Thursday, November 20, 2008
Deer season has been a challenge
Bill Cochran
Recent field reports
High winds, rain, drought, snow, frigid cold, heat: Name most any type weather you can think of and deer hunters have experienced it this month.
The first part of the muzzleloading season, which opened Nov. 1, was dry and balmy, meaning the deer didn’t move well and hunters had difficulty pumping up their own enthusiasm.
“I hunted both muzzleloading weeks and deer activity was slow the first week, but I saw a significant amount of rut activity the second week. It was like someone hit a switch,” said Matt Knox, deer biologist for the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.
The number of deer checked by telephone and Internet reveals that the muzzleloading count this year is about what it was last year. Since the season had been double in the west, some hunters had expected a significant increase.
“What happens is the hunting pressure is typically just spread over a longer time span,” said Knox. “You lose that opening day type effect. Some people like the short, higher pressure deer seasons. I personally like the longer seasons because I think they are more convenient from a deer hunter’s perspective.”
If the muzzleloading kill grows, it will be because the extended season is attractive to new hunters, Knox said.
The opening of the firearm’s season Saturday afforded challenging weather conditions. In some areas it rained so hard that hunting was described as a “washout.” Knox reported the kill to be down 30 percent. This week there has been snow and frigid temperatures in the mountains and gale-force winds across much of the state.
The weather isn’t the only factor confronting hunters. There is enough mast this year to keep deer in the woods where they can be tougher to spot. This is a disadvantage to the casual hunter, but can favor the experience woodsman willing to get out of sight of his vehicle to pattern the movements of deer. There is some evidence that the rut is heavier during abundant food years.
According to the Virginia Forestry Department, the oak mast crop is particularly good in the Tidewater and South Piedmont areas of the state, while it is low in the Northern Mountains. Statewide, the white oak and chestnut oak acorn crop is above average, while the red oak crop is below average, according to the report.
BILL
CRAPPIE CONTEST PRODUCES IMPRESSIVE CATCH
Anyway you look at it, Frank and Thomas Nelson of Moneta had a banner day fishing for crappie at Smith Mountain Lake Saturday:
They caught seven fish that weighed a total of 10.2 pounds. Anytime you can catch a string of crappie that averages nearly 1.5 pounds apiece, you’ve had a first-rate outing, especially in the fall.
Add to that the fact that the Nelson’s were entered in a national Cabela’s Crappie USA Classic sponsored by the American Crappie Association. Their catch won the amateur division, worth $475. One of their fish weighed 1.67 pounds, winning the tournament’s big fish award and $105.
There’s more. The Nelsons were in the amateur division, but their seven fish tournament total of 10.2 pounds was heavier than the top team in the semi-pro division. That division was won by Dwain Bever of Goodview and Roger Wray of Eden, N.C. who posted a seven fish total that weighed 8.02 pounds. Their take-home prize was $660.
Second place in the amateur division also topped the semi-pro take. It was a seven-fish, 9.76-pound catch by Gary Hall of Rocky Mount.
Frank and Thomas Nelson reported catching their crappie while working curly-tail grubs and minnows around docks that held brush. Hall got his around docks, brush and blow downs in the Blackwater River arm of the lake. Bever and Wray worked docks, brush and blow downs in Linville Creek using blue shad colored baits suspended 3 to 8 feet.
BILL
NRA SAYING ‘WE TOLD YOU SO’
The NRA lost big it its bid to have John McCain elected president, but the pro-gun organization took credit for one thing: There were very few speeches, pieces of campaign literature or advertisements promoting an anti-gun philosophy.
“That’s because NRA members have truly changed politics in America,” the organization told its supporters.
In places like Southwest Virginia, Sen. Obama went out of his way to assure outdoorsmen that he wasn’t interested in taking their guns.
The NRA countered with reports of Obama’s past antigun record.
Following its setback, the NRA is telling its backers, “We told you so.”
In a recent report, the NRA said Obama’s transition team has announced “four initiatives designed to ban guns and drive law-abiding firearm manufacturers and dealers out of business.”
It also said that people applying for jobs in the Obama administration are being asked if they own guns or their family members own guns and if the guns are properly registered along with questions on how they are they used and if they have been “the cause of any personal injuries or property damage.”
BILL
WILL STRIPER FISHING SAVE THE ECONOMY?
