Jimmie and Mac related an encounter with aggressive black bears right at the cabin.
The bear or bears appear to have lost all fear of humans and will stay in the immediate area, even when shouted at.
Cabins and Residential Areas
Never leave unattended food or garbage outside.
Do not feed birds between April and November.
Do not leave pet food outside (especially overnight).
Bear-proof bee hives, compost piles, and gardens with electric or chain-link fence.
Do not leave food as bait for any animals or leave food scraps on the ground.
If a bear approaches, move your family and any food indoors immediately.
Bear Encounters
Although black bears rarely attack, they are powerful animals and are capable of injuring or killing humans. These steps may be helpful if you encounter a bear.
If you see a bear in the distance, make a wide detour or leave the area.
Do not feed or toss food to a bear, or any other wild animal.
Pick up children or put them on your shoulders.
Never approach bears - they are dangerous wild animals. If a bear changes its natural behavior because of your presence, you are too close.
Give a bear plenty of room to pass, and it usually will.
If a bear approaches you:
Don't run.
Drop your backpack and then,
Back away slowly.
Face the bear, but don't look directly into its eyes.
Keep it in sight.
Make yourself look bigger by waving your arms and yelling.
Make lots of noise and stomp your feet.
Remember, you can't outrun a black bear. They are extremely fast on the ground or climbing a tree. Warning signs of an attack include: a steady glare; ears laid back; smacking of the jaws and stomping of the front feet.
If the bear attacks, fight back with anything available. Act aggressively. Throwing rocks or hitting a bear with large sticks has been effective some cases.
f you're home when a black bear enters your property, there are lots of things you can do to deter it from coming closer or staying. Do not attempt to deter a grizzly (brown) bear on your own - call for help!
The most important tool we have at our disposal is our own human presence, particularly the use of direct eye contact and a take charge ATTITUDE! First ensure that the bear has a clear and safe avenue of escape with no people or obstacles in its way. Look directly at the bear, facing it and standing tall. Yell at the bear and firmly tell it to leave! "Get out of here, bear!" Keep a can of pepper spray in hand (with the safety removed) in case the bear approaches you too close. Or gather a group of people together - the more people, the more intimidating you will appear to the bear - simply out number it.
You may use any of the tools noted below in order to appear even more intimidating to the bear.....
Stones aimed at the bear's rump - never throw stones directly in the bear's face. Stones should not be larger than a golf ball.
A soup can filled with pebbles and taped shut. Shake it vigorously and then, perhaps throw it beside the bear. These work particularly well in areas where bears may already encounter rattle snakes.
Big huge beach balls can be tossed at bears often times scaring the heck out of them, opening and closing an umbrella, shaking a big plastic (colored) tarp or a big plastic garbage bag, or banging pots and pans can work as well.
Varying your technique each time a bear attempts to return works better than always just banging pots and pans or sounding an air horn. Bears catch on quickly if everyone does the same thing, get used to it and soon ignore it.
Keep a baseball bat handy to beat on trees. If a bear climbs up a tree to escape, yell at them and beat the base of the tree. Keep them up there for a while, smacking the tree and telling them off. It really scares them. After they've been picked on long enough go back inside your home, let them come down and watch them tear off.
These techniques have been provided courtesy of Ann Bryant of the Lake Tahoe BEAR League.
I suggest carrying a large caliber pistol (at least .357 class) with you and have your hunting rifle within reach.
Remember bear season is November 24-January 3.
Saturday, November 08, 2008
The latest Forest Service Proposed Actions
Laurel Run CE
- Vegetation management (other than forest products)
- Wildlife, Fish, Rare plants
Description: Wildlife Openings on approximately 11 acres
Location: UNIT - Lee Ranger District. STATE - Virginia. COUNTY - Shenandoah. Lee Ranger District; Shenandoah County, Virginia; Great North Mtn.
In Progress:
Scoping 02/24/2005 Start 06/2008 Expected:12/2008
Contact:
Holden Mason
540-984-4101
hmason@fs.fed.us
Laurel Run/Road Timber Sale EA
Description: Proposal to harvest about 484 acres in 22 cutting units
Location: UNIT - Lee Ranger District. STATE - Virginia. COUNTY - Shenandoah. Sideslopes of Great North Mt, Sine Mt, Middle Mt, and Fat Mt.
Actual: 04/11/2008 Expected Implementation: 05/2009
Contact:
Holden Mason
540-984-4101
hmason@fs.fed.us
- Vegetation management (other than forest products)
- Wildlife, Fish, Rare plants
Description: Wildlife Openings on approximately 11 acres
Location: UNIT - Lee Ranger District. STATE - Virginia. COUNTY - Shenandoah. Lee Ranger District; Shenandoah County, Virginia; Great North Mtn.
In Progress:
Scoping 02/24/2005 Start 06/2008 Expected:12/2008
Contact:
Holden Mason
540-984-4101
hmason@fs.fed.us
Laurel Run/Road Timber Sale EA
Description: Proposal to harvest about 484 acres in 22 cutting units
Location: UNIT - Lee Ranger District. STATE - Virginia. COUNTY - Shenandoah. Sideslopes of Great North Mt, Sine Mt, Middle Mt, and Fat Mt.
Actual: 04/11/2008 Expected Implementation: 05/2009
Contact:
Holden Mason
540-984-4101
hmason@fs.fed.us
Outhouse at the cabin
Thursday I had an outhouse delivered to the cabin from Valley Portable Toilets.
They already had a unit intalled at the Hotel California's campsite.
At the spring meeting, it was decided to get a portajohn for the fall hunting season to reduce the waste load on the existing outhouse.
The cost for a basic unit, serviced weekly, is $78/month.
We will put a combination lock on the gate to allow them weekly access.
Monday, July 07, 2008
Wind turbines Location Map
FreedomWorks Shenandoah is 215 MW wind plant proposed on Shenandoah Mountain within George Washington National Forest. FreedomWorks has begun testing permit application process with U.S. Forest Service for MET tower ands special use permits to facilitate avian and bat mist net studies. FreedomWorks Shenandoah will help prepare an environmental impact statement to make sure the project is also is environmentally sound. Testing and study period is expected to last two years after permit issuance.(See Vawind.org map, and press articles below).
Wind turbines to be built in GW Forest
Wind Turbine Forum
People in Shenandoah County had the opportunity to hear both sides of the wind turbine debate Tuesday night at a public forum. They turned out to learn more about what potential impacts, good and bad, the turbines would have. Impacts to land, wildlife, and the local economy are just a few of the considerations. ... After about two hours, people left with much to consider. "Both of them brought up good points," says Kelley. "And, it's just something that I think is going to take some time to absorb everything."
June 19, 2008 by Michael Hyland in WHSV TV3
People in Shenandoah County had the opportunity to hear both sides of the wind turbine debate Tuesday night at a public forum. They turned out to learn more about what potential impacts, good and bad, the turbines would have.
