Thursday, August 07, 2008
Bill Cochran's Field Reports: Spring gobbler season tally posted, raising more questions than answers
Bill Cochran is a Roanoke Times outdoors columnist.
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SPRING GOBBLER SEASON TALLY POSTED—FINALLY
When figures on the 2008 spring gobbler season were posted this week, it was difficult to determine the real story. Was it the figures, themselves, which were average, or the fact that it had taken nearly three months to get them out?
The kill was 15,037, which was a modest 7 percent increase over the previous season and another indication that the state’s turkey kill is stable and not spiking as wildlife officials had hoped.
The top county was Bedford, with a kill of 525. Pittsylvania was second, with 501 and Franklin finished third with 446.
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries’ officials often blame Virginia’s lackluster gobbler kill on poor recruitment, the result of unfavorable weather for vulnerable, young birds in the spring.
But you also have to wonder if the tally is held back by the lack of hunting interest. This could be reflected in the youth day, when juvenile hunters are given the opportunity to be afield with a mentor a week before the regular opening day.
This season, the youth kill was 238. Last year, it was just three less, 235, and the weather was terrible, including snow in the mountains. No growth here.
There are other odd things taking place with Virginia’s gobbler season, including a very low kill in some counties. Greene is an example, where the kill was a dismal 11 turkeys. That has officials baffled.
BILL
VIC THOMAS HONORED
On a hot August day, with the sun blazing down on the bright swimming beach sand of the Smith Mountain State Park, officials unveiled a sign last week with the name Vic Thomas on it. His beloved widow, Dot, and a bunch of family and friends looked on, as did a couple of guys who plan to be the next Virginia governor.
The name, Vic Thomas, already is etched on the hearts of countless people. During his 30 years as a representative of Roanoke in the General Assembly, Thomas was known a “Friend of Sportsmen.”
“He loved the land and the water and the trees, but what he really loved was the people,” said Brian Shepard, the governor’s director of policy and a longtime legislative assistant to Thomas.
Thomas was the champion of big things for the little guy. You say you don’t have a house on the lake? You don’t belong to a million dollar swim club? Never mind. Thomas had you covered. Thomas worked to provide funding for Smith Mountain Lake State Park. He worked to build cabins in the park. He worked to provide a first-class swimming beach.
“He gave all of us an opportunity to have a home on the lake,” said Shepard.
You could call him the father of Smith Mountain Lake State Park, said Sen. John Edwards of Roanoke.
Those were the kind of things state officials lined up to say about Thomas when a 200 acre peninsula of the park, including the beach and swimming area, was named the A. Victor Thomas Outdoor Recreation Area.
There was laughter and some tears and the governor was scheduled to be there but his helicopter broke down. Never mind. Thomas always was happy just to be around the ordinary guy. There were plenty of them nearby swimming and sunbathing.
It is exceptionally rare to name park facilities for a person, said Joseph Maroon, director of the state’s Department of Conservation and Recreation.
But, then, Thomas was an exceptional man.
BILL
AND THE PRESIDENT OF THE STRIPER CLUB IS!
Angie Behan appears set to re-grasp the president’s gavel at the Smith Mountain Striper Club. She had announced her resignation in the club’s bulletin, but during the club’s August meeting on Friday supporters demanded that she stay on.
Her reinstatement as president is scheduled for approval by the club’s board at its next meeting.
Meanwhile, Behan is back at work for the club, making plans to have a club booth at the Aug. 22-24 Outdoor Sportsmen’s Classic at the Salem Civic Center and promoting a Fishermen’s Flea Market/Swap Shop Sept. 5 in Moneta.
BILL
OUTDOOR BRIEFS
>>Lack of rain has prompted officials of the Appalachian Power Co. to decrease downstream releases from Smith Mountain and Leesville lakes in an effort to raise the declining water level in Smith Mountain Lake. The decreased releases don’t always sit well with downstream interests, who say they also need water. This will be the subject of a public hearing tonight, 6 p.m. at Gretna High School.
>>State fish officials say all those dire predictions about the damage the snakehead fish would do may have been overstated. The fish is an Asian import found in the Potomac River. A Virginian-Pilot article quotes a biologist who says the fish appears to have found its own niche and is not harming bass and other native species. Reports that the snakehead could “walk” on land were false. Even so, fishermen are instructed to kill the snakeheads they catch.
