Bill Cochran is a Roanoke Times outdoors columnist.

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LEARNING WHAT MAKES GOBBLERS GOBBLE

Why do tom turkeys gobble? Or more puzzling for hunters, why do they refrain from gobbling?

Are gobbling activities impacted by the weather or hunting pressure or the number of hens around the tom?

State wildlife officials also would like to know the answers.

This spring, Department of Game and Inland Fisheries technicians are equipping 10 toms with an experimental “necklace” that will record the vocalizations of a gobbler through motion and audio sensors.

Other turkeys are equipped with more traditional radio transmitters so their movement and survival can be monitored. Some 36 birds currently are equipped with radios in the Tidewater section of the state and 45 in the Southwest area, according to Gary Norman, DGIF turkey biologist.

BIG CATCH FOR JOHN CREWS

What if you caught nearly 100 pounds of bass in a tournament and that still wasn’t enough to win? John Crews of Salem did just that in the Elite Pro Series event on South Carolina’s Santee Cooper Reservoir.

Crews finished ninth in the event after reeling in a four-day catch of 96 pounds, 3 ounces. It was worth $14,000.

The winner, Preston Clark of Palatka, Fla. posted a record 115 pounds, 15 ounces, worth $100,000.

Crews has consistently finished well in previous Elite series events of the current season and ranks eighth in the Bassmaster Elite Series Power Index.

PENN’S REPORT ON YOUTH DAY

Last Saturday I went turkey hunting with Doug Stanley and his son Devon, who is 12.

Devon had never hunted turkeys before, and we wanted to take advantage of youth day. The previous Saturday, we had patterned our gun, seen a lot of sign and heard a few gobbles, including one bird that sounded pretty hot.

We got to the club too late Friday night to roost a bird, so we decided to go down to the bottom where we had heard the hot tom and give it a go. The morning was really windy and threatening rain and thunderstorms. It had been raining on and off through the night, but I was hopeful that the weather would give us a break.

We weren't able to raise a gobble going down to the bottom, so we decided to set up a blind at what we thought was a good spot and call for a little while. An hour of patience and a little calling didn't turn up a single gobble. We walked around for a while and called a little. I flushed one hen, but still no gobbles.

We tried another of the club’s properties and still weren't able to raise a gobble. It was getting near noon, so we decided to go to a local store and get some lunch. The store owner said that he had heard the same story from every one who came in -- no gobbles. He hadn't checked in a single bird.

Devon did great in the woods. I only wish that we could have worked a bird, and maybe he could have seen one. I thought about how great it was having the woods to ourselves and not having the adults carrying guns, so that the day was truly youth day. Devon's anxious to go again. One thing about it, when the turkeys win, we all get to come back and play the game again.

HOOK IS OUT FOR BASS ANGLERS

While two national bass fishing organizations duke it out for members among the ranks of weekend bass anglers, some anglers see a good thing in joining forces with both sides. It means more tournaments to choose from, and more opportunities to advance into the big money.

Until recently, most serious weekend bass anglers were under the 30-year old BASS Federation umbrella. But a squabble among leaders of that group resulted in a split in the ranks. A new organization, headed by FLW Outdoors and Bassfan.com, made an offer that many disgruntled BASS club fishermen couldn’t turn down. The result is the Virginia Bass Federation Inc.

In the meanwhile, the original BASS Federation has been given new birth and a new name, the BASS Federation Nation of Virginia.

Both sides say they are gaining members like crazy.

“In February, many members of the Virginia BASS Federation decided that they wanted to continue the 30-year affiliation with BASS Anglers Sportsman Society and proudly display the BASS trademark,” said Joan Blankenship, president of the federation nation. She described the response as being “overwhelming.”

Some say they have stayed with BASS because they see the division as a bad thing for their sport; others have remained loyal because the BASS Federation Nation offers them a chance to qualify for the prestigious CITGO Bassmasters Classic.

Meanwhile, the new Virginia federation has collected 1,250 members, Roger Fitchett told the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Fitchett served as president of the old Virginia federation for years, then became a vocal opponent over a dues increase and other factors.

The BASS Federation Nation has grown to more than 20,000 members, according to BASS, who says leadership has been established in 47 states and six countries.

In March, the Indiana BASS Federation general membership voted to join ranks with the new FLW Outdoors and Bassfan.com group. At 3,000 members, the Indiana Federation is the nation’s largest state federation. In January, Alabama, the second largest federation, sided with the new group, and North Carolina also has enrolled.

IS THREAT TO STRIPER REAL?

A front-page story about three weeks ago in the Washington Post that scared commercial and sport fishermen silly with an announcement that a disease, called Mycobacteriosis, was a threat to striped bass and the people who catch them in the Chesapeake Bay.

More recently, a story by Angus Phillips, outdoor columnist of the Post, questions the severity of the problem.

The original Post spread sent commercial striper prices plunging by half and caused sport-fishing guides to wonder if they would have a full allotment of clients this season.

Phillips recalled a time in the late '90s when some fish showed up with ugly soars and scientists predicted they had a deadly disease called Pfiesteria. Now the experts say Pfiesteria never happened.

As for Mycobacteria, it is no joking matter, but Phillips says most fishermen he knows are going to fish for stripers when the season opens.

SPORTSMAN CAUCUS TAKES BLAME

Look for legislation in 2007 that will let Hunters for the Hungry collect funds for its program through an additional charge on the big game hunting license. Its approval will be swift, Aaron Hobbs, of the National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses, told the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board.

A bill that would have added $1 to the cost of a resident big game license ($2 for nonresidents) to benefit Hunters for the Hungry was left to die in committee of the 2006 General Assembly when it was determined the arrangement was a threat to the state’s federal matching funds. The bill had breezed through the Senate by a 32-7 vote.