Impacts to land, wildlife, and the local economy are just a few of the considerations.
Douglas Kelley was one of about 250 people looking to understand a plan to put about 130 turbines on the Virginia-West Virginia border in the George Washington National Forest.
"We've got ourselves dependent on something," says Kelley. "And here's something that may be a solution or may be part of a solution."
The group, Shenandoah Forum, hosted the event after gaging public interest.
"We don't know enough to take a position," says Rosemary Wallinger, president of the group. "And tonight was a first step in getting some information."
Frank Maisano, a representative of the business interested in developing the turbines, FreedomWorks LLC, spoke to the potential economic benefits, including tourism. He says the mammoth structures can be a big draw for curious tourists.
"We are going to develop projects only where it makes sense," says Maisano. "Hopefully, it will be done in an appropriate manner."
Environmental specialist Dan Boone doesn't oppose developing wind energy but doesn't think our area is the best spot to pursue it.
Impacted areas would be on public land near the borders of Rockingham, Shenandoah, and Hardy counties. The turbines would be about 440 feet tall. The U.S. Forest Service and the Federal Aviation Administration are two regulatory agencies that would have to approve any such construction.
"There [are] many tremendous areas for wind energy development in the Midwest, far greater than the East," says Boone.
Opponents cite threats to bat and bird populations and say the turbines would only reduce the rate of growth of CO2 emissions, not lower them outright.
"Our greatest demand for electricity is during the summer, and wind turbines produce their least amount of electricity in the three summer months," says Boone.
"Unfortunately, those who don't want wind turbines in their own backyard want them in someone else's backyard," says Maisano. "And the fact of the matter is this region needs wind turbines."
After about two hours, people left with much to consider.
"Both of them brought up good points," says Kelley. "And, it's just something that I think is going to take some time to absorb everything."
The U.S. Department of Energy recently released a report detailing how they'd like to achieve the goal of generating 20 percent of our nation's electricity from wind power by 2030.
JMU will hold a two-day symposium on wind energy starting Wednesday.
http://www.whsv.com/home/headlines/20205309.html
People in Shenandoah County had the opportunity to hear both sides of the wind turbine debate Tuesday night at a public forum. They turned out to learn more about what potential impacts, good and bad, the turbines would have. Impacts to land, wildlife, and the local economy are just a few of the considerations. ... After about two hours, people left with much to consider. "Both of them brought up good points," says Kelley. "And, it's just something that I think is going to take some time to absorb everything."
June 19, 2008 by Michael Hyland in WHSV TV3
People in Shenandoah County had the opportunity to hear both sides of the wind turbine debate Tuesday night at a public forum. They turned out to learn more about what potential impacts, good and bad, the turbines would have.
Impacts to land, wildlife, and the local economy are just a few of the considerations.
Douglas Kelley was one of about 250 people looking to understand a plan to put about 130 turbines on the Virginia-West Virginia border in the George Washington National Forest.
"We've got ourselves dependent on something," says Kelley. "And here's something that may be a solution or may be part of a solution."
The group, Shenandoah Forum, hosted the event after gaging public interest.
"We don't know enough to take a position," says Rosemary Wallinger, president of the group. "And tonight was a first step in getting some information."
Frank Maisano, a representative of the business interested in developing the turbines, FreedomWorks LLC, spoke to the potential economic benefits, including tourism. He says the mammoth structures can be a big draw for curious tourists.
"We are going to develop projects only where it makes sense," says Maisano. "Hopefully, it will be done in an appropriate manner."
Environmental specialist Dan Boone doesn't oppose developing wind energy but doesn't think our area is the best spot to pursue it.
Impacted areas would be on public land near the borders of Rockingham, Shenandoah, and Hardy counties. The turbines would be about 440 feet tall. The U.S. Forest Service and the Federal Aviation Administration are two regulatory agencies that would have to approve any such construction.
"There [are] many tremendous areas for wind energy development in the Midwest, far greater than the East," says Boone.
Opponents cite threats to bat and bird populations and say the turbines would only reduce the rate of growth of CO2 emissions, not lower them outright.
"Our greatest demand for electricity is during the summer, and wind turbines produce their least amount of electricity in the three summer months," says Boone.
"Unfortunately, those who don't want wind turbines in their own backyard want them in someone else's backyard," says Maisano. "And the fact of the matter is this region needs wind turbines."
After about two hours, people left with much to consider.
"Both of them brought up good points," says Kelley. "And, it's just something that I think is going to take some time to absorb everything."
The U.S. Department of Energy recently released a report detailing how they'd like to achieve the goal of generating 20 percent of our nation's electricity from wind power by 2030.
JMU will hold a two-day symposium on wind energy starting Wednesday.
http://www.whsv.com/home/headlines/20205309.html
Forum on wind turbines
Forum on wind turbines tonight
A community forum on the pros and cons of wind turbines along the Virginia-West Virginia border will be held tonight at Peter Muhlenberg Middle School in Woodstock. ...The discussion was triggered in March by a proposal by FreedomWorks LLC, a renewable-energy firm from Harpers Ferry, W.Va., to study the impact of constructing 130 440-foot wind turbines in George Washington National Forest, said Rosemary Wallinger, chairman of the Forum. Freedom Works requested the Federal Aviation Administration look into the plan. The FAA is one of the regulatory bodies involved in wind farm proposals. The proposal also would need the approval of the U.S. Forest Service.
June 17, 2008 by Anthony Bootz in The Daily News Record
Shenandoah Group Hosts Woodstock TalkA community forum on the pros and cons of wind turbines along the Virginia-West Virginia border will be held tonight at Peter Muhlenberg Middle School in Woodstock.
The Shenandoah Forum, a group of central Valley residents working to foster discussion about growth and development in Shenandoah County, is hosting the event, which will run from 7 to 9 p.m.
The discussion was triggered in March by a proposal by FreedomWorks LLC, a renewable-energy firm from Harpers Ferry, W.Va., to study the impact of constructing 130 440-foot wind turbines in George Washington National Forest, said Rosemary Wallinger, chairman of the Forum.
Freedom Works requested the Federal Aviation Administration look into the plan. The FAA is one of the regulatory bodies involved in wind farm proposals. The proposal also would need the approval of the U.S. Forest Service.
Goal An ‘Informed' Public
The study is the first of many hurdles the company would have to jump to build its turbines on public land in Shenandoah and Rockingham counties. The approval process could take two to three years, according to officials familiar with the plan.
"Our goal is to provide the community with two things: sources we consider authoritative and accurate, and to provide a format for people to ask questions and get answers so that they can make informed decisions," said Wallinger.
Tonight's forum will feature a point-counterpoint format with presentations by environmental consultant and policy analyst Dan Boone, as well as Frank Maisono, spokesman for MidWind, an ad-hoc group of mid-Atlantic wind developers. FreedomWorks is a member of MidWind.
