Thursday, January 21, 2010
Bill Cochran's Field Reports: Deer gather in huge herds
Bill Cochran is a Roanoke Times outdoors columnist.
Bill Cochran's Outdoors
Recent columns
- Less freedom at Hatteras for surf casters
- Here’s the scoop on hunting shed antlers
- Want more grouse? Get used to hearing chainsaws
- Sunday hunting bills aplenty, but some hunters hold out
- Column archive
Bill's Mailbag
Bill's Field Reports
Resources
Mike Smith is an accomplished outdoorsman who well knows there is no scarcity of deer in Franklin County where he lives.
“I have no shrubs left in my yard and they turn the bird feeder over every night,” he said.
But the herd he saw one recent afternoon was hard even for him to believe.
“I counted over 100 deer,” he said, taking pictures to prove it. “And they were still coming out of the woods as it was getting too dark to get a picture.”
Smith figures that the recent lengthy span of extremely cold temperatures and deep snow had the animals ganged up. Similar herds have been spotted in other areas, said Matt Knox, deer project leader for the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.
“It is almost like they have been ‘yarded up’ like northern deer,” he said.
In northern states, deer often gather in large herds during the deep part of the winter, especially when there is heavy snow, but that doesn’t happen often in Virginia, at least not during normal winters.
“I have spent a considerable amount of time walking around in the woods over the past couple of weeks and deer movements have been nearly nonexistent with the snow and ice still covering most of the ground,” said Knox. “The deer have been holed up for about three weeks.”
They used a lot of energy and now they are hungry and zeroing in on productive places to feed, Knox said. Obviously the field Smith watched is a good food source.
“One of my coworkers has been seeing dozens and dozens of deer in the fields while commuting in Bedford County,” Knox said.
“It tells me that we need to control the herd better,” said Smith.
“I guess we did not kill them all,” Knox said of the recent deer hunting season.
One more thing. Anywhere you spot larges numbers of deer this time of the year, that is an ideal place to search for shed antlers, Knox said.
BILL
AN EYE ON THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Organized bear hunters are fed up with people who use a kill permit to take a bear, then have a rug made from the hide or mount the head amid vivacious bragging. A bear shouldn’t be considered a worthy trophy unless it is taken under fair-chase standards, they say. Kill permits, issued to deal with nuisance animals and crop damage, weigh heavily on the side of an execution rather than a sport.
That’s the thinking behind a bill introduced in the Virginia General Assembly, HB 399, sponsored by Matthew Lohr, R-Harrisonburg.
The measure would limit what could be done with a bear taken on a kill permit. The animal could be used for human consumption, but it could not be mounted or displayed, nor could its parts be used for anything other than food. If the bear isn’t going to be consumed it, the bill says it must be disposed of within 24 hours.
>> Two Hampton Roads legislators want to change the way the Menhaden fishery is regulated in the Chesapeake Bay. Menhaden are a valuable source of pet food, fish oil, fertilizer and other products, resulting in a major industry centered in Reedville. They also are a valuable source of food for recreational species including striped bass, and they serve as an important filtering system for the Bay.
For more than 100 years, menhaden regulations and quotas have been overseen by legislators rather then scientists. Sen. Ralph Northam, D-Norfolk, and Del. John Cosgrove, R-Chesapeake, have introduced bills that would shift authority for managing this fishery from politicians to scientists by giving the task to the Virginia Marine Resources Commission.
The idea has been defeated in the past, and there are two bills aimed at doing that again by extending the current harvest cap through 2013 and by leaving the management in the hands of lawmakers.
The Coastal Conservation Association has urged its members to support the Northam-Cosgrove legislation, SB 185 and HB 294.
>> It can be easy to entrap a legitimate hunter by the misuse of bait. Just toss out some corn or put a salt block near the hunter’s stand and call the law. HB 486 would make it unlawful for anyone to pull such a stunt.
>> Some two dozen firearm’s related bills have been introduced, most of them dealing with concealed carry permits, and most pro-gun. They would create such a patchwork of regulations that one bill, HB 489, calls for a more readable format that would make it easier for the average citizen to understand his/her gun rights.
BILL
W.VA SEES INCREASE IN CWD
Sixteen deer killed in Hampshire County, W.Va. during the 2009 hunting season tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease. The diseased deer were among 1,091 that hunters brought to check stations to be tested by wildlife officials.
Three of the deer were outside a containment area established by W.Va. officials, but all were in Hampshire County.
Virginia wildlife officials have been monitoring the situation since Hampshire County borders Virginia. No contaminated deer have been found in Virginia.
The 16 deer detected in Hampshire County represent 2.5 times more than the previous high count which occurred in 2008. Since research began in 2005, West Virginia has detected 62 CWD deer.
