Thursday, January 26, 2012
Bill Cochran's Field Reports: Are sportsmen getting shortchanged on Sunday hunting bill?
Bill Cochran is a Roanoke Times outdoors columnist.
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Backers of Sunday hunting in Virginia were so elated to get a favorable bill reported out of a Senate committee last week—something that’s never happened before-- that they didn’t appear to be overly bothered it didn’t provide everything many wanted.
In its original form, HB 464, Ralph Northam, D-Norfolk, would make hunting on Sunday like any other day.
The amended bill offers Sunday hunting on private land only. Landowner, their spouse and children could hunt their own property on Sundays. Everyone else would have to have written permission of the landowner. It would be unlawful to hunt deer with the assistance of dogs.
“Our lobbyists worked with the interested parties to get a compromise piece of legislation that had enough support to get out of committee,” said Andrew Vehorn of Capital Results, a public relations firm promoting Sunday hunting. “A compromise on private lands respects the concern of non-hunters who use state lands on Sundays for recreational purposes, while still respecting the private property rights of landowners.”
Many Sunday hunting fans will be happy to get anything they can, because that would be a significant start. But the compromise would eliminate Sunday hunting on the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries’ 39 Wildlife Management Areas which total more than 203,000 acres. Birdwatchers would be able to use wildlife management areas on Sundays, but hunters, who pay for their purchase and upkeep, couldn’t.
“Our belief is that in some instances you have to crawl before you walk,” said Sherry Crumley of Botetourt County, a leader in the Virginia Sunday Hunting Coalition. Under the bill, she said hunters would have a chance to demonstrate that Sunday hunting “will not make for a mass exodus from our churches and that non-hunters will still be able to enjoy the outdoors without fearing for their lives.”
Proponents have built a case for Sunday hunting by saying it would give blue-collar workers extra time to hunt on weekends, especially those who work Monday through Saturday. This argument is weakened by the “private-land-only” clause of HB 464. Many of the workers that Sunday hunting is supposed to help depend on national forest land for their sport. That land would be closed to Sunday hunting.
On the floor of the Senate Wednesday, the bill passed for the second time and is scheduled for a final vote today. It was amended to include a 250-yard no-hunting buffer around any house of worship. A proposal to let localities vote on whether or not to have Sunday hunting failed.
Fantastic Striper season produces potential record
One of the best winter seasons in recent memory for catching striped bass along the edge of the Atlantic got even better Friday when Cary Wolfe of Prince William County reeled in a potential 74-pound Virginia record.
It has been four years since the current 73-pound record was landed by Fred Banes of Chesapeake, who was trolling near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay in late January, 2008.
Wolfe was trolling a parachute rig off Cape Henry while aboard the charter boat Bada Bing with Capt. Tim Cannon at the wheel. Information on his catch has been submitted to the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament for record certification.
While his striper is 10-pounds off the world record, an 84-pound, 4-ounce catch made last August in Long Island Sound, Conn., it establishes Wolfe as one of about 15 anglers ever to register a striper weighing 70 pounds or more.
Although the striper action has been on and off recently, it is expected to continue along the Virginia Coast, thanks to modest temperatures, plenty of baitfish and reports of big schools of fish to the north of Virginia. Most of the fish have been so close to shore that anglers haven’t been tempted to fish beyond the three-mile limit, which has been an enforcement problem in recent years.
Mixed in with the stripers has been an abundance of bluefin tuna, some weighing better than 200 pounds. There are days when the tuna are easier to catch than the stripers. Wolfe though he had hooked to a big tuna when his 74-pound striper hit.
Bear bill shot down
A controversial bill that would allows hunters with hounds to pursue bears during any open bear season-including archery, muzzleloading and modern firearms-was tabled Wednesday, according to its sponsor, Del. Anne Crockett-Stark, R-Wytheville.
On its Web page, the Virginia Bear Hunters Association had listed the measure as “bills we need to have passed.”
The bill had potential for brining down all kinds of wrath on the heads of bear hunters and usurping the authority of state wildlife officials to manage the bear population.
The measure reflects discontent among organized hound hunters who believe too many bears are being killed by archers, muzzleloaders and modern firearms’ hunters before hound hunters get a chance to enter the field. Last year, archers accounted for approximately 19 percent of the 2,221 bears reported killed, muzzleloaders got 16 percent and firearms’ hunters 66 percent. Some 56 percent of the firearms’ kill was taken by hound hunters.
Wildlife officials report that the bear population is expanding and the kill figures are in line with good management.
Big challenge for HuntFest
It is the Grave Digger vs. Michael Waddell at the Roanoke Civic Center this weekend. The Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam is booked at the coliseum Friday and Saturday while the HuntFest, featuring TV and video hunting star Waddell, will be in the adjoining exhibit hall Friday through Sunday.