"My role is simply to provide information and alternative analysis," said Boone, formerly with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "It's up to the people to decide whether the pros and cons match up."
David Carr of the Southern Environmental Law Center also will speak about the legal issues involved in the proposal and the opportunities for public involvement in FreedomWorks' permitting process. Carr will also cover the public's role in the ensuing update of George Washington National Forest's management plan.
A question-and-answer session will follow the presentations.
Local Support ‘Essential'
FreedomWorks declined to speak at the event, said Tim Williamson, managing director for the company, citing the company's intention to provide a series of community meetings following approval of the plan.
"We understand that gaining local support is essential to the viability of the project," Williamson said.
The arguments for and against the turbines run the gamut from cleaner, domestic energy, to ecological and aesthetic concerns for local hiking trails and the region's many Civil War battlefields.
"Our organization is very much in favor of alternative energy ... that includes wind," said Jim Murray, president of the Virginia Wildlife Committee, an organization that has close ties with the Southern Environmental Law Center.
"However, we think some places are inappropriate, specifically the high ridges of the [forest]."
Murray cites the danger turbines could have on birds whose principal southern routes run through the Virginia-West Virginia ridgeline. He also expressed concern about the federally protected Cow Knob salamander, which can only be found in the mountain ranges along the Virginias.
Impact On Battlefields
The Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation, along with other organizations in the Valley, has offered a contribution to Shenandoah Forum to help cover some of the costs of the event, said Howard Kittel, the foundation's executive director.
The wind turbines, Kittel said, would damage the "experience" of the three Civil War battlefields the proposed building sites border: Toms Brook, Fishers Hill and New Market.
"They aren't taking a pro- or anti-position to the issue," Kittel said. "We felt that was an important approach and that it was a great opportunity to quell rumors and get information out there about the proposal."
The forum has been involved in other hot-button issues in the central Valley. It hosted a January 2005 discussion on the proposed expansion of Interstate 81.
http://www.dailynews-record.com/opinion_details.php?AID=29236&CHID=1
A community forum on the pros and cons of wind turbines along the Virginia-West Virginia border will be held tonight at Peter Muhlenberg Middle School in Woodstock. ...The discussion was triggered in March by a proposal by FreedomWorks LLC, a renewable-energy firm from Harpers Ferry, W.Va., to study the impact of constructing 130 440-foot wind turbines in George Washington National Forest, said Rosemary Wallinger, chairman of the Forum. Freedom Works requested the Federal Aviation Administration look into the plan. The FAA is one of the regulatory bodies involved in wind farm proposals. The proposal also would need the approval of the U.S. Forest Service.
June 17, 2008 by Anthony Bootz in The Daily News Record
Shenandoah Group Hosts Woodstock TalkA community forum on the pros and cons of wind turbines along the Virginia-West Virginia border will be held tonight at Peter Muhlenberg Middle School in Woodstock.
The Shenandoah Forum, a group of central Valley residents working to foster discussion about growth and development in Shenandoah County, is hosting the event, which will run from 7 to 9 p.m.
The discussion was triggered in March by a proposal by FreedomWorks LLC, a renewable-energy firm from Harpers Ferry, W.Va., to study the impact of constructing 130 440-foot wind turbines in George Washington National Forest, said Rosemary Wallinger, chairman of the Forum.
Freedom Works requested the Federal Aviation Administration look into the plan. The FAA is one of the regulatory bodies involved in wind farm proposals. The proposal also would need the approval of the U.S. Forest Service.
Goal An ‘Informed' Public
The study is the first of many hurdles the company would have to jump to build its turbines on public land in Shenandoah and Rockingham counties. The approval process could take two to three years, according to officials familiar with the plan.
"Our goal is to provide the community with two things: sources we consider authoritative and accurate, and to provide a format for people to ask questions and get answers so that they can make informed decisions," said Wallinger.
Tonight's forum will feature a point-counterpoint format with presentations by environmental consultant and policy analyst Dan Boone, as well as Frank Maisono, spokesman for MidWind, an ad-hoc group of mid-Atlantic wind developers. FreedomWorks is a member of MidWind.
"My role is simply to provide information and alternative analysis," said Boone, formerly with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "It's up to the people to decide whether the pros and cons match up."
David Carr of the Southern Environmental Law Center also will speak about the legal issues involved in the proposal and the opportunities for public involvement in FreedomWorks' permitting process. Carr will also cover the public's role in the ensuing update of George Washington National Forest's management plan.
A question-and-answer session will follow the presentations.
Local Support ‘Essential'
FreedomWorks declined to speak at the event, said Tim Williamson, managing director for the company, citing the company's intention to provide a series of community meetings following approval of the plan.
"We understand that gaining local support is essential to the viability of the project," Williamson said.
The arguments for and against the turbines run the gamut from cleaner, domestic energy, to ecological and aesthetic concerns for local hiking trails and the region's many Civil War battlefields.
"Our organization is very much in favor of alternative energy ... that includes wind," said Jim Murray, president of the Virginia Wildlife Committee, an organization that has close ties with the Southern Environmental Law Center.
"However, we think some places are inappropriate, specifically the high ridges of the [forest]."
Murray cites the danger turbines could have on birds whose principal southern routes run through the Virginia-West Virginia ridgeline. He also expressed concern about the federally protected Cow Knob salamander, which can only be found in the mountain ranges along the Virginias.
Impact On Battlefields
The Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation, along with other organizations in the Valley, has offered a contribution to Shenandoah Forum to help cover some of the costs of the event, said Howard Kittel, the foundation's executive director.
The wind turbines, Kittel said, would damage the "experience" of the three Civil War battlefields the proposed building sites border: Toms Brook, Fishers Hill and New Market.
"They aren't taking a pro- or anti-position to the issue," Kittel said. "We felt that was an important approach and that it was a great opportunity to quell rumors and get information out there about the proposal."
The forum has been involved in other hot-button issues in the central Valley. It hosted a January 2005 discussion on the proposed expansion of Interstate 81.
http://www.dailynews-record.com/opinion_details.php?AID=29236&CHID=1
Friday, June 20, 2008
Plan for Next Hunting Season! Helpful dates for 2008 season openings
For complete listings of seasons and bag limits see 2008-2009 Hunting and Trapping in Virginia digest available July 1, 2008.
