By Bill Cochran
Forget about the good old days. Hunting for deer, turkey and bear in the upcoming seasons is going to be … well, it just doesn’t get much better.
Rabbit hunting will be good, too, but if you are a grouse or quail hunter your dogs are going to have to cover a lot of ground in order to point what often will be a disappointing numbers of targets. Here are my preseason predictions, based on personal observations, input from Department of Game and Inland Fisheries biologists and antidotal reports from other hunters.
DEER
Recently my wife, Katherine, and I drove about 35 miles on a rural road and counted 144 deer just before sundown. I was relating that to a friend who lives in Craig County and he said that was nothing. On one of his trips he’d counted four times that many.
There is no scarcity of deer. But what about bragging-size bucks? The 2007-08 season is shaping up as a trophy deer year, for several reasons. Thanks to a decent food supply and mild weather the past winter, bucks came into the antler-growing season in good shape.
What’s more, there is a big-buck trend in progress as hunters manage for mature bucks and pass up shots at young ones. This has been evident in the large number of bucks entered in recent big game contests. The Virginia Deer Association show in Richmond registered 302 bucks, up more than 75 from what has been average.
“I had many persons who could not believe that the vast majority of them came from Virginia in just one season,” said Matt Knox, DGIF deer project manager.
The Eastern Big Game Show, held in Harrisonburg, attracted 267 deer, an increase form the 230 of the previous season. The eastern and state show is set for Franklin this weekend and is expected to continue the high numbers trend.
When you see large numbers of deer in the field often it is an indication that the mast crop is poor. It remains too early to say that for certain, but at best it appears to be spotty -- decent in some areas and poor in others.
Hunters reported killing 223,198 deer the past season, which was a 4-percent increase from the previous season, and 7 percent higher than the 10 year average. That caught Knox by surprise. Following three consecutive years of record female deer kills, he had expected a decline.
“I hope the deer kill is down [this season], but I have predicted that and been wrong for the past two seasons,” said Knox.
A decline in the kill would mean that the herd has stabilized and is not getting out of hand.
TURKEY
I recall a dozen years ago Gary Norman telling me that his goal as the DGIF biologist was to see the turkey population expands to the point that it would be common for people traveling to see flocks of the big birds from their vehicle. That day has arrived.
I have been seeing numerous turkeys along roadways, from the mountains of Southwest Virginia to the Eastern Shore. There will be plenty of turkeys for the fall/winter season.
Norman has been getting reports of abundant turkeys from several sections of the state, especially west of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
“I’ve had fewer reports in the east, but what I’ve heard is likewise promising,” he said.
Hotspots include Giles, Craig and Montgomery counties where the best broods in recent years are being observed. Norman said his contacts in the northern Shenandoah Valley are seeing more broods this year than in recent years.
“One of our former technicians works in Bath County and he saw more broods in July than he’s seen in years,” said Norman. “He commented that observations have declined in August and that could be due to drought conditions in some areas that may have impacted insect populations and soft mast production.”
T
urkeys currently are spending lots of times in open fields. Whether there is enough mast in the woods to lure them away from the fields by the late October hunting season is uncertain at this point.
BEAR
Virginia’s bear kill has been increasing about 8 percent each year, and that isn’t expected to deviate much this season, according to Jaime Sajecki, DGIF bear project leader.
Complaints of bears invading populated areas and causing crop damage are at a record high. This could be the sign of an increasing population or an indication of a poor food supply, probably both. Soft mast -- berries, cherries, seeds and the like -- was damage by a hard freeze in the spring. Mast that escaped the freeze has been adversely impacted by dry weather in the summer months.
Hounds men out during the chase season have had to deal with hot, dry weather, not exactly desirable conditions for striking a bear. Even so, they have been seeing good numbers of bears.
RABBITS
From spring into summer, I observed impressive numbers of rabbits. Come fall, the count dwindled rapidly. That trend is not unusual, but this time it probably was hurried along by the hot, dry weather of late summer and early fall.
Rabbit populations have been riding a high the past several years in Virginia. Look for a season this time similar to last years, says Pat Cook, small game biologist of the DGIF. Last year was a good one.
Interest in rabbit hunting has been holding up, even during a time when big game hunting has become highly popular. The latest DGIF hunter survey revealed that nearly one-quarter of the license buyers in Virginia hunt rabbits.
GROUSE
The past decade, grouse hunters have had to work hard to flush their targets, and that won’t change this season. DGIF trend data suggests that breeding population levels have declined 3.1 percent annually the past 10 years. Add those figures and you conclude that the population is down about 40 percent in a decade.
Some sportsmen, with good dogs, continue to enjoy decent hunting. Much of that now is found on private land because national forest land is not timbered enough to provide the kind of new succession habitat that grouse need to thrive.
On the average, you pretty well can figure that it will take an hour of pushing through grouse covers for each bird flushed.
QUAIL
The quail population has been down for years, and don’t expect this season to be anything like a turnaround. Fact is, expect it to be pretty sorry. Look for a season similar to last year’s, said biologist Pat Cook. With the exception of a few pockets where birds could be found, last season was just another in a string of dismal seasons.
Quail had the benefit of a mild winter void of heavy snow, but there simply wasn’t enough of them, or enough habitat, to make a difference. The current drought conditions probably haven’t had an impact on quail, Cook said.
The DGIF is encouraging the use of native warm season grasses in livestock operations to improve quail habitat.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Unlimited DMAP tags
We have picked up our DMAP tags at Gander Mountain in Winchester.
We received 10 tags, and Fred Frenzel, the VDGIF District Wildlife Biologist, told Pleze that we can get as many as we want by contacting him.
In otherwords, we can shoot as many deer as we can find!
Good hunting!
Fred Frenzel
District Wildlife Biologist VDGIF
(540) 984-4101
We received 10 tags, and Fred Frenzel, the VDGIF District Wildlife Biologist, told Pleze that we can get as many as we want by contacting him.
In otherwords, we can shoot as many deer as we can find!
Good hunting!
Fred Frenzel
District Wildlife Biologist VDGIF
(540) 984-4101
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Ann Zirkle property
Click picture to enlarge.
Click on Picture to enlarge.
Charles and David Benkert were at the cabin Saturday and wrote in the logbook that they had spoke to Ann Zirkle. She was up trying to clear a path into the property. They wrote she did not know what the property was worth. Several people came by to look at the property and left when they saw the condition of the road. I spoke to Mr. Pangle of Pangle Real Estate. He said she just wanted to get rid of the property and they felt that an auction was the fairest way to deal with the neighbors, as several people has expressed an interest in the property. He had her go and try to clear up the road.
Terms: A $25,000 bidder’s deposit by cash or cashier’s check at the conclusion of the auction, balance due in full within 30 days at closing OR Seller to take back a purchase money First Deed of Trust on the following terms: An additional $25,000 due at closing, 7 ½ % simple interest with one-half of the remaining principle and interest balance due December 31, 2008 and the other one-half remaining principle and interest balance due December 31, 2009. There shall be a 10% of purchase price pre-payment penalty.
There will be a reserve price. The property is valued at $107,500 by Shennadoah County. It was last sold in 1995.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Ann Zirkle to auction Property Saturday, September 22nd
ZIRKLE AUCTION
Auction Company:
Auction Date/Time:
Location:
Pangle Real Estate & Auction Co., Inc
Saturday, September 22nd, 2007 at 10:00AM EST
Off Rt. 691
Edinburg, VA 22824
43+/- WOODED ACRES UNIMPROVED (Auction to be held at the front steps of the Shenandoah Couty Circuit Courthouse - 112 S. Main St., Woodstock, VA)
Directions: Property Location: From Woodstock take Senedo Road (Rt. 42) south approximately 6 miles then right onto Union Church Rd. a short distance then left onto Back Road to bottom of hill then right onto Wolf Gap Rd. for 2.5 miles. Proceed straight on Liberty Furnace Rd. for 2.5 miles, then right onto Cold Springs Rd for 4/10 miles then left onto an unmarked Forest Service road go approx. 1 mile to property on left. (Auction held at Shenandoah County Circuit Courthouse).
Description: AUCTION
VALUABLE REAL ESTATE
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2007 – 10:00 A.M.
· 43 +/- Wooded Acres * Near Liberty Furnace
· George Washington National Forest Frontage
· Hunting * Owner Financing
AUCTION HELD AT THE FRONT STEPS OF THE SHENANDOAH COUNTY CIRCUIT COURTHOUSE 112 S. MAIN STREET, WOODSTOCK, VIRGINIA
Property Location: From Woodstock take Senedo Road (Rt. 42) south approximately 6 miles then right onto Union Church Rd. a short distance then left onto Back Road to bottom of hill then right onto Wolf Gap Rd. for 2.5 miles. Proceed straight on Liberty Furnace Rd. for 2.5 miles, then right onto Cold Springs Rd for 4/10 miles then left onto an unmarked Forest Service road go approx. 1 mile to property on left. (Auction held at Shenandoah County Circuit Courthouse).
Description: Woodland containing 42.958 +/- acres by survey. This property is rolling mountain land and is unimproved. Zoned C-1 Conservation.
Legal: 42.958+/- acres by survey as described in Deed Book 231 Page 713, Tax Map # 040 A 19. Property is accessed via a deeded right of way for ingress and egress as described in Deed Book 231 Page 714. Said roadway is in need of repair to allow vehicular travel.
AUCTIONEERS: SELLER:
Pangle Real Estate & Auction Co., Inc. Ann Zirkle
Woodstock, VA 22664
(540) 459-2113 VA.AF #272
www.pangle.com
Pangle Real Estate & Auction Co., Inc
pangle@shentel.net
http://pangle.com
Auction Company:
Auction Date/Time:
Location:
Pangle Real Estate & Auction Co., Inc
Saturday, September 22nd, 2007 at 10:00AM EST
Off Rt. 691
Edinburg, VA 22824
43+/- WOODED ACRES UNIMPROVED (Auction to be held at the front steps of the Shenandoah Couty Circuit Courthouse - 112 S. Main St., Woodstock, VA)
Directions: Property Location: From Woodstock take Senedo Road (Rt. 42) south approximately 6 miles then right onto Union Church Rd. a short distance then left onto Back Road to bottom of hill then right onto Wolf Gap Rd. for 2.5 miles. Proceed straight on Liberty Furnace Rd. for 2.5 miles, then right onto Cold Springs Rd for 4/10 miles then left onto an unmarked Forest Service road go approx. 1 mile to property on left. (Auction held at Shenandoah County Circuit Courthouse).
Description: AUCTION
VALUABLE REAL ESTATE
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2007 – 10:00 A.M.
· 43 +/- Wooded Acres * Near Liberty Furnace
· George Washington National Forest Frontage
· Hunting * Owner Financing
AUCTION HELD AT THE FRONT STEPS OF THE SHENANDOAH COUNTY CIRCUIT COURTHOUSE 112 S. MAIN STREET, WOODSTOCK, VIRGINIA
Property Location: From Woodstock take Senedo Road (Rt. 42) south approximately 6 miles then right onto Union Church Rd. a short distance then left onto Back Road to bottom of hill then right onto Wolf Gap Rd. for 2.5 miles. Proceed straight on Liberty Furnace Rd. for 2.5 miles, then right onto Cold Springs Rd for 4/10 miles then left onto an unmarked Forest Service road go approx. 1 mile to property on left. (Auction held at Shenandoah County Circuit Courthouse).
