Thursday, May 08, 2008
Humane Society weighs in on hound study
Bill Cochran
Recent field reports
Wayne Pacelle, CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, has asked animal-right’s supporters to weigh-in on Virginia’s hound study being conducted by the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries with assistance from Virginia Tech.
In a message, Pacelle called hound hunting “inhumane and unsporting” and urged supporters to “take action to restrict hound hunting in Virginia.”
Bob Kane, of the Virginia Hunting Dog Owner’s Association, dispatched an alert on this development.
The DGIF study recently requested public input for its stakeholder advisory committee through what it calls an informal, online survey at dgif.virginia.gov. The survey shouldn’t be viewed as an opportunity to vote for or against hunting with hounds, DGIF officials say.
“Take a moment to send a message to the members of the Hunting With Hounds Stakeholder Advisory Committee, letting them know that using large packs of dogs to chase, harass and kill wildlife no longer has a place in Virginia and should be restricted,” says a HSUS Web site that contains a video of bear hunting with hounds and suggestions for a letter to the DGIF.
“The cruel practice of hunting wildlife using packs of hound dogs is under scrutiny in Virginia,” the HSUS report says. “Hound hunters chase bears, deer, raccoons and other wildlife to exhaustion or corner them in a tree and shoot them down in the name of sport. The practice provokes the ire of landowners, outdoor enthusiasts, animal welfare advocates and hunters alike.”
BILL
DOUBLE WIN IN OPTIMIST TOURNAMENT
Ricky Cowder had a plan for the Friday through Sunday Optimist Club Fishing Tournament on Smith Mountain Lake. His approach: fish for bass, stripers and catfish during the after-dark hours and for crappie during the daytime.
It worked. Cowder, who lives in Roanoke, was a rare two-category winner in the 40th edition of the tournament. He entered the heaviest catfish, a giant 35.12-pound flathead, and the biggest crappie, a hefty 2.38-pound catch. His take-home money totaled $2,500, including a $500 bonus for the largest catfish every entered in the long-running tournament.
Larry Horne won the smallmouth division with a citation-size, 4.18-pound fish taken on a top-water lure, while H.D. Ayers of Draper used a plastic worm to catch a 6.48-pound largemouth, the best in that category. There were no entries in the striped bass and muskie divisions.
Cowder caught his big catfish on the Blackwater arm of the lake as midnight approached on Friday. He was casting a plastic worm with the idea of hooking a bass when his retrieve was abruptly stopped.
“I thought I was hung up,” said Cowder.
Then the “snag” began to move. “He dragged us 75 yards out into the lake,” Cowder said. “It took 15 to 20 minutes to land him.”
Cowder’s cat was one of several huge flatheads entered in the tournament.
About midday Saturday he landed the contest’s winning crappie, hooking it beneath a fallen tree. Cowder has enjoyed excellent crappie fishing the past couple of weeks, catching one prior to the tournament that weighed 2.5 pounds. Most of the big crappie he has taken have come from under docks, but not the contest winner.
In the Youth Tournament, Allen Yopp of Moneta won the carp category with a 10.90-pound catch and Dalton Matney of Roanoke. won the sunfish category with a .56-pound fish.
The standings:
LARGEMOUTH BASS: 1. H.D. Ayers, Draper, 6.48; 2. Robert Mills, Glade Hill, 6.40; 3. Randy Sayers, Bedford, 6.40; 4. Bill Hayes, Roanoke, 6.14.
SMALLMOUTH BASS: 1. Larry Horne, Wirtz, 4.18; 2, Barry Hunter, Christiansburg, 3.82; 3. Teddy Wolford, Troutville, 3.65, 4. Mark Clingenpeel, Boones Mill, 3.08
CRAPPIE: 1. Ricky Cowder, Roanoke, 2.38; 2. Donald Orange, Roanoke, 2.02; 3. David Jenkins, Rocky Mount, 1.92; 4. Steve Orange, Moneta, 1.90.
CATFISH: 1. Ricky Cowden, Roanoke, 35.112; 2. Ronnie Wilson, Rocky Mount, 33.24; 3. James Gray, Thorton, 26.40; 4. Frank Skillman, Hardy, 23.36.
YOUTH CARP: 1. Allen Yopp, Moneta, 10.90; 2. Isaiah Phillips, Moneta, 5.10; 3. Hunter Altice, Glade Hill, 4.63.
YOUTH SUNFISH: 1. Dalton Matney, Roanoke, .56; 2. Hunter Clark, Moneta, .46; 3. Hunter Altice, Glade Hill, .44.
BIG BUCKS FOR A BIG MUSKIE
After 40 years of sponsoring spring fishing tournaments on Smith Mountain Lake, the Cave Spring Optimist Club has announced plans for a fall tournament. The scheduled dates are Oct. 3-5.
Club members say the details are yet to be worked out, but the format will be similar to the spring tournament, which has categories for largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, striped bass, catfish and muskie.
The muskie has been a no show in the tournament for the past 20 years. At the suggestion of Mark Taylor, outdoor editor of The Roanoke Times, the Optimist Club plans to turn that negative into a positive. During the fall tournament, the prize offered for the largest muskie will get a significant boost. The figures being discussed are $10,000 to $20,000, said Ike Harris, Optimist spokesman.
The fall tournament will be held to benefit the Optimist International Childhood Cancer Campaign.
The spring tournament, held the past weekend, attracted just over 500 entries.
BILL
SETTLEMENT AT CAPE HATTERAS
A settlement this week between environmental groups and the U.S. Park Service maintains beach driving on some parts of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore while temporarily closing others to protect birds and turtles.
The settlement also bans night driving after 10 p.m. spring through fall, a rule that will be troublesome for red drum fishermen who often fish after dark.
