Bill Cochran

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• Deer season has been a challenge
• Venison safe to eat
• Landowners: tell hunters what you expect
• About those mistreated hounds

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A couple of things have captured the attention of Matt Knox, deer biologist for the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. One is the drought the other is the high amount of Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease in the deer herd.

Knox wonders if the two are related, especially since HD is showing up in Virginia areas where it has been rare through the ages.

Virginia is one of several states dealing with HD. Kentucky’s Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources recently announced it had documented 3,000 deer deaths this year due to HD.

Wildlife officials in West Virginia say HD has spread to 15 counties. Paul Johansen, that state’s assistant wildlife chief, said he can’t remember seeing the disease so widespread, either in West Virginia or regionally.

Knox said it is difficult to get a handle on the number of HD-related deer deaths in Virginia. The best information is expected to be available in the spring, but the DGIF has highlighted on a map some 35 counties that have HD problems. A few have documented many as 50 or more HD deer deaths have been documented in several counties.

The spread of the disease is expected to end with the first heavy forests, which should kill the insects that carry it. But cold weather has been slow coming.

HD is not expected to lower the deer kill.

TURKEY FEDERATION OPPOSES WILDERNESS ON JEFFERSON

The National Wild Turkey Federation has opposed a bill (H.R. 1011) that would designate an additional 27,817 acres of new wilderness in Virginia and add 11,344 acres to current wilderness areas in the Jefferson National Forest, headquartered in Roanoke.

Dowd Bruton, NWTF senior biologist, told members of the U.S. Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee that the best deal for wildlife is managed forest lands that create biodiversity, not areas set aside for wilderness. Wildlife benefits from timbering, clearing and burning, he said.

Many people believe that no management is best for the forest and wildlife, protecting it from man. Science simply does not corroborate that belief, said Bruton.

TURNING GRASS INTO GAS

Drought can be tough on quail, but maybe this time the dry weather has a backdoor benefit.

During a summer when many crops have fail, dry weather has not harmed switchgrass, according to the Virginia Farm Bureau. Farmers have noticed that, and it could result in more interest in this forage species, also known as prairie plant and native grass.

That would be good for quail, because switchgrass provides excellent cover for wildlife, particularly birds.

The big interest farmers have in switchgrass is that one day it could help supplant corn as a source of ethanol, the bureau said.

Switchgrass can be converted into ethanol at a lower cost than corn. It can be grown on land unsuitable for corn, which levels the playing field with Midwesern states, and it requires little of the chemical and fertilizers that corn demands. A huge byproduct is wildlife habitat, because its high, thick growth.

The challenge now is to make economically feasible to turn switchgrass into ethanol. That’s several years off, the bureau said.

NEW RAMP QUICK ACCESS TO BRIDGE-TUNNEL

Last Saturday, just a couple days after the beginning of the fall striped bass season, federal officials opened a new ramp on the Eastern Shore, near Kiptopeke.

The $2.3 million facility cuts the distance boaters have to travel over open water to reach the north side of the fish-rich Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. It means boaters now will be able to reach fishable water that was our of reach in the past because of wind and waves. It also provides quick access to several southern barrier islands, Smith and Cobb among them.

Called Wise Point, the facility is on the Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge managed by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service at the north end of the bridge-tunnel just off U.S. 13. The area has been used by commercial fishermen, but has been off limits to recreation anglers for a number of years.

Commercial anglers will use part of the facility, but only those already in operation, and not new ones, officials said. The portion open to recreational fishing contains two ramps that have a $10 per day launching fee. There are 76 parking spaces, lights and restrooms. No personal watercraft or pets, other than hunting dogs, will be allowed.

Annual passes are available for $120, but have been pro-rated to $30 for now to the end of the year. Operating hours will be 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. through January and will be shortened to one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset after that.

While the new facility is welcomed by most, there also is a feeling among many anglers that it will place additional pressure on fish and other natural resources in the area.

Federal officials said the ramp is a reality because of cooperation between local, state and federal interests. It helps fulfill the needs of people without posing a risk to the refuge and the plants and animals is serves.