Description: Woodland containing 42.958 +/- acres by survey. This property is rolling mountain land and is unimproved. Zoned C-1 Conservation.
Legal: 42.958+/- acres by survey as described in Deed Book 231 Page 713, Tax Map # 040 A 19. Property is accessed via a deeded right of way for ingress and egress as described in Deed Book 231 Page 714. Said roadway is in need of repair to allow vehicular travel.
AUCTIONEERS: SELLER:
Pangle Real Estate & Auction Co., Inc. Ann Zirkle
Woodstock, VA 22664
(540) 459-2113 VA.AF #272
www.pangle.com
Pangle Real Estate & Auction Co., Inc
pangle@shentel.net
http://pangle.com
More zoning
§ 142-24. Private water and/or sewer. [Amended 6-25-2002 by Ord. No. 02-11; 6-24-2003 by Ord. No. 2003-4]
Subject to the requirements of § 142-23, nothing in this regulation shall prevent the installation of privately owned individual water and/or sewage disposal facilities in areas where public water and/or sewerage facilities are not available; provided, however, that pit privies will not be allowed, and other private installations must meet all requirements of the State Department of Environmental Quality, the State Health Department and any other state or local regulation having authority over such installation.
Subject to the requirements of § 142-23, nothing in this regulation shall prevent the installation of privately owned individual water and/or sewage disposal facilities in areas where public water and/or sewerage facilities are not available; provided, however, that pit privies will not be allowed, and other private installations must meet all requirements of the State Department of Environmental Quality, the State Health Department and any other state or local regulation having authority over such installation.
Conservation District (C-1). zoning
Conservation District (C-1)zoning effecting us.
http://www.shenandoahcountyva.us/reportscode/code/165.htm
§ 165-11. Conservation District (C-1). [Amended 6-8-1982; 1-24-1985; 4-8-1986; 6-9-1987; 11-14-1989; 12-12-1989; 7-9-1991; 9-10-1991; 11-8-1994; 6-13-1995; 5-28-1996; 11-26-1996 by Ord. No. 96-3; 9-23-1997 by Ord. No. 97-7; 3-28-2000 by Ord. No. 00-2; 5-23-2000 by Ord. No. 00-6; 6-26-2001 by Ord. No. 01-6; 11-27-2001 by Ord. No. 01-8; 1-22-2002 by Ord. No. 02-1; 1-22-2002 by Ord. No. 02-2; 2-25-2003 by Ord. No. 2003-2; 6-24-2003 by Ord. No. 2003-4; 4-24-2007 by Ord. No. 2007-08; 4-24-2007 by Ord. No. 2007-09; 6-26-2007]
A. Statement of intent. This district covers portions of the County which are occupied by various open uses, such as forests, recreation areas, farms, lakes or streams. Uses not consistent with the existing character of this district are not permitted. Real property in this zoning classification may be subdivided only in accordance with § 142-3.1 of the Code of Shenandoah County. [Amended 3-22-2005 by Ord. No. 2005-4]
B. Uses. In this district, structures to be erected or land to be used shall be for one or more of the following uses:
(1) Uses permitted by right:
(a) General farming, agriculture, dairying and forestry. See Article XI for poultry and hog regulations.
(b) Conservation preserves.
(c) Single-family detached dwellings.
(d) Kennels.
(e) Churches, cemeteries, schools, parks and playgrounds, fire and rescue squad stations, office buildings and other public and semipublic uses.
(f) Roadside stand or market.
(g) Country or general stores.
(h) Sawmills or pulpwood concentration yards.
(i) Manufactured houses on permanent foundations.
(j) Lines, poles and pipes to provide electric, gas, telephone, water or sewer service to structures located on properties adjacent to said facilities.
(k) Retail greenhouse and nursery operations under 10,000 square feet. Site plan approval is required as per Article XIV.
(l) Storage buildings or sheds, as defined.
(m) Recreational vehicle provided that the recreational vehicle is on the property no more than 30 consecutive days and is removed from the property for at least 14 consecutive days each time it is removed. [Added 4-24-2007 by Ord. No. 2007-09]
(n) Open Space Developments meeting the requirements of Article X [Added 6-26-2007]
(2) Permitted accessory uses:
(a) Off-street parking for uses permitted in the district as provided in Article XII.
(b) Signs as provided in Article XIII.
(c) Customary accessory uses and structures as provided in § 165-26.
(d) Home occupation as provided in § 165-29.
(e) Level 1 home business as provided in § 165-30.
(3) Uses permitted by special permit:
(a) Level 2 home business as provided in § 165-30.
(b) Public utility generating, booster or relay stations, transformer substations, railroads, water and sewerage installations (other than pipes), telephone facilities (other than lines, poles and towers), and other facilities for the provision and maintenance of public utility service.
(c) Garages, public.
(d) Farm, lawn and garden machinery and equipment sales and service.
(e) Lodges, hunting clubs, camps, golf and country clubs.
(f) Recreational uses or facilities, commercially operated or for private membership, such as game courts, swimming pools, campgrounds, archery ranges, fishing or boating lakes, ski slopes, picnic grounds, marinas and accessory facilities (including the sale of food, beverages, bait, incidentals, supplies and equipment); provided that no such use, structure or accessory use is located closer than 50 feet to any adjoining property lines.
(g) Conversion of a single residential structure on a lot to contain a maximum of four dwelling units, provided that such structure was in existence prior to September 12, 1978.
(h) Wineries.
(i) Nursing homes and adult-care centers.
(j) Airports, commercial and private.
(k) Flea markets.
(l) Mobile home or manufactured housing parks as provided in Article IX.
(m) Retail greenhouse and nursery operations over 10,000 square feet. Site plan approval is required as per Article XIV.
(n) Telecommunications towers as provided in Article XIX.
(o) (Reserved) [EN]10
(p) Museums.
(q) Conversion of existing single-family dwellings to bed-and-breakfasts, provided that the bed-and-breakfast is located at least 900 feet from all lots containing intensive poultry facilities, intensive hog facilities, and other confined feeding operations.
(r) Corporate training centers. [Added 11-25-2003 by Ord. No. 2003-7]
(s) Country inns. [Added 11-25-2003 by Ord. No. 2003-7]
(t) Rural resorts. [Added 11-25-2003 by Ord. No. 2003-7]
(u) Temporary electric service [Added 4-24-2007 by Ord. No. 2007-09]
C. Area regulations.
(1) The minimum lot area shall be 10 acres.
(2) There shall be a maximum of one single-family detached dwelling or manufactured house per 10 acres.
(3) There shall be a maximum of two dwellings or manufactured houses or combination thereof per lot.
D. Frontage regulations. The minimum frontage for each lot shall be 450 feet. (See § 165-27 for cul-de-sac.)
E. Yard regulations. [NOTE: See Article XI for residential setbacks from poultry facilities.]
(1) Front yard. Structures shall be located 100 feet or more from the front lot line. This shall be known as the "setback" line.
(2) Side yard. Each side yard for each main structure shall be a minimum of 80 feet. No accessory building shall be located closer than 30 feet to any side property boundary line.
(3) Rear yard. Each main structure shall have a rear yard of 150 feet or more. Accessory buildings may be built to within 10 feet of rear property line. When the lot was recorded prior to October 1, 1978, the rear yard may be reduced to 60 feet when it is determined by the Zoning Administrator that the required setback cannot be met because water and/or sanitation facilities are necessary to be located in front of the house as determined by the Health Director.
(4) Lots adjoining an industrial-zoned district. No residential structure shall be constructed closer than 100 feet to any adjacent property line if that property is an industrial-zoned district or contains an industrial use; however, this distance may be reduced to 50 feet for side or 60 feet for rear yards if a screen buffer consisting of total screening is provided.
F. Building coverage. The maximum building coverage on a lot shall be 20%.
G. Height regulations.
(1) Structures may be erected up to 35 feet in height.
(2) All accessory buildings shall be less than the main building in height. Church spires, belfries, cupolas, monuments, water towers, farm silos, barns and other farm related structures, chimneys, flues, flagpoles, parapet walls, television antennas, radio aerials, microwave towers and other public communication facilities are not governed by the height regulation of 35 feet set forth in the previous subsection.
http://www.shenandoahcountyva.us/reportscode/code/165.htm
§ 165-11. Conservation District (C-1). [Amended 6-8-1982; 1-24-1985; 4-8-1986; 6-9-1987; 11-14-1989; 12-12-1989; 7-9-1991; 9-10-1991; 11-8-1994; 6-13-1995; 5-28-1996; 11-26-1996 by Ord. No. 96-3; 9-23-1997 by Ord. No. 97-7; 3-28-2000 by Ord. No. 00-2; 5-23-2000 by Ord. No. 00-6; 6-26-2001 by Ord. No. 01-6; 11-27-2001 by Ord. No. 01-8; 1-22-2002 by Ord. No. 02-1; 1-22-2002 by Ord. No. 02-2; 2-25-2003 by Ord. No. 2003-2; 6-24-2003 by Ord. No. 2003-4; 4-24-2007 by Ord. No. 2007-08; 4-24-2007 by Ord. No. 2007-09; 6-26-2007]
A. Statement of intent. This district covers portions of the County which are occupied by various open uses, such as forests, recreation areas, farms, lakes or streams. Uses not consistent with the existing character of this district are not permitted. Real property in this zoning classification may be subdivided only in accordance with § 142-3.1 of the Code of Shenandoah County. [Amended 3-22-2005 by Ord. No. 2005-4]
B. Uses. In this district, structures to be erected or land to be used shall be for one or more of the following uses:
(1) Uses permitted by right:
(a) General farming, agriculture, dairying and forestry. See Article XI for poultry and hog regulations.
(b) Conservation preserves.
(c) Single-family detached dwellings.
(d) Kennels.
(e) Churches, cemeteries, schools, parks and playgrounds, fire and rescue squad stations, office buildings and other public and semipublic uses.
(f) Roadside stand or market.
(g) Country or general stores.
(h) Sawmills or pulpwood concentration yards.
(i) Manufactured houses on permanent foundations.
(j) Lines, poles and pipes to provide electric, gas, telephone, water or sewer service to structures located on properties adjacent to said facilities.
(k) Retail greenhouse and nursery operations under 10,000 square feet. Site plan approval is required as per Article XIV.
(l) Storage buildings or sheds, as defined.
(m) Recreational vehicle provided that the recreational vehicle is on the property no more than 30 consecutive days and is removed from the property for at least 14 consecutive days each time it is removed. [Added 4-24-2007 by Ord. No. 2007-09]
(n) Open Space Developments meeting the requirements of Article X [Added 6-26-2007]
(2) Permitted accessory uses:
(a) Off-street parking for uses permitted in the district as provided in Article XII.
