Allen, off Virginia Beach.

MEETINGS/EVENTS/SEASONS

Bassarama, Jan. 26-28, Richmond Raceway Complex, information from bassarama.com.

Coverage of the FLW Striper Series Championship at Virginia Beach will be broadcast on FSN (Fox Sports Net) as part of the "FLW Outdoors" television program airing Jan. 28, 11 a.m. Eastern time.

Smith Mountain Striper Club meting, 7 p.m., Feb. 2, Moneta Community Center.

The Fly Fishing Show, Feb. 2-4, Charlotte Merchandise mart, Charlotte, N.C., flyfishingshow.com.

Western Virginia Sports Show, Augusta Expoland, Fisherville, Feb. 16-18, information from Mark Hanger, 540-337-7081.

The Greater Virginia Sports and Big Game Show, Feb. 16-18, Rockingham County Fairgrounds in Harrisonburg. More information from vasportshow.com.

Southwest Virginia Boat Show, Feb. 23-25, Roanoke Civic Center.

CITGO Bassmaster Classic, Feb. 23-25, Birmingham, Ala.

The National Wild Turkey Federation’s 2007 National Convention and Sport Show, Feb. 22-25, Gaylord Opryland Resort, Nashville, Tenn.

Dixie Deer Classic, March 2-4, North Carolina State Fairgrounds, Raleigh, N.C. info from dixiedeerclassic.org

Shenandoh Valley Sportsmaj’s Alliance banquet, March 3, details from Myron Reedy.

Bedford Outdoor Sportsman Association Sport Show, March 10, Bedford Armory, information from Steve Grant, 540-586-3807.

BASS Elite Series, June 7-10, 2007, Smith Mountain Lake, information from bassmaster.com.

Outdoor Writers Association of America conference, June 16-19, Hotel Roanoke.

The Western Regional Championship of the Virginia Big Game Show, Sept. 8 & 9, Rockingham County Fairgrounds near Harrisonburg, information from vpsa.org.

The Eastern Region and State Championship of the Virginia Big Game Show, Sept. 22 & 23, Southampton County Fairgrounds in Franklin, information from from vpsa.org.

DGIF meetings

Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board meeting, March 27, 9 a.m. at agency’s headquarters, 4000 W. Broad St.

Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board meeting, June 5, 9 a.m. at agency’s headquarters, 4000 W. Broad St.

Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board meeting, July 17, 9 a.m. at agency’s headquarters, 4000 W. Broad St.

Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board meeting, Aug. 21, 9 a.m. at agency’s headquarters, 4000 W. Broad St.

Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board meeting, Oct. 16, 9 a.m. at agency’s headquarters, 4000 W. Broad St.

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