Hunting and Fishing Guide 2018 by The Farmville Herald

Hunting & Fishing

OCTOBER 2018

A SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO

The Farmville Herald The Charlotte Gazette

Hunting and fishing changes for 2018-2019 FISHING 2018 Non-native (Exotic animals) Anglers may legally harvest grass carp from public waters of Virginia, except from Department owned or Department controlled lakes. Anglers must ensure that all harvested grass carp are dead.

key license or bonus deer permit. See Validation of Tags for details.

BLAZE COLORS “Solid blaze orange” has been defined as safety orange or fluorescent orange

hue. “Solid blaze pink” has been defined as safety pink or fluorescent pink hue. See Blaze Pink in Virginia: What You Need to Know for details. Blaze orange or blaze pink is now

TROUT A trout license is not required to fish designated stocked trout waters during Free fishing Days, June 1-3.

HUNTING 2018–2019

Pictured is Jalen Sargent of Farmville with a crappie he caught from a private pond in Farmville

Electronic Validation (e-notching) of License Tags Successful deer and turkey hunters can use the Department’s Go Outdoors Virginia mobile smartphone app to electronically validate the appropriate license tag on their electronic deer/tur-

Robbie Fiscus of Prospect scores a 5 point buck on youth weekend.

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3 required to be displayed on the exterior of an occupied ground blind during the general firearms deer season.

TRACKING DOGS Licensed hunters engaged in tracking wounded bear, deer, or turkey with a dog may possess a weapon permitted for hunting and may use such weapon to humanely kill the animal being tracked, including after legal hunting hours. Such weapon shall not be used to hunt, wound, or kill any animal other than the animal being tracked.

hunting license, and hunters holding a lifetime disabled veterans hunting license are exempt from any local ordinance in which hunting from an elevated platform or tree stand is required.

DEER — URBAN ARCHERY The Town of Buchanan and the counties of Prince William and Stafford have been added.

FURBEARERS Raccoons may now be hunted all day on Sundays.

LEGAL WEAPONS

WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREAS

Arrowguns, pneumatic-powered air guns that fire an arrow, are legal for hunting any wild bird or animal for which there is a hunting season. Persons with a disability that prevents them from drawing a bow or crossbow may hunt with an arrowgun during the archery season provided they have in possession an authorization form provided by the Department that has been completed by their physician.

Oakley Forest WMA (2,911 acres) in Spotsylvania County has been added to the Department’s Wildlife Management Area system.

TREE STANDS Permanently disabled hunters possessing a valid hunting license, hunters holding a lifetime disabled

QUOTA HUNTS Multispecies (#305) and Spring Turkey (#411) hunts have been added for Oakley Forest WMA. Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge has started administering hunts on their lands. For more information visit the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries at www.dgif.virginia. Kimberly Francis of Drakes Branch poses with her 8 point buck, gov. 12 points if you include the kickers.

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Morgan earns hunting honor BY TITUS MOHLER

or Charles “Ross” Morgan, of Buckingham, the last couple of days of hunting season this past January produced an outstanding result that appreciated in value later in the year courtesy of a first-place award from the Virginia Deer Hunters Association (VDHA). Morgan killed a deer in those last days of the season that he later entered into the VDHA’s Virginia Deer Classic.

He earned first place with the classifications of Modern Firearm, 6 Points & Less and Typical, as listed on the plaque he received in August. The hunt in which he harvested the deer took place at a location in Buckingham County very familiar to him. “I’ve been hunting there all my life,” he said. “It was at my uncle’s place.” Morgan was hunting with family, including his uncle, his cousin and one of his own boys. “Where I was, I was by myself, but

MISTY MORGAN

Charles “Ross” Morgan, of Buckingham, holds in his right hand the mount of a deer he killed, which later earned him a Virginia Deer Classic first-place award that he holds in his left hand.

long each horn is and then how wide it is … What they do is they measure everything and add it up, and once they add it up, whatever they come up with, that’s the score.” Morgan, 54, has been hunting since he was 8 years old. His experience has come mostly tracking one kind of game. “About the only hunting I do is deer hunting,” he said. He said his favorite weapon to use is either a 12-gauge or a .243. As for what has kept him coming back to hunt for 46 years and counting, he said, “I just enjoy the outdoors, and of course, like killing a deer, and I enjoy deer meat, but I really enjoy the outdoors. I just enjoy being outside and the sport of it. I’ve got hunting dogs, and you like to hear them run.”

we were all scattered out through the woods, and it just happened to come by me,” he said of the award-winning deer. In describing the setting of the encounter, he said it was like a ravine and he was in a place where the deer had to come up on you. “It’s where a bunch of creeks come running down through there, and he just come running right down the side of the creek,” he said. “I was standing on the ground.” Morgan shot the deer with a 12-gauge shotgun. He noted that he had never entered a deer into the Virginia Deer Classic before and did not initially have plans to do so this time either. “The only reason I entered it is my uncle told me the day I killed it, he said, ‘If I was you, I’d mount that thing and enter it in the deer show this year,’” Morgan said. “And so I did. I took his word for it. He said, ‘You’ll probably get first place.’” The 6-pointer deer scored 124-375. MISTY MORGAN Explaining the This photo is a close-up view of the plaque that Charles meaning of the score, “Ross” Morgan earned from the Virginia Deer Hunters AsMorgan said, “It’s how sociation.

