THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, November 29, 1995 TAG: 9511280108
SECTION: ISLE OF WIGHT CITIZEN PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY JODY R. SNIDER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SURRY LENGTH: Long : 141 lines
JUST BEFORE DAWN last Friday, 27 hunters from around the state boarded mule- and horse-drawn wagons, starting a journey that promised to take them deep into the roots of the Southern hunting heritage.
Once the hunters reached their stands, three dozen long-legged Walker hounds, just blessed by an Episcopalian priest, were released into the dense woods bordering the James River in Surry County.
Moments later, the hounds' fast, excited yelps could be heard.
The hunt had begun.
And for the first time in 30 years, the morning stillness at Chippokes Plantation State Park was shattered by the sounds of hounds barking, deer running and guns firing.
The Southern Heritage Deer Hunt was organized to manage the growing deer population at the 1,400-acre park and to offer an outdoor sporting event rich in hunting tradition.
Last year, state biologists determined that the herd, estimated at 150, was beginning to overpopulate the park, said Mack Walls, a biologist who was at the hunt to assist.
If the herd isn't managed now, the overpopulation could destroy the habitat, also leaving little food for other wildlife, Walls said.
``The number of deer here are just over what the land will support. When that happens, the deer themselves begin to show signs of stress. Their weight drops, the antler development isn't good and reproduction drops.
``It doesn't matter how many deer are here,'' he said. ``What matters is how many are here in relation to what the land will support.''
During Friday's hunt, many hunters reported an abundance of deer in the woods. One hunter said he counted as many as 17 during the morning hunt. Many, he said, weren't being pressured by the dogs.
By the end of the day - a long day for many who had traveled from as far as Roanoke to join in Friday's 19th century hunting scene - 12 bucks and nine does had been killed.
Paul Walk, a 52-year-old senior vice president at Virginia First Savings Bank in Dinwiddie County, said he came to the hunt because of its uniqueness.
``I've never been on a hunt with carriages, biologists and people to assist you in retrieving the deer.''
He was one of the 27 hunters who forked over $250 for the one-day event that included the wagon rides, dogs, three Southern-style meals and, of course, swapping stories from the woods.
The day began at 5 a.m. as the Rev. Thomas W. Bauer, rector of St. Paul's Church in Petersburg, re-enacted the ``blessing of the hounds,'' a centuries-old custom that originated in England. Later, before the afternoon hunting session, the Rev. Ray Roland of Surry United Methodist Church would take his turn at blessing the Walker hounds.
Robed in white, Bauer stood over the dogs and prayed: ``May their masters be as loyal to God as these dogs are loyal to their masters.''
With that, orange-vested hunters climbed onto green and red wagons and slowly pulled away from a warm camp fire at the park's shelter and headed for the woods.
``The hunt is about the camaraderie,'' said hunt master H. Kirby Burch, director of the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. ``The kill is incidental. The hunt is incidental.''
Traditionally, Southern plantation deer hunts centered on family and friends gathering on a frosty morning for a hearty breakfast and the blessing of the hounds before leaving for their stands by horseback or horse-drawn wagons.
Once at their stands, hounds were released to flush out the deer. When hunters heard the dogs' excited barking, they knew to ready themselves for the shot.
A hot lunch awaited the hunters returning from the early morning run, followed by a second cast of the hounds and one last chance in the field. At the end of the day, hunters returned to dinner and regaled each other with stories from the field.
It was during these times that Virginia's hunting tradition was passed from one generation to the next.
And that's what this hunt was all about.
But it also was about the essence of hunting: Being out in nature, quietly stalking prey.
Darryl Pirok, a 56-year-old oral surgeon from Gloucester, sat at his stand in the dark woods, and cold air blew through the ravine below him, rustling the leaves. He heard the hounds barking in the distance. Someone else would take that shot.
``If you stay behind a tree, the deer can't see you as well,'' he explained in the quiet. ``The key is not to peek out at them, but listen. A dog coming through the woods will sound like an elephant, but not the deer. Deer are very skillful at walking quietly.''
By mid-morning, Pirok had killed a doe and a buck - one of two eight-point bucks taken Friday - and he had met his limit.
``My hunt is over for today,'' he said.
For Ron Pitts of Fairfax, the day's highlight was seeing his 10-year-old son, Cabot, shoot his first deer, a 70-pound doe.
``We saw plenty of deer, but I wanted to let him shoot. After lunch,'' Ron Pitts said with wink, ``I plan to get the big one.''
The only woman hunter was Carla Nichols, 33, a commercial real estate researcher from Alexandria. It was her first time, a chance to hunt with the hounds and maybe show up the men.
``But you know,'' Pirok said, ``the neat thing is all the other wildlife I saw while I was out there. I saw two squirrels, geese and two turkeys sitting high in a tree. It's amazing a bird that big can fly.
``And the dogs are just running back and forth - they just love it. That's why they do it.''
And that surely is why the hunters do it. ILLUSTRATION: A TRADITIONAL SOUTHERN HUNT
[Cover, Color photo]
ON THE COVER: The Rev. Ray Roland of Surry United Methodist Church
blesses the hounds before the afternoon hunt begins.
Staff photos by JOHN H. SHEALLY II
LEFT: Darryl Pirok, a 56-year-old oral surgeon from Gloucester,
takes aim. He shot a doe and an 8-point buck in the morning.
Pat Moran, who works at Chippokes, gets a kiss from one of dogs
while Bill Warren, a member of Bacon's Castle Hunt Club, pats
another dog.
Hunters ride in mule-drawn covered wagons to take up their positions
in the woods.
Gary Waugh helped organize the hunt at Chippokes Plantation State
Park to thin out the deer herd.
Game wardens unload and weigh deer harvested during the hunt.
For Ron Pitts of Fairfax, the day's highlight was seeing his
10-year-old son, Cabot, shoot his first deer.
MORE HUNTS
To further cut the Chippokes Plantation deer population, two
computer-picked lottery hunts at the state park are scheduled for
Friday and Saturday. These hunts, however, will not include the
trappings of Friday's traditional heritage hunt.
Applications for the hunts can be obtained through Chippokes.
Cost is $5 for each application and $10 for each hunt. For more
information, call 294-3625.
by CNB