Hobbs said communications on the bill between his group and state legislators “wasn’t there” and that a revised bill “will move through the General Assembly early next year.”

Virginia has a strong legislative sportsmen’s caucus that represents the interests of outdoorsmen, Hobbs said. Among the objectives for Virginia:

>No loss of hunting areas

>Promotion of youth hunting

>Protecting the funding of wildlife agencies

>Encouraging sportsmen to vote

Hobbs said if Virginia is interested in Sunday hunting, his group is ready to go to work for it “when legislators feel the time is right. We will be here.”

NO CAP ON MENHADEN

Gov. Tim Kaine said he will not impose a cap this year on the commercial harvest of menhaden from the Virginia end of the Chesapeake Bay. A cap of 105,000 metric tons has been endorsed by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, a regulatory panel that sets fisheries policies from Maine to Florida.

Three bills in the 2006 Virginia General Assembly that would have adopted the cap all failed.

Supporters of the cap believe menhaden is being over fished. These small, oily fish are a vital food source for other fish, especially striped bass. They also filter the water of the Bay. But backers of the commercial fishery say there is no scientific evidence that the fish is being over harvested.

A law passed last year empowers the governor to enact a cap if scientists and regulators say it is merited. But here is the catch. He must act 30 days before the opening of the menhaden season, which is May 1, and he can’t act if the General Assembly is in session. The Assembly happens to be in session because of stalled state budget and transportation issues. So a spokesman for Kaine says the governor’s hands are tied.

In the meantime, some observers believe that if Virginia fails to provide a cap then the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission may ban all commercial fishing of menhaden. But Bob McDonnell, the attorney general, has said he does not believe the cap request is legally binding in Virginia.

OUTDOOR BRIEFS

>The quality of trout fishing is being impacted by low water conditions. Many streams, even the high-quality ones, are running extremely low for this time of the year.

>Virginia’s ocean striped bass fishing remained productive right up until the season ended March 31. Late last month, some 40-pound fish were reported caught off Cape Henry. Other big stripers had moved inside the Chesapeake Bay to spawn. Some of the stripers had gobs of croakers in their stomach. Huge schools of large croakers have swarmed into the Bay. Meanwhile, good flounder fishing on the seaside of Eastern Shore is off to a brisk start.

>The Shenandoah River Fish Kill Task Force has resumed collecting fish and water samples in the Shenandoah River, the North and South Forks of the Shenandoah and the Cowpasture River as part of an ongoing effort to determine the cause of dead and ailing fish in these streams. Up to 80 percent of adult smallmouth bass and redbreast sunfish died last spring in the South Fork and a similar kill occurred in 2004 in the North Fork. Some individual fish are being found that have both male and female characteristics.

>Virginia Game Warden Sgt. Chris Thomas has been named National Law Enforcement Officer of the Year by the National Wild Turkey Federation. Thomas has been a Virginia game warden since 1988 and currently is assigned to Campbell County. The Turkey Federation said his “law enforcement efforts and investigative abilities are second to none.”

>Outdoor sportsmen have become conscious of the need to attract more youth to traditional sports like hunting and fishing. The youth gobbler hunting day and the trout Heritage Day are examples of activities that have young people in mind. Trouble is, both of these groups were held Saturday, so youngsters had to pick between turkey hunting and trout fishing. Why not separate the two? Bring Heritage Day in a week before youth gobbler day.

>Gun maker Holland and Holland is scheduled to host the first U.S. Ladies Open Sporting Clays Competition at The Homestead April 27-30. The Homestead recently completed a new 4,200-square foot Shooting Clubhouse. Information on the open is available from Ramon Pascual, 212-752-7755.

>Alton Jones was the second entry in the CITGO Bassmaster Elite series at Santee Cooper, S.C. to be disqualified because he allowed his non-boating partner to operate his boat. Earlier Kevin VanDam was disqualified.

>Ray Scott, the man who brought you BASS and the Whitetail Institute of North America, now is in the candy business. Ray Scott Outdoors Inc. is promoting HOOAH bars that have been designed with soldiers in mind. Scott said he was introduced to the bars during a Thanksgiving trip to Iraq. He immediately saw a market for them among folks armed with fishing road and deer rifles.

>Dr. Gary Alt, former Pennsylvania Game Commission Deer Project Leader, will be the keynote and seminar speaker at the Quality Deer Management Association National Convention and Whitetail Expo. Alt’s ideas on deer management have been controversial. The convention is set for June 22-25 at the Valley Forge Convention Center in King of Prussia, Pa. Information form www.ODMA.com.

> A number of Orvis guides from across the country have been in training at The Homestead this week.

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 state record, Clay Armstrong, Mechanicsville, off Virginia Beach.

TAUTOG: 18 pounds, 8 ounces, Paul Hurtubise, McGaheysville, off Virginia Beach.

MEETINGS/EVENTS/SEASONS

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.

Smith Mountain Striper Club Member/Guest Tournament, April 22, Smith Mountain Lake, information from Butch Shaffer, 540-297-0322 or Tom Scott, 540-721-6623.

Sixth annual Virginia Fly Fishing Festival and Wine Tasting, Waynesboro, April 22-23, www.vaflyfishingfestival.org.

Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board meeting, April 25, 4000 W. Broad St., Richmond.

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.

Annual Downing Ruritan Club David H. Horne Memorial Golf Tournament to benefit Hunters for the Hungry, May 10, Richmond, information from Braxton Bell, 804-739-3010.

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 www.sportsmanshow.com.

Smith Mountain Lake Classic and Antique Boat Society Show, The Point at Mariners Landing, Aug. 11 & 12, www.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 www.bassmaster.com.

Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board meeting, Dec. 12, 4000 W. Broad St., Richmond.

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