(b) Signs as provided in Article XIII.
(c) Customary accessory uses and structures as provided in § 165-26.
(d) Home occupation as provided in § 165-29.
(e) Level 1 home business as provided in § 165-30.
(3) Uses permitted by special permit:
(a) Level 2 home business as provided in § 165-30.
(b) Public utility generating, booster or relay stations, transformer substations, railroads, water and sewerage installations (other than pipes), telephone facilities (other than lines, poles and towers), and other facilities for the provision and maintenance of public utility service.
(c) Garages, public.
(d) Farm, lawn and garden machinery and equipment sales and service.
(e) Lodges, hunting clubs, camps, golf and country clubs.
(f) Recreational uses or facilities, commercially operated or for private membership, such as game courts, swimming pools, campgrounds, archery ranges, fishing or boating lakes, ski slopes, picnic grounds, marinas and accessory facilities (including the sale of food, beverages, bait, incidentals, supplies and equipment); provided that no such use, structure or accessory use is located closer than 50 feet to any adjoining property lines.
(g) Conversion of a single residential structure on a lot to contain a maximum of four dwelling units, provided that such structure was in existence prior to September 12, 1978.
(h) Wineries.
(i) Nursing homes and adult-care centers.
(j) Airports, commercial and private.
(k) Flea markets.
(l) Mobile home or manufactured housing parks as provided in Article IX.
(m) Retail greenhouse and nursery operations over 10,000 square feet. Site plan approval is required as per Article XIV.
(n) Telecommunications towers as provided in Article XIX.
(o) (Reserved) [EN]10
(p) Museums.
(q) Conversion of existing single-family dwellings to bed-and-breakfasts, provided that the bed-and-breakfast is located at least 900 feet from all lots containing intensive poultry facilities, intensive hog facilities, and other confined feeding operations.
(r) Corporate training centers. [Added 11-25-2003 by Ord. No. 2003-7]
(s) Country inns. [Added 11-25-2003 by Ord. No. 2003-7]
(t) Rural resorts. [Added 11-25-2003 by Ord. No. 2003-7]
(u) Temporary electric service [Added 4-24-2007 by Ord. No. 2007-09]
C. Area regulations.
(1) The minimum lot area shall be 10 acres.
(2) There shall be a maximum of one single-family detached dwelling or manufactured house per 10 acres.
(3) There shall be a maximum of two dwellings or manufactured houses or combination thereof per lot.
D. Frontage regulations. The minimum frontage for each lot shall be 450 feet. (See § 165-27 for cul-de-sac.)
E. Yard regulations. [NOTE: See Article XI for residential setbacks from poultry facilities.]
(1) Front yard. Structures shall be located 100 feet or more from the front lot line. This shall be known as the "setback" line.
(2) Side yard. Each side yard for each main structure shall be a minimum of 80 feet. No accessory building shall be located closer than 30 feet to any side property boundary line.
(3) Rear yard. Each main structure shall have a rear yard of 150 feet or more. Accessory buildings may be built to within 10 feet of rear property line. When the lot was recorded prior to October 1, 1978, the rear yard may be reduced to 60 feet when it is determined by the Zoning Administrator that the required setback cannot be met because water and/or sanitation facilities are necessary to be located in front of the house as determined by the Health Director.
(4) Lots adjoining an industrial-zoned district. No residential structure shall be constructed closer than 100 feet to any adjacent property line if that property is an industrial-zoned district or contains an industrial use; however, this distance may be reduced to 50 feet for side or 60 feet for rear yards if a screen buffer consisting of total screening is provided.
F. Building coverage. The maximum building coverage on a lot shall be 20%.
G. Height regulations.
(1) Structures may be erected up to 35 feet in height.
(2) All accessory buildings shall be less than the main building in height. Church spires, belfries, cupolas, monuments, water towers, farm silos, barns and other farm related structures, chimneys, flues, flagpoles, parapet walls, television antennas, radio aerials, microwave towers and other public communication facilities are not governed by the height regulation of 35 feet set forth in the previous subsection.
Foresty Land use assessment
What is land use assessment?
In 1971, the Virginia General Assembly enacted a law permitting localities to adopt a program of special assessments for agriculture, horticultural, forest and open space lands (Section 58.1-3299 through 58.1-3244 of the Code of Virginia). In 1979, The Board of Supervisors chose to adopt the ordinance based on State Law to conserve acreage that may otherwise be developed.
The purpose of the program is stated as: to encourage the proper use of such real estate in order to assure a readily available source of agricultural, horticultural and forest products and of open spaces; conserve natural resources to prevent erosion and protect adequate and safe water supplies; to preserve scenic natural beauty; to promote proper land-use planning and orderly development of real estate.
When your land qualifies for Land Use Taxation, the parcel receives a lower assessment than the fair market assessment. The difference in tax dollars is not a total abatement, but rather a deferment. Taxpayers owning real estate that meet the qualifications may enter the program under one or more of the following categories: Agricultural Use, Horticultural Use, Forestal Use or Open Space Use.
Qualifications: "Forestal Use Categories"
FORESTAL USE category requires twenty (20) contiguous acres unimproved or more exclusively devoted to forestal use with NO LIVESTOCK ACCESS. Forestal acreage with livestock access must be qualified under the AGRICULTURAL USE category. NO stripping or clear cutting is permitted unless working under the guidance of the Department of Forestry. Forestal participants are required to have a forestal commitment agreement. This can be obtained from the Land Use office, or you may consult an independent forester. Value of forestal acreage for land use purposes is obtained by county Land Use Coordinator from a scientifically derived table based on soils and stocking, NOT size, quality, or value of timber.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Land Use Assessment Coordinator at (540) 459-6179. Office hours are 8:30AM - 4:30PM, Monday through Friday.
http://www.shenandoahcountyva.us/revenue/landuse.php
In 1971, the Virginia General Assembly enacted a law permitting localities to adopt a program of special assessments for agriculture, horticultural, forest and open space lands (Section 58.1-3299 through 58.1-3244 of the Code of Virginia). In 1979, The Board of Supervisors chose to adopt the ordinance based on State Law to conserve acreage that may otherwise be developed.
The purpose of the program is stated as: to encourage the proper use of such real estate in order to assure a readily available source of agricultural, horticultural and forest products and of open spaces; conserve natural resources to prevent erosion and protect adequate and safe water supplies; to preserve scenic natural beauty; to promote proper land-use planning and orderly development of real estate.
When your land qualifies for Land Use Taxation, the parcel receives a lower assessment than the fair market assessment. The difference in tax dollars is not a total abatement, but rather a deferment. Taxpayers owning real estate that meet the qualifications may enter the program under one or more of the following categories: Agricultural Use, Horticultural Use, Forestal Use or Open Space Use.
Qualifications: "Forestal Use Categories"
FORESTAL USE category requires twenty (20) contiguous acres unimproved or more exclusively devoted to forestal use with NO LIVESTOCK ACCESS. Forestal acreage with livestock access must be qualified under the AGRICULTURAL USE category. NO stripping or clear cutting is permitted unless working under the guidance of the Department of Forestry. Forestal participants are required to have a forestal commitment agreement. This can be obtained from the Land Use office, or you may consult an independent forester. Value of forestal acreage for land use purposes is obtained by county Land Use Coordinator from a scientifically derived table based on soils and stocking, NOT size, quality, or value of timber.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Land Use Assessment Coordinator at (540) 459-6179. Office hours are 8:30AM - 4:30PM, Monday through Friday.
http://www.shenandoahcountyva.us/revenue/landuse.php
Monday, August 20, 2007
Deer hunting may put men's hearts at risk
Sat Aug 18, 6:56 PM ET
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Deer hunting could be a dangerous endeavor for men with heart disease or risk factors for it, research findings suggest.
In a study of 25 middle-aged male deer hunters, researchers found that the activities inherent to hunting -- like walking over rough terrain, shooting an animal and dragging its carcass -- sent the men's heart rates up significantly.
In some cases, this led to potentially dangerous heart-rhythm disturbances, or diminished oxygen supply to the heart.
Of the 25 hunters, 17 had established coronary heart disease, while the rest had risk factors such as being overweight, smoking or having high blood pressure or cholesterol.
The findings suggest that for men like these, hunting could boost the risk of heart attack or cardiac arrest.
Susan Haapaniemi and colleagues at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oaks, Michigan, report the findings in the American Journal of Cardiology.
For the study, the researchers outfitted each man with a portable monitor that continuously recorded his heart's electrical activity during a day of deer hunting. For comparison, the men also had their hearts monitored as they exercised on a treadmill on a separate day.
In general, the researchers found, deer hunting put the men's hearts under more strain than the treadmill did. Ten men exceeded the maximum heart rate they logged on the treadmill, and several showed potentially dangerous heart responses to hunting that they did not show during the treadmill test.
Three men had signs of impeded blood flow to the heart during hunting, but not on the treadmill. Similarly, three of the men with heart disease had heart-rhythm abnormalities while hunting that did not show up on the treadmill test.
The combination of physical exertion, adrenaline rush and the stress of rough terrain and cold weather may explain the "excessive cardiac demands" seen with hunting, according to Haapaniemi's team.
What's more, they point out, most of the men in the study were taking part in an exercise program to treat their heart disease, or were regularly physically active. Hunting could be an even greater strain on the heart in men who are usually sedentary, the researchers note.
SOURCE: American Journal of Cardiology, July 15, 2007.
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Deer hunting could be a dangerous endeavor for men with heart disease or risk factors for it, research findings suggest.
In a study of 25 middle-aged male deer hunters, researchers found that the activities inherent to hunting -- like walking over rough terrain, shooting an animal and dragging its carcass -- sent the men's heart rates up significantly.
In some cases, this led to potentially dangerous heart-rhythm disturbances, or diminished oxygen supply to the heart.
Of the 25 hunters, 17 had established coronary heart disease, while the rest had risk factors such as being overweight, smoking or having high blood pressure or cholesterol.
The findings suggest that for men like these, hunting could boost the risk of heart attack or cardiac arrest.
Susan Haapaniemi and colleagues at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oaks, Michigan, report the findings in the American Journal of Cardiology.
For the study, the researchers outfitted each man with a portable monitor that continuously recorded his heart's electrical activity during a day of deer hunting. For comparison, the men also had their hearts monitored as they exercised on a treadmill on a separate day.
In general, the researchers found, deer hunting put the men's hearts under more strain than the treadmill did. Ten men exceeded the maximum heart rate they logged on the treadmill, and several showed potentially dangerous heart responses to hunting that they did not show during the treadmill test.
Three men had signs of impeded blood flow to the heart during hunting, but not on the treadmill. Similarly, three of the men with heart disease had heart-rhythm abnormalities while hunting that did not show up on the treadmill test.
The combination of physical exertion, adrenaline rush and the stress of rough terrain and cold weather may explain the "excessive cardiac demands" seen with hunting, according to Haapaniemi's team.
