2008.02.27
Breaking news: Fall deer, turkey and bear kill numbers
The DGIF has released preliminary number for last season's deer, turkey and bear kills.
The deer kill topped 240,423 -- the highest ever recorded. That's not necessarily good news. Big numbers mean the state's deer population is not as well in check as the DGIF wants it to be. The good news for biologists is that the doe kill also was a record, and most importantly was higher than the antlered buck kill for the first time ever. So that means the state's hunters are getting the message that they need to kill does.
The other good news, for hunters and biologists alike, is that it appears hemmorhagic disease didn't severely impact herds, as some feared.
Interestingly, in Bedford and Roanoke counties, which will have earn-a-buck regs next year, the doe kill didn't hit 45 percent -- the benchmark. So, clearly, the earn-a-buck reg is needed.
The turkey kill was 4,759, up 15 percent over last year's paltry kill of 4,143. That's still pretty low and I think is mostly a function of lack of hunter interest in the fall season.
The bear kill was 1,517, down a bit from last year's record but still the second best on record.
I'll have more on the numbers on Friday's Outdoors page in The Roanoke Times.
Wow!!!
Now those numbers translate to some families will not go hungry this year.
Thanks for the information, here is one number you left out Virginia hunters spent an access of $12,828,649.00 in hunting licenses alone.
Big cheers all around!.....
Comment by Backlash — February 28, 2008 @ 8:58 am
Right on, Backlash.
Families such as mine. My girls and I had venison tacos last night. Delicious.
Another number that I didn't mention was the 360,000-plus pounds of venison collected, processed and distributed by Hunters for the Hungry last year.
So not only are we hunters feeding ourselves, but we're helping feed those who are less fortunate.
Thanks for the comment.
mt
Comment by Mark Taylor — February 28, 2008 @ 9:08 am
Speaking of the low turkey kill...
I sure do miss the longer fall season. With bow, muzzleloader, and general firearms, deer hunting has taken over the time some of us would spend playing with the birds.
I remember early fall scouting for bucks included tugging around a 12 gauge. Don't get me wrong - I like the fact we can hunt deer a little longer...but a fall turkey hunt is pretty special to me.
Comment by Mr. P — February 28, 2008 @ 2:57 pm
I wonder when the DGIF is going to strongly recommend that the GA take a logical look at expansion of current Sunday hunting regulations to control deer population levels. DMAP won't work unless hunters have time to hunt. You could open the season all year, but if people can't hunt because of work and other important family commitments it won't be an effective measure. It's saddens me that VA doesn't have enough respect for it's citizens to give them a choice to hunt on Sunday. I believe 86% of the other states have recognized the benefits of Sunday hunting, why can't we? I wish to thank all those that have expressed support for HUSH. I assure you we are working hard to get it to where we need it. I hope I haven't lost any support because I would accept donations yet. I felt it wasn't appropriate to accept contributions until I was operational. I promise when the time is right I'll be in touch. Please keep the support e-mails coming to VaSundayHunting@aol.com
Comment by tony rutherford — February 28, 2008 @ 3:57 pm
Tony and Mr. P, you both bring up interesting points.
I don't think we can underestimate the impact lower hunting pressure is having on the fall turkey kill. True, the season isn't as long as it once was. Keep in mind that the move essentially eliminated the overlap between firearms deer and turkey seasons. That may have led to fewer hunters out there who were going after turkeys specifically, but what it really did was lead to fewer deer hunters becoming opportunistic turkey shooters.
But what is happening at the same time is, among hunters who are still out there, interest in deer hunting continues to boom. A guy has only so many days to hunt and he's choosing to spend most or all of them chasing deer. And it's hard to blame him. The deer hunting in Virginia is better than ever. Not only are there lots of deer out there, but the bucks are getting bigger because more and more hunters are letting small bucks walk. So a guy who has been at this 40 or 50 years has his best chance ever of killing a buck of a lifetime. Meanwhile, new hunters coming into the sport are going straight to deer hunting.
As for the Sunday hunting connection, that certainly is reducing hunter impact on the deer herd. How much? It's hard to say. Studies have shown that lengthening seasons doesn't have a major impact on the amount of days a person hunts. It mainly just spreads out the pressure. Of course in Virginia that hasn't involved doubling the number of weekend days. It's hard to imagine that wouldn't increase hunter days afield, which should increase the deer kill. It seems it also could help with hunter recruitment and retention, which obviously is a concern with DGIF. But clearly the DGIF is not yet, at least not publicly, pushing for GA movement on this.