The HuntFest probably didn’t need the extra competition, because under the best conditions outdoor shows haven’t done well in the Roanoke Valley and this one could be the do or die event. The difference this time, HuntFest has pulled in some big name outdoor personalities, offering a top-notch outdoor attraction in Waddell. He will present seminars at 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday. Admission to the show is $10.
HuntFest already is losing in the publicity race. The Roanoke Times gave the Monster Jam three-quarters of a page of coverage while HuntFest got about 7 inches of copy.
That hasn’t deterred people like Gary Arrington from supporting HuntFest. His organization, Hunters for the Hungry, will be out in full force to help setup the show and man a large booth.
“They have been so generous to our charity and supported us in so many ways for about four years now,” Arrington said. “We truly want to give them any and all the support that we can.”
The Friday through Sunday event, will feature a number of booths, displays and seminars that are highlighted on www.vahuntfest.com.
Outdoor briefs
- Sen. Ralph Northam, D-Norfolk, has offered an amendment to the governor’s proposed budget that would restore funding for the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament. The governor has proposed to ax the tournament and use the money elsewhere. Funding for the tournament comes from saltwater fishing license sales. Northam and other supporters of the contest say it generates an enormous amount of tourism dollars.
- You will need to buy a permit and complete a short educational video in order to drive the beaches of Cape Hatteras National Seashore in North Carolina beginning mid-February. The price of the permits has not been set, but is expected to be up to $150 yearly or up to $50 per week. The required video is seven minutes long and viewable at Coquina Beach, Buxton Visitor Center and Ocracoke Visitor Center.
- Efforts to establish a muzzleloading season in Southampton County failed again this week when the county board of supervisors voted down the idea. Southampton is the only county that doesn’t permit the taking of deer during the state’s special muzzleloading season. That stand has been undergirded by the county’s legal advisor, Richard Railey, who is a past board member of the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.
- Access problems on the Jackson River below Gathright Dam are the subject of an article by Beau Beasley on the Orvis Web site www.OrvisNews.com. Beasley, who lives in Warrenton, points out that landowners are keeping anglers off the river by claming to have 17th Century Crown Grants. He criticizes the Virginia Attorney General for not assisting anglers. www.orvisnews.com/FlyFishing/Public-Access-for-Anglers-in-Jeopardy-in-Virginia.aspx.
- The Virginia Outdoor Writers Association is sponsoring writing contests for high school students and Virginia college and university students. Participants can write about their outdoor experiences and interests in wildlife and nature. Look for details on www.vowa.org.
- The downward trend in hunting license sales has ended and 20 states are reporting increases. That was among the good news coming out of the SHOT Show in Las Vegas. Also on the positive side for the record 60,000 attendees was word that the firearm’s industry expects gun sales to be brisk this year, following a record-setting 2011.
Meetings, seasons and events
HuntFest, Friday-Sunday, Roanoke Civic Center, features Michael Waddell and Randy Oitker along with seminars, equipment displays, contests, outfitters and various vendors. www.HuntFestVA.com
Board meeting of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, 9 a.m., Tuesday, 4,000 West Broad Street, Richmond
Smith Mountain Striper Club meeting, Feb. 3, at 7 p.m. Moneta Community Center, program by Jared Key on kayak fishing
National Wild Turkey Federation annual convention, Feb. 9-12, Gaylord Opryland Resort, Nashville
Mid-Atlantic Sports & Boat Show, Feb. 10-12, Virginia Beach Convention Center, www.vaboatshow.com
Greater Virginia Sports and Big Game Show, Feb. 17-19 Rockingham County Fairgrounds near Harrisonburg, www.vasportsshow.com
Southwest Virginia Boat Show, Feb. 24-26, Roanoke Civic Center
Twenty-fifth annual Western Virginia Sports Show, Feb. 24-26, Augusta Expoland, Fisherville, www.westernvasportshow.com
Smith River Trout Unlimited meeting, March 1, 6:30 p.m., Rania’s Restaurant, Martinsville, program on fly tying, guests welcome, information from Al Kittredge, aakitt@earthlink.net.
The Highland Drummer Chapter Ruffed Grouse Society, seventh annual banquet, March 3, 5:30 p.m. Blackwell’s Restaurant, Elks Club Golf Course, Lewisburg, W. Va., tickets $50, information from Charlie Brown, cnbro47@frontier.com.
Tidewater Boat Show, March 26-28, Hampton Roads Convention Center, www.agievents.com
Virginia Fly Fishing Festival, April 13-15, Waynesboro, www.vaflyfishingfestival.org
Sport Fishing School, June 3-7, Hatteras, N.C., sponsored by NC State University, classroom and Gulf Stream instruction, information from www.ncsu.edu/cpe/fishing.html
Friends of the NRA Banquet, Aug. 25, Salem Civic Center
Got an event? Let us know: xtrails@earthlink.net.
