ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, October 29, 1996 TAG: 9610290083
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: SUFFOLK
SOURCE: Associated Press
A hunters' group wants to see roads cleared and more drainage ditches opened to make it easier to get into the Great Dismal National Wildlife Refuge.
The Bass Hunt Club also wants to extend the limited deer-hunting season in the 49,097-acre wildlife refuge that straddles Suffolk and Chesapeake and spills into North Carolina.
More than 30 hunters from throughout Hampton Roads met Sunday in Suffolk to protest management methods in the refuge. The meeting was organized by the club.
``They don't want you in there, period,'' said hunter Donald McClellan of Virginia Beach. ``There aren't too many public lands open to hunters anymore. Now they're trying to run hunters out of the swamp.''
The refuge's manager said Monday that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been doing its best to clear debris, such as fallen trees, from roads in the refuge.
Road maintenance has fallen behind schedule because it has been an extremely wet year, with two hurricanes, refuge manager Lloyd A. Culp Jr. said.
``It's not a matter of trying to keep hunters or anybody else out,'' Culp said. ``It's a matter of we're having to deal with the forces of nature.''
The swamp's water level is a particular concern for the hunters. They say locks on a system of drainage ditches have been closed, causing the water to rise and making it impossible for hunters to get through.
``Within 50 to 60 yards, once you walk in, you're up to your knees in water,'' said Ronald Hill of Portsmouth.
Culp said many of the drainage ditches are open.
``We do not open them all completely because it is a swamp,'' he said. ``These ditches are not a natural situation.''
The hunters also say they should be allowed to hunt in the swamp during the entire deer season, from Oct. 1 through Nov. 31.
Deer hunting is permitted in the swamp 13 days during the season to control the deer population. The last day this year will be Saturday.
Culp said hunting cannot be permitted more often because the swamp is a difficult area to hunt. There have been no major problems this year, but in previous seasons, refuge workers have had to help hunters who got lost, were shot or broke bones.
LENGTH: Medium: 51 linesby CNB