Friday, August 01, 2008
Luck of the draw
Mark Taylor
Mark Taylor's Outdoors column and notebook appears regularly in The Roanoke Times.
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As summer enters its final month, Virginia hunters begin to look toward the fall with a growing sense of urgency.
Those who hope to participate in some of the state's special hunting opportunities need to be especially urgent.
For many quota hunts managed through lottery systems, application deadlines come this month.
Quota hunts are popular for a couple of key reasons:
In many cases, these hunts can offer excellent chances for success, or at least for seeing plenty of game.
The good hunting action is usually a result of a high density of game, which is what necessitates managed hunting in order to help control habitat damage.
As a bonus, many quota hunts are in scenic areas, such as state parks and wildlife refuges, that are already popular among visitors. So it's possible to make a hunting excursion into something of a family getaway.
Here's a look at some of the state's most popular quota and specially managed hunt opportunities, applications for which are available at www.dgif.virginia.gov/hunting/quotahunts/.
Radford Army Ammunition Plant Deer Hunts
Archery hunt dates: Oct. 18, 25
Shotgun hunt dates: Nov. 15, 19, 22, 29 and Dec. 3, 6
Application deadline: Aug. 15
If you're applying for the Radford Army Ammunition Plant deer hunts for the first time, feel free to find something else to do on the established hunt dates. You won't get selected for the hunt this year.
"This hunt is more popular than all of our other deer hunts combined," said Matt Knox, deer project leader for the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.
Hunts at the so-called Arsenal draw heavy applications for the simple reason that the place has big bucks and plenty of them. That's the case because the 2,400-acre facility is surrounded by a high fence and for two decades, the deer population has been managed under strict rules to improve the quality of the deer herd, with an emphasis on killing female deer and mature bucks.
Last year, for example, hunters killed 34 antlered bucks. Five were yearlings, in most cases spikes that hunters mistook for does.
Three were 212-year-old bucks that were right on the edge of meeting the established minimum antler standards, while the other 26 were 312-year-old bucks with good sets of headgear that averaged 8.4 points.
"There are parameters there that we just can't recreate in free-ranging deer," Knox said.
Getting a shot at one of those bucks takes patience.
Hunters must first be selected for and participate in an antlerless deer hunt, then must continue applying until they earn enough preference points to be selected for a buck hunt.
When hunters finally do strike it lucky in the lottery, they only get one day to hunt. That can create a sense of urgency, which is why some hunters can't hold off when they see the first decent buck walk by.
Those who have patience to pass up marginal shooters can be rewarded with the chance at a buck of a lifetime.
Hunters shouldn't go to Radford expecting to end up in the record book, however. Neither the Pope and Young or Boone and Crockett clubs accept entries taken inside enclosures, even large non-game-farms such as the Radford ammo plant.
Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge and False Cape State Park deer and hog hunt
Dates: Oct. 4, 6-8, 23-25
Special notes: Hunter education certification required for False Cape State Park hunt
Application deadline: Aug. 29
More information: dcr.virginia.gov/state_ parks/documents/backbayregs.pdf
The deer and hog hunts at Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge and False Cape State Park are among the more interesting quota hunt opportunities in Virginia.
Not only is the location unique, but this is the only place in Virginia to hunt feral hogs, which is what draws most hunters to the swampy area in southern Virginia Beach.
While the area holds some big hogs topping 200 pounds, most will be smaller, in the 50- to 100-pound range. That's still a good amount of meat and successful hunters often rave about the quality of the free-roaming pork.
The area also has a decent number of white-tailed deer, but don't expect any trophies.
"It has some of the smallest deer in the state in terms of antlers and size," Knox said. "The primary reason is the marginal habitat."
For example, 2 12-year-old does in the area average 57 pounds, about 30 pounds less than on more productive lands in Virginia.
On applications, hunters are required to select the sections of the refuge or park where they hope to hunt. The pigs are fairly wide-ranging so the best units vary from year to year.
Pre-hunt scouting is recommended, and is allowed prior to the first day of the hunt. It can be a haul from the parking area into certain hunting zones, so many hunters scout on mountain bikes.
Finding areas where pigs have been is easy as the rooting hogs leave behind a trail of destruction that resembles the work of a drunk who got his hands on a Ditch Witch.
The hogs wise up to hunting quickly and head for the gnarliest tangles in the swamp. Those areas are impossible to penetrate, let alone hunt, so hunters who get selected for the first couple hunt days have the best chance for success.
In fact, because the hunting gets tough so fast, organizers recently changed the format to add a two-week break between hunting periods to give hog hunters a better chance for success in later hunts.
The landscape adds to the challenges. Getting around even the more accessible areas of the park and refuge is no picnic, and a day of moving will wear out even fit hunters.
Adding to the fun, plenty of poisonous water moccasins call the swampy area home, so snake boots or heavy-duty waders are not a bad idea.
As difficult as this hunt can be, it always draws a good number of applications, many from repeat customers who appreciate what may be one of Virginia's most challenging big game hunts.
State park deer hunts
Dates: Vary by park
Application deadlines: Vary by park
Fee: $15 for general reservation hunts; vary for lottery hunts
Special notes: Hunter education certification required
More information: dcr.virginia.gov/state_ parks/hunting.shtml
Needing to control booming deer populations to protect habitat, the Virginia State Parks system has been allowing carefully managed hunting for years.
Sixteen parks now offer some degree of deer hunting, with programs varying.
Some state parks, including those at Smith Mountain, Douthat and Claytor lakes, allow hunting by reservation. Participants simply choose from designated hunting days and make a reservation through the park system's normal reservation service by calling (800) 933-7275. The reservation period starts in September for most of the hunts.
Other hunts, such as the one at Grayson Highlands State Park, are handled through lotteries.
Rules and regulations also vary by park.
For example, some hunt organizers have implemented earn-a-buck rules to ensure hunts meet their objective of controlling deer herds. At Claytor Lake State Park, the hunt dates are in January, after the end of deer seasons in most areas.
Tundra swan permit
Dates: To be decided
Application deadline: Oct. 3
While the state offers a number of appealing special waterfowl quota hunts, the special tundra swan permit remains among the most coveted opportunities for waterfowlers.
Hunters selected in the lottery will get a single permit, which is good only east of Interstate 95 and south of Chopawamsic Creek on the border separating Prince William and Stafford counties.
Because of the travel distance to the hunting area, many hunters from Western Virginia who are selected for permits elect to connect with outfitters in order to have the best chance of killing a bird.
