THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 9, 1994 TAG: 9410090155
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C15 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BOB HUTCHINSON
LENGTH: Long : 125 lines
Kelly Taylor of Virginia Beach and Tom Radosevich of Chesapeake were among the first Virginians to prove that Don Schwab was right-on in his prediction for the deer season in Southeast Virginia.
Schwab, regional biologist for the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, had predicted that the area's deer kill would be at least as good as it was a year ago. He also predicted that the average animal killed would be a better trophy.
On Oct. 1, Taylor and Radosevich, bow hunters who have hunted together for the past five opening days, both bagged fine bucks while hunting in Southampton County.
``We've both killed deer before,'' Radosevich said, ``but this was the first time we've both been successful on opening day. The thing that really impressed me, though, was that both animals were healthy and really had nice racks. It looks like the herd is really in great shape in this area.''
In issuing his game predictions for Southeast Virginia, Schwab said deer-hunting success should continue to increase throughout the area and that hunters could expect even better racks than they got a year ago.
Last year, hunters bagged 1,850 deer in Suffolk, 1,065 in Chesapeake and 849 in Virginia Beach. Southampton was the top county in Eastern Virginia, recording 5,965 kills.
Here are Schwab's overviews for Southeastern Virginia for the most popular game species:
Deer: Conditions for deer continue to improve throughout the area. More hunters are letting the little bucks go and are looking for those bigger antlers. This will increase the average age of harvested bucks, meaning more bucks will live to grow those bigger racks. As usual, if you have a place to hunt in the district, your success should be good to excellent.
Bear: Considering the area, the number of bears around here is good and anyone hunting for this critter should be successful. Access to good bear land will be the limiting factor.
Turkey: The fall harvest continues to decline, but the number of birds available in the district is still high. If you get out into open country, your chances of harvesting a bird is fair to good. And the spring gobbler season should be good.
Small game: We should have had good survival of rabbits. But quail and squirrel appear to be down a bit this year, and hunters may have to look harder for coveys of birds. Rabbit hunting should be good. The number of clear-cut forests lands is up and habitat is plentiful.
Resident waterfowl: Observations show that the 1994 breeding season was good for such creatures as wood ducks. Resident Canada geese and mallards had an excellent hatch, especially in the Hampton Roads area. But black duck numbers appear to be down again on the Eastern Shore.
TRAVELING BLUE: A bluefish caught and tagged off Virginia Beach on June 6, 1993 by local resident Mark Dunnaway has been getting around.
It was recaptured in July off Stratford, Conn., having been at large for more than 375 days.
The blue was 30 inches long and weighed 11 pounds when Dunnaway tagged it. It had grown to 34 inches when it was recaptured, although no weight was available.
The tagging program is a century-old study by the American Littoral Society of Sandy Hook, N.J., which furnishes tagging kits to participants. More than 20,000 fish were tagged by the program in 1993, including 13,000 striped bass, 4,000 flounder and 1,000 bluefish.
The program is designed to establish migration and growth patterns for more popular species of game fish.
FI$H $TUDY: The oft-asked question of the value of Virginia's recreational fishing industry should be answered by a study authorized by the Virginia Marine Resources Commission.
The VMRC has approved spending $293,291 from the Virginia saltwater fishing license fund for the study. It's the largest single item yet funded with license money.
Many recreational fishermen say the study is necessary to show VMRC commissioners and the the state's politicians the economic value of sport fishing.
The study, expected be completed by September 1996, will be conducted by Dr. James E. Kirkley of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. Kirkley also has a grant for a similar study of the state's commercial fishing industry.
BASS BUCKS: Five Virginia Beach anglers are among the 19 Virginians in the $195,000 Bassmaster South Carolina Eastern Invitational largemouth fishing tournament Oct. 13-15 on the Santee-Cooper Lakes.
They include Rick Morris, who finished third and won a $20,000 bass boat in the recent Maryland Eastern Invitational on the Potomac River. Other Virginia Beach contestants include Jerry Evans, Jim Sumrell, Les Ore and Ivan Morris, Rick's brother.
Phil Parker of Suffolk and Ron Stallings of Franklin also are entered.
Rick Morris is also entered in the pro division in the $271,000 Bassmaster Top 100 at Lake Norman, near Charlotte, Oct. 19-22. The amateur division includes Michael Thompson of Newport News.
KINGFISHER: Carlton ``Bluefish'' Bennett has been crowned Kingfisher '94 by the 71st Street Anglers of Virginia Beach. He won by catching and releasing more spot and croaker than any other contestant in a recent surf-fishing competition.
The fun-loving club stages this and other events as a way of raising money for projects to aid the Chesapeake Bay. More than $10,000 has been donated to Bay cleanup projects.
TOP CONSERVATIONISTS: Del. Robert S. Bloxom, R-Muttonhunk, has been named conservation legislator of the year by the Virginia Wildlife Federation.
The Eastern Shore representative was cited for sponsoring ``a number of environmental issues'' during the 1994 General Assembly.
The federation represents scores of hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation clubs across the state. It gave its top award, conservationist of the year, to Charles V. Ware of Richmond.
The top wildlife conservation award went to the Hunters for the Hungry program, which accepted hunters' donation of more than 70,000 pounds of venison and distributed it to needy families.
The Union Camp Corporation of Franklin was cited for its river conservation work for a process which greatly reduces damaging effluent compounds from paper mills.
SHORT CASTS: With completion of the 44th annual Nags Head Surf Fishing Tournament Saturday, competitive eyes will now turn south to Hatteras, where the annual Hatteras Invitational Surf Fishing Tournament is set for Nov. 3-5. Sponsored by the Cape Hatteras Anglers, the contest is expecting 100 six-person teams. Team competition the first two days will be followed by an individual event, open to anyone, the final day. . . . ``Wintertime RV Use and Maintenance,'' a $2 guide on using your recreational vehicle for winter camping and travel, is available from: Recreation Vehicle Industry Association, P.O. Box 2999, Reston, Va. 22090. . . . The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is considering allowing waterfowl hunters to use bismuth-tin shot pellets instead of steel during the 1994-95 season. Lead, the preferred shotgun pellet, was banned in waterfowling several years ago because it was causing poisoning in ducks and geese. Studies have shown that bismuth-tin shot are non-toxic. by CNB