Opening dates for selected species
Deer
Archery: Oct. 4, 2008
Muzzleloader (east and west of the Blue Ridge): Nov. 1, 2008
Firearms: Nov. 15, 2008
Bear
Archery: Oct. 11, 2008
Muzzleloader: Nov. 11, 2008
Firearms: opening dates and season lengths vary depending on county; see digest
Turkey
Archery: Oct. 4, 2008
Fall Youth Hunt Day: Oct. 18, 2008
Firearms: Oct. 25, 2008 (season lengths vary; see digest)
Small Game
Grouse: Oct. 25, 2008
Quail: Nov. 8, 2008
Squirrel: Sept. 6, 2008
Opening dates for selected species
Deer
Archery: Oct. 4, 2008
Muzzleloader (east and west of the Blue Ridge): Nov. 1, 2008
Firearms: Nov. 15, 2008
Bear
Archery: Oct. 11, 2008
Muzzleloader: Nov. 11, 2008
Firearms: opening dates and season lengths vary depending on county; see digest
Turkey
Archery: Oct. 4, 2008
Fall Youth Hunt Day: Oct. 18, 2008
Firearms: Oct. 25, 2008 (season lengths vary; see digest)
Small Game
Grouse: Oct. 25, 2008
Quail: Nov. 8, 2008
Squirrel: Sept. 6, 2008
Thursday, April 03, 2008
Friday, February 22, 2008
The entire Dellinger property is for sale.
The Dellinger brothers have decided to sell their entire property, not just the 10 acres on the other side of the road.
They want $199,000 for 50 acres.
This is the property adjacent to ours on the south side, near the Bear Lodge.
They want $199,000 for 50 acres.
This is the property adjacent to ours on the south side, near the Bear Lodge.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Sportsmen in crosshairs of General Assembly
By Bill Cochran
Thursday, January 17, 200
Bills that would have a serious impact on the way we hunt, fish, boat and trap are being introduced at a brisk rate in the 2008 Virginia General Assembly, including one that would lift the ban on Sunday hunting and another that would fire current members of the board of the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. Here are some issues to keep an eye on:
SUNDAY HUNTING
Every session in recent years has seen one to three bills introduced that would ease or remove Virginia’s ban on Sunday hunting. They’ve always failed, and that likely will be the fate of this year’s attempt, SB 524, introduced by Sen. Frank Wagner, R-Virginia Beach. It would strike all references to Sunday hunting in the code, making Sunday a day of hunting just like any other day of the week.
While there is growing interest in hunting on Sunday, what has been lacking is any credible, organized move to get behind the effort. It is going to take more than someone just dumping a bill in the hopper.
DGIF UNDER ATTACK
Legislation has been introduced that reflects distrust and downright disgust of the DGIF. HB 1352, whose patron is R.L. Ware, R-Powhatan, would dismiss current DGIF board members and start fresh with new appointees. The bill also changes the way board members are appointed, mandates that they must have held a hunting or fishing license three consecutive years prior to their appointment and limits the term of the board chairman to one year.
Other bills would mandate greater accountability within the agency, something the current board already has made huge strides in accomplishing.
APPRENTICE LICENSE
There is a growing feeling that it should be easier for people to give hunting a try in order to see if it is something they would like to take up. Right now, entry-level participants first must pass a lengthy hunter education course and spend a chunk of change for licenses. Some simply say, “Forget it,” and license sales lag as a result.
Identical legislation introduced in the House and Senate would establish an apprentice hunting license that would temporarily waive the hunter education requirement and sell for a modest $10 for residents and $20 for non residents. It would be a one-time license, good for one year, and the user would have to be under direct supervision of licensed hunter 18-years old or above.
A similar set-up has been successful in several states. The bills are expected to receive the blessing of the DGIF. They are HB 1175, introduced by Scott Lingamfelter, R-Prince William County, and SB 617, introduced by former DGIF board members Sen. Kenneth Stolle, R-Virginia Beach.
RETRIEVING DOGS
Hunters have the right to go onto private property to retrieve their dogs, but they’d best not do it while carrying a gun or bow under a bill introduced by Sen. R. Creigh Deeds, D-Charlottesville. His SB 263 calls for forfeiture of the gun or bow being carried and the loss of hunting rights for the current and following seasons. It already is against the law to carry weapons onto private land without permission to retrieve dogs, but the penalty is no where near this stiff.
Deeds, who has announced he will run for governor, unwisely decided not to wait for the outcome of a major study being conducted by DGIF on hound/landowner relationships.
BLAZE ORANGE
Hunters would be spending considerable more time wearing blaze orange, and more of it, under HB 872 introduced by Joseph Johnson, D-Abingdon. For the first time, blaze orange would be required during the muzzleloading season.
The bill mandates blaze orange “during any firearms deer season,” which I take to mean that anytime there is any firearm’s deer season in progress all other hunters, including turkey, varmint and bow would be required to wear blaze orange. This becomes a bit tricky in view of the fact that there are many overlapping season. Waterfowl hunters are exempt and so are bowhunters in areas where the discharge of firearms is prohibited by state or local ordinance.
Muzzleloaders, by the way, have an admirable safety record when it comes to serious gunshot wounds, but there was a fatality the past season in Bath County.
The amount of blaze orange required under Johnson’s bill would more than double, from 100-square inches to 250-squire inches. Anyone accompanying a hunter would be under the same requirements.
CHASING BEARS
Organized hound hunters want to be able to chase bears at night during the training season. This would give hunters who work the dayshift more opportunity to hunt, and it would provide cooler temperatures to work dogs.
Bear hunters have taken their request for night chasing to the DGIF, but it has gone unheeded, so it now comes up in the General Assembly via HB 886 introduced by Matthew Lohr, R-Harrisonburg.
Here again, is an issue that should be handled by the DGIF not the General Assembly.
LIFE JACKETS FOR KIDS
David Poisson, D-Sterling, believes that kids age 12 and under should be required by law to wear a life preserver when on a recreational boat less than 21 feet, unless they are in an enclosed cabin or below deck. His HB 1250 would mandate that, but the likelihood of it passing is slim. Recent sessions have seen similar bills fail.
DGIF has not given it much support in the past, although the agency highly recommends the use of personal flotation devices.
TRAPPING:
Trappers would receive a break through two bill introduced by R. L. Ware. His HB 114 would let trappers mark their traps with an identification number, issued by DGIF, rather than the current required name and address.
His HB 115 would authorize DGIF to allow trappers to visit complete submerged Conibear-style body-griping traps every 72 hours instead of the current 24 hours.
TURKEY GUNS
Hunters often debate whether rifles should be used in the hunting of turkeys. SB 365 introduced by Sen. John Watkins, R-Midlothian, would give counties the option of prohibiting rifles in turkey hunting.
No matter how you come down on the issue, the bill is a bad one because it meddles in an issue that should be left to the DGIF.
BAITING DEER
Virginia wildlife officials long have been opposed to hunting over bait; in fact, they have tightened baiting loopholes recently. But should hunters be allowed to use bait when dealing with nuisance deer?
HB 1016, introduced by Timothy Hugo, R-Centerville, would give the DGIF authority to authorize the killing of deer over bait in counties/cities that request this option for the special late-antlerless season.
SESSION OF THE DOG
According to a recent count by Bob Kane, president of the Virginia Hunting Dog Owners’ Association, no less than 26 animal-related bills have been introduced in the early going of this session, many of them impacting dogs, their breeding and their owners. The Humane Society of the United States has retained a Richmond lobbing firm “to push its anti-breeding, anti-owner agenda,” said Kane.
