Thursday, March 23, 2006
Turkeys take a tumble
Bill Cochran
Recent field reports
April showers may bring May flowers, but they can be bad news for turkeys. During the recent fall season, hunters reported killing 4,428 turkeys, a decline of 22 percent from the previous season.
"We are concerned," said Bob Duncan, chief of the wildlife division of the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.
Biologists blame the low kill on poor reproduction. Cold temperatures last March are credited with delaying the onset of breeding and nesting activities. Then came higher than normal rainfall in April, which biologists believe lowered the nesting success.
You have to go back more than 20 years to find a lower kill. It was about one-quarter of the record of 16,861 in 1990.
Deer and bear kill figures were more favorable. The bear kill of 1,439 was the second highest on record, 27 percent greater than the previous year and just 5 percent below the record kill of 1,511 that occurred during the 2003-04 season.
Officials had hoped for a reduction in the deer kill, which came in at 214,675. That was 3 percent lower than last season. The figure represents a hoped for stabilization of the deer herd, said Duncan.
BILL
FISHING REPORT
> Looking for big bass and crappie? Head for Briery Creek Lake. Several jumbo largemouth bass have been landed in the state-owned impoundment recently, including catches of 10 pounds, 4 ounces and 9 pounds, 15 ounces. C. C. Wagner of Farmville landed bass that weighed 8 pounds, 4 ounces and 8 pounds, 1 ounce. A couple of crappie taken from the lake weighed 2 pounds, 4 ounces and 2 pounds, 2 ounces.
> Flounder catches are beginning to show up at Wachapreague on the Eastern Shore.
> Little Creek Reservoir is producing largemouth bass to more than 7 pounds apiece.
> Blue catfish up to 50 pounds are common catches in the tidal James River near Richmond.
> Bass and crappie action is brisk in Kerr Reservoir. Some of the crappie are said to have spawned. A baitshop near Clarksville weighed crappie that were 2.62 pounds and 2.13 pounds. A huge 9.82-pound largemouth was landed at Kerr. Bass fishing also is reported to be good at Lake Gaston and at Lake Chesdin, where a fish just under 9 pounds was landed.
> Horneyheads, a popular early spring catch in far Southwest Virginia, are active in the Clinch River.
> Striped bass are moving upstream at Lake Anna. Dan Snyder of Staunton caught one that weighed 21.5 pounds.
JACK RANDOLPH
GAME WARDENS A CLASS ACT
The Department of Game and Inland Fisheries turned out 19 new game wardens from its training academy last week. You have to be impressed with the quality of the new officers. Some examples:
ROBERT HAM III: Born in Tennessee, Ham spent most of his childhood in the Roanoke area. He graduated from Bridgewater College with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology with a pre-med focus. While in college, he was active in the Bridgewater Volunteer Rescue Squad rising to the rank of lieutenant. He is an avid outdoorsman, having grown up camping, hunting, fishing and backpacking. He was top gun in the 80 hours of firearms training the academy offered. Ham was assigned to Greene County.
MARK SANITRA: An Ohio native, Sanitra is an Ohio State University graduate with a Bachelor's degree in Aviation Management. He later returned to the university and earned a Bachelor's degree in Wildlife Management. He is a waterfowl hunters and enjoys boating. He won the Outstanding Driver Award of the academy, which covered high-speed pursuit, off-road driving and all-terrain vehicle operation. He was assigned to Prince William County.
RICHARD HOWALD: From Missouri, Howald won the academy's Most Physically Fit award and also was honored as the recruit who turned in the best overall performance during the course of training. He has a degree from a technical school, served two years in a mission for his church, and was in the Marine Crops for four years, two of them overseas. He is a hunter and angler and enjoys mountain biking and rock climbing. He has been assigned to Appomattox County.
RYAN SHULER: Born and raised in Waynesboro, he is a graduate of the Central Shenandoah Criminal Justice Training Academy. He served as a police officer in Staunton and a deputy sheriff in Fluvanna County. He had the highest point average of the warden recruit class. He enjoys trout fishing, canoeing and hiking. His assignment is Stafford County.
BILL
ACTION BY THE DGIF
The board of the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries took the following action Tuesday during a meeting in Richmond:
> Passed a resolution in opposition to the sale of National Forest land in Virginia as proposed by the Bush Administration.
