My column today in The Roanoke Times, which you can read HERE, included a lead note about how bear season seems to be progressing.

Because bears must still be “hard checked” at check stations  it’s hard to get a firm idea how the statewide kill is trending. The best we can do is to poll check stations individually. Naturally, of the stations I called yesterday, some were reporting good years and others were reporting off years.

There have been some big ones killed, including a 496-pounder checked at Pembroke Stop and Save in Giles County, and this 436-pounder killed by Charles Wilson of Axton near Eagle Rock on Nov. 28.

Who has been bear hunting? Would appreciate some additional reports.

I also had a note about the Hellgate 100K running race held starting Friday at midnight. I knew three people running. One of them, Joe Dudak of Salem, finished 8th. Josh Gilbert, a Salem chiropractor who owns the Mountain Junkies race management company, was 11th.

I wondered if Dudak encountered bear hunters on Saturday, and he said he did. They were all friendly and accommodating, he said. No surprise there.

Normally this time of year I’m putting finishing touches on hanging archery stands and deciding my preferred hunting locations for the first couple weeks of archery season.

I base those locations largely on food, particularly white oak acorns.

Obviously, I’m not doing any last-minute bow season prep while stuck here in Cordova, Alaska.

My August scouting, before I departed for this possibly-never-going-to-end Alaskan odyssey, turned up some white oaks, but nothing special. A couple of my spots had really good chestnut oak crops.

Anyway, turning the talk back to Virginia, can other hunters chime in on what they’re finding in terms of acorn mast out there