What's more, they point out, most of the men in the study were taking part in an exercise program to treat their heart disease, or were regularly physically active. Hunting could be an even greater strain on the heart in men who are usually sedentary, the researchers note.
SOURCE: American Journal of Cardiology, July 15, 2007.
Friday, June 01, 2007
Annual Meeting, Work Party June 2nd, 3rd
VARC will be having a work party on June 2nd and our annual meeting June 3rd at the cabin.
We will be working on the cabin addition, putting up siding and possibly drywall.
In addition, the grass needs cutting, plus any other work that is required.
For our annual meeting on Sunday, we will be holding our annual elections, so think of any candidates you wish to nominate and come vote.
Other topics to come prepared to discuss are:
Hope to see everyone there. Please attend if possible.
We will be working on the cabin addition, putting up siding and possibly drywall.
In addition, the grass needs cutting, plus any other work that is required.
For our annual meeting on Sunday, we will be holding our annual elections, so think of any candidates you wish to nominate and come vote.
Other topics to come prepared to discuss are:
- Finances
- Treasurers report.
- Financial planning for the future.
- How to spend our gains from the timber sale to avoid taxes. We need ideas.
- Membership status and dues
- Club rules and proceedures
- Gary Younkin will be stopping by to discuss the road access issue to his property. We need to be prepared to discuss this with him.
- New and continuing work projects
- Honoring Doc Edward Michelitch
Hope to see everyone there. Please attend if possible.
Hunt squirrels in June? You bet!
By Bill Cochran
The woods should be thick with squirrels—and no doubt mosquitoes as well—during Virginia’s first-ever spring/summer squirrel hunting season June 2-23.
Hunt squirrels in June? You’ve got to be kidding!
Pat Cook admits he felt that way at first. Then the more he thought about it the better he liked the idea. Cook, who is the small game project leader for the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, believe others will follow the same logic.
I asked Cook to respond to a number of questions designed to give newcomers to June hunting some background information on this new season and what they can expect from it:
Q. Why did DGIF decided to promote squirrel hunting in June?A. In order to offer additional hunting opportunity, especially at a time when few other species can be hunted.
Q. How many other states offer a similar season?A. Seven
Q. What areas will be open to June hunting?A. Only certain DGIF-owned Wildlife Manage Areas: Amelia, Big Survey, Briery Creek, Chickahominy, Dick Cross, Dismal Swamp, Fairystone, Goshen, Havens, Hog Island (Carlisle tract only), Horsepen, James River, Pettigrew, Phelps, Powhatan, Thompson, Turkeycock Mountain and White Oak Mountain.
Q. Do you anticipate additional hunting areas will be included in the future?A. I can’t speculate on that.
Q. Will squirrels be abundant in June?A. Squirrels will likely be very abundant this June on many of the areas. The results of a survey of the squirrel population in August 2006 were the highest ever recorded. Plus, there was a bumper acorn crop this past fall. Therefore, all those squirrels likely had great survival rates and entered the first peak of the breeding season in prime condition turning out a lot of new squirrels.
Q. How much interest in this season do you expect?A. Initially, I don’t expect there to be a great deal of interest. Over time, I think interest will grow as it has in other states that have adopted such a season.
Q. Have you received any opposition to the season?A. Very little.
Q. Will the June season be a hardship on pregnant squirrels and those caring for young?A. From a biological standpoint, the June squirrel season will actually occur at an opportune time. A study conducted in Virginia found that squirrels can produce young throughout the year. However, 81 percent of all litters were born February through March and July and August. Only 0.9 percent were born in May and 1.4 percent in June. Very few pregnant squirrels or ones caring for young will be harvested during the June season, much fewer than during parts of the regular season.
Q. Do you anticipate that the heat will be a challenge for hunters?A. Compared to September, the first month of the regular squirrel season, June really isn’t that much warmer. Averaged across the entire Commonwealth, the normal maximum temperature in September is 78 degrees. In June it is only 3 degrees warmer. Hunters will probably focus their efforts in the early and late parts of the day, but they do that in the regular season as well. That’s when gray squirrels are most active.
Q. Won’t squirrels likely to be carrying “wolves” or other parasites?A. Although it is possible that squirrels taken during the June season could be infested, it’s not very likely. Infestations are greatest in the late summer and early fall.
Q. Is the bag limit the same as it is in the fall/winter? Are fox squirrels legal game?A. The 6-per day bag limit is the same. Fox squirrels are legal in areas that lie in counties where fox squirrel hunting traditionally is permitted.
Q. Will the season be disruptive to other wildlife that may be carrying for young?A. That’s not an easy thing to answer. Any time someone leaves their home they could disrupt wildlife. However, the season will not cause the decline of any populations.
Q. How will June hunting techniques differ from those used during the fall/winter season?A. You won’t have much success searching for areas with an abundance of acorns or hickory nuts. Hunters will have to find where the squirrels are feeding and focus on those areas.
Q. What will be the likely food sources?A. Mostly the buds and flowers of trees, such as ash, elm, maple and sweet gum. They also will be feeding on some of the soft mast that matures during this time. In particular, they will key in on the fruit of the mulberry tree if available.
Q. Do you think the season offers opportunities to introduce youngsters to hunting?A. It will be a great time to take youngsters hunting. They will be out of school and there are very few other hunting opportunities available this time of the year.
The woods should be thick with squirrels—and no doubt mosquitoes as well—during Virginia’s first-ever spring/summer squirrel hunting season June 2-23.
Hunt squirrels in June? You’ve got to be kidding!
Pat Cook admits he felt that way at first. Then the more he thought about it the better he liked the idea. Cook, who is the small game project leader for the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, believe others will follow the same logic.
I asked Cook to respond to a number of questions designed to give newcomers to June hunting some background information on this new season and what they can expect from it:
Q. Why did DGIF decided to promote squirrel hunting in June?A. In order to offer additional hunting opportunity, especially at a time when few other species can be hunted.
Q. How many other states offer a similar season?A. Seven
Q. What areas will be open to June hunting?A. Only certain DGIF-owned Wildlife Manage Areas: Amelia, Big Survey, Briery Creek, Chickahominy, Dick Cross, Dismal Swamp, Fairystone, Goshen, Havens, Hog Island (Carlisle tract only), Horsepen, James River, Pettigrew, Phelps, Powhatan, Thompson, Turkeycock Mountain and White Oak Mountain.
Q. Do you anticipate additional hunting areas will be included in the future?A. I can’t speculate on that.
Q. Will squirrels be abundant in June?A. Squirrels will likely be very abundant this June on many of the areas. The results of a survey of the squirrel population in August 2006 were the highest ever recorded. Plus, there was a bumper acorn crop this past fall. Therefore, all those squirrels likely had great survival rates and entered the first peak of the breeding season in prime condition turning out a lot of new squirrels.
Q. How much interest in this season do you expect?A. Initially, I don’t expect there to be a great deal of interest. Over time, I think interest will grow as it has in other states that have adopted such a season.
Q. Have you received any opposition to the season?A. Very little.
Q. Will the June season be a hardship on pregnant squirrels and those caring for young?A. From a biological standpoint, the June squirrel season will actually occur at an opportune time. A study conducted in Virginia found that squirrels can produce young throughout the year. However, 81 percent of all litters were born February through March and July and August. Only 0.9 percent were born in May and 1.4 percent in June. Very few pregnant squirrels or ones caring for young will be harvested during the June season, much fewer than during parts of the regular season.
Q. Do you anticipate that the heat will be a challenge for hunters?A. Compared to September, the first month of the regular squirrel season, June really isn’t that much warmer. Averaged across the entire Commonwealth, the normal maximum temperature in September is 78 degrees. In June it is only 3 degrees warmer. Hunters will probably focus their efforts in the early and late parts of the day, but they do that in the regular season as well. That’s when gray squirrels are most active.
Q. Won’t squirrels likely to be carrying “wolves” or other parasites?A. Although it is possible that squirrels taken during the June season could be infested, it’s not very likely. Infestations are greatest in the late summer and early fall.
Q. Is the bag limit the same as it is in the fall/winter? Are fox squirrels legal game?A. The 6-per day bag limit is the same. Fox squirrels are legal in areas that lie in counties where fox squirrel hunting traditionally is permitted.
Q. Will the season be disruptive to other wildlife that may be carrying for young?A. That’s not an easy thing to answer. Any time someone leaves their home they could disrupt wildlife. However, the season will not cause the decline of any populations.
Q. How will June hunting techniques differ from those used during the fall/winter season?A. You won’t have much success searching for areas with an abundance of acorns or hickory nuts. Hunters will have to find where the squirrels are feeding and focus on those areas.
Q. What will be the likely food sources?A. Mostly the buds and flowers of trees, such as ash, elm, maple and sweet gum. They also will be feeding on some of the soft mast that matures during this time. In particular, they will key in on the fruit of the mulberry tree if available.
Q. Do you think the season offers opportunities to introduce youngsters to hunting?A. It will be a great time to take youngsters hunting. They will be out of school and there are very few other hunting opportunities available this time of the year.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Rest In Peace Doc.
"Doc" Edward Michelitch 1925 - 2007 Doc was a veterinarian and a charter member of the DC Academy of Veterinary Medicine.
He founded the Great Falls Animal Hospital in 1963.
"Dr. Mike" as he was know there, was living at the Tall Oaks assisted living community in Reston for the last several years.
EDWARD MICHELITCH
On Thursday, April 26, 2007 in residence at Fairfax Nursing Center. Former owner and founder of Great Falls Animal Hospital and honored community veterinarian and friend. Beloved husband of the late Lee H. Survived by one son, Jem; one grandson, Jason; two granddaughters, Taryn and Tess; two sisters, Mary Petrick and Rebecca Nagel; five brothers, Herman, Joseph, Robert, Phillip and Harry; many other relatives and friends. Family will receive friends at ADAMS-GREEN FUNERAL HOME, 721 Elden St., Herndon, VA on Sunday April 29 from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. There will be a Catholic Mass held Monday, April 30 at ST. JOSEPH'S CHURCH, 750 Peachtree St., Herndon, VA at 10 a.m. All are welcome to attend. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in his name to the Richmond Animal League, 11401 International Drive, Richmond, VA 23236-3945.
Published in The Washington Post on 4/28/2007.
Viewing:
Sunday 4-29-2007
Location: Adams-Green Funeral Home
Location: Adams-Green Funeral Home
721 Elden Street, Herndon VA 20170
703-437-1764
Hours: 2:00 to 4:00 pm
Hours: 2:00 to 4:00 pm
6:00 to 8:00 pm
Mass and Services:
Date: Monday, 4-30-2007 at 10:00 am
Location: St. Joseph Catholic Church
750 Peachtree Street Herndon, VA
703-437-3737
In lieu of flowers:
Richmond Animal League
11401 International Drive Richmond, VA 23236-3945
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Lowes in Woodstock opened Tuesday, March 13th!
Lowes in Woodstock opened Tuesday!
Thursday is the grand opening. They are having some sales and specials.