> Elected John Montgomery of Sandston as chairman and Sherry Crumley of Buchanan as vice chairman. Crumley is the current chairman. Their new terms begins July 1.
> Heard plans by the agency's law enforcement division to begin recruiting 20 new game wardens.
> Voted to drop the policy of charging $1 of visitors at trout hatcheries.
> Fine-tuned the regulatory process to usher in new fishing regulations on Jan. 1 rather than July 1 in the future.
> Received a budget report that showed fishing license revenues down $680,000 and hunting license revenues down $130,000 for the fiscal year.
> Gave final approval for an automated license sales system to begin full operation July 1. The system will include a new Sportsman License that covers resident hunting, archery, big game muzzleloading fishing and trout licenses for $75, including a processing fee. The processing fee for all licenses was set at $1.
LET'S PUT THIS DOG TO SLEEP
Next time you take your dog to the veterinarian, it could cost you more money, not to mention your privacy. The General Assembly passed a bill that would require veterinarians to report to county officials all dogs vaccinated against rabies. The report would include database information on the dog's breed, sex, age, color, breeding status and other information, which would be available to the public.
The issue has pitted animal-rights groups -- who favor the bill -- against sporting dog groups, who oppose it. Supporters say the bill is an inducement for pet sterilization.
The Virginia Hunting Dog Owners Association is urging its members and others to contact Gov. Tim Kaine and ask him to veto the bill, HB 339, introduced by Bobby Orrock, R-Caroline.
There are many concerns about the measure, including the extra paperwork that would be required of veterinarians. Some vets say they will pass the cost along to the dog owners. There also is fear that some dog owners simply won't take their pets to get shots and that the next step will be mandatory microchips for dogs.
BILL
JOHN CREWS REELING IN BASS POINTS
Professional angler John Crews, of Salem, has positioned himself in sixth place in the 2006 Bassmaster Elite Series standings. Crews finished 33rd in the season's first Elite event, then vaulted in the standings when he placed sixth in a second tournament last weekend on Sam Rayburn Lake in Texas. He weighed in 63-pounds and 10-ounces of bass, good for $15,500.
Winner of the Sam Rayburn event was Greg Hackney of Gonzales, La., whose $79-poound, 10-ounce catch was worth $100,000. Dean Rojas was second and Kevin VanDam was third.
Here are the point standings:
1. Greg Hackney, 600
2. Kevin VanDam, 571
3. Dean Rojas, 549
4. Matt Reed, 503
5. Mike Iaconelli, 494
6. John Crews, 485
BILL
GUIDE TESTS HIS NEW "WHEEL"
It worked! We are talking about the new hip that Al Kittredge tested in the frigid water of the Smith River the other day.
For most of last season, Kittredge, a Smith River trout guide, was laid up following hip replacement surgery. But he was back in the water recently, fishing the lower Smith River below Bassett.
"My catch was about evenly divided between stocked rainbows and steam-spawned brown trout," he said.
Kittredge was awed by the beauty of the browns. "Their dark spots stand out so vividly on their sides and if you are lucky enough to catch one in the 10-inch-plus range their bellies show a distance yellow tint. There is no doubt when you have one on as opposed to the weaker pull of the stocked rainbows."
BILL
OUTDOOR BRIEFS
> The Nature Conservancy has applauded President Bush's request to give the Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge $2.27 million from the Land and Water Conservation Fund in Fiscal Year 2007. The area is a globally important habitat for millions of migratory birds.
> The brook trout is back as Virginia's state fish. It received that distinction in 1993, but lost it last year during some rewording of the State Code. The 2006 General Assembly set the record straight. It also reinstated to proper distinction the American foxhound, tiger swallowtail butterfly and big-eared bat.
> Commercial fishermen have been rallying behind "Wetland Rides," a book by Robert Fritchey that is critical of the Coastal Conservation Association, a sportfishing organization that has a state and local chapters in Virginia.
> Bob's Gun Shop in Norfolk recently was honored as Winchester's Dealer of the Year. Owned by Robert Marcus, Bob's has been in business for 60 years and is a heavy promoter of shooting sports. If offers its shooting range to youngsters at no charge.