OUTDOON NOTES

>Since the opening of the season last Saturday, bowhunters have been setting all kinds of records -- heat records, that is. The hot, dry weather has offered challenging conditions, and isn’t exactly a stimulus for hunters to get out in the woods and fields.

>Chris Hager, a marine biologist who works for Virginia Sea Grant. Hager an a helper recently netted a sturgeon in the James River near Hopewell that was estimated to be 9 feet long and weigh more than 200 pounds. It may be the biggest fish caught in the James in 60 years. Sturgeons, once were abundant in the river, are making a comeback.

>Gov. Tim Kaine has advocated diverting money from the saltwater fishing license to general fund expenditures in an effort to help offset a shortfall in the state budget. His budget calls for earmarking $379,000 in license funds for law enforcement work. Another $75,000 in license fees would be taken from the fisheries stock assessment program. The saltwater license money is administered by the Virginia Marine Resources Commission.

>Fishing license sales are up 8-10 percent over recent years and hunting license sales are up about 5 percent, according to the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. New boat registrations fees are showing a decline, reflecting a slowdown in boat sales.

> Some 350 individuals submitted approximately 825 comments to the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries on proposed hunting, fishing, trapping and nongame regulations during a July 24-Sept. 24 comment period. The proposals are set to receive a final vote at a DGIF board meeting in Richmond Oct. 16. Additional comments will be heard at that time. All but about 20 of the comments came via the DGIF Web site online regulatory comment system.

>Speckled trout fishing normally is headed toward its peak in October, but not this year in the creeks of Eastern Shore. Catches have been spotty, and often have involve undersized fish. Anglers tend to blame poor results on hot weather. That and the lack of rain, believes Jimmy Pruitt. The scarcity of rain could be making the creeks extra salty, he said. Bob Hutchinson believes the problem is just a down year for the popular species. Last year was decent and many anglers believe this one would be even better.

>Gun control advocates are gaining influence in Richmond and in localities around Virginia where they are targeting pro-gun legislators for defeat. That’s the warning from Wayne LaPierre to NRA members in the state. The Virginia Shooting Sports Association is on the frontline of this battle, and LaPierre, who is the NRA executive vice president. He has urged members to join the state organization. www.myvssa.org.

>The International Game Fish Association has made eight new species, including the hickory shad, eligible for line class, fly rod and junior angler world-record categories. The hickory shad is a popular catch in Eastern Virginia. The 2-pound, 8-ounce world record hales from Richmond. The other species added to line-class recognition are barbell, blacktip shark, black grouper, buri, gilthead seabream, gray snapper and Orinoco peacock. The new designation took place Oct. 1.

>Some of the best fall/winter striped bass fishing in the country can be found in the lower Chesapeake Bay from around Cape Charles to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. It is so good that a seminar on how to fish the areas is taking place miles away in Maryland. The Oct. 20, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. program is set for Dundalk, Md. at $35 per ticket. Professional guides will discuss light tackle and fly fishing. Information from 410-288-5310.

>George Washington and Jefferson National Forest officials announced they were putting restrictions on campfires due to dry weather, then quickly pulled back from that decision “upon further review.”

>Stackpold Books has released two new books in its “Wild Guide” series. One is titled “Turtles,” the other “Venomous Snakes.” Earlier books are “Bears,” “Dragonflies,” and “Owls.” The books are written in clear, straightforward language and are certain to expand the knowledge of even the accomplished naturalists.

>A New Jersey appeals court has banned bear hunting in that state, ruling that fish and game officials did not follow requirements when the state’s bear management plan was approved.

VIRGINIA SALTWATER TOURNAMENT

Ten months into the Virginia Saltwater Tournament the first swordfish has been registered. There also is a new leader in the Spanish mackerel category:

BLACK DRUM: 95 pounds caught by James Tran of Virginia Beach in Lynnhaven 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.

COBIA: 99 pounds, 8 ounces, Richard Norman, Virginia Beach, off Virginia Coast.

CROAKER: 8 pounds, 11 ounces, Norman Jenkins, Portsmouth, off New Port Light.