The winter fishery for saltwater striped bass in Virginia is showing signs of coming alive as cooler water temperatures activate a larger class of fish. While there has been nothing like a blitz, a few 30-pound fish have been caught between the frequent blows that are ushering in colder weather. In a few weeks big fish should be commonplace.
As a rule, the peak of the Chesapeake Bay winter striper fishery occurs in December while the best of the fishing along the Atlantic normally is a January affair.
Open any of the angler tabloids -- those free publications you find in many tackle shops -- and you will find page after page of advertisements for striper tournaments, striper guides and striper charter boats. The striped bass has become well established as the winter money fish, adding two full months to the season.
Some of the tournaments are big-money affairs. The Mid-Atlantic Rockfish Shootout is offering cash prizes of $100,000 based on 250 teams advancing a $499 entry fee.
Sound too expensive to enter? Try the Hampton Free Rockfish Tournament, which requires no registration and no signup. Just show up at the weigh-in with the biggest or second biggest fish and you win a Suzuki four-stroke outboard.
A number of striper tournaments are listed below under “Meetings/Events/Seasons.”
Just how much the slow economy will impact the striper season -- not to mention the tournaments -- is uncertain. Lower gas prices should help. In some ways, hard times are benefiting anglers. The Virginia Beach Day’s Inn is offering striper fishermen a $29.95 accommodation deal which includes breakfast.
The winter striper season could be make-or-break time for some businesses that cater to anglers. One major tackle shop reports its business is off 50 percent this year as the cold-weather fishery begins.
What really counts, though, is the weather. This week, anglers frequently have been hampered by high winds.
BILL
OUTDOOR BRIEFS
>>The Shenandoah River Fish Kill Task Force met this week and reported it had not identified a cause for unexplained fish kills in several Virginia river systems since 2003. Most likely the fish are under “multiple stressors” which makes the cause of the kills more complex than a single contaminant, virus or bacteria would. The task force is developing a work plan for 2009 that will focus on disease-causing organisms, fish health and water quality.
>>Georgia wildlife officials say there are no wild mountain lions in their state, but that didn’t keep a deer hunter from killing a 140-pound male near West Point Lake on U.S. Army Corps of Engineers land. Authorities said the animal likely was a captive that had been released, but people who advocate the theory that the big animal is making a comeback said this was proof there are wild mountain lions in the state.
>>When it comes to friends of outdoor sportsmen in Congress, few names rank higher than John Dingell, D-Mich. According to the Sportsmen’s and Animal Owners’ Alliance, a serious attempt has been underway by anti-hunting, animal-rights supporters to oust Dingell as chairman of the House Energy and Commerce. The attack is led by Henry Waxman, D-Calif., whose voting record, according to the alliance, shows 100 percent support for Human Society of the United States legislation since 1996.
>>Authorities in Lee County have recorded a fatal tree stand hunting accident. According to an investigation reported by the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, the 41-year old victim fell from a homemade, poorly constructed permanent stand apparently hitting his head on a rock. He was not wearing a safety harness. Neither the victim nor his nephew, who found him, had a hunting license and both were trespassing, authorities said.
>>Rick Morris of Virginia Beach is the lone contender from Virginia in the 2009 Bassmaster Classic set for Feb. 20-22 on Red River out of Shreveport-Bossier City, La. The 51 contenders include Kim Bain-Moore the first female to compete in the Classic.
>>Waterfowl hunters are being asked by the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries to assist in avian influenza surveillance by providing samples from the birds they kill. Samples will be collecting at popular waterfowl hunting areas. To date, the highly pathogenic strain of Asian H571has not been found in North America.
>>No changes are planned for the 2009 Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament. The tournament committee met and decided not to adjust citation weights or to add new species.
>>Watkins Boat Landing on the James River in Powhatan County will be closed November and December for repairs, according to the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.
>>Never mind the difficult economic conditions, Minnesota voters approved an increase in the state’s sales tax to underwrite projects that will improve wildlife habitat, water quality, parks and trails, along with the arts.
BILL
SALTWATER FISHING TOURNAMENT
The Triangle Wrecks area off Virginia Beach has been producing multi-new leaders in the bluefish category of the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament. Here are the contest standings:
BLACK DRUM: 87 pounds, 3 ounces, Paul Elliott, Surry, Latimer Shoals (C-2 Buoy).
BLUEFISH: 21 pounds, 8 ounces, Charles Southall, Poquoson, Triangle Wrecks.
BLUEFIN TILEFISH: 19 pounds, 9 ounces, Sidney Long, Jr., Branchville, Norfolk Canyon.
