Bill Cochran is a Roanoke Times outdoors columnist.

xtrails
@earthlink.net

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

Sportsmen are lining up pro and con over whether to end the long-held tradition of hunting deer with dogs in Virginia. Some defend chasing deer with dogs as an honorable tradition, one that offers good sport and helps control the deer herd.

Others say it is an archaic practice and is misused by unscrupulous hunters who turn their hounds out on private land where hunting is not welcome.

By far, the dog issue is the big one in the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries’ current regulatory discussion period, which is addressing changes being considered in hunting, fishing and boating regulations.

The DGIF staff had not submitted a recommendation concerning hunting deer with dogs, but that hasn’t kept hunters and landowners from weighing in on the issue. With the April 10-June 15 public discussion period about half-way completed, more than 1,000 comments have been received. By far the hottest topic is dogs, which has attracted several hundred comments with more coming daily.

The input, most of which is being received via the DGIF Web site can be read there, a practice that has not been offered in the past. The name of the person making the comment is not included.

The DGIF is scheduled to continue the regulation’s discussion during a public hearing 9 a.m. June 5 at a board meeting in the agency’s Richmond headquarters, 4000 W. Broad Street.

Once the public comment period ends, on June 15, the DGIF staff will prepare proposals that will be recommended to the board. The final adoption of new regulations is set for Oct. 16 and any proposals approved at that time become law in 2008.

Until then, expect a lot of barking over the deer/dog issue.

THREE MORE DEER TEST POSITIVE

Three new cases of Chronic Wasting Disease have been reported in West Virginia, not far from the Virginia line. The new incidents appeared in Hampshire County, in a relatively small area where 10 other cases have been identified since 2005.

“Our initial CWD surveillance data suggests the disease is located within a relatively small geographic area located near Slanesville, W.Va,” said Frank Jezioro, director of the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources.

The fact that the disease area is just a few miles from the Virginia border has Virginia officials watching the situation with care. At this point, no CWD carrying deer has been detected in Virginia.

The most recent diseased deer were found in samples collected from a total of 101 adult deer taken in March and April by West Virginia officials as part of an ongoing and intensive CWD surveillance effort.

A RECORD-CATCHING MACHINE

If you get the opportunity to fish aboard Ken Neill’s private boat, called the “Healthy Grin,” don’t turn it down. And take with you a record fish registration form -- just in case.

Neill’s boat recently has accounted for three state/world records while “deep-drop” bottom fishing near the Norfolk Canyon off Virginia Beach.

Jeffery Dail of Poquoson established the state record for golden tilefish with a 44-pounder. Roger Brunley of Virginia Beach set the mark for snowy grouper with a 49-pound, 9-ounce fish. Brunley’s fish also is a pending world record.

Both Dail’s and Brunley’s fish were landed aboard Neill’s boat. The same boat also accounted for a potential world all-tackle record for Bob Manus of Ark, Va. Manus caught a 3 pound, 11 ounce blackbelly rosefish.

LODGES AT KIPTOPEKE STATE PARK

Virginia State Park cabins have been a highly popular accommodation for years. Now come park lodges.

Kiptopeke State Park opened five new ones this spring on the Chesapeake Bay side of the southern Eastern Shore. They were constructed with families in mind with enough sleeping pace for 16 people in six bedrooms. They are perfect for family reunions, said Sam Sweeney, park manager. Sweeney grew up in Galax and attended Virginia Tech.

The weekly rental fee is $2,120. When you divide that among several adults it’s not a bad price for a week’s vacation.

For information/reservations check dcr.virginia.gov/parks.

OUTDOOR BRIEFS

>The Sportsman Channel recently has become available in the Roanoke Valley via Cox Communications. “The Sportsman Channel is the first and only cable channel providing hunting and fishing programming 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” said Adam Miller of Dan Klores Communications.

>Check the “Brag Page” of Ellen Horn’s Hunter’s Den store in Craig County for turkey hunting pictures: thehuntersdenstore.com.

>BASS is bringing its 51-angler Bassmaster American to Greensboro, N.C., May 17-20. The first-place prize is $250,000 and the sponsor is Roanoke-based Advanced Auto Parts. The fishing will be on High Rock Lake with weigh-ins at the Greensboro Convention Complex starting at 4:30 p.m. each day. Next stop: Smith Mountain Lake June 7-10.

>A book on fly fishing that contains a chapter on the joys of catching carp can’t be all bad. Robert Streeter covers everything from carp to crappie, bass to bluegills in his new book “Warmwater Fly-Fishing.” This is strictly a freshwater book. Even the section on stripers is about lake fishing The book is available for $24 from robstreeter.com.

>Chris’ Bait & Tackle, a popular fishing/hunting shop on the lower end of the Eastern Shore, has updated its Web site and is offering weather and fishing reports. It is a good source of information for the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, the lower Chesapeake Bay north to Cape Charles and the seaside of Eastern Shore including the barrier islands.

VIRGINIA SALTWATER TOURNAMENT

Citations in the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament: have past the 1,000 mark and there are new leaders in the blueline tilefish and flounder categories. Here are the standings:

BLACK DRUM: 82 pounds, caught by Ray Willett, Parksley, at Hog Island Bay.

BLUEFISH: 16 pounds, Peter Carey of Fredericksburg in the lower-eastern Chesapeake Bay.

BLUELINE TILEFISH: 20-pound, 7-ounce, Robert Holtz, Virginia Beach, ocean off Virginia Beach.

CROAKER: 3 pounds, 3 ounces, Cecil Smith, Shacklefords, lower York River.

FLOUNDER: 10 pounds, 11 ounces, Tom Nash, Prospect Park, Pa., lower-eastern Chesapeake Bay.

GRAY TRIGGERFISH: 4 pounds, 3 ounces, Julie Ball, Virginia Beach, ocean off Virginia Beach.

SEA BASS: 7 pounds, 7 ounces, David Howard, Leesburg, ocean off Virginia Beach.

SPECKLED TOURT: 11 pounds, 5 ounces, Daniel Peters, Chesapeake, Elizabeth River.

SPOT: 1 pound, 1 ounce, Joe Few, Virginia Beach, off Virginia Beach.

STRIPED BASS: 62 pounds, 1 ounce, Wayne Rickman, Mechanicsville, off Virginia Beach.

TAUTOG: 17 pounds, 1 ounce, Joe Hart, Virginia Beach, lower-eastern Chesapeake Bay.

MEETINGS/EVENTS/SEASONS

Spring gobbler season ends May 19.

Sixth annual Pig River Ramble Canoe/Kayak Fun Float Weekend, June 1-3, information/registration from historicrockymount.com/events/pigg.html

Spring/summer squirrel hunting season, June 2-23.

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

Reedville Bluefish Derby, Buzzard’s Point Marine, June 8-9, Reedville reedvillebluefishderby.com.

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

17th annual Antique and Classic Boat Weekend, Smith Mountain Lake, Aug. 10-12, Mariners Landing, information from woodenboats.net.

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

Hunters for the Hungry banquet, Sept. 8, Dave Sarmadi Mitsubishi dealership, Salem, inquire about tickets at Hunt4hungry@cs.com.

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, 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.

Got an event? Let us know: xtrails@earthlink.net.