Reservoir offers views and fishing BY EMILY HOLLINGSWORTH

hile Buggs Island, the fisheries at Fort Pickett, Sandy River and Briery Creek Lake may have the bigger names for fishing destinations, sometimes the best fishing hole for what you need is right in your backyard. This could arguably be the case for the Nottoway Falls Lake and fishery owned by the Town of Victoria, in Lunenburg County, and serves as a drinking water supply reservoir. The lake, according to Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries

(VDGIF), is a 60-acre impoundment located in Lunenburg, at the Lunenburg/ Nottoway County line. The fishery, according to the website, “offers anglers fishing opportunities in a picturesque, rural setting. The falls below the dam offer a unique and beautiful section of the Nottoway River with a large gradient drop and exposed bedrock features. The reservoir is a mainstream impoundment of the Nottoway River and is long, narrow and shallow. Habitat in the lake consists of natural woody debris and aquatic vegetation.” In addition to having a lovely view of the cascading waterfalls, the lake offers

TYLER NEAL

Nottoway Falls Lake offers a nice fishing destination in addition to a gorgeous view of the falls and autumn foliage.

some nice options in terms of whether you prefer fishing by boat or on the banks. According to VDGIF’s website, “Anglers fishing Nottoway Falls Lake are likely to catch Largemouth Bass, Channel Catfish, Bluegill, Redear Sunfish (AKA shellcracker), Chain Pickerel and Black Crappie.” According to the VDGIF website, “Bluegill, Redear Sunfish, and crappie are common in Nottoway Falls Lake

5 with Bluegill being the most abundant of the panfish species. Anglers can expect to catch Bluegill and redear up to 8 inches and crappie up to 10 inches. Beginning in late April, anglers should be able to catch a lot of fish as they begin to move into shallow water to spawn.” VDGIF also stocks 600, 10-inch Channel Catfish every year. “Natural reproduction in small lakes is generally insufficient to support a viable population so the population is supplemented through annual stockings,” the website cited. “Fishing is generally better for catfish during the

6 summer and at night.” Dan Michaelson, fisheries biologist with VDGIF said the Nottoway Falls fishing area could be a good place to go in the springtime, from March through May. Though the fall, with tree leaves turning golden and orange, doesn’t offer a bad view either. “It’s a pretty little lake,” Michaelson said. Michaelson said the site offers parking and a concrete ramp to launch boats. “There’s quite a bit of access for bank fishermen down by the dam as well,” Michaelson said. While Michaelson said his first instinct is to recommend the larger fishing destinations to those asking. However, for fisheries close to home, he said Nottoway Falls Reservoir isn’t a bad place to start. “These little lakes like that may be a good destination to try if they just have a half a day or whatever they can spend,” Michaelson said.

Hunting fall turkeys BY FRANCIS EUGENE WOOD

hen I was asked to write this article for Farmville Newsmedia’s Hunting & Fishing Guide, I immediately began looking back at my hunting journals to recall some of my many turkey hunts over the years. I was amazed that almost half of my hunting stories chronicled my pursuits of this wily bird. As a child I can only remember seeing a turkey occasionally along the Meherrin River in Brunswick County or at a field’s edge. I never saw one up close. But, I would often sit at Spence’s General Store in Lawrenceville and listen while the old hunters told of their turkey hunts from years gone by. I was envious to say the least. You see, by the time I came along, the wild turkey was on hard times

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due to overhunting and human encroachment. Thankfully, replacement and restoration efforts by the Virginia Game Commission changed that over a period of time, and by the early to

mid-1970s, the wild turkey populations were climbing. Today, the wild turkey flocks are back and strong. The fall turkey season brings back a learning period that began for me when I was just a boy, listening intently to those old-timer turkey hunters sitting around an old wood stove in that store. I didn’t miss a word they said, and I could just imagine myself in the midst of a large flock of turkeys in the deep Virginia woods. It was a dream I held until my first encounter with a turkey hen in the fall of 1972. I was hunting deer with my dad’s Browning Auto-5 12-gauge when this fat turkey hen moved silently through the pine forest I was still hunting in. I watched her and listened to the faint sounds she made as she moved toward me. My heart raced into my throat as I placed my bead on her and pulled the trigger. She never knew what hit her, and I had my first Thanksgiving turkey and a lifelong memory afield. Since that fall day in 1972, I have hunted Virginia turkeys more than any other game aniFrancis Eugene Wood presents a turkey, the mal. I have been witness to the “wily bird” that has been the subject of almost great comeback of this native half of his many hunting stories. game bird and have made it my