“The majority of these bill are extremely ill-considered; the most obvious of these is HB 538, [which is] HSUS’s effort to regulate Old Dominion hobby breeders, introduced by Bobby Orrock, [R-Thornburg],” Kane said.
RIGHT TO FLOAT
Just what right the public has to float, fish and navigate waters of the state often is open to speculation, not to mention confusion. HJ 114, introduced by Matthew Lohr, R-Harrisonburg, appears to be an effort to clear this up through the appointment of a six-member joint subcommittee assigned to study the issue.
Thursday, January 17, 200
Bills that would have a serious impact on the way we hunt, fish, boat and trap are being introduced at a brisk rate in the 2008 Virginia General Assembly, including one that would lift the ban on Sunday hunting and another that would fire current members of the board of the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. Here are some issues to keep an eye on:
SUNDAY HUNTING
Every session in recent years has seen one to three bills introduced that would ease or remove Virginia’s ban on Sunday hunting. They’ve always failed, and that likely will be the fate of this year’s attempt, SB 524, introduced by Sen. Frank Wagner, R-Virginia Beach. It would strike all references to Sunday hunting in the code, making Sunday a day of hunting just like any other day of the week.
While there is growing interest in hunting on Sunday, what has been lacking is any credible, organized move to get behind the effort. It is going to take more than someone just dumping a bill in the hopper.
DGIF UNDER ATTACK
Legislation has been introduced that reflects distrust and downright disgust of the DGIF. HB 1352, whose patron is R.L. Ware, R-Powhatan, would dismiss current DGIF board members and start fresh with new appointees. The bill also changes the way board members are appointed, mandates that they must have held a hunting or fishing license three consecutive years prior to their appointment and limits the term of the board chairman to one year.
Other bills would mandate greater accountability within the agency, something the current board already has made huge strides in accomplishing.
APPRENTICE LICENSE
There is a growing feeling that it should be easier for people to give hunting a try in order to see if it is something they would like to take up. Right now, entry-level participants first must pass a lengthy hunter education course and spend a chunk of change for licenses. Some simply say, “Forget it,” and license sales lag as a result.
Identical legislation introduced in the House and Senate would establish an apprentice hunting license that would temporarily waive the hunter education requirement and sell for a modest $10 for residents and $20 for non residents. It would be a one-time license, good for one year, and the user would have to be under direct supervision of licensed hunter 18-years old or above.
A similar set-up has been successful in several states. The bills are expected to receive the blessing of the DGIF. They are HB 1175, introduced by Scott Lingamfelter, R-Prince William County, and SB 617, introduced by former DGIF board members Sen. Kenneth Stolle, R-Virginia Beach.
RETRIEVING DOGS
Hunters have the right to go onto private property to retrieve their dogs, but they’d best not do it while carrying a gun or bow under a bill introduced by Sen. R. Creigh Deeds, D-Charlottesville. His SB 263 calls for forfeiture of the gun or bow being carried and the loss of hunting rights for the current and following seasons. It already is against the law to carry weapons onto private land without permission to retrieve dogs, but the penalty is no where near this stiff.
Deeds, who has announced he will run for governor, unwisely decided not to wait for the outcome of a major study being conducted by DGIF on hound/landowner relationships.
BLAZE ORANGE
Hunters would be spending considerable more time wearing blaze orange, and more of it, under HB 872 introduced by Joseph Johnson, D-Abingdon. For the first time, blaze orange would be required during the muzzleloading season.
The bill mandates blaze orange “during any firearms deer season,” which I take to mean that anytime there is any firearm’s deer season in progress all other hunters, including turkey, varmint and bow would be required to wear blaze orange. This becomes a bit tricky in view of the fact that there are many overlapping season. Waterfowl hunters are exempt and so are bowhunters in areas where the discharge of firearms is prohibited by state or local ordinance.
Muzzleloaders, by the way, have an admirable safety record when it comes to serious gunshot wounds, but there was a fatality the past season in Bath County.
The amount of blaze orange required under Johnson’s bill would more than double, from 100-square inches to 250-squire inches. Anyone accompanying a hunter would be under the same requirements.
CHASING BEARS
Organized hound hunters want to be able to chase bears at night during the training season. This would give hunters who work the dayshift more opportunity to hunt, and it would provide cooler temperatures to work dogs.
Bear hunters have taken their request for night chasing to the DGIF, but it has gone unheeded, so it now comes up in the General Assembly via HB 886 introduced by Matthew Lohr, R-Harrisonburg.
Here again, is an issue that should be handled by the DGIF not the General Assembly.
LIFE JACKETS FOR KIDS
David Poisson, D-Sterling, believes that kids age 12 and under should be required by law to wear a life preserver when on a recreational boat less than 21 feet, unless they are in an enclosed cabin or below deck. His HB 1250 would mandate that, but the likelihood of it passing is slim. Recent sessions have seen similar bills fail.
DGIF has not given it much support in the past, although the agency highly recommends the use of personal flotation devices.
TRAPPING:
Trappers would receive a break through two bill introduced by R. L. Ware. His HB 114 would let trappers mark their traps with an identification number, issued by DGIF, rather than the current required name and address.
His HB 115 would authorize DGIF to allow trappers to visit complete submerged Conibear-style body-griping traps every 72 hours instead of the current 24 hours.
TURKEY GUNS
Hunters often debate whether rifles should be used in the hunting of turkeys. SB 365 introduced by Sen. John Watkins, R-Midlothian, would give counties the option of prohibiting rifles in turkey hunting.
No matter how you come down on the issue, the bill is a bad one because it meddles in an issue that should be left to the DGIF.
BAITING DEER
Virginia wildlife officials long have been opposed to hunting over bait; in fact, they have tightened baiting loopholes recently. But should hunters be allowed to use bait when dealing with nuisance deer?
HB 1016, introduced by Timothy Hugo, R-Centerville, would give the DGIF authority to authorize the killing of deer over bait in counties/cities that request this option for the special late-antlerless season.
SESSION OF THE DOG
According to a recent count by Bob Kane, president of the Virginia Hunting Dog Owners’ Association, no less than 26 animal-related bills have been introduced in the early going of this session, many of them impacting dogs, their breeding and their owners. The Humane Society of the United States has retained a Richmond lobbing firm “to push its anti-breeding, anti-owner agenda,” said Kane.
“The majority of these bill are extremely ill-considered; the most obvious of these is HB 538, [which is] HSUS’s effort to regulate Old Dominion hobby breeders, introduced by Bobby Orrock, [R-Thornburg],” Kane said.
RIGHT TO FLOAT
Just what right the public has to float, fish and navigate waters of the state often is open to speculation, not to mention confusion. HJ 114, introduced by Matthew Lohr, R-Harrisonburg, appears to be an effort to clear this up through the appointment of a six-member joint subcommittee assigned to study the issue.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Can you believe how opening day of deer season has changed?