LOWE'S OF WOODSTOCK, VA #2637
1220 HENRY FORD DRIVE
WOODSTOCK, VA 22664
Phone: (540) 459-1040
Fax: (540) 459-1043
M-SA 7-9, SU 8-7
Now we won't have to go far to get the supplies, especially the drywall.
Thursday is the grand opening. They are having some sales and specials.
LOWE'S OF WOODSTOCK, VA #2637
1220 HENRY FORD DRIVE
WOODSTOCK, VA 22664
Phone: (540) 459-1040
Fax: (540) 459-1043
M-SA 7-9, SU 8-7
Now we won't have to go far to get the supplies, especially the drywall.
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Spring Gobbler Season starts April 14
Spring Gobbler Season
Bag Limit
One per day, bearded turkeys only. Hunters may take one, two or three bearded turkeys depending on how many turkeys were taken in the fall season.
Seasons: Statewide
April 14-May 5:
One-half hour before sunrise until 12 noon each day.
May 7-May 19:
One-half hour before sunrise to sunset.
April 7: Youth Spring Turkey Hunt
One-half hour before sunrise to 12 noon.
Youth hunters (resident or nonresident) must be 15 years of age or younger to participate.
Youth hunters between the age of 12 and 15 must have appropriate valid hunting licenses. Hunters under the age of 12 are not required to have a license, but they must be accompanied by a licensed adult.
All youth must be accompanied and directly supervised and within sight of an adult. Adult hunters accompanying youth must possess a valid Virginia hunting license (or be exempt from purchasing a hunting license); may assist with calling; and shall not carry or discharge a firearm.
Legal Methods and Restrictions
Modern firearms
Archery tackle
Muzzleloading firearms
Decoys and blinds may be used
Unlawful to use electronic calls
Unlawful to use dogs during spring gobbler season
Unlawful to use or have in possession any shot larger than number 2 fine shot during spring gobbler season (See Legal Use of Firearms and Local Firearms Ordinances for details.)
Bag Limit
One per day, bearded turkeys only. Hunters may take one, two or three bearded turkeys depending on how many turkeys were taken in the fall season.
Seasons: Statewide
April 14-May 5:
One-half hour before sunrise until 12 noon each day.
May 7-May 19:
One-half hour before sunrise to sunset.
April 7: Youth Spring Turkey Hunt
One-half hour before sunrise to 12 noon.
Youth hunters (resident or nonresident) must be 15 years of age or younger to participate.
Youth hunters between the age of 12 and 15 must have appropriate valid hunting licenses. Hunters under the age of 12 are not required to have a license, but they must be accompanied by a licensed adult.
All youth must be accompanied and directly supervised and within sight of an adult. Adult hunters accompanying youth must possess a valid Virginia hunting license (or be exempt from purchasing a hunting license); may assist with calling; and shall not carry or discharge a firearm.
Legal Methods and Restrictions
Modern firearms
Archery tackle
Muzzleloading firearms
Decoys and blinds may be used
Unlawful to use electronic calls
Unlawful to use dogs during spring gobbler season
Unlawful to use or have in possession any shot larger than number 2 fine shot during spring gobbler season (See Legal Use of Firearms and Local Firearms Ordinances for details.)
Catchable Trout Stocking Program on Stony Creek
Catchable Trout Stocking Program
As in most states, put-and-take trout fishing draws the most interest and attention in Virginia, probably because of the availability of catchable-sized trout and ease of capture. Virginia's catchable program is supported by hatcheries located at Marion, Paint Bank and Wytheville. Three additional rearing facilities are located at Marion, Montebello and Williamsville.
Trout eggs are collected from large brood stock in early fall and placed incubator trays. This helps to maintain an even flow of well-oxygenated water through the eggs. Once the embryo is developed, trays must be constantly cleaned and dead eggs removed to control disease. After 25-30 days the trout begin to hatch. The small "fry," as they are called, remain attached to their egg sacs for about 14 days, and draw their food from it. The fry are kept indoors in small troughs until their sacs are absorbed and they begin taking small, pelleted food. When they reach a suitable fingerling stage (2-3 inches) they are transported to rearing facilities where they are placed in raceways.
The fish are fed several times daily for at least a year until they reach catchable size (9-11 inches). During this rearing period, it is necessary to clean raceways daily to control disease and occasionally grade fish to ensure that the larger trout will not eat smaller ones.
The program is covered primarily from the sale of trout licenses. In addition to a valid state freshwater fishing license, a trout license is required to legally fish in designated stocked trout waters. Annual output from the program is approximately 1,250,000 catchable trout, in addition to variable numbers of fingerling and sub-catchable trout used in other programs.
By January 1, most streams on the stocking list will have already received at least one stocking and will continue to be stocked through spring. Stockings will be discontinued by the end of May and will resume after October 1.
Streams and lakes will be stocked at various intervals, depending on their potential to hold trout during the late spring and early fall. Fishermen should find that most streams have good numbers of trout throughout the stocking season. Waters to be stocked are listed by county in the Trout Stocking Plan (PDF). The plan indicates the frequency of stocking and the specific stocking periods for each stream.
Call your local VDGIF office for more information. For daily trout stocking updates during stocking season, check the Trout Stocking Schedule or call (434) 525-FISH (3474).
Stocked trout streams are marked with appropriate signs, which identify the portion of stream stocked. Marked sections are open to public fishing, in accordance with agreements between the Department and private landowners. This is the only case where anglers are not required to have landowner permission before fishing on private water.
Stony Creek is stocked in each of the following periods:October (once),November or
December (once),January or February;(once),March (twice),April (twice),and May
(once).
As in most states, put-and-take trout fishing draws the most interest and attention in Virginia, probably because of the availability of catchable-sized trout and ease of capture. Virginia's catchable program is supported by hatcheries located at Marion, Paint Bank and Wytheville. Three additional rearing facilities are located at Marion, Montebello and Williamsville.
Trout eggs are collected from large brood stock in early fall and placed incubator trays. This helps to maintain an even flow of well-oxygenated water through the eggs. Once the embryo is developed, trays must be constantly cleaned and dead eggs removed to control disease. After 25-30 days the trout begin to hatch. The small "fry," as they are called, remain attached to their egg sacs for about 14 days, and draw their food from it. The fry are kept indoors in small troughs until their sacs are absorbed and they begin taking small, pelleted food. When they reach a suitable fingerling stage (2-3 inches) they are transported to rearing facilities where they are placed in raceways.
The fish are fed several times daily for at least a year until they reach catchable size (9-11 inches). During this rearing period, it is necessary to clean raceways daily to control disease and occasionally grade fish to ensure that the larger trout will not eat smaller ones.
The program is covered primarily from the sale of trout licenses. In addition to a valid state freshwater fishing license, a trout license is required to legally fish in designated stocked trout waters. Annual output from the program is approximately 1,250,000 catchable trout, in addition to variable numbers of fingerling and sub-catchable trout used in other programs.
By January 1, most streams on the stocking list will have already received at least one stocking and will continue to be stocked through spring. Stockings will be discontinued by the end of May and will resume after October 1.
Streams and lakes will be stocked at various intervals, depending on their potential to hold trout during the late spring and early fall. Fishermen should find that most streams have good numbers of trout throughout the stocking season. Waters to be stocked are listed by county in the Trout Stocking Plan (PDF). The plan indicates the frequency of stocking and the specific stocking periods for each stream.
Call your local VDGIF office for more information. For daily trout stocking updates during stocking season, check the Trout Stocking Schedule or call (434) 525-FISH (3474).
Stocked trout streams are marked with appropriate signs, which identify the portion of stream stocked. Marked sections are open to public fishing, in accordance with agreements between the Department and private landowners. This is the only case where anglers are not required to have landowner permission before fishing on private water.
Stony Creek is stocked in each of the following periods:October (once),November or
December (once),January or February;(once),March (twice),April (twice),and May
(once).
Monday, March 05, 2007
Big game figures are cause for grins and frowns
By Bill Cochran
If you want to kill a bear, then get a crossbow. If you want to kill a turkey during the fall season, then pray.
Those are a couple of tidbits that can be gleaned from the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries' preliminary kill figures for the recent deer, bear and turkey hunting seasons.
Before I explain how crossbows and prayer figure into the equation, here is the raw data:
DEER: Hunters reported killing 223,198 deer, which was the second highest figure on record. It was a 4-percent increase over the previous season and 7-percent higher than the most recent 10-year average.
BEAR: The bear kill has been increasing nearly 8-percent annually the past decade and shows no indication of slowing. The recent season was up 13 percent over the previous one, settling on a record of 1,633, which was 122 more than the previous record of 2003.
TURKEY : The fall turkey kill continues to decline, dropping by 6 percent this time as it skidded to a dismal 4,143 total. You have to go back more than 20 years to find a lower figure; in fact, the kill was only about one-fourth the 16,861 record set in 1990.
You can get a whole lot more data from the game department's Web site, www.dgif.virginia.gov , which leaves me to point out some things I found interesting.
Hunters using hounds killed about 50 percent of the bears, which is little surprise since mild temperatures and decent mast kept the big animals active through the entire season. What is interesting, slightly more than one-quarter of the bears were killed during the bow/crossbow season, and 38 percent of these were taken by crossbows.
Sometimes hound hunters grow a bit disgruntled over the early season bow take, saying that the bow-season crowd may be killing a high percentage of females. That concern wasn't merited this time. The percentage of females taken during the bow/crossbow season was 32 percent while it was 33 percent during the hound season.
The fact that the female bear kill averaged just 35 percent for all seasons speaks well for the continued expansion of the bear population. I recall in the 70s when too many females were being killed and there was serious debate that the black bear was facing extinction in Virginia .
Now the concern has switched to turkeys. No one is saying turkeys face extinction, but the fall kill figures sure are plummeting. You have to wonder if the bear kill soon is going to exceed the fall turkey kill.
What's happening to our turkeys or our tradition of turkey hunting?
Wildlife officials continue to blame the decline on the weather. Cold conditions in March were believed to be responsible for delaying the onset of breeding and nesting, which diminished success. High rainfall in April resulted in poor nesting success and survival. A wet spring not only is tough on the chicks, but it also aids predators in finding nesting birds. Then, add to that, there was a good mast crop in the fall and that kept turkeys scattered.
I buy all this, but there has to be something more that we aren't considering. Most of us are seeing more turkeys than ever before. They are showing up everywhere but in the fall kill figures.
Could it be that the major problem isn't the recruitment of turkeys, but the recruitment of turkey hunters? Do we need to take a fresh look at regulations that were put in place in 1995 with the promise that the fall kill would increase by 77 percent in a decade?
The deer kill was the second highest on record, and no doubt would have been even higher had success not been hampered by warm weather during the early season and an abundant mast crop that kept deer scattered.
When it comes to deer management, near-record kills aren't exactly what game officials want, because they often are a red-flag indicator that the deer population is too high.
Hunters reported killing a record 96,951 does, but that might not have been enough to avoid problems in the future.