Thanks for reading and keep the comments coming.
mt
Comment by Mark Taylor — February 29, 2008 @ 9:09 am
Actually, for years the DGIF has made statements to the GA supporting Sunday hunting. Bob Duncan's statement, that there is no biological basis for banning hunting on Sunday, should be considered an endorsement for no less than the expansion of current Sunday hunting regulations, at least in some people's opinion. He has also stated that Virginia Sunday hunting issues are social and should be decided by the courts. This is what angers so many Virginia hunters. They are not permitted to hunt because of social reasons. No other legal activity is restricted by a socially based statute. His mentioning that allowing Sunday hunting may also have a positive financial impact in the state, could also be considered an endorsement. I believe Mr. Hazel of the DGIF testified last month at the GA hearing of Senator Wagner's bill SB524 that this is a bill that should be passed. It offers hunters the additional opportunity they want. No, these are not exact quotes, but I feel they are very accurate, and convey what was said. Sunday hunting is the most logical solution to deer herd management. It provides some would be hunters the only possible hunting opportunity they may have. The best aspect of Sunday hunting is, unlike the Sunday hunting ban, it forces not one Virginian to do something they choose not to do. I suggested reducing the total number of hunting days in each season by the number of Sundays that were added. That compromise wouldn't intrude on the overall time that other people have to access Virginia's outdoor natural resources.
Comment by tony rutherford — February 29, 2008 @ 9:42 am
Mark,
I can actually say that I contributed to the record breaking year. This is my second year hunting, and I got my doe this year! She was 90 pounds and produced 40 some pounds of meat. I shot her with a Remington 721 in .30-06 in Loudon County on private land (which is fast becoming a memory up here).
I found a mean recipe for Venison Meatballs I am more than willing to share:
Venison Meatballs ingredients list:
1 lb of ground venison.
2 medium eggs.
1 cup of breadcrumbs.
½ cup of parmesan cheese.
½ cup of milk
2 teaspoon of dried parsley.
2 garlic Cloves.
Spaghetti sauce.
Salt and pepper, to taste.
Instructions for Venison Meatballs:
Beat the eggs and milk in a mixing bowl.
Add the breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, dried parsley and garlic powder; mix thoroughly.
Add the ground venison and knead with your hands until blended well.
Form into golf ball-sized meatballs.
Brown the meatballs on all sides.
Put the meatballs in a pan of spaghetti sauce and simmer, covered, for about 60 minutes.
Serve as desired.
Comment by TJ — February 29, 2008 @ 9:48 am
First, congratulations on your nice deer, TJ. And welcome to our great sport. I hope you stick with it. Thanks for sharing the recipe. I'll be sure to try it out.
As for your points, Tony, I don't think we can say the DGIF has made statements "supporting" or endorsing Sunday hunting. But, you're right, some of the statements they've made have not condemned it, either. From a biological and really even legal standpoint, the ban cannot be justified. The only justification can be for social concerns. Those are also the most difficult to overcome.
Thanks for the comments, and for reading.
mt
Comment by Mark Taylor — February 29, 2008 @ 10:35 am
Just wondering... Do the deer harvest numbers include the does that were taken with damage control permits? Also, I still cannot understand why DGIF doesn't open the season to more doe days. Only 1 doe day during early muzzle loader season here in Wythe county...
Thanks for the report,
Comment by V. Williams — February 29, 2008 @ 3:35 pm
Good question, V. Williams. I don't think the total includes deer killed on damage permits. These are hunting-specific numbers.
As for the doe days, they figure that out by the trend in the specific counties.
The kill this past season was 3,579 in Grayson. It was 3,401 the year before. I can't remember the changes, if any, you'll see in Grayson next season. If the kill number is up again the next two years (which could indicate a rising population), you all may be looking at getting more doe days during the next regs change cycle, which will be in 2010.
Hope that helps.
Thanks for reading, and for taking the time to comment.
mt
Comment by Mark Taylor — February 29, 2008 @ 5:24 pm
Don't get me wrong, I like the fact that we don't have birds wounded during general firearms season. It took some getting used to when they changed it a few years back...but for goodness sakes, how much of a hen is left after a .308 has done some damage??? And who knows how many birds never left the woods, but were just left laying...sad, but true.
You're right too...only a certain amount of weekends available in the fall, and in the spring, I ususally find myself on a trout stream, or my daughter's softball games!
You can guess who has won out there.