7 goal to learn everything I can about it. I don’t think there is a book on wild turkeys that I have not read, and of course, I have written some of my turkey hunting stories in books of mine. So, here I will tell you a few things I have learned over the years, and hopefully it will help the beginner turkey hunters and energize the masters at the sport. When asked about shotguns that I use for pursuing turkeys, I usually say that my go-to weapon is the Remington 1100 12-gauge. It has a 28-inch barrel and fits me perfectly. My dad gave it to me, so it’s also special to me. I use quality No. 4 and 5 turkey loads. Although this is my favorite turkey gun, I have also taken birds with 20 gauges, .410 gauges and even on occasion a black powder .50-caliber Pennsylvania long rifle. The latter I do not recommend although I am quite comfortable with it for both turkey and deer. The thing is, you must carry a weapon that you feel confident with, whether it’s a rifle, shotgun or bow. Practice and never take a wild shot. It’s

not fair to the animal. I know my shot patterns at 20, 30, 35, 40 and 50 yards no matter which weapon I’m carrying. I rarely fire at targets beyond that. When dressing for the fall turkey hunt, I usually prefer drab clothing in greens and browns. I wear a large fedora as it keeps the sun off my face, and I can pull it down to just above my eyes when a turkey or turkeys are coming in. I will touch my face with burnt cork or cover it with a thin camo facemask up to my nose. My clothes are of soft materials so that I don’t make a scratchy sound every time I move. I like military field cotton for my pants, which you can find at Army surplus stores. You can buy all that expensive camo, but in the fall you don’t really need it for turkey hunting. What you need is to be still and be patient. I unknowingly walked within 15 steps of a black bear in a gray wintry forest one time just because he was still and patient. That taught me a lesson! Turkey callers are all over the mar-

ket. You can use the box ones, peg and slate and mouth callers. I have my preferences, but whatever you take to is the best. There’s so many of them on the market that I avoid them now. What I do go after are the ones handmade by turkey hunters. There are some real beauties out there, but remember they can only sound as good as you make them sound. Practice and listen to birds in the wild if you can. And don’t be afraid to try and mimic a few of the turkey’s sounds with just your mouth. You’ll be surprised at the simple sounds you can make without a caller that will bring a lost bird in.

The truth is, some of the worst turkey sounds I have ever heard actually came from wild turkeys! I like to stalk turkeys when possible. But, remember the keen sight of the wild turkey and that there are always several sentinels in a flock. You have to move slowly and be ready to stop in mid-step. This is difficult, but I’ve done it many times with success. Sometimes I move in fast and separate a flock of turkeys and then call them in with some “lost sounds.” Stillness and much patience pays off with this method. You can intercept them coming to roost if you are familiar

8 enough with the area. But never fire on one once it is on the roost. That’s just not right. Read and learn all you can about the wild turkey. You’ll find nice articles in most of your quality outdoors sporting magazines, and there are a bunch of books on the market as well. Talk to turkey hunters and ask them questions. We all have had similar experiences, but still, you can learn something new from most anyone you chat with about the nature of the wild turkey. Go out into the fields and woods and scout for turkeys. Pay close attention to their tracks and the scat they leave behind. You will in time be able to tell whether you are on the trail of gobblers or hens just by the sign they leave behind. In a forested area, pay close attention to their leaf scratching as they move along. You can tell from the lay of the leaves in which way a flock or even a single bird is heading. Learn their habits and food sources. Learn where they are likely to roost and their roosting patterns. Find and

watch them in off seasons. Besides being very entertaining, turkeys will show you their social relations. You will see that they are both intelligent and wary. We have had an almost tropical summer, and the fall has had its share of rain. The mast crop is really good this year, and all the animals of the forests and fields have benefited from the abundance of food sources. I am seeing large flocks of turkeys in the woods and along the field edges. The jakes are pulling away from their summer groups and starting their own flocks. The hens and first-year females are holding together in large flocks, and the gobblers are teamed up for the fall and early winter. If the predators have had an impact on the wild turkey flocks, I have not noticed it this year. I am seeing more turkeys and larger flocks than I have seen in a few years. That’s encouraging! It’s a bountiful time in nature right now and the perfect time for fall turkey hunters to get into the woods and pursue the wiliest bird of all! Watch the dates for the game you go