Here are the top-ten counties for deer, bear and turkey:
DEER
Bedford , 8,215
Loudoun, 6,627
Fauquier, 6,464
Southampton , 6,366
Franklin , 5,201
Pittsylvania, 4,590
Shenandoah, 4,389
Scott, 3,950
Albemarle , 3,910
Augusta , 3,889
BEAR
Rockinghan, 153
Madison , 95
Alleghany, 88
Augusta , 86
Rockbridge, 84
Albemarle , 66
Shenandoah, 66
Page, 60
Rappahannock , 57
Bath 56
TURKEY
Bedford , 157
Botetourt, 138
Scott, 138
Amelia, 132
Halifax , 129
Pittsylvania, 117
Franklin , 105
Shenandoah, 102
Dinwiddie, 90
Alleghany, 86
If you want to kill a bear, then get a crossbow. If you want to kill a turkey during the fall season, then pray.
Those are a couple of tidbits that can be gleaned from the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries' preliminary kill figures for the recent deer, bear and turkey hunting seasons.
Before I explain how crossbows and prayer figure into the equation, here is the raw data:
DEER: Hunters reported killing 223,198 deer, which was the second highest figure on record. It was a 4-percent increase over the previous season and 7-percent higher than the most recent 10-year average.
BEAR: The bear kill has been increasing nearly 8-percent annually the past decade and shows no indication of slowing. The recent season was up 13 percent over the previous one, settling on a record of 1,633, which was 122 more than the previous record of 2003.
TURKEY : The fall turkey kill continues to decline, dropping by 6 percent this time as it skidded to a dismal 4,143 total. You have to go back more than 20 years to find a lower figure; in fact, the kill was only about one-fourth the 16,861 record set in 1990.
You can get a whole lot more data from the game department's Web site, www.dgif.virginia.gov , which leaves me to point out some things I found interesting.
Hunters using hounds killed about 50 percent of the bears, which is little surprise since mild temperatures and decent mast kept the big animals active through the entire season. What is interesting, slightly more than one-quarter of the bears were killed during the bow/crossbow season, and 38 percent of these were taken by crossbows.
Sometimes hound hunters grow a bit disgruntled over the early season bow take, saying that the bow-season crowd may be killing a high percentage of females. That concern wasn't merited this time. The percentage of females taken during the bow/crossbow season was 32 percent while it was 33 percent during the hound season.
The fact that the female bear kill averaged just 35 percent for all seasons speaks well for the continued expansion of the bear population. I recall in the 70s when too many females were being killed and there was serious debate that the black bear was facing extinction in Virginia .
Now the concern has switched to turkeys. No one is saying turkeys face extinction, but the fall kill figures sure are plummeting. You have to wonder if the bear kill soon is going to exceed the fall turkey kill.
What's happening to our turkeys or our tradition of turkey hunting?
Wildlife officials continue to blame the decline on the weather. Cold conditions in March were believed to be responsible for delaying the onset of breeding and nesting, which diminished success. High rainfall in April resulted in poor nesting success and survival. A wet spring not only is tough on the chicks, but it also aids predators in finding nesting birds. Then, add to that, there was a good mast crop in the fall and that kept turkeys scattered.
I buy all this, but there has to be something more that we aren't considering. Most of us are seeing more turkeys than ever before. They are showing up everywhere but in the fall kill figures.
Could it be that the major problem isn't the recruitment of turkeys, but the recruitment of turkey hunters? Do we need to take a fresh look at regulations that were put in place in 1995 with the promise that the fall kill would increase by 77 percent in a decade?
The deer kill was the second highest on record, and no doubt would have been even higher had success not been hampered by warm weather during the early season and an abundant mast crop that kept deer scattered.
When it comes to deer management, near-record kills aren't exactly what game officials want, because they often are a red-flag indicator that the deer population is too high.
Hunters reported killing a record 96,951 does, but that might not have been enough to avoid problems in the future.
Here are the top-ten counties for deer, bear and turkey:
DEER
Bedford , 8,215
Loudoun, 6,627
Fauquier, 6,464
Southampton , 6,366
Franklin , 5,201
Pittsylvania, 4,590
Shenandoah, 4,389
Scott, 3,950
Albemarle , 3,910
Augusta , 3,889
BEAR
Rockinghan, 153
Madison , 95
Alleghany, 88
Augusta , 86
Rockbridge, 84
Albemarle , 66
Shenandoah, 66
Page, 60
Rappahannock , 57
Bath 56
TURKEY
Bedford , 157
Botetourt, 138
Scott, 138
Amelia, 132
Halifax , 129
Pittsylvania, 117
Franklin , 105
Shenandoah, 102
Dinwiddie, 90
Alleghany, 86
Monday, February 12, 2007
Hunting's Bind of Less Space and Time
Hunting's Bind of Less Space and Time
Sportsmen Thin in Virginia, Uprooted From Land and Custom
By Nick MiroffWashington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, February 11, 2007; A01
There's a declining species in the woods of the Old Dominion, a blaze-orange, two-legged, gun-toting creature under threat from every new subdivision and Nintendophile teenager: the Virginia hunter.
Despite adding a million residents in the past decade, the state lost nearly 100,000 hunters, according to Virginia's Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. Hunting license sales slipped last year to 702,944, down from a peak of 808,633 in 1995.
Suburban development is partly driving the decline, leaving fewer open spaces where it's safe to pull a trigger without hitting a home or one of its occupants. But the trend goes deeper, experts say, reflecting a cultural shift underway nationwide. As Americans become busier, more urbanized and less rooted in family and social traditions, they're less inclined to go into the woods on a cold, wet morning to wait in breathless silence for a deer to walk by.
National hunting and firearms groups have mobilized to stem the defections, launching programs aimed at attracting women, the disabled, teenagers and children. But in fast-growing areas such as Northern Virginia, a simple spatial challenge besets hunters, one that is often described in language borrowed from endangered species advocates: loss of habitat.
"It's a terrible paradox," said Steve Clark, owner of the Clark Brothers gun shop in Warrenton, which has outfitted hunters for nearly 50 years. "The more people you have, the larger your customer base is," he said, "but the harder it is for those customers to have a place to do what you're trying to sell them to do."
"It's a terrible paradox," said Steve Clark, owner of the Clark Brothers gun shop in Warrenton, which has outfitted hunters for nearly 50 years. "The more people you have, the larger your customer base is," he said, "but the harder it is for those customers to have a place to do what you're trying to sell them to do."
The decrease in license sales has worrisome financial implications for state efforts to protect threatened and endangered species, including fish and birds. The Department of Game and Inland Fisheries covered more than half of its $47 million budget last year with fees collected from hunting and fishing license sales. "We don't know where those dollars will come from if we don't have people buying licenses," said Julia Dixon, spokeswoman for the agency.
"Even in the metro Richmond area, in Chesterfield County, 20 or 30 years ago kids would take off school on the first day of hunting season," she added. "You don't see that anymore."
Benefiting immensely from the slide are the prey of erstwhile hunters, especially deer, which appear to delight in the perks of suburban living, with its flower gardens, shrubs and gun ordinances, just as much their biped neighbors. Hunted to near extinction 100 years ago, deer now number about 1 million in the state.
"Even in the metro Richmond area, in Chesterfield County, 20 or 30 years ago kids would take off school on the first day of hunting season," she added. "You don't see that anymore."
Benefiting immensely from the slide are the prey of erstwhile hunters, especially deer, which appear to delight in the perks of suburban living, with its flower gardens, shrubs and gun ordinances, just as much their biped neighbors. Hunted to near extinction 100 years ago, deer now number about 1 million in the state.
To manage this vast, hungry herd, state officials are encouraging hunters to kill more deer than ever, preferring that they be downed by fee-paying sportsmen rather than suburban commuters. Hunting season on antlerless deer was extended by a month in Prince William, Fairfax and Loudon counties this year in the hope that hunters would bag a few extra does.
On a recent afternoon in Nokesville, a few days before the close of the extended season, Clarence Watts, 45, and his son Luke, 17, drove to a sod farm where they have hunted for years. They parked on the edge of the field, then suited up in blaze-orange and camouflage outerwear to buffer them from the icy wind. Luke sprayed his trousers with a bottle of scent eliminator and silenced the ringer on his cellphone.
On a recent afternoon in Nokesville, a few days before the close of the extended season, Clarence Watts, 45, and his son Luke, 17, drove to a sod farm where they have hunted for years. They parked on the edge of the field, then suited up in blaze-orange and camouflage outerwear to buffer them from the icy wind. Luke sprayed his trousers with a bottle of scent eliminator and silenced the ringer on his cellphone.
A row of two-story, single-family houses was visible through the trees a few hundred yards away, but Clarence said they would be careful not to shoot in that direction. They loaded high-caliber, low-velocity rounds into their shotguns so that an errant volley wouldn't carry too far. It was just one of the quirks of "residential hunting," Clarence said, along with the sounds of cars and barking dogs.
"It's a little strange," he said. "But the deer are there."
Luke, a junior at Brentsville High School who shot his first buck at age 11, said he doesn't talk about hunting much with his friends at school. "I just kind of keep it to myself," he said. "Some people who grow up in the suburbs haven't been around hunting much, so they might not understand."
Luke, a junior at Brentsville High School who shot his first buck at age 11, said he doesn't talk about hunting much with his friends at school. "I just kind of keep it to myself," he said. "Some people who grow up in the suburbs haven't been around hunting much, so they might not understand."
The Wattses' access to a large tract of private land is luxury. In national surveys on hunting access, the commonwealth ranks among the bottom quarter of states, said Mark Damian Duda, executive director of Responsive Management, a Virginia-based research firm that gathers data for state and federal wildlife agencies.
"The more a state becomes urban, the fewer hunters a state has," Duda said.
Cultural changes are the other component of the trend, but public perceptions of hunting have not soured, Duda said. Survey data indicate the opposite: Public support for hunting is increasing as some suburban residents begin viewing deer as a nuisance. And the hunting photo op continues to be a mainstay of political campaigns in Virginia and elsewhere, Duda noted.
Instead, the cultural change is one of increasing social fragmentation, he said.
As young men leave rural areas in search of work, the "social support system" of the hunting culture breaks down. Fathers die. Sons move away and lack the time or space to pass on the tradition. "It's the erosion of the small hunting unit," Duda said.
Cultural changes are the other component of the trend, but public perceptions of hunting have not soured, Duda said. Survey data indicate the opposite: Public support for hunting is increasing as some suburban residents begin viewing deer as a nuisance. And the hunting photo op continues to be a mainstay of political campaigns in Virginia and elsewhere, Duda noted.
Instead, the cultural change is one of increasing social fragmentation, he said.
As young men leave rural areas in search of work, the "social support system" of the hunting culture breaks down. Fathers die. Sons move away and lack the time or space to pass on the tradition. "It's the erosion of the small hunting unit," Duda said.
Culpeper County resident Josh Tamplin, 26, has seen it happen to his hunting club. "Last year, we had 15 or 20 guys go out," he said. "This year, it was like four or five.
"The way things are going, I don't believe there's going to be any hunting around here in 25 years." Most of the guys in the club are much older, he said, and it has been hard to get friends his age interested in the sport.
