Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Rain doesn't slow turkey hunters, but wind does
Mark Taylor
Mark Taylor's Outdoors column and notebook appears regularly in The Roanoke Times.
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Turkey hunters who thought Saturday's opener was miserable had only to wait two days to find it can be worse.
While Saturday's rain let up at times, and didn't even hit some parts of Virginia in the morning, Monday's winds were relentless.
And if rain makes turkey hunting tough, wind makes it nearly impossible.
Fortunately, the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries' new phone-in checking system can put a number on how tough -- or good -- the hunting is.
The numbers aren't a perfect index because hunters can also check birds in person, and the percentage of those using the phone system might have increased since last spring.
Still, the phone check-in numbers can put things in perspective.
Surprisingly, despite the wet weather, the check-in numbers were up over last year, which ended up being a near-record for the total spring kill.
Hunters reported 780 gobblers taken Saturday, 95 more than were reported on opening day last spring.
Numbers weren't yet available for Monday.
Troy Lamy of Stuart was among those rewarded for braving the wet and cold Saturday.
"I learned when it comes to turkeys if you get a 20-minute break in the weather that's all it takes to get one," Lamy reported in an e-mail.
Lamy got to his Patrick County hunting spot before first light Saturday, heard a gobbler and got in position. That dominant gobbler shut up when he hit the ground, but three other gobblers didn't.
"They kept gobbling every minute or so on their own," Lamy said. "So I knew they knew exactly where I was, plus I knew these were not dominate birds and would probably come in."
Lamy stayed quiet and the three birds did come in. At 7:55 a.m., Lamy had a 17-pound, 2-year-old bird on the ground.
While most hunters braved Saturday's rain, many didn't even bother dealing with Monday's gale.
Hunters who blew off Monday were likely thinking about how tough it is to hunt in high winds, but they probably did themselves a favor from a safety standpoint.
Consider this line from the high- wind warning that applied to much of Western Virginia on Monday and was supposed to remain in effect until noon today: "Winds of this magnitude will likely down power lines ... tree limbs ... and uproot entire trees. If you must venture into a wooded area today and tonight ... be especially cautious for falling limbs and trees."
Hunting in uncomfortable conditions is one thing; hunting in dangerous weather is another.
Hunters for the Hungry set banquet date
Encouraged by the success of its first fundraising banquet in the Roanoke area, Hunters for the Hungry has decided to try a sequel.
The banquet is set for Sept. 8. Like last fall's banquet, the event will be held at Dave Sarmadi Mitsubishi in Salem. The car dealership's co-owner Robert Harper is on the banquet planning committee.
Based in Big Island, Hunters for the Hungry has always had more trouble securing funding than collecting deer.
Last year hunters donated 356,054 pounds of venison, a record. Since the program's inception, it has collected more than three million pounds of venison and distributed the meat to Virginia's needy through programs such as local Food Banks.
Although the group has a good-sized committee planning the banquet, additional volunteers are welcome.
To volunteer or for more information about the banquet, contact Gary Arrington at hunt4hungry@cs.com or (800) 352-4868.
Weather causes closures at Philpott, Kerr
Heavy rain and high winds have forced the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to close some facilities at Philpott Lake and Kerr Reservoir.
"We have trees down throughout all our parks," Kevin McDaniels, the facilities' operations manager, said in a Monday press release.
All unmanned parks will be closed until officials can ensure they are safe. McDaniels said he expected the parks will reopen by Wednesday.
At Kerr, high winds have been toppling tall pine trees, which are extra vulnerable with the ground saturated with more than 2 inches of rain.
Trees have fallen across roads and campsites, but no injuries were reported, according to chief ranger Sherrie Storm.
Three campsites at Rudd's Campground at Kerr are flooded, and the Buffalo and Bluestone boat ramps have been closed. Storm said the ramp at Bluestone should reopen by the weekend.
Information on closures and lake levels is available at (276) 629-2703 for Philpott and (434) 738-6622, extension 275 for Kerr.