The park service said areas will be closed on Bodie Island, Capt Point and South Ocracoke. Cape Point is Outer Bank’s most popular beach vehicle destination for anglers.
For additional information, see the Park Service Web site.
BILL
SAVING SUMMER FLOUNDER
The American Sportfishing Association is recommending a six-point plan to maintain summer flounder fishing along the mid-Atlantic Coast. This comes in the wake of concern that the flounder season in federal water could be closed next year. Federal water is 3- to 20 miles offshore.
“The irony of this threat is that summer flounder stocks in the Atlantic are at a 40-year high,” said Gordon Robertson, the association’s vice president.
The six point plan includes a request to states to manage size and creel limits so as not to exceed their catch allotments.
BILL
OUTDOOR BRIEFS
>>Mark Taylor, outdoor editor of The Roanoke Times, has been elected to the board of the Outdoor Writers Association of America.
>>The Coastal Conservation Association of Maryland is urging the state’s attorneys to take vigorous action against five individuals who allegedly illegally took 184 striped bass from the Sassafras River.
>>The three top bass fishing pros according to ranking by BassFsn are, in order, Kevin VanDam, Skeet Reese and Andy Morgan.
BILL
SALTWATER FISHING TOURNAMENT
A couple of hefty catches have resulted in new leaders in the flounder and tautog categories of the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament. Here are the standings: BLUEFISH: 19 pounds, 4 ounces, Richard Brown, Richmond, off Virginia Beach.
BLUEFIN TILEFISH: 18 pounds, 3 ounces, Stanley Gold, Chesapeake, off Virginia Beach.
FLOUNDER: 10 pounds, 8 ounces, Thomas Horsley, Gloucester, off Cape Charles.
SEA BASS: 7 pounds, 8 ounces, Reggie Myrick, Portsmouth, off Virginia Beach.
SPECKLED TROUT: 9 pounds, 15 ounces, David Hester, Chesapeake, Elizabeth River.
STRIPED BASS: 73 pounds, state record, Frederick Barnes, Chesapeake, off Virginia Beach.
TAUTOG: 20 pounds, 6 ounces, Michael Shreve, Glen Burnie, Md., Monroe Wreck. .
MEETINGS/EVENTS/SEASONS
Triangle Archer’ s 3D tournament, May 18, Blacksburg, fee $12 or $25 per family, information from James Overfelt.
Third annual Oregon Inlet (N.C.) Tuna Roundup, May 29-31, sponsored by Pirate’s Cove, $88,000 payout. Information from pcbgt.com.
Smith River Trout Unlimited fishing and cookout, May 31, meet 8:30 a.m. at Mirrow Factor for fishing and 3:30 p.m. at the foot of Philpott Dam for cookout. Members will act as guides for newcomers. Public welcome.
3D archery shoot and fun day sponsored by Hunters for the Hungry and Quality Deer Management Association (Heart of Virginia Branch) June 1, a.m. to 6 p.m., at Wild Turkey Ridge Archery Range, Bedford, to register or for information contact Gary Arrington, 434-665-7658.
Twenty-fifth annual Bluefish Derby, June 13 & 14, Reedville, information from Jett’s Hardware, 804-453-5325.
Hunters for the Hungry 5th annual sporting clays benefit shoot at Edmund Farms in Halifax, June 21-22, information form Clarence Morris, 434-572-6986, ext. 268 or 434-575-5493.
Triangle Archers 3D tournament, June 22, Blacksburg, fee $12 or $25 per family, information from James Overfelt.
Shenandoah River Rodeo, July 19, Bentonville’s Low Water Bridge Campground, $40, to benefit Shenandoah Riverkeepers, pig roast, bluegrass, fishing, canoeing, camping information from Shenandoah Riverkeepers, P.O. Box 405, Boyce, Va. 22620.
Triangle Archer’s 3D tournament, Aug. 17, Blacksburg, fee $12 or $25 per family, information from Triangle Archers 3D tournament, June 22, Blacksburg, fee $12 or $25 per family, information from James Overfelt.
Eastern Regional Big Game Championship, Sept. 13 and 14, Southampton County Fairgrounds, Franklin, sponsored by the Virginia Peninsula Sportsmen’s Association, more information from Kenneth Pickin, P.O. Box 1860, Williamsburg, Va. 23187-1860; 757-229-0490. This is the contest for deer, bear and turkey killed east of the Blue Ridge. Additional information from vpsa.org.
Triangle Archer’s 3D tournament, Sept 14, Blacksburg, fee $12 or $25 per family, information from James Overfelt.
Third annual WSLS 10 Hunters for the Hungry banquet, 6 p.m. Sept. 27, Dave Sarmadi Mitsubishi, Salem, tickets $20 singles; $35 couples, kids 12 and under free, to benefit the organization’s feed-the-needy program, tickets from Jeff Fletcher, 540-985-6523 or Fred and Phyllis Wells, 540-992-3874 or may be purchased at Dave Sarmadi Mitsubishi, additional information from hunt4hungry@cs.com.
Western Regional and State Big Game Championship, for deer, bear and turkey killed west of the Blue Ridge or advanced from the Eastern Championship, Sept. 27 & 28, Rockingham County Fairgrounds, Harrisonburg, more information from Jon Ritenour, 2041 Spaders Church Rd., Harrisonburg, VA 22801, 540-434-8028. Additional information from vpsa.org.
Fall Optimist Club of Cave Springs Fishing Tournament, Oct. 3-5, Smith Mountain Lake.
Saltwater striped bass tournament opens Oct. 4.
Roanoke Valley Friends of NRA banquet, Oct. 18.
Got an event? Let us know: xtrails@earthlink.net.