Comment by Mr. P — February 29, 2008 @ 5:44 pm
Excuse me my fellow hunters there is a post of a young hunter for January 9, 2008
Hard work and patience pay off for Emerald Griffin
We owe it to this young hunter, congratulations she will be a "Future Hunter that will carry on the Hunting Tradition" please let's keep that in mind when see her first of many trophy's.
Let's join together and recognize our legacy.
Comment by Backlash — March 1, 2008 @ 12:36 pm
Mr. P, don't get me wrong, I don't like the fact that birds get wounded anytime, any wildlife for that matter. I've never heard of a hunter leaving a bird in the woods because of bullet damage. You say sad but true. I have to ask, with all due respect, do you actually know that this has happened? If it is true, it truly is very, very sad. I enjoy fall turkey hunt as much as most. I purchased a rifle/shotgun combination just so that I could hunt both deer and turkey during the fall. The gun never satisfied me. I went back to my scoped .243 bolt action. I shot enough paper to become very proficient with it. Like many of us that hunt today, I had to make the most out of my limited days in the field. I enjoyed scouting and calling fall turkey as much as I liked still hunting for deer. I found that the .243 was well suited for both game. I called many fall birds in that I was able to place a lethal headshot on. I didn't ruin any of the delicious meat. There were a few times when I was fortunate enough to harvest a bird and a buck in the same day, or during the same hunt. I was equally as cafeful to place a good, lethal shot on the deer as I was the turkeys. If you get to know your rifle it's very possible to take a turkey and not damage any of the flesh. I hope that no hunter ever kills any wild bird or animal and leaves it behind for any reason, especially because they made a bad shot.
Comment by Tony Rutherford — March 2, 2008 @ 8:36 am
Tony - I can say on several occassions I've come across dead birds during "general firearms" season. Not so much since the season changed (no turkey hunting except for Thanksgiving day) - but I've witnessed it, my friend.
I hunt on private land, that borders the National Forest. Over on the govt, there are groups that do drives throughout the season. I often wondered the percentage of shots I heard (back in the old season) were actually at deer and what were at the birds. Not to mention I viewed the "fly bys" by those birds escaping a few times.
As a youth, I carried a 20 guage/.30-30 over-and-under. Perfect for the blended seasons. Still own it today, and actually took it with me this past Thanksgiving with my daughter in-tow. Wicked on turkeys, and keeping a slug handy was nice if on the heels of a buck.
Now back to turkey hunting with a rifle...couple of things...if I'm deer hunting, I'm deer hunting. My dad used to say to me back in the blended seasons, "That's fine if you want to take a bird, but you've decided to go turkey hunting the rest of the day - a good buck won't care, he'll just dig in the thicket a little deeper."
And as far as the rifle...used to spring hunt with a .223. As you said, if you get the practice, you won't waste a morsel. My dad is a retired machinist - made a heck of a .223 caliber sleeve for a over and under 12 guage. Now THAT was a turkey gun!
Tony - one thing I've learned too, not everybody is as ethcial as they need to be. The jerk that pops a hen with a high powered rifle, looks at it, determines that it's not fit to eat and doesn't want to blow a tag - it happens - and it makes the rest of us sick. It's the same guy catching too many trout - spotlighting and killing yearlings - and baiting bear. It's the same guy who makes it tough on the rest of us.
Comment by Mr. P — March 3, 2008 @ 10:43 am
Mr. P thanks for the posting. I, fortunately have never come across a dead turkey that I knew was rifle shot and left. It is disheartening to hear that it happens. I first started turkey hunting while deer hunting, actually by accident. Whenever I bow hunted I always always did so from a climbing tree stand. I don't care how quite I tried to be I made noise. I looked for a way that I could calm the woods down after climbing a tree. I found that making a series of turkey calls was just what the Dr. ordered. It worked great. It also brought some turkeys in. I will say this. I no longer will shoot a turkey with a bow from a tree stand. I shot one that I know died. It ran off and I never recovered it. I know the shot was lethal. I won't make that mistake again. I believe that if the shot had been made from the ground I would have been able to recover the bird. Not recovering that bird bothered still bothers me. I enjoy walking along an old logging road and scouting for turkeys. If I'm lucky enough to find some fresh sign, I'll set up and call. I enjoy it as much as any hunting. Maybe it's ok to set out for more than one species? Kind of like fishing for bass and crappie at the same time. Hey, thanks for the good post. Good luck this spring. I saw some birds this past weekend in a early grain field doing their thing.
Comment by Tony Rutherford — March 5, 2008 @ 9:07 am