"The way things are going, I don't believe there's going to be any hunting around here in 25 years." Most of the guys in the club are much older, he said, and it has been hard to get friends his age interested in the sport.
"It's something I love to do, but it's just trickling away," he said.
National studies have found that the average age of hunters has risen to the mid-40s. "Hunters are getting older and older, and we're not recruiting enough young people to the sport," said Nicholas Throckmorton, a spokesman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The sport is flourishing among one group, however: women. According to the National Rifle Association, 2.4 million women went hunting in 2005, a 72 percent increase from 2001. Women make up 16 percent of active hunters, with 18- to 24-year-olds the fastest-growing group.
The number of disabled hunters is also increasing, elevated by programs such as Wheelin' Sportsmen and Deer Hunt for the Disabled in Fauquier County, which offers wheelchair-accessible trails and deer stands, some with electric lifts.
National studies have found that the average age of hunters has risen to the mid-40s. "Hunters are getting older and older, and we're not recruiting enough young people to the sport," said Nicholas Throckmorton, a spokesman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The sport is flourishing among one group, however: women. According to the National Rifle Association, 2.4 million women went hunting in 2005, a 72 percent increase from 2001. Women make up 16 percent of active hunters, with 18- to 24-year-olds the fastest-growing group.
The number of disabled hunters is also increasing, elevated by programs such as Wheelin' Sportsmen and Deer Hunt for the Disabled in Fauquier County, which offers wheelchair-accessible trails and deer stands, some with electric lifts.
But children and teenagers are the main focus of efforts to reverse hunting's decline.
Families Afield, a program devised by the National Shooting Sports Foundation and other groups, is working to lift restrictions in 20 states that limit hunting to children 12 and older. The program ranks Virginia the 28th most restrictive state for youth access to hunting; Maryland ranks 25th.
Families Afield, a program devised by the National Shooting Sports Foundation and other groups, is working to lift restrictions in 20 states that limit hunting to children 12 and older. The program ranks Virginia the 28th most restrictive state for youth access to hunting; Maryland ranks 25th.
Attracting more teens is another objective, resulting in promotional efforts such as Xtreme Jakes, a flashy magazine and Web site run by the National Wild Turkey Federation. Redolent of a Mountain Dew commercial, the site advertises youth hunting events and features an "Are you an Xtreme Jake?" top 10 list. (No. 3: You'd rather bag a turkey in the woods than on your video game.)
"It's got to be a cool thing to do," said Rob Keck, chief executive of the federation. Xtreme Jakes (for teens 13 to 17) and Jakes (12 and younger) have 217,000 members, Keck said.
"I think there is a real need to be in line with what turns young people on," he said. "They've got to feel good about it and say, 'I want to be cool.' "
"I think there is a real need to be in line with what turns young people on," he said. "They've got to feel good about it and say, 'I want to be cool.' "
Thursday, December 14, 2006
The cat at the cabin found a home.
The cat that was at the cabin during deer hunting season has a new home and a new name. Annie Cat for Orphan Annie.
More on Turkey dogs (No, not the kind you eat.)
Life with half of a turkey dog
By Bill Cochran
Someone found the abandoned puppy along the highway and picked it up and took it to my son and daughter-in-law’s house. They had just lost their beloved dog to cancer. They agreed to keep the puppy overnight, then decide if they wanted to adopt it.
They might as well have had a sign on their door that said: “We are suckers for strays.” You know what happened.
The puppy had a pudgy face, was fat as a furry football and black as coal. They named him Bear.
He was of unknown lineage, but you could tell he had Lab in him and who knows what else. As he grew up, he proved to be an opportunist looking for a good time, the kind of dog that jumps up on you, runs off for long periods and pays scant attention when you call. But Bear had a way of calming your anger and winning you over with a couple thumps of his tail.
I don’t know what compelled us, but my son and I decided to take Bear hunting one day. We discovered that he was first class when it came to locating and flushing turkeys. Before long, both my son and I had killed a turkey or two with Bear’s help. Fact is, we seldom went into the woods without Bear finding and flushing turkeys.
Years earlier, I had hunted turkeys with dogs owned and trained by Kit Shaffer, a Department of Game and Inland Fisheries biologist. Friends would give Kit failed bird dogs, usually renegade setters that would rather pounce than point. He would give them a home and turn them into well-disciplined turkey dogs. Such critters were rare back in the 70s.
Later I ran into John Byrne, a Southern Gentleman cattle grower in Bedford County, who trained and hunted turkey dogs with his son J.T. At the time, these were the only sportsmen using turkey dogs that I knew about in Virginia.
What you need is a wide-ranging dog that will trail, scatter flocks with hard-charging enthusiasm, bark to announce the location of the flush, then have the discipline to recline perfectly still, maybe while zipped into a camouflaged bag, as the turkeys regroup to your calls.
Such a beast is rare, because you want them running headlong and barking one minute and perfectly still the next. They are the product of intelligence and training. Yet there appears to be more turkey dogs now than, say, 20 or so years ago. Maybe because there are more turkeys and turkey hunters.
I am aware of a few such dogs and their proud owners:
> Carson Quarles, a banker and former DGIF board member who lives in Roanoke County, had a Boykin spaniel named Brandy that was a member of the family and a superb turkey dog. Ill health overtook her and at age 14 and she had to be put to sleep this fall.
Carson and his wife, Norma, did the best thing you can do when you are grieving over a lost hunting buddy. Get another one. Just in time for Christmas, they have in their home a Boykin pup from South Carolina named Amanda Belle, or Mandy for short.
> Dennis Campbell owns a 6-year old Brittany spaniel turkey dog that has been on the Outdoor Channel. Campbell, who lives in Waynesboro, was a staff member of the National Wild Turkey Federation for a number of years and now is the Mid-Atlantic Regional Director of the Quality Deer Management Association.
> Gratten Hepler, who lives in Covington, has trained and hunted turkey dogs for more than 30 years, and written a book on the subject titled “Turkey Dog Tales.” It is published by Author House, www.AuthorHouse.com.
Back to Bear, he has a great nose for turkeys, his broad chest and muscular legs make him a flushing machine, but, alas, he doesn’t bark and he isn’t about to cast aside his natural inclinations and lie still in a camo bag when turkeys are approaching—even when turkeys aren’t approaching.
So when Bear flushes turkeys, one of us has to take him back to the vehicle while the other is just about guaranteed a shot. You take the risk of drawing the short straw when you have just half of a turkey dog. But some days that is better than none at all.
THE LAST LEG of Virginia’s fall turkey season opened Dec. 11 and continues through June 6. Virginia is one of a dozen states that permits turkey hunting with dogs during the fall season.
By Bill Cochran
Someone found the abandoned puppy along the highway and picked it up and took it to my son and daughter-in-law’s house. They had just lost their beloved dog to cancer. They agreed to keep the puppy overnight, then decide if they wanted to adopt it.
They might as well have had a sign on their door that said: “We are suckers for strays.” You know what happened.
The puppy had a pudgy face, was fat as a furry football and black as coal. They named him Bear.
He was of unknown lineage, but you could tell he had Lab in him and who knows what else. As he grew up, he proved to be an opportunist looking for a good time, the kind of dog that jumps up on you, runs off for long periods and pays scant attention when you call. But Bear had a way of calming your anger and winning you over with a couple thumps of his tail.
I don’t know what compelled us, but my son and I decided to take Bear hunting one day. We discovered that he was first class when it came to locating and flushing turkeys. Before long, both my son and I had killed a turkey or two with Bear’s help. Fact is, we seldom went into the woods without Bear finding and flushing turkeys.
Years earlier, I had hunted turkeys with dogs owned and trained by Kit Shaffer, a Department of Game and Inland Fisheries biologist. Friends would give Kit failed bird dogs, usually renegade setters that would rather pounce than point. He would give them a home and turn them into well-disciplined turkey dogs. Such critters were rare back in the 70s.
Later I ran into John Byrne, a Southern Gentleman cattle grower in Bedford County, who trained and hunted turkey dogs with his son J.T. At the time, these were the only sportsmen using turkey dogs that I knew about in Virginia.
What you need is a wide-ranging dog that will trail, scatter flocks with hard-charging enthusiasm, bark to announce the location of the flush, then have the discipline to recline perfectly still, maybe while zipped into a camouflaged bag, as the turkeys regroup to your calls.
Such a beast is rare, because you want them running headlong and barking one minute and perfectly still the next. They are the product of intelligence and training. Yet there appears to be more turkey dogs now than, say, 20 or so years ago. Maybe because there are more turkeys and turkey hunters.
I am aware of a few such dogs and their proud owners:
> Carson Quarles, a banker and former DGIF board member who lives in Roanoke County, had a Boykin spaniel named Brandy that was a member of the family and a superb turkey dog. Ill health overtook her and at age 14 and she had to be put to sleep this fall.
Carson and his wife, Norma, did the best thing you can do when you are grieving over a lost hunting buddy. Get another one. Just in time for Christmas, they have in their home a Boykin pup from South Carolina named Amanda Belle, or Mandy for short.
> Dennis Campbell owns a 6-year old Brittany spaniel turkey dog that has been on the Outdoor Channel. Campbell, who lives in Waynesboro, was a staff member of the National Wild Turkey Federation for a number of years and now is the Mid-Atlantic Regional Director of the Quality Deer Management Association.
> Gratten Hepler, who lives in Covington, has trained and hunted turkey dogs for more than 30 years, and written a book on the subject titled “Turkey Dog Tales.” It is published by Author House, www.AuthorHouse.com.
Back to Bear, he has a great nose for turkeys, his broad chest and muscular legs make him a flushing machine, but, alas, he doesn’t bark and he isn’t about to cast aside his natural inclinations and lie still in a camo bag when turkeys are approaching—even when turkeys aren’t approaching.
So when Bear flushes turkeys, one of us has to take him back to the vehicle while the other is just about guaranteed a shot. You take the risk of drawing the short straw when you have just half of a turkey dog. But some days that is better than none at all.
THE LAST LEG of Virginia’s fall turkey season opened Dec. 11 and continues through June 6. Virginia is one of a dozen states that permits turkey hunting with dogs during the fall season.
Sunday, November 26, 2006
When Deer Meets Driver
Fall Brings Out Ill-Fated Matchups
By Paul Duggan and Dan KeatingWashington Post Staff WritersSunday, November 26, 2006; C01
There's a new map of Maryland that looks like a bad case of the measles, with 5,769 red dots splotched across the landscape.
Each one marks a spot where crews scraped a deer carcass off the highway last year.
Virginia doesn't have a red-dot plotter yet, but more than 1,000 deer collide with cars each year in Fairfax County, and more than 600 are hit on Loudoun County roadways alone.
November is peak mating time for the region's overabundant deer. Bucks chasing does in heat and does playing hard to get don't look both ways before crossing the street. Which is a big reason so many of them end up as roadside carcasses in the fall.
As deer continue to thrive in Washington's suburbs, bedding down in small woods near subdivisions, feeding on shrubs and gardens, thousands of them turn up dead each year along thoroughfares, killed by vehicles. Most collisions occur during the rutting season, late October to early December. Experts hope to identify "hot spots" where they can try to ease the problem.
