THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 14, 1996 TAG: 9607140196
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C14 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BOB HUTCHINSON
LENGTH: 102 lines
Virginia's ``Hunters for the Hungry'' program has set a goal it knows it may not reach.
The program, which provides hunters' donated venison to the needy, hopes to collect 125,000 pounds of deer meat this year, up from 103,000 pounds last year.
``We're pretty certain we're going to be able to get that much meat, maybe even more,'' said the program's founder, David Horne of Big Island, near Lynchburg. ``Hunters have really been cooperative.
``The problem is money. We're not very far ahead of last year in fund-raising, and unless we see an increase real soon, we probably will not be able to reach our goal.''
The money, received through donations, goes to pay meat-packing houses for processing and packaging the venison, which then is distributed throughout the state.
``The processors give us as much of a break as they can,'' Horne said, ``but we can't expect them to do this for nothing. It's time-consuming and costly. The average deer yields about 50 pounds of meat and costs about $30 to process and package. That's a real bargain.''
Horne said most donations come from churches, civic groups, small businesses and corporations. The donations are tax-deductible.
Details may be obtained from: Hunters for the Hungry, P.O. Box 304, Big Island, Va. 24526 or by calling 1-800-352-4868.
TWO-WAY RACE: The chase to be named angler of the year by the 1996 Virginia Salt Water Fishing Tournament has become a two-way race.
Won in 1995 by Jimmy Kolb of Virginia Beach, the honor goes to the angler with tournament entries for the most species during the yearlong event.
Jim Wright of Virginia Beach, host of the regional TV show ``Saltwater Fishing With Dr. Jim,'' is the current leader with citation catches in 10 categories: amberjack, black drum, bluefish, cobia, flounder, red drum, sea bass, shark, spadefish and tautog.
Denny Dobbins, an attorney from Portsmouth and the 1994 winner, is close with eight: amberjack, black drum, blue marlin, croaker, red drum, sea bass, tautog and white marlin.
Wright had been leading by just one but added to his margin a few days ago when he boated a 6-pound flounder at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.
Wright, who admits to a colossal fishing ego, announced earlier this year that his goal was to win citation awards in 20 categories. That would be a record for the 39-year-old tournament.
The state-sponsored program offers the awards to anglers with qualifying fish, by weight or by length if released, for 29 saltwater species.
STILL ROOM: A few openings remain for the Cock Island Race, a sailing regatta/party planned for Friday and Saturday by Ports Events.
Late in the week, entries were up to about 250, according to Nancy Winnette, a spokesman for the sponsors. The maximum number of slots open is 300, according to Coast Guard regulations.
``We were probably at just about the same place last year,'' Winette said. ``We still get a lot of last-minute entries, so I think we'll fill up. We certainly hope so.''
While the actual race will take place Saturday on the Elizabeth River, festivities open with partying and entertainment at 1 p.m. Friday.
The 10 eligible classes will include all PHRF and Cruising groups, as well as a special race open to sailors who haven't competed in the past year.
The race will be headquartered at Portside, with the first class off at 9:30 a.m. Saturday and the others following at five-minute intervals.
The course takes the fleet down the Elizabeth River, out into Hampton Roads and back to Portside.
CANADIAN HONOR: Larry Lauterbach, a world-class hydroplane driver from Portsmouth, recently was honored at Valleyfield, Que.
Lauterbach, son of noted boat builder Henry Lauterbach, was named ``Personality of the Year'' and presented a key to the city. The presentation came during the annual Valleyfield Regatta, which he helped organize.
Lauterbach, who now lives at Kent Island, Md., has won national titles in the Grand Prix and 2.5-Liter Modified classes. He is the only Virginian to have consistently competed in racing's Unlimited class, where speeds can exceed 150 mph.
Previous Valleyfield honorees have include prime ministers and stars of Canadian movies and television.
KING CROAKER: This fall's croaker run could produce some of the biggest hardheads in Virginia in some time.
Already there have been two meeting the 3-pound requirement for citations from the Virginia Salt Water Fishing Tournament. The average size right now probably is better than for any year since 1981.
Virginia anglers registered 197 award-winning croaker in 1980, when the qualifying weight was 4 pounds. It has been at 3 pounds since 1989, when no fish met the minimum.
SHORT CASTS: Seasons for dove, railbird, woodcock, snipe and resident Canada geese will be set when the board of the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries meets Thursday. The meeting, open to the public, will be in the agency's headquarters at 4010 W. Broad St. in Richmond, starting at 9 a.m. . year in a project designed to restore the species in rivers above Virginia's fall lines. These areas are now open, thanks to the removal or bypassing of several dams. The project was funded in part by by licenses on sport and commercial fishing. . . . Virginia's new hunting licenses have a new look. They are twice as long as in the past and no longer come with a carrying pouch. . . . The Tidewater Anglers Club will hold a cobia rodeo Saturday and Sunday, based at Marina Shores off Great Neck Road in Virginia Beach. Fees will be $10 for members, $15 for non-members and $5 for juniors. For details, contact Steve Jones at 499-1318. . . . ``Remember the fish'' and ``err on the side of conservation'' are messages the Coastal Conservation Association of North Carolina has sent to the blue-ribbon group studying changes in the way the Division of Marine Fisheries manages public resources. The group is in the final stages of its two-year study. by CNB