“Despite our agency’s best efforts, we continue to struggle with CWD in Hampshire County,” said Frank Jezioro, the director of W.Va. Division of Natural Resources.
Some individuals have not complied with regulations to control the spread of the disease, said Jezioro. They will be dealt with, he promised.
BILL
CONTROVERSY ARISES AGAIN OVER GATHRIGHT DAM
More than 30 years ago, the idea of building Gathright Dam on the Jackson River to form Moomaw Lake was a controversial subject.
Its supporters helped ease concerns by selling the project on flood control, downstream water augmentation and recreation. Hydroelectric power wouldn’t be part of the Corps of Engineers project. Fact is, a special cooling tower was built to provide for the best temperatures for trout habitat.
Now the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is dealing with a proposal by a Tennessee group to construct a $6.5 million hydroelectric project at the dam in Alleghany County. Naturally there is concern over the downstream trout fishery, even though much of it is on private land. And what about stream flow? How would that be altered?
Trout Unlimited has expressed its concerns, and so has the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. But when DGIF learned that the Corps of Engineers would remain in charge of the downstream releases, it back off as an opponent. TU has remained concerned.
There was a public meeting on the issue Wednesday and another one is scheduled 6 p.m. tonight (Jan. 21) at the Covington public library.
BILL
WEST VIRGINIA POSTS HUNTING RESULTS
Sportsmen in West Virginia enjoyed a productive big game hunting season according to figures released by the state. The season tally is much like last year. Here are the results:
DEER The reported kill of 154,524 was a 5.5 percent decline over the previous season’s take of 163,603.
TURKEY: The 1,244 fall kill was a slight -- 38 bird -- increase over the previous season. Weather conditions weren’t favorable during the first week of the season; however, poor mast helped concentrate the birds making them more vulnerable to hunters.
BEAR The 1,828 take was the second highest on record, behind 2008. West Virginia has a hue bear population and the decline in the kill is credited to poor mast conditions and heavy snows that caused bears to den early. Bowhunters had an outstanding year, reporting a kill of 987 bears, the first time the count ever exceeded 800.
BILL
OUTDOOR BRIEFS
- Ask Fred Murry of Richmond what was his best-day ever of fishing and he doesn’t have to think long or far. It was last Saturday on the James River when he and some companions fished for catfish in the Richmond area. They reported taking over 1,000 pounds, including 10 fish over 50 pounds apiece and two over 60. What’s more, they were caught on -- get this -- 4- to 6-pound line! “I broke the IGFA world record for 4-pound test two times with back-to-back catches,” said Murry.
- California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed that millions of dollars in hunting and fishing funds be diverted to other expenditures as the state deals with a $21 billion shortfall.
- Want to know more about the man and the bass that recently went into the world record book for tying the 77-year old largemouth mar? See last week’s Cochran Column. And check Japan’s Manabu Kurita Web site.
BILL
MEETINGS/EVENTS/SEASONS
Virginia Boat Show, Richmond Convention Center, Jan. 22-24.
Nation’s Outdoor Sportsmen’s Show, Jan. 22-24, Dulles Expo Center, Chantilly.
Winter Wildlife Festival, Virginia Beach, Jan. 30, information form Jeff Trollinger.
Quail and squirrel seasons close Jan. 30.
Mid-Atlantic Sports and Boat Show, Feb. 12-14, Virginia Beach Convention Center.
Grouse season closes Feb. 13.
Bass master Classic, Feb. 19-21, Lay Lake, Birmingham, Ala.
The Greater Virginia Sporting and Big Game Show, Rockingham County Fairgrounds, Feb. 19-21. Includes Hunters for the Hungry turkey calling contest. Feb. 20 1 p.m. vasportsshow.com.
Western Virginia Sporting Show, Augusta Expoland, Fishersville, Feb. 26-28
Rabbit season closes, Feb. 27
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board meeting, 9 a.m. March 2 at the agency’s headquarters, 4000 W. Broad St., Richmond
Youth spring turkey hunt day, April 3, 2010.
Spring gobbler season, April 10-May 15, 2010.
BASS Elite Blue Ridge Brawl, April 15-18, Smith Mountain Lake.
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board meeting, 9 a.m. April 20 at the agency’s headquarters, 4000 W. Broad St., Richmond
North Carolina State University Sport Fishing School, May 30-June 3, 2010, Hatteras, N.C.
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board meeting, 9 a.m. June 8 at the agency’s headquarters, 4000 W. Broad St., Richmond
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board meeting, 9 a.m. July 13 at the agency’s headquarters, 4000 W. Broad St., Richmond
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board meeting, 9 a.m. August 17 at the agency’s headquarters, 4000 W. Broad St., Richmond
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board meeting, 9 a.m. October 5 at the agency’s headquarters, 4000 W. Broad St., Richmond
Got an event? Let us know: xtrails@earthlink.net.