By Bill Cochran
On Saturday, I drove across a big chunk of Virginia, from table-flat Eastern Shore to the blue-hued mountains of the Southwest. It was opening day of the deer hunting season, yet unless you were a hunter you probably wouldn’t notice. You had to look closely for evidence.
I spotted three pickups bearing dog boxes in the edge of a field in the Piedmont. Occasionally I would see a guy wearing a blaze orange cap going into a convenience store. On the highway were a few ATVs jammed into pickup beds.
Most startling was what I didn’t see. Not a single dead deer in the bed of a pickup or strapped to a vehicle, soft fur to hard metal. Nor would there be a story and pictures of first-day results in the Sunday Roanoke Times.
My, how opening day has changed.
I am certain there were pockets of intense activities, say in Southampton County where deer clubs were turning their hounds loose, or on private farms tucked into the fringes of the Blue Ridge in Bedford County, or on national forest property in Bath, Highland, Craig and Botetourt. But you’d have to look far and hard to find anything like the concentrations of deer hunters that once were common.
I recall 35 years ago you’d see a steady string of red taillights as a convoy of deer hunters headed north on U.S. 220 in the predawn darkness. They would late in the day, a 55 mph conveyor belt of deer in every grotesque shape of death you could imagine. A big buck on a Bonneville; a couple of spikes bouncing in a homemade trailer; deer lashed to hoods, to fenders to rooftops, eyes glazed, stomachs slit, tongues frozen in last-gasp positions, legs broken, blood for all to see, even those who didn’t want to see it.
What you couldn’t see in the dark interior of the vehicles was the joy of hunters who had gotten the job done quickly and were headed for home or the butcher shop or maybe a drive through town to show off their buck in a celebration that was as much life as death.
I remember one morning in Bedford County counting more than 100 shots fired the first hour of daylight. In the national forest, places like Patterson Creek, Tub Run and the narrow, gravel roads that traverse Potts Mountain, the big task could be finding a place to park.
Opening day was on a Monday, and deer season lasted a scant week or two. Schools were closed and workers either took vacation or became skillful at calling in sick. You’d better hope you didn’t need a plumber or mechanic or even a lawyer.
Wood smoke drifted from the chimneys of backcountry cabins, and campgrounds were filled with tents and trailers that had rusted wheel wells.
I once stopped at Blowing Springs Campground in Bath County and talked to a man who said he knew every one of the more than 200 people in the site. They had traveled from the coalfields of far Southwest Virginia, where deer were a rarity. They had brought their wives and kids and grandma and coon hounds, and the weather had turned hot and you could smell the stench of ripe deer hanging in the trees of the campground.
That’s how it once was. It is no longer like that, not because of a decline in deer hunters as much as the fact that deer hunting has been expanded across the state and across the calendar.
No longer do you have to drive from the coalfields to Bath County, because the coalfields have big bucks of their own. No longer do you have to crowd into national forest areas, because you are more likely to see a good buck flash around a barn in Roanoke, Botetourt or Franklin county than you are to see one in the wilderness. No longer is being out on opening day a must, because by using a variety of tools and seasons you can hunt deer from the first Saturday in October into January. That explains why I was driving, not hunting, opening day.
Deer hunting has become more methodical, more businesslike, with hunters spending an hour or two in a treestand before heading to work, or leaving the office a couple hours early. If they go to camp, some take a gun case in one hand and a laptop in the others. Many of the old cabins that housed deer clubs and harbored the aroma of smoke and greasy food have crumbled. Hunters nowadays are more likely to eat dinner at home, sleep in their own bed and shower regularly, rather than spend a week tethering between civilization and wilderness.
Gone are the red-clad crowds at country store check stations. A cell phone or computer is all you need to register a deer nowadays. Bites on a country store hotdog have given way to megabytes, and the store proprietor longs for your business.
Deer hunting isn’t the high testosterone, harsh language, hard drinks, men-only affair it once was. Chances are that the hunter on the next stand over from you is a lady.
And that’s pretty neat
On Saturday, I drove across a big chunk of Virginia, from table-flat Eastern Shore to the blue-hued mountains of the Southwest. It was opening day of the deer hunting season, yet unless you were a hunter you probably wouldn’t notice. You had to look closely for evidence.
I spotted three pickups bearing dog boxes in the edge of a field in the Piedmont. Occasionally I would see a guy wearing a blaze orange cap going into a convenience store. On the highway were a few ATVs jammed into pickup beds.
Most startling was what I didn’t see. Not a single dead deer in the bed of a pickup or strapped to a vehicle, soft fur to hard metal. Nor would there be a story and pictures of first-day results in the Sunday Roanoke Times.
My, how opening day has changed.
I am certain there were pockets of intense activities, say in Southampton County where deer clubs were turning their hounds loose, or on private farms tucked into the fringes of the Blue Ridge in Bedford County, or on national forest property in Bath, Highland, Craig and Botetourt. But you’d have to look far and hard to find anything like the concentrations of deer hunters that once were common.
I recall 35 years ago you’d see a steady string of red taillights as a convoy of deer hunters headed north on U.S. 220 in the predawn darkness. They would late in the day, a 55 mph conveyor belt of deer in every grotesque shape of death you could imagine. A big buck on a Bonneville; a couple of spikes bouncing in a homemade trailer; deer lashed to hoods, to fenders to rooftops, eyes glazed, stomachs slit, tongues frozen in last-gasp positions, legs broken, blood for all to see, even those who didn’t want to see it.
What you couldn’t see in the dark interior of the vehicles was the joy of hunters who had gotten the job done quickly and were headed for home or the butcher shop or maybe a drive through town to show off their buck in a celebration that was as much life as death.
I remember one morning in Bedford County counting more than 100 shots fired the first hour of daylight. In the national forest, places like Patterson Creek, Tub Run and the narrow, gravel roads that traverse Potts Mountain, the big task could be finding a place to park.
Opening day was on a Monday, and deer season lasted a scant week or two. Schools were closed and workers either took vacation or became skillful at calling in sick. You’d better hope you didn’t need a plumber or mechanic or even a lawyer.
Wood smoke drifted from the chimneys of backcountry cabins, and campgrounds were filled with tents and trailers that had rusted wheel wells.
I once stopped at Blowing Springs Campground in Bath County and talked to a man who said he knew every one of the more than 200 people in the site. They had traveled from the coalfields of far Southwest Virginia, where deer were a rarity. They had brought their wives and kids and grandma and coon hounds, and the weather had turned hot and you could smell the stench of ripe deer hanging in the trees of the campground.
That’s how it once was. It is no longer like that, not because of a decline in deer hunters as much as the fact that deer hunting has been expanded across the state and across the calendar.
