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I'm working on an update on the status of the Beat the Elites tournament, the event some Roanoke-area bass anglers planned as a four-day event to coincide wit the Bassmaster Elite Series Blue Ridge Brawl that will be at Smith Mountain Lake on April 23-26.

Organizers of the Beat the Elites said they would not hold the event if they didn't get 50 boats. Registration has closed. On the Web site there's now mention of a new option, which seems to be something like a big fish tourney over those four days. But I can't figure out if that's a replacement for the Beat the Elites tournament (it kind of seems like that) or if it's in addition to it.

The tournament organizer should be able to clarify this, right? Unfortuntely, I can't get the guy to return my phone calls or e-mail. I would have an easier time understanding this apparent blow-off if I had, like 17,543 other people, slammed this controversial concept. But I haven't.

I'm just hoping maybe someone out there entered the Beat the Elites, or knows someone who has, or at least can give me some idea what's going on.

If you've got some info, please feel free to post a comment here or send me a personal e-mail at mark.taylor@roanoke.com. Thanks in advance.

While many of us have been eagerly waiting for the April 11 opening of Virginia's spring gobbler season, a few fanatics have gotten the jump on us by traveling south to states with earlier openers.

Carson Quarles of Roanoke has been making an annual trip to White Oak Plantation in Alabama for a while, and these two awesome birds give you a pretty good idea why he keeps going back. Awesome hunting.

Quarles shot these gobblers -- both estimated to be 3 or 4 years old -- on the first two days of his hunt in March.

A reader - aka "Concerned" -- posted this comment on a different, unrelated topic. I didn't want it to get buried because it's an interesting, important topic. As the reader suggested, it's one that would be worth my looking into if I could make it happen.

"Mr. Taylor,

As a fellow paddler I am sure you have heard of the "King's Grant" laws in VA as they pertain to public use of rivers, streams, and creeks. As a fellow fisherman I am sure you know of the headaches this has caused in the past below Lake Moomaw.

In 2008 there was hope as the commonwealth was close to appointing a committee to research, review, and update the out of date law. But as far as budgets are concerned there was no way to fund this committee (and all the others) and the issue was dropped. Little hope remains for this issue to be looked at in 2009.

I challenge you to delve into the politics of this law and why exactly we would want to protect and endorse this law that effectivly grants the actual water rights and water beds to individual land owners.

I will agree that the law has validity for landowners that need to use streams and creeks for drinking water or for watersheds that are simply too small to fish or boat on. But other creeks and even rivers are currently 'off limits' due to the threat of tresspassing charges, etc.

These watersheds are not just your simple trickle of water past a landowners house, but navigatble in fact waterflows that run at flows favorable for boating or fishing nearly year round. When the gov't deems a wateshed navigatable it looks at the past usage of the watershed and if it was ever used as a 'mode of transportation' for people or goods.

 Well fast forward to now. We are in a technological revolution. Alot of gear is used regularly now that did not exist even 10 years ago. Many enthusiasts regularly push the limit on what can be tried, done, accomplished, etc.

If we are deeming a waterway navigatable by how many logs were floated down it 200 years ago, how can that compare to what is being done now with current boats and technology? How can we sit back and pay taxes to build reservoirs, dams, & levees to control floodwater and protect the public and then simply be content with that same waterflow being completely granted over to a private landowner downstream?

Why do we help fund gov't programs to farm raise trout and release them into natural streams only to let them wash downstream into 'private' 'kings grant' 'no access' areas? As a lover of our mtn waterways i think it is time that we fought back agaist the 'commonwealth crux' that has hurt the paddling and fishing community in VA."

Despite chilly, blustery winds, plenty of adult hunters headed out with young charges on Saturday morning for Virginia's annual youth spring turkey hunt. A few teams even managed to bag birds, which is no small feat considering that the success rate is about 2 percent even when the weather is decent.

One of the fortunate youth hunters was 9-year-old Kaley Henry, who shot this great gobbler while hunting on private land near Evington in Campbell County. The bird had a 10.5-inch beard and 1-inch spurs. Kaley has done plenty of target shooting, but this is the first animal she has shot at while hunting. How many of us wish we had started one-for-one? Look at that smile on Kaley's face! Priceless!

Kaley was hunting with her proud dad, Ron Henry, the conservation police captain who oversees the DGIF's law enforcement operations in Region II. (And a guy some of you have may have run into in the field, maybe back during his patrol days in the Franklin County area.)

Reported Henry: "This is what I have dedicated my life to -- seeing kids enjoy the oudoors. It just makes it extra special when it is your child that you have called a bird in for."

Well put, Capt. Henry.

Well, no one took Static Lines up on his offer of a float tube fishing adventure on Pandapas Pond over the weekend. But that didn't stop him. He went out and had a good day.

This nice bass hit a  Rapala Super Shad Rap.

This picture kind of cracks me up, but when you're in a float tube and going to release the fish, this is the best you're going to do.

Static said he saw quite a few bass, as well as some big pickerel. He also saw lots of trout anglers, plenty of whom were giving funny looks to the guy in the float tube!

I actually pulled one of my float tubes out yesterday in hopes I can use it at for some pond fishing this spring. Unfortunately I think it has a slow leak but it should be fixable.

After a year's absence, the Roanoke Valley chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation was back with a banquet.

The event was last night, and I was able to make it for a couple of hours.

Carson Irvine, who headed the banquet committee, said about 160 people came. That's not a blockbuster, but it's a step in the right direction. Irvine said he was particularly pleased with the turnout considering only five committee members were actively selling tickets leading up to the event.

The banquet was at a unique venue -- Corned Beef and Co., which is best known as a Roanoke night spot. The place doesn't have a banquet-sized room, so things were kind of chopped up and a little tight. It was about right for the number of people, though.

I got out of there about 9 p.m. but that was long enough to get a good feel for the event, I think. The verdict? A good time.

The food was good. Actually, it was better than the typical fried chicken/roast beef/greenbeans fare you get at most of these events. In addition to the meal, each attendee got four drink tickets. And not just for cheap house wine or for fizzy yellow draft beer. Corned Beef has a decent draft beer selection. In addition to the necessary fizzy yellow bear, they have some good stuff, including Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Bass and Red Hook ESB. I got a couple of the former, served in chilled pint glasses. That scores big points with a beer snob like me.

As for those other two drink tickets, I actually gave them away. I think that's the first time in history I've ever given away drink tickets, probably because it was the first time in history I've ever gotten four drink tickets. I mean, FOUR drink tickets? But it was a four or five hour event so it really wasn't outrageous. A good meal and four drinks (heck, two drinks) for $25? Try to find that anywhere else.

Food and drink alone aren't enough to make an event good, of course. I got a chance to talk to quite a few people who enjoy the outdoors like I do, and that's a big draw for these events.

Of course the point of the banquets is to raise money.

How successful was the banquet as a fundraiser? That remains to be seen.

Even if it didn't clear a bunch of cash, it was an important event because it gets things rolling again for the NWTF here. If the same group heads up a banquet next year, it should be even better.