Every turkey hunter has his favorite weapon. Practice will assure a well-placed shot and bring that bird to the table.

after. I carry a Hunting & Trapping in Virginia Regulations Digest with me at all times. Not only is it interesting to read, but you can be sure of the open dates by referring to it often. For the most part, our fall turkey season around here is Oct. 27-Nov. 9, Nov. 22, Dec. 3-29 and then Jan. 12-26. It varies in some of the western counties. The archery season is already here and goes through Nov. 9. And there’s a youth and apprentice fall hunting weekend, Oct. 20-21. Know your seasons and bag limits. Read up on hunting state and federal land and public land. Topographical maps of these hunting areas are

available online, but it is wise to get to those areas you intend to hunt and familiarize yourself with them. Work on your woodcraft. Become a woodsman who can go into the woods and come out even without a compass. Always be cautious and think safety. Hunt with trusted friends or at least make sure someone knows where you are going. It just makes sense. Be careful out there and take a young person if you can. Happy hunting! FRANCIS EUGENE WOOD is an author and avid outdoorsman who lives in Farmville. His email address is fwood@wflo. net.

Keeping up with change BY KARL SCHMIDT

aving been an active player of the last 50 hunting seasons, I have borne witness to many changes of animals and laws over the last half-century. I lived in a time when one buck was all a hunter was allowed, and if taken on the first day of bow season, that was the conclusion of deer hunting for that year. Since then, deer populations have exploded, and seasons, weapons and bag limits expanded with it. It’s all a far cry from the 1960s! Game departments/biologists conduct studies, and one isn’t always sure if deer numbers need to be reduced because of crop damage and car collisions or bag limits reduced because of ever-increasing bear and coyote predation. What is certain is hunting interest itself is on the decline. Decades ago, the opening day of deer and squirrel

season was like the battle at Gettysburg, and now it’s like Easter morning with hardly a shot fired. The world has entered a radically new age the game department doesn’t seem to grasp or appreciate. The youth of America up into the 1980s were not utterly consumed by technology as they now are. Youthful entertainment was mostly after-school bike rides, ballgames or grabbing the squirrel rifle to combat youthful boredom. Those days are over forever! This young “enlightened” computer generation is distinctly different, living in dread terror of the certain instant death that comes hand in hand with being bored or uncomfortable for one moment. Waiting for a squirrel or deer hours on end in cold, drab, damp conditions cannot compete with smartphones, video games and Facebook. Research indicates a steadily declining hunting interest. This translates to reduced revenue generated by license

sales and taxes on sporting gear that support the hunting way of life … much to the delight of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). Present and future generations of hunters are destined to dwindle largely due to technology competition. The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF) is stubbornly assisting this downward trend. As a former resident of Maryland, I can say the baiting of both sika and white-

9 tail deer there has been a productive hunting tool for countless decades that most certainly accented my youthful interest in hunting. My incentive to brave predawn, subfreezing conditions was greatly multiplied and encouraged knowing I’d watch a place I had prepared. Every state surrounding Virginia has long allowed deer baiting to no ill effect. Landowners in Virginia are the select few allowed to “bait,” only because they have property and the means to plant acres of corn to legally hunt over. Poor hunters on the other hand are just out of luck … literally and figuratively.

10 Present game officials who perhaps grew up hunting many decades ago still think old school of how their hunting life evolved. Those pre-computer times are dead as dinosaurs! The adventurous spirit of stalking and waiting out game, as was common decades ago, is gone. Alluring technological distractions of today put a high demand on instant excitement. Baiting deer doesn’t insure luck every time but increases the odds. If hunting isn’t made a lot more interesting, more productive and more intriguing to this and future generations of hunters by allowing bait to improve a deer hunt,

the computer age of today will win out altogether and hunting interest will nearly cease along with the money it generates to sustain it. If deer baiting was truly harmful to hunting or the herd, the states that have allowed it for decades would have ended the practice long ago. Each fall, every feed-selling store across the state is stacked to the ceiling with deer feeds that always sell out to the last bag. Look around DGIF. The world has moved on, and you haven’t! KARL SCHMIDT is an avid hunter who lives in Prince Edward County. His email address is tenbears@centurylink.net.

Karl Schmidt, of Farmville, has been faithfully active as a hunter for decades, but he has noticed fewer and fewer people have an interest in the activity. He has an idea that game departments could implement to help keep hunting interest alive for this and future generations.

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Chastity Dunaway strikes a pose after hunting in Charlotte County. She attends Randolph Henry High School.

Austin Linthicum of Buckingham poses with an 8 point buck harvested along the James River.

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