No longer do you have to drive from the coalfields to Bath County, because the coalfields have big bucks of their own. No longer do you have to crowd into national forest areas, because you are more likely to see a good buck flash around a barn in Roanoke, Botetourt or Franklin county than you are to see one in the wilderness. No longer is being out on opening day a must, because by using a variety of tools and seasons you can hunt deer from the first Saturday in October into January. That explains why I was driving, not hunting, opening day.
Deer hunting has become more methodical, more businesslike, with hunters spending an hour or two in a treestand before heading to work, or leaving the office a couple hours early. If they go to camp, some take a gun case in one hand and a laptop in the others. Many of the old cabins that housed deer clubs and harbored the aroma of smoke and greasy food have crumbled. Hunters nowadays are more likely to eat dinner at home, sleep in their own bed and shower regularly, rather than spend a week tethering between civilization and wilderness.
Gone are the red-clad crowds at country store check stations. A cell phone or computer is all you need to register a deer nowadays. Bites on a country store hotdog have given way to megabytes, and the store proprietor longs for your business.
Deer hunting isn’t the high testosterone, harsh language, hard drinks, men-only affair it once was. Chances are that the hunter on the next stand over from you is a lady.
And that’s pretty neat
Friday, November 09, 2007
Is sharing the woods that big a deal?
By Bill Cochran
Next year at this time, bowhunters will be sharing the deer woods with muzzleloading hunters west of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Some bowhunters don’t like that thought, but their quiet protest didn’t stop the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries from adding one week to the beginning of the western muzzleloading season starting next year.
The muzzleloading season dates will be Nov. 1-14 as compared to Nov. 10-16 this season. That means bowhunters in the west will have to share two weeks of their early season with muzzleloaders, rather than one, which already is the case in the east.
Bowhunters aren’t losing any hunting days in the deal, but what they are losing is the quality of the hunt, said Dave Burpee, hunting vice president of the Virginia Bowhunters Association. Gunfire makes deer hunting an entirely different game, he said.
“The loss of this week reduces the precious time an archer has in the woods to hunt deer that are not yet alerted by the sound of gunfire,” he said.
The new week to be shared happens to be a prime time for bowhunters, because the weather is beginning to cool and deer are becoming more active. Often the first two weeks of the bow season, which opens the first Saturday in October, are marked by high temperatures that make hunting difficult, Burpee said. That was the case this season.
“Every time someone proposes a new season or additional hunting time it seems to encroach on the early archery season,” a hunter from Linville told the DGIF.
Some purist bowhunters still are smarting over the fact that crossbows use was added to the bow season the fall of 2005. But that’s not the case for all archers. Many simply traded their compound for a crossbow. Others, who never tried bowhuning, have taken up crossbow hunting because they see it as quick and easy access to the long and lucrative archery season.
Crossbow license sales this season have passed the 20,000 mark, a record, while bow license sales have declined. Bow license sales still are twice that of crossbows.
Bowhunters aren’t the only ones sharing the woods with muzzleloaders. Add turkey, grouse and rabbit hunters to the list. There simply aren’t enough weeks in November to go around, so overlapping is going to occur.
But is sharing all that bad?
The National Ruffed Grouse Society says it sees no major problems with muzzleloaders using the woods the same time as grouse hunters. Difficulties haven’t occurred in other states where this happens, a society spokesman said.
But some grouse hunters will tell you that it is a bit unnerving to have their treasured dogs running through woods that harbor gun-toting deer hunters lurking in the shadows. Some may sit out the muzzleloading season, the same as they now do the modern firearm’s season.
That will mean one less week of grouse hunting next year. Outside a few days at the end of October, grouse hunters will have to wait until Dec. 2 for the woods to be cleared of significant numbers of deer hunters bearing firearms.
As for bowhunters, sharing the woods an extra week shouldn’t be a major loss. Not in this era when there are so many deer and so many places to hunt them. It is not like everyone is confined to the national forest, which once was the case. Most hunting nowadays takes place on private land, where the landowner can decide who get access.
Even so, you have to like the fact that bowhutners consider their season and the quality of their sport worth fighting for.
Next year at this time, bowhunters will be sharing the deer woods with muzzleloading hunters west of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Some bowhunters don’t like that thought, but their quiet protest didn’t stop the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries from adding one week to the beginning of the western muzzleloading season starting next year.
The muzzleloading season dates will be Nov. 1-14 as compared to Nov. 10-16 this season. That means bowhunters in the west will have to share two weeks of their early season with muzzleloaders, rather than one, which already is the case in the east.
Bowhunters aren’t losing any hunting days in the deal, but what they are losing is the quality of the hunt, said Dave Burpee, hunting vice president of the Virginia Bowhunters Association. Gunfire makes deer hunting an entirely different game, he said.
“The loss of this week reduces the precious time an archer has in the woods to hunt deer that are not yet alerted by the sound of gunfire,” he said.
The new week to be shared happens to be a prime time for bowhunters, because the weather is beginning to cool and deer are becoming more active. Often the first two weeks of the bow season, which opens the first Saturday in October, are marked by high temperatures that make hunting difficult, Burpee said. That was the case this season.
“Every time someone proposes a new season or additional hunting time it seems to encroach on the early archery season,” a hunter from Linville told the DGIF.
Some purist bowhunters still are smarting over the fact that crossbows use was added to the bow season the fall of 2005. But that’s not the case for all archers. Many simply traded their compound for a crossbow. Others, who never tried bowhuning, have taken up crossbow hunting because they see it as quick and easy access to the long and lucrative archery season.
Crossbow license sales this season have passed the 20,000 mark, a record, while bow license sales have declined. Bow license sales still are twice that of crossbows.
Bowhunters aren’t the only ones sharing the woods with muzzleloaders. Add turkey, grouse and rabbit hunters to the list. There simply aren’t enough weeks in November to go around, so overlapping is going to occur.
But is sharing all that bad?
The National Ruffed Grouse Society says it sees no major problems with muzzleloaders using the woods the same time as grouse hunters. Difficulties haven’t occurred in other states where this happens, a society spokesman said.
But some grouse hunters will tell you that it is a bit unnerving to have their treasured dogs running through woods that harbor gun-toting deer hunters lurking in the shadows. Some may sit out the muzzleloading season, the same as they now do the modern firearm’s season.
That will mean one less week of grouse hunting next year. Outside a few days at the end of October, grouse hunters will have to wait until Dec. 2 for the woods to be cleared of significant numbers of deer hunters bearing firearms.
As for bowhunters, sharing the woods an extra week shouldn’t be a major loss. Not in this era when there are so many deer and so many places to hunt them. It is not like everyone is confined to the national forest, which once was the case. Most hunting nowadays takes place on private land, where the landowner can decide who get access.
Even so, you have to like the fact that bowhutners consider their season and the quality of their sport worth fighting for.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
VDGIF votes to allow unplugged shotguns
By ANDY THOMPSON
TIMES-DISPATCH COLUMNIST
It was a busy day yesterday for the board of Virginia's Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. The group convened for its periodic regulation review, deciding on dozens of proposed amendments to state regulations governing game wildlife, hunting, trapping, wildlife diversity, fishing and fisheries resources and boating.