A familiar story this time of year -- man and nature colliding in suburban traffic.
The deer came bolting out of the darkness "like an apparition," Michelle Marcotte said.
"It was a big one, too, with antlers and everything."
She and her husband, Kenneth Vick, were in their Chrysler PT Cruiser on Nov. 12, headed home from an evening church service in Prince George's County. Vick, 64, was at the wheel when the buck slammed into his door.
"It's pitch-black out; it's raining," said Marcotte, 52. They were in the county's Glendale area, driving about 35 mph. For an instant, the deer "was right up against the window -- eye to eye with my husband." Then came "a giant, crashing, rumbling, awful sound," Marcotte said. "I was very frazzled. I mean, you hit something that large, you could get killed."
For motorists, the crashes can be expensive and dangerous -- even deadly.
"The driver's-side door is smashed and can't be opened," Marcotte said. "The fender has a big dent in it, with paint scratched off. The headlight is hanging out. And then the antlers smashed the hood. . . . I mean, that's an awful lot of damage for one deer."
As for the buck, "it ran off, I guess. We didn't see it."
The damage: $3,370.
No one can say for sure how many deer-vehicle crashes occur each year. The deer often limp away, and police are rarely called.
There are at least as many deer in the Washington area now as in Colonial times, maybe more, experts think. Some rural counties have allowed increased hunting to cull the deer population. Officials in more populated areas sometimes use police or civilian sharpshooters to thin the herds.
Centuries ago, deer in the region had an array of predators to worry about, including "timber wolves, mountain lions and other animals that have basically been eradicated in the East," said James Parkhurst, a wildlife specialist at Virginia Tech. Hunters used to roam the forests year-round. These days, though, a lot of deer enjoy a cushy suburban lifestyle.
"You really can't find a habitat that is much better at providing the essential needs they're looking for," Parkhurst said. There's plenty to munch on: lawns and bushes, flowers and vegetables. And deer are not likely to be shot at in, say, Chevy Chase.
"We've basically given them a predator-free environment filled with resources," Parkhurst said.
But they simply refuse to obey pedestrian rules.
Especially in November.
"All eyes and all attention of the buck are devoted to the doe," Parkhurst said. "In the peak of the rut, the hormones are really dictating behavior. And so once they get fixated on following that doe, they really put blinders on."
As for females, they sometimes play hard to get, because it ensures they're not going to get jumped by a less dominant buck. "They want the most dominant, most genetically fit individual, to assure they'll have a successful breeding," he said. So if a doe doesn't like what she sees, there's a good chance she will run.
It's hard to run far in the suburbs without crossing a road. To make matters worse, deer are most active early mornings and early evenings. Their rush hours coincide with motorists', resulting in increased business for auto-body shops.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety estimates that 1.5 million deer-vehicle collisions occurred in the country last year, causing $1.1 billion in damage, an average of about $735 per crash. State Farm Insurance Co. said it handled 192,877 such claims in the year ending June 30. The average cost per crash: $2,800. On the company's list of states with the most claims, Virginia ranked sixth.
"I've seen them a lot more than $2,800," said Ron Reece, manager of R.S. Collision Center in Manassas. "I've seen vehicles totaled." At Finn Auto Body in Woodbridge, manager Andrea Mason said: "The worst job we had was a few years back, where it almost killed the lady. The deer went right through the windshield and was kicking right into her chest."
Nationwide, at least 180 motorists died last year (and 204 in 2004) in collisions with animals, mostly deer, up from 101 in 1993, according to a U.S. Transportation Department study. On Oct. 10 in Carroll County, Md., a motorist hit a deer, propelling it into the air. It landed on a van, which went out of control and crashed, killing the 37-year-old man who was driving.
A regional task force has been studying what to do about collisions. The group has discussed wildlife road underpasses with fencing to guide animals through and motion sensors with lights that would flash to warn drivers when the animals get too close to thoroughfares.
In Fairfax, to warn drivers about deer bolting across roads, police have been using large, mobile signs, hoping they will get more attention than smaller, permanent deer-crossing signs, which motorists tend to ignore.
In the Harwood area of Anne Arundel County, George Donaldson left home for work the morning of Nov. 15 in his 1977 Ford F-150 pickup. As always, he watched for the deer living in the woods around his house.
"I see two up in front of me," said Donaldson, 48. He slowed to let them pass. "So I go on up, and I get about a mile from my house, and all of a sudden one shoots out of the woods. I don't even see him. And bam! It hits me."
Donaldson loves that vintage truck, with just 60,000 miles on it. He bought it in mint condition a year ago for $10,000.
The deer ran off, maybe dying, maybe just sore. Donaldson drove to work -- to Glenn Dale Auto Body, which he owns with a partner -- and checked the damage.
"It needs a bumper," he said. "An outer grill shell. An inner grill shell. Headlights. Parking lights. Left front fender needs to be fixed. Moldings need to be replaced. It's roughly a $2,000 job. And we already have two others here."
Including the PT Cruiser.
"I've been driving since I was 16," Donaldson said. "I've never hit a deer before. Because I'm always watching. But there it came."
By Paul Duggan and Dan KeatingWashington Post Staff WritersSunday, November 26, 2006; C01
There's a new map of Maryland that looks like a bad case of the measles, with 5,769 red dots splotched across the landscape.
Each one marks a spot where crews scraped a deer carcass off the highway last year.
Virginia doesn't have a red-dot plotter yet, but more than 1,000 deer collide with cars each year in Fairfax County, and more than 600 are hit on Loudoun County roadways alone.
November is peak mating time for the region's overabundant deer. Bucks chasing does in heat and does playing hard to get don't look both ways before crossing the street. Which is a big reason so many of them end up as roadside carcasses in the fall.
As deer continue to thrive in Washington's suburbs, bedding down in small woods near subdivisions, feeding on shrubs and gardens, thousands of them turn up dead each year along thoroughfares, killed by vehicles. Most collisions occur during the rutting season, late October to early December. Experts hope to identify "hot spots" where they can try to ease the problem.
A familiar story this time of year -- man and nature colliding in suburban traffic.
The deer came bolting out of the darkness "like an apparition," Michelle Marcotte said.
"It was a big one, too, with antlers and everything."
She and her husband, Kenneth Vick, were in their Chrysler PT Cruiser on Nov. 12, headed home from an evening church service in Prince George's County. Vick, 64, was at the wheel when the buck slammed into his door.
"It's pitch-black out; it's raining," said Marcotte, 52. They were in the county's Glendale area, driving about 35 mph. For an instant, the deer "was right up against the window -- eye to eye with my husband." Then came "a giant, crashing, rumbling, awful sound," Marcotte said. "I was very frazzled. I mean, you hit something that large, you could get killed."
For motorists, the crashes can be expensive and dangerous -- even deadly.
"The driver's-side door is smashed and can't be opened," Marcotte said. "The fender has a big dent in it, with paint scratched off. The headlight is hanging out. And then the antlers smashed the hood. . . . I mean, that's an awful lot of damage for one deer."
As for the buck, "it ran off, I guess. We didn't see it."
The damage: $3,370.
No one can say for sure how many deer-vehicle crashes occur each year. The deer often limp away, and police are rarely called.
There are at least as many deer in the Washington area now as in Colonial times, maybe more, experts think. Some rural counties have allowed increased hunting to cull the deer population. Officials in more populated areas sometimes use police or civilian sharpshooters to thin the herds.
Centuries ago, deer in the region had an array of predators to worry about, including "timber wolves, mountain lions and other animals that have basically been eradicated in the East," said James Parkhurst, a wildlife specialist at Virginia Tech. Hunters used to roam the forests year-round. These days, though, a lot of deer enjoy a cushy suburban lifestyle.
"You really can't find a habitat that is much better at providing the essential needs they're looking for," Parkhurst said. There's plenty to munch on: lawns and bushes, flowers and vegetables. And deer are not likely to be shot at in, say, Chevy Chase.
"We've basically given them a predator-free environment filled with resources," Parkhurst said.
But they simply refuse to obey pedestrian rules.
Especially in November.
"All eyes and all attention of the buck are devoted to the doe," Parkhurst said. "In the peak of the rut, the hormones are really dictating behavior. And so once they get fixated on following that doe, they really put blinders on."
As for females, they sometimes play hard to get, because it ensures they're not going to get jumped by a less dominant buck. "They want the most dominant, most genetically fit individual, to assure they'll have a successful breeding," he said. So if a doe doesn't like what she sees, there's a good chance she will run.
It's hard to run far in the suburbs without crossing a road. To make matters worse, deer are most active early mornings and early evenings. Their rush hours coincide with motorists', resulting in increased business for auto-body shops.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety estimates that 1.5 million deer-vehicle collisions occurred in the country last year, causing $1.1 billion in damage, an average of about $735 per crash. State Farm Insurance Co. said it handled 192,877 such claims in the year ending June 30. The average cost per crash: $2,800. On the company's list of states with the most claims, Virginia ranked sixth.
"I've seen them a lot more than $2,800," said Ron Reece, manager of R.S. Collision Center in Manassas. "I've seen vehicles totaled." At Finn Auto Body in Woodbridge, manager Andrea Mason said: "The worst job we had was a few years back, where it almost killed the lady. The deer went right through the windshield and was kicking right into her chest."
Nationwide, at least 180 motorists died last year (and 204 in 2004) in collisions with animals, mostly deer, up from 101 in 1993, according to a U.S. Transportation Department study. On Oct. 10 in Carroll County, Md., a motorist hit a deer, propelling it into the air. It landed on a van, which went out of control and crashed, killing the 37-year-old man who was driving.
A regional task force has been studying what to do about collisions. The group has discussed wildlife road underpasses with fencing to guide animals through and motion sensors with lights that would flash to warn drivers when the animals get too close to thoroughfares.
In Fairfax, to warn drivers about deer bolting across roads, police have been using large, mobile signs, hoping they will get more attention than smaller, permanent deer-crossing signs, which motorists tend to ignore.
In the Harwood area of Anne Arundel County, George Donaldson left home for work the morning of Nov. 15 in his 1977 Ford F-150 pickup. As always, he watched for the deer living in the woods around his house.
"I see two up in front of me," said Donaldson, 48. He slowed to let them pass. "So I go on up, and I get about a mile from my house, and all of a sudden one shoots out of the woods. I don't even see him. And bam! It hits me."
Donaldson loves that vintage truck, with just 60,000 miles on it. He bought it in mint condition a year ago for $10,000.
The deer ran off, maybe dying, maybe just sore. Donaldson drove to work -- to Glenn Dale Auto Body, which he owns with a partner -- and checked the damage.
"It needs a bumper," he said. "An outer grill shell. An inner grill shell. Headlights. Parking lights. Left front fender needs to be fixed. Moldings need to be replaced. It's roughly a $2,000 job. And we already have two others here."
Including the PT Cruiser.
"I've been driving since I was 16," Donaldson said. "I've never hit a deer before. Because I'm always watching. But there it came."
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