DOLPHIN: 53 pounds, 9 ounces, Greg Welch, Charlotte, N.C., ocean off Virginia Beach.

FLOUNDER: 13 pounds, 7 ounces, Dennis Curcio, Philadelphia, Pa., lower eastern Chesapeake Bay.

GRAY TRIGGERFISH: 4 pounds, 10 ounces, Geoffrey Filer, Chesapeake, ocean off Virginia Beach.

GRAY TROUT: 9 pounds, 9 ounces, Claude Shifflett III, Chesapeake, off Virginia Beach.

KING MACKEREL: 63 pounds, 1 ounce, state record, Susan Smith, Virginia Beach, off Virginia Beach.

KINGFISH: 1 pound, 12 ounces, Kasey Price, Virginia Beach, lower eastern Chesapeake Bay..

POMPANO: 3 pounds, 5 ounces, Shane Walker, Virginia Beach, lower western Chesapeake Bay.

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

SHEEPSHEAD: 14 pounds, Andy Thompson, Virginia Beach, lower-eastern Chesapeake Bay.

SPADEFISH: 14 pounds, Mark Ottarson, North, lower-western Chesapeake Bay.

SPANISH MACKEREL: 6 pounds, 13 ounces, Emmett Boyd, Jr., Charles Town, W.Va., upper western Chesapeake Bay.

SPECKLED TROUT: 12 pounds, 10 ounces, Michael Tomesch, Chesapeake, Elizabeth River.

SPOT: 1 pound, 8 ounce, Wayne Rickman, Mechanicsville, off Virginia Beach.

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

SWORDFISH: 233 pounds, Walter Clark, Virginia Beach, off Virginia Beach.

TAUTOG: 22 pounds, 2 ounce, Lester Johnson, Newport News, off Virginia Beach.

TRUE ALBACORE: 53 pounds, George Wilkinson, Edgewater, Md., off Virginia Beach.

BLUEFIN TUNA: 573 pound state record, Bo Haycox, Virginia Beach, off Virginia Beach.

TUNA: 241 pounds, Eric Kuester, Ashland, off Virginia Beach.

WAHOO: 93 pounds, Louis Biro, Norfolk, off Virginia Beach.

MEETINGS/EVENTS/SEASONS

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

Roanoke Valley Friends of NRA banquet, Oct. 20, Salem Civic Center, tickets $40 single, $70 couple, tickets or information from Mike Kessler, 540-884-8917; Al Milton, 540-563-1422 or Harvey Bulaski, 540-343-9040.

Youth waterfowl hunting day, Oct. 20.

Eighteenth annual H.C. Edwards Chapter of the Ruffed Grouse Society Banquet, Oct 27, 6 p.m. Augusta Expoland, Fisherville, tickets $55 individual or $75 couple from Matt Smith, 540-459-3559.

Woodcock season Oct. 27-Nov. 10; Dec. 22-Jan. 5.

Snow goose season, Nov. 1-Dec. 1; Dec. 8-March 10.

Opening of Atlantic zone Canada goose season, Nov. 17-Dec. 1; Dec. 21-Jan 26.

Reopening of duck season, Nov. 17-Dec. 1.

Western zone Canada goose season Nov. 17-Dec. 1; Dec. 15-Jan. 14; Jan 15-Feb. 15.

Atlantic brant season, Nov. 24-Dec. 1; Dec. 8-Jan. 26.

Tundra swan season, Dec. 1-Jan. 31.

Reopening of duck season, Dec. 8-Jan. 26.

Reopening of western zone Canada goose season, Dec. 15-Jan. 14.

Reopening of Atlantic Zone Canada goose season, Dec. 21-Jan. 26.

Back Bay Canada Goose season, Dec. 24-Jan. 26.

Reopening of western zone Canada goose season, Jan. 15-Feb. 15.

The Greater Virginia Sports and Big Game Show, Feb. 15-17, 2008, Rockingham County Fairgrounds, Harrisonburg, vasportsshow.com.

Sports Fishing School, June 1-5, Hatteras, N.C. information from ncsu.edu/cpe/fishing.html.

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