The amendments considered were first introduced at the July 17 meeting of the board, and a public comment period followed from July 24 to September 24. According to the department, 352 individuals submitted a total of 825 comments during that time.
The vast majority of the interest, 755 of the comments, concerned a few proposed hunting and firearms regulations. And at yesterday's meeting, which included a public comment period, most of the citizens who spoke, and the debate among board members, centered on a couple of issues: the release of captive reared mallards, an expanded muzzleloading season west of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and the use of unplugged shotguns for hunting non-migratory game.
Dave Burpee of the Virginia Bowhunters Association spoke out against adding a week to the beginning of muzzleloading season for deer because that's also the final week of the first bow-hunting season.
"We spent time with [the VDGIF] working up to where we would be able to have an archery-only season," he said. "The key there is that it would be before the animals were disturbed because of the sound of gunfire, and they change their patterns and it would make it an entirely different hunting experience."
Despite his protestations, the board voted to allow the extension of early muzzleloading season west of the Blue Ridge.
While no one from the public spoke about it, the issue of whether to allow the use of unplugged shotguns for hunting non-migratory game brought the most division among the members of the board.
Bob Duncan, the department's wildlife division director, pointed out that different states are split on the issue. The Carolinas and West Virginia allow the use of unplugged shotguns, while Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Georgia do not. Questions of safety were raised, which Duncan said weren't an issue in states that allowed unplugged guns. Ultimately the board voted 5-4 to allow the use of unplugged guns.
The effective date of that regulation was moved up to Oct. 26 (the standard date for hunting and firearms regulations was July 1, 2008) to allow hunters to use unplugged guns when fall turkey season opens Oct. 27.
The issue of whether to allow the release of captive reared mallards generated the most interest from speakers.
Richmonder Vince Thornhill spoke in favor of allowing releases.
"What these mallard releases can do is give opportunities within the grasp of the average hunter," he said.
Many approved of the recommendation to prohibit captive mallard release for a number of different reasons. Bob Hoffman, of Ducks Unlimited's Great Lakes Regional Office, mentioned the possible spread of disease as a concern whenever domestic and wild animals come in contact. Reid Knight, a doctor from Virginia Beach, mentioned the possible negative effects on the black duck population that the release of captive mallards could have.
In the end, the board decided not to vote on the measure, citing a desire to wait for a forthcoming report by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on the issue.
Gary Martel, the director of fisheries, sought a few minor changes for his division, which the board adopted. Notably, for trout anglers, once trout are caught and taken into a fisherman's possession, they cannot later be released. Martel said because the rate of survival of creeled trout is so low, anglers must now either decide to keep the fish they catch or release them immediately. Fishing and boating regulations will go into effect Jan. 1, 2008.
Contact Andy Thompson at (804) 649-6579 or outdoors@timesdispatch.com.
TIMES-DISPATCH COLUMNIST
It was a busy day yesterday for the board of Virginia's Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. The group convened for its periodic regulation review, deciding on dozens of proposed amendments to state regulations governing game wildlife, hunting, trapping, wildlife diversity, fishing and fisheries resources and boating.
The amendments considered were first introduced at the July 17 meeting of the board, and a public comment period followed from July 24 to September 24. According to the department, 352 individuals submitted a total of 825 comments during that time.
The vast majority of the interest, 755 of the comments, concerned a few proposed hunting and firearms regulations. And at yesterday's meeting, which included a public comment period, most of the citizens who spoke, and the debate among board members, centered on a couple of issues: the release of captive reared mallards, an expanded muzzleloading season west of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and the use of unplugged shotguns for hunting non-migratory game.
Dave Burpee of the Virginia Bowhunters Association spoke out against adding a week to the beginning of muzzleloading season for deer because that's also the final week of the first bow-hunting season.
"We spent time with [the VDGIF] working up to where we would be able to have an archery-only season," he said. "The key there is that it would be before the animals were disturbed because of the sound of gunfire, and they change their patterns and it would make it an entirely different hunting experience."
Despite his protestations, the board voted to allow the extension of early muzzleloading season west of the Blue Ridge.
While no one from the public spoke about it, the issue of whether to allow the use of unplugged shotguns for hunting non-migratory game brought the most division among the members of the board.
Bob Duncan, the department's wildlife division director, pointed out that different states are split on the issue. The Carolinas and West Virginia allow the use of unplugged shotguns, while Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Georgia do not. Questions of safety were raised, which Duncan said weren't an issue in states that allowed unplugged guns. Ultimately the board voted 5-4 to allow the use of unplugged guns.
The effective date of that regulation was moved up to Oct. 26 (the standard date for hunting and firearms regulations was July 1, 2008) to allow hunters to use unplugged guns when fall turkey season opens Oct. 27.
The issue of whether to allow the release of captive reared mallards generated the most interest from speakers.
Richmonder Vince Thornhill spoke in favor of allowing releases.
"What these mallard releases can do is give opportunities within the grasp of the average hunter," he said.
Many approved of the recommendation to prohibit captive mallard release for a number of different reasons. Bob Hoffman, of Ducks Unlimited's Great Lakes Regional Office, mentioned the possible spread of disease as a concern whenever domestic and wild animals come in contact. Reid Knight, a doctor from Virginia Beach, mentioned the possible negative effects on the black duck population that the release of captive mallards could have.
In the end, the board decided not to vote on the measure, citing a desire to wait for a forthcoming report by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on the issue.
Gary Martel, the director of fisheries, sought a few minor changes for his division, which the board adopted. Notably, for trout anglers, once trout are caught and taken into a fisherman's possession, they cannot later be released. Martel said because the rate of survival of creeled trout is so low, anglers must now either decide to keep the fish they catch or release them immediately. Fishing and boating regulations will go into effect Jan. 1, 2008.
Contact Andy Thompson at (804) 649-6579 or outdoors@timesdispatch.com.
Friday, October 05, 2007
Ann Zirkle property auction update- No Sale!
VARC member Mike McCalis went to the auction.
He, Ray Pennington (Gary Younkins partner), and one other were the only bidders.
Mike dropped out at $70,000 and Ray won the auction at $84,750.
But there was no sale as Ann had set the reserve at $250,000.
Ann thinks the road access to her property was the issue and she has spoken to Mac about improving the road on our property by hauling in gravel.
Don Rembert said we should let her go ahead.
He, Ray Pennington (Gary Younkins partner), and one other were the only bidders.
Mike dropped out at $70,000 and Ray won the auction at $84,750.
But there was no sale as Ann had set the reserve at $250,000.
Ann thinks the road access to her property was the issue and she has spoken to Mac about improving the road on our property by hauling in gravel.
Don Rembert said we should let her go ahead.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
If you are a deer, turkey or bear hunter, you are in luck
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.
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.
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
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