Comments on: Mike Bowling with his awesome wilderness 13-pointer

By: Jeff James

Jeff James — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 15:28:03 +0000

Mark,
Loved the story and congrats to the crew. One question, were they hunting primarily on foot (using elevation as a stand) or did they use tree stands or ground blinds? Just curious...

-Jeff, They didn't take in stands or blinds, just still hunted from the ground. Moving slowly, pausing for a while, etc. I think I said in the story they felt like the wind they had on that Friday helped them because it covered some of the noise they made moving through the woods. --mt

By: J. Boggs

J. Boggs — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 22:25:23 +0000

Mark, I agree. The proper mix of wilderness and managed forests is somewhere in the middle. However, only 5.6% of Virginia's NF lands are currently designated wilderness. That doesn't seem like a balanced position.

Artificially increasing game density doesn't make for better hunting -- space and solitude are much more important components.

This is probably not the venue but I was disappointed by Bill Cochran's treatment of the issue. Conservationists and outdoorsman should be working together to expand public and otherwise protected lands, not bickering over forest management. A great example of how these two groups can help one another is Ducks Unlimited.

By: marktaylor

marktaylor — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 21:40:48 +0000

Thanks for the comment, and for the link to Bill Cochran's column, J. Boggs.

I hadn't seen Bill's piece before I reported and wrote the story about this wilderness hunt. There's no doubt opinions vary greatly about the relationship between wilderness and hunting.

Plenty of professional wildlife managers aren't big fans of wilderness. They are managers, after all, and the idea of wilderness is to not actively manage it. A forest that is managed, with timber cutting, wildlife plantings, etc., can support more of some species, including ruffed grouse and white-tailed deer. And, of course, when roads and trails in such forests are open to vehicles, hunters have an easier time getting to that game.

The three hunters in my story didn't see many deer during their trip. But they didn't expect to. What they sought was solitude and a challenging hunt. They got it.

What's the right mix of wilderness and managed forests? Just like with every controversial topic, the answer is somewhere in the middle of where the staunchest advocates on both sides of the argument say it should be.

By: J. Boggs

J. Boggs — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 19:30:00 +0000

is it true that wilderness only offers a "diminished" hunting experience?

http://www.roanoke.com/outdoors/billcochran/wb/185583

By: Doug Overfelt

Doug Overfelt — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 17:13:54 +0000

Mike - that is an awesome looking deer. Congradulations

By: Static Lines

Static Lines — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 13:21:49 +0000

Wicked looking Deer. Good going Mike.

Question have anyone seen the numerous amout of deer on the surrounding property going toward Brush Mountain near Audie Murphy monument area.

On 2 separate occasions late evenings, I counted close to 150 to 200 deer near the road areas.

Again why is rifle season only 2 weeks in Montgomery county?

If that's not deer out the Wazoo what is.

By: JR Mitchell

JR Mitchell — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 02:39:56 +0000

What an awsome buck and a great story to boot! I'm a firm believer in hunting fair chase [natural habitat] and this definately one of those hunts. Way to go guys and congradulations Mike.

By: Lorie, Colton, Livvie

Lorie, Colton, Livvie — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 00:09:47 +0000

We are so proud of you! Way to check one off of your "Bucketlist! Happy Hunting!

By: chuck sharp

chuck sharp — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 21:05:33 +0000

What an outstanding reward for such a long and difficult hunt! Congrats Mike on a fine buck. That one will be hard to top.