COBIA: 94 pounds, 6 ounces, Wesley Smith, Virginia Beach, Bluefish Rock.
CROAKER: 4 pounds, 14 ounces, B.W. Wild, Virginia Beach, Lynnhaven Inlet.
DOLPHIN: 66 pounds, Todd Conner, Midlothian, Norfolk Canyon.
FLOUNDER: 13 pounds, 9 ounces, Christopher Mounie, Suffolk, Third Island of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.
GRAY TRIGERFISH: 5 pounds, 8 ounces, Nick Wright, Virginia Beach, inshore waters of Virginia Beach.
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, 10 ounces, Kenneth Godsey, Norfolk, Sandbridge Pier.
POMPANO: 2 pounds, 8 ounces, Ron Pennington, Annandale, Kiptopeak Pier.
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: 14 pounds, 1 ounce, Josh Durvin, Dunnsville, The Cell.
SPANISH MACKEREL: 6 pounds, Alfred Simpson, Virginia Beach, Sandbridge Pier.
SPECKLED TROUT: 10 pounds, F.H. Ashberry, Poquoson, Fort Monroe.
SPOT: 1 pound, 8 ounces, Michael Whittaker, Chesapeake, 664 Bridge-Tunnel.
STRIPED BASS: 73 pounds, state record, Frederick Barnes, Chesapeake, off Virginia Beach.
SWORDFISH: 190 pounds, Aaron Peckham, Virginia Beach, Norfolk Canyon.
TAUTOG: 20 pounds, 6 ounces, Michael Shreve, Glen Burnie, Md., Monroe Wreck.
TUNA, BLUEFIN: 226 pounds, Kim Schwallenberg, Edgewater, Md., off Wachapreague.
TUNA: 305 pounds, Rick Wyatt, Norfolk, Norfolk Canyon.
YAHOO: 69 pounds, Brian Davis, Virginia Beach, Norfolk Canyon.
MEETINGS/EVENTS/SEASONS
Hampton Free Rockfish Tournament, Nov. 22, no entry free, Suzuki four stroke engines to the two anglers who enter the largest stripers, tournament director is Jim Baugh, 804-240-7577.
Kiptopeke Rockfish Tournament, to benefit Northampton County Toy Closet, Nov. 28-30, sponsored by Chris’ Bait and Tackle, Capeville, 757-331-3000.
George Washington National Forest workshop on vegetation management, Dec. 3, 6:30-9 p.m., Rockbridge High School, Lexington, wildlife habitat improvement, timber harvest, prescribed fire will be discussed.
Rabbit hunting workshop for youth ages 7 to 17, Dec. 6 Bedford County, information from Jimmy Mootz.
Fifteenth annual Benefit Rockfish Tournament, Dec. 6. sponsored by Coastal Conservation Association, Norview Marine, Deltaville, $225 per boat entry fee, top prize $5,000, tournament forms and rules from ccavirginia.org.
Virginia Beach National (Striped Bass) Tournament, Dec. 13, fishasa.com.
Bay Creek Resort Contender Cub (striped bass), Dec. 30, Cape Charles, 757-650-4509.
Matthews Rotary Rockfish Tournament, Dec. 31, dnfitch@wildblue.net.
Mid-Atlantic Rockfish Shootout, Jan. 8-10, $100,000 in prizes, fishasa.com.
Fishing Expo, Jan. 16-18, Richmond Raceway, featured pros include Kevin Van Dam, richmondfishingexpo.com.
George Washington National Forest workshop on the forest plan, Jan. 20, 6:30-9 p.m., Augusta County Government Center, Verona.
George Washington National Forest workshop on the forest plan, Jan. 29, 6:30-9 p.m., Rockbridge County High School, Lexington.
Virginia Outdoor Sportsmen’s Classic, Roanoke Civic Center, Jan. 30-Feb. 1, 2009, vaoutdoorsportsmensclassic.com.
Board meeting of the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries to consider hunting/trapping regulations, 9 a.m., Feb. 26, DGIF headquarters, 4000 West Broad St., Richmond.
Youth spring turkey hunting day, April 4, 2009.
2009 spring gobbler season, April 11-May 16.
Board meeting of the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries to finalize hunting/trapping regulations, 9 a.m., June 2, DGIF headquarters, 4000 West Broad St., Richmond.
Got an event? Let us know: xtrails@earthlink.net.