> Prices that commercial fishermen get for striped bass from the Chesapeake Bay have fallen by 50 percent following a Washington Post story that reported a disease called Mycobacteriosis that is said to be killing stripers and is a health problem for humans.
> I have been seeing lots of wild turkeys, from the Blue Ridge Mountains to Eastern Shore. Some of the flocks are huge. I spotted one in Roanoke County that contained about 30 birds; another on the Eastern Shore that was composed of a good 40 birds. I've seen some toms strutting. The spring season opens April 8, with a youth hunt day on April 1.
BILL
SALTWATER FISHING TOURNAMENT
The Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament standings:
FLOUNDER: 9 pounds, caught by David Butler, Virginia Beach, off Virginia Beach.
SEA BASS: 7 pounds, 2 ounces, Steve Harding, Norfolk, off Virginia Beach.
SPECKLED TROUT: 12 pounds, 1 ounce, Barclay Shepard, Poquoson, Elizabeth River.
STRIPED BASS: 68 pounds, 1 ounce, Clay Armstrong, Mechanicsville, off Virginia Beach.
TAUTOG: 14 pounds, 8 ounces, Justin Wilson, off Virginia Beach.
BILL
MEETINGS/EVENTS/SEASONS
Seven back-to-back episodes of "Life in the Open," beginning 7 p.m. March 23 on OLN Network.
Wilderness First Aid Class, March 25-26, Blacksburg, two-days of classroom study, hands-on practice that results in a two-year certification, $160. For additional information and to register, phone 703 836-8905 or visit http://wfa.net.
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board meeting, March 21, 4000 W. Broad St., Richmond.
ESPN Outdoors Bassmaster Series tournament, March 26, Lake Gaston, Americamps in South Hill, Bassmaster.com for registration and details.
Wal-Mart BFL bass tournament, Smith Mountain Lake, April 1, information from flwoutdoors.com.
Spring gobbler season, April 8-May. 13.
Virginia Ducks Unlimited State Convention, April 21-22, DoubleTree Hotel, Charlottesville, information from Tom Colligan, TColligan@verizon.net.
Sixth annual Virginia Fly Fishing Festival and Wine Tasting, Waynesboro, April 22-23, vaflyfishingfestival.org.
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board meeting, April 25, 4000 W. Broad St., Richmond.
Annual Downing Ruritan Club David H. Horne Memorial Golf Tournament to benefit Hunters for the Hungry, Richmond, information from Braxton Bell, 804-739-3010.
Annual Bluefish Derby, June 9-10, sponsored by Smith Point Sea Rescue, $5,000 prize for the largest bluefish and largest striped bass; $250 for largest croaker, information from Jett Hardware in Reedville, 804-453-5325.
NRA Whittingon Adventure Camp for youngsters, June 11 for two weeks, teaches shooting and traditional outdoor sports, information from info@nrawc.org.
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board meeting, June 20, 4000 W. Broad St., Richmond.
Hunters for the Hungry Sporting Clays Benefit Shoot, Edmunds Farms Sporting Clays, Halifax, June 24 & 25, information from Clarence Morris, 434-572-6986.
NRA Whittingon Adventure Camp for youngsters, July 25, for two weeks, teaches shooting and traditional outdoor sports, information from info@nrawc.org.
Virginia Outdoor Sportsman Show, sponsored by the Virginia Deer Hunters Association, Aug. 11-13, Mechanicsville, information from sportsmanshow.com.
Smith Mountain Lake Classic and Antique Boat Society Show, The Point at Mariners Landing, Aug. 11-12, woodenboats.net.
Belvoir Bowhunters 3D Tournament to benefit Hunters for the Hungry, Aug. 13, information from Bob Foster, 703-758-5540.
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board meeting, Aug. 22, 4000 W. Broad St., Richmond.
National Hunting and Fishing Day, Sept. 23.
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board meeting, Oct. 17, 4000 W. Broad St., Richmond.
Bassmaster tour event, Smith Mountain Lake, Oct. 26-28, information on Bassmaster.com.
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board meeting, Dec. 12, 4000 W. Broad St., Richmond.
Got an event? Let us know: xtrails@earthlink.net.
