Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, November 10, 1994 TAG: 9411100055
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BILL COCHRAN
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
What Jerry Fore did Wednesday during a Bedford County hunt was ram another round into his Knight black-powder gun and climb back into his tree stand to wait.
Fore had killed a seven-point buck around 7 a.m. A couple hours later, he heard another deer approaching. This time the rattling of dry leaves came from a different direction, a brushy area where his view was limited. The seven-pointer had given him an unobstructed 25-yard shot.
When Fore peered into the brush, he was able to distinguish the outline of antlers. Big antlers! Bigger than the seven-pointer. Bigger than any buck he'd ever had in his sights.
``There was a lot of brush, but I could tell it had a good rack,'' he said.
The buck was better than 60 yards away, and in heavy cover, so Fore, who lives in Bedford County, figured a shot was out of the question. But it was great entertainment for a guy with little more to do than wait for a ride home.
Then, the buck took a couple of strides into open terrain. It was was a longer shot than Fore preferred, but this season he had switched from a traditional black-power gun to one of the modern inline rifles. He felt comfortable with it.
``I think they [the inlines] have really helped the sport,'' he said.
When Fore dropped the buck, he discovered it to be even larger than he'd thought. It carried 15 points and had an outside spread that measured 23 inches. The field-dressed weight was 180 pounds.
Many of the bucks being killed this week have had outstanding body weights, but, unlike Fore's trophy, they've often lacked bragging-size antlers.
``There have been some 10-pointers, some eight-pointers - nice bucks, but nothing to really write about,'' said Robert Karnes, who has checked about 40 deer at his Northside Supply in Bedford County.
Some hunters, Fore among them, have the feeling the rut really hasn't kicked into high gear. There were several trees horned around his stand, but Fore hadn't seen many scrapes. Other black-powder hunters are reporting the same thing, a fact that may be keeping trophy kills below last year's numbers.
BIG TOMS: Fall traditionally is the season to hunt young-of-the-year turkeys, but a surprising number of mature toms have been toted out of the woods since the season opened Monday. Some hunters even have heard gobbling, a sound synonymous with spring hunting.
The better big-game stations have been checking four to five turkeys a day, which is slightly above average but far from a record pace. Hunters often report that turkeys are scattered and difficult to pattern, the result of an abundant food supply.
Three of the first 10 turkeys checked at the Old Mill Grocery in Fincastle were killed by muzzleloader hunters.
NO FIRES: Hunters and campers can be thankful the weather is warm, because open burning has been banned in the Jefferson and George Washington national forests. That means no campfires or stove fires on forest property until the two forests receive sufficient rainfall to minimize the risk of fire.
FISHING, TOO:: Bass fishermen at Philpott Lake have been reporting catch-and-releases of 14 to 17 bass a day on crawfish and large minnows.
David Thompson of Christiansburg landed a 223/4-pound muskie in the New River near Claytor Dam.
Following a disappointing summer and early fall, trout fishing has picked up at Lake Moomaw, where rainbows and browns 3 to 6 pounds are being caught. The lake also produced a 51/4-pound smallmouth bass.
Bass fishermen are enjoying good catches at Briery Creek Lake, where John Turner of Ridgeway landed a 7-pound, 15-ounce largemouth.
Jack Mandy of Rocky Mount caught two rock bass at Leesville Reservoir that weighed 11/2 pounds each.
BIG BUCKS: The Hunters for the Hungry program received a couple of generous checks: $3,632 from employees of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries and $2,150 from the Virginia Deer Hunters Association.
The money will help the program reach its goal of processing 100,000 pounds of venison for the hungry, said David Horne, the program's director.
by CNB