Thursday, March 19, 2009
Bill Cochran's Outdoors: 50 pages of proposals to change hunting regulations
Bill Cochran is a Roanoke Times outdoors columnist.
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
Bill's Field Reports
Resources
The Department of Game and Inland Fisheries is about to launch an energetic road show to parade more than 50 pages of hunting/trapping proposed regulation changes before public gatherings in 10 localities, including Salem.
In the past, similar public input meeting have drawn sparse crowds, occasionally attracting fewer sportsmen than DGIF staff members, but this time could be different. There are several hot items on the agenda including a license for bear hunting.
Here’s a look at some of the proposals with a bit of personal comment:
MUZZLELOADING LIMIT: Last season, early muzzleloading hunting west of the Blue Ridge Mountains was expanded from one week to two, but it came with the same one-buck bag limit and single day of antlerless hunting.
Black-powder hunters welcomed the extra week, but some lamented that if they killed a buck the first day or two of the season they had to sit out the rest of the season with the exception of the one doe day.
Wildlife officials recognize this was a problem and have proposed a two buck limit. They also proposed that the lone either-sex hunting day be switched from the first Monday to the second Saturday (last day) of the season.
The extra deer won’t have a significant negative impact on the herd, biologists say; however, regular firearm’s hunters might argue that the more liberal limit will put them at a disadvantage.
Most would agree that there is very little primitive about modern muzzleloading firearms. The Virginia Muzzleloading Rifle Association requested a true primitive season to be held in late January when no scopes, inline ignitions or sabot bullets could be used, but it got no takers.
NATIONAL FOREST: For several years, hunters have been complaining that the number and quality of deer on the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests has declined. The discontent has intensified recently, and DGIF officials have proposed significant reductions in doe hunting opportunities on national forest and state land. Some counties would offer a single day of doe hunting on public land.
Hunters, along with DGIF officials, often gripe that one of the reasons for the decline of deer on the national forest is the lack of new growth habitat due to the forest’s increasing no-cut policy. As it turns out, the same problem can be found on state wildlife management areas under the stewardship of the DGIF. When board member Charles Yates was told that only about one-half of a percent of the management areas are annually being manipulated to enhance wildlife habitat, he said, “Frankly, I think that stinks.”
BEAR FACTS: In the late '60s to the early '80s some people were predicting that the future of the black bear in Virginia was bleak. Now there are so many that wildlife officials are fearful they will reach nuisance status.
To keep the population in check, biologists proposed several bold new bear hunting regulations, some designed to increase the kill by 60 percent in the northwest mountain area.
The reaction of organized bear hunters was “Too much, too fast,” and that got the ear of the DGIF board which put the brakes on the recommendations of biologists. Even so, several liberal proposals remain:
- Two additional weeks of bear hunting during the early bow season, making archery bear hunting concurrent with early deer hunting.
- Add 35 counties to the six week general firearm’s bear season. This would include the portion of Roanoke County north of I-81.
- Increase the number of days and counties open to muzzleloading bear hunting.
- Open the firearms bear season a day early, on a Saturday rather than a Monday. This proposal was made after one failed that would have established a six day firearm’s season in late September in all or portions of Alleghany, Augusta, Bath, Botetourt, Highland, Shenandoah, Rockbridge, Rockingham and Roanoke counties.
Still another proposal, one requested by the Virginia Bear Hunters Association, would establish a special license for bear hunting. This will be the most controversial of all proposals, having already received more than 100 DGIF online comments.
DOE DAYS: Biologists have proposed changing doe-day regulations in about 75 counties. In most cases, the recommendations are for more liberal hunting regulations.
Hunters would be allowed to purchase additional bonus deer permits under another proposal, which would boost the limit on bonus tags from two to six sets of two while keeping the price at $18. Wildlife officials hope this will mean more deer killed during the hunting season and fewer taken on kill permits.
CHECKING TURKEYS: Wildlife officials propose saving as much as $15,000 annually by requesting that hunters check the spring gobblers they kill by phone or Internet rather than at country stores and outdoor shops. This also would speed up the tally process, which has become glacially slow.
Right now, DGIF is dealing with nearly 1,000 check stations, said biologist Gary Norman, “and it runs into late summer before we have a total.” Some 43 percent of hunters already check their spring gobblers by phone.
Another proposal would add one day to the fall turkey season by opening it the Saturday prior to the last Monday in October.
SPRING SQUIRRELS: Virginia got its first spring squirrel hunting season June, 2007. It was limited to 18 DGIF wildlife management areas. While it didn’t draw crowds, some hunters enjoyed it, thus wildlife officials propose that it be expand to include private land, additional management areas and that the use of squirrel dogs be authorized. After all, squirrels are one of the most underutilized game species in the state.
Still another squirrel proposal would expand fox squirrel hunting to include Albemarle, Bedford, Franklin, Greene, Patrick and Prince Williams counties where this species has been expanding its population.
SHELLS FOR CROWS: Of interest to serious varmint hunters is a proposal that would make it legal to hunt crows with a shotgun capable of holding more than three shells.
RACCOON CHASING: Hunters in far Southwest Virginia for years have fought to expand their hunting opportunities, which have lagged behind those in the east. The Southwest Virginia Coonhunters Federation recently has lobbied for the right to pursue raccoons on public (national forest) land during the chase season. Wildlife officials made that request a proposal.
These proposals and others can be viewed on the DGIF Web site, www.dgif.virginia.gov, where comments can be made, and will be discussed during the following public hearings 7 to 9 p.m.:
March 23, Warrenton, Taylor Middle School and Woodstock, Shenandoah County Board of Supervisors Meeting Room.
March 24, Richmond, DGIF headquarters, 4000 W. Board Street; Farmville, Prince Edward County High School and Abingdon, Abingdon High School.
March 25, Franklin, Paul D. Camp Community College Regional Workforce Development Center.
March 26, Augusta County, Buffalo Gap High School; Salem, Glenvar Middle School and Warsaw, Warsaw Campus.
April 1 Chatham, Chatham High School.
