Bill Cochran is a Roanoke Times outdoors columnist.

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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

• Hunting for a book on rabbit hunting
• More comments on Sunday hunting
• Mail archive

Bill's Field Reports

• Winterize your boat? Heck no! Keep on fishing
• Senator gets attention of DGIF
• Field reports archive

Resources

• Trout stocking schedule

BILL: Gerald Austin has been my hunting buddy for many years. He also is one of my closest personal friends. In addition to being one of the best spring and fall turkey hunters in the country, he hand-makes one of the bet turkey box callers that can be found, including those on the market by the so-called pros.

Gerald’s children have developed a Web site for Gerald and his turkey callers: geraldaustinturkeycalls.com.

BILL: The good lord has blessed me this year, so after taking seven deer in both North Carolina and Virginia I am giving away a lot of venison to friends and family. I have started to reply to their requests to pay for the meat by saying, “Donate to Hunters for the Hungry on my behalf!” I made copies of Hunters for the Hungry literature and provided the address to mail the check. Responses have been very positive from my non-hunting, venison-loving friends!

READERS: The announcement that I am being inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame brought numerous notes of congratulations from readers of this Web site. I deeply appreciate each one. I fully realize that my success through the years is the result of readers who have supported my work. Thanks to each of you.