>>Capt. Ferrell McLain, a Chesapeake Bay charter boat operator, said the Bay is enjoying the best run of Spanish mackerel in years. However, few people are renting charters to go after them. “Spanish mackerel to 24 inches have been caught around the Northern Neck Reef and Buoy 62 area,” McLain said. The preferred method is to troll for them with small spoons. Bluefish in the 3-5 pound ranges also are being caught. The area west of Tangier Island a good place to try for blues.
>>Angler Dr. Julie Ball of Virginia Beach used a fly rod to catch four spadefish she believes would qualify for world record status. She is a representative of the International Game Fish Association, the keeper of records. Ball was using flies tied for spadefish by Crab Creek Outfitters. I’m “not sure what they are supposed to look like, but the spades were very interested,” she said. She kept her two largest fish for certification purposes.
>>More than 271,000 pines are scheduled to be planted by the National Wild Turkey Federation on 678 acres surrounding Fort Stewart, Ga., part of a longleaf pine restoration program
>>State fish officials have been investigating a die-off of gizzard shad in South Fork Rivanna Reservoir near Charlottesville. The fish were found around the bottom of the dam and their death was blamed on hot weather and low water conditions that decreased oxygen in the impoundment.
BILL
SALTWATER FISHING TOURNAMENT
There are new leaders in the king mackerel and sheepshead categories of the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament. Here are the standings:
BLACK DRUM: 87 pounds, 3 ounces, Paul Elliott, Surry, Latimer Shoals (C-2 Buoy).
BLUEFISH: 19 pounds, 4 ounces, Richard Brown, Richmond, off Virginia Beach.
BLUEFIN TILEFISH: 18 pounds, 14 ounces, Chris Boyce, Hampton, Norfolk Canyon.
COBIA: 90 pounds, 10 ounces, Charles Thain, Birdsnest, Inner Middle Ground, C-13.
CROAKER: 4 pounds, Glen Ford, Newport News, James River.
DOLPHIN: 58 pounds, 6 ounces, Burt Whitt, Norfolk, Cigar.
FLOUNDER: 11 pounds, Rudolph Levasseur, Chesapeake, Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.
GRAY TRIGERFISH: 4 pounds, 2 ounces, Adam Lyons, Chesapeake, Seagull Pier on Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.
GRAY TROUT: 9 pounds, 8 ounces, Joseph Hudgins, Jr., Chesapeake, Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel (4th island).
KING MACKEREL, 62 pounds, 3 ounces, James McDonald, Virginia Beach, Sandbridge Pier.
KINGFISH: 2 pounds, 3 ounces, Bill Pope, Norfolk, Sandbridge surf.
SEA BASS: 7 pounds, 8 ounces, Reggie Myrick, Portsmouth, wreck off Virginia Beach.
SHEEPSHEAD: 14 pounds, 5 ounces, Kay Alley, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. .
SPADEFISH: 13 pounds, 15 ounces, Donald Knight, Chesterfield, Wolf Trap Light.
SPANISH MACKEREL: 6 pounds, Alfred Simpson, Virginia Beach, Sandbridge pier.
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.
TUNA, BLUEFIN: 226 pounds, Kim Schwallenberg, Edgewater, Md., off Wachapreague.
TUNA: 89 pounds, Troy Holtry, Newburg, Pa., 20 Fathom Finger.
WAHOO: 68 pounds, Ron Fair, Cheriton, off Wachapreague.
MEETINGS/EVENTS/SEASONS
Virginia Outdoor Sportsman Show, Aug. 8-10, ShowPlace, 3000 Mechanicsville Turnpike, Richmond, features Larry Weishuhn, the NRA trophy deer display and nearly 300 exhibitors. Adult tickets $10 per day or $15 for the weekend, kids under 15 can enter free with a paying adult. Information from sportsmanshow.com.
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.
Outdoor Sportsmen’s Classic, Aug. 22-23, Salem Civic Center.
Smith Mountain Lake Striper Club Fishermen’s Flea Market/Swap Shop, Sept. 5, 7 p.m., Moneta Community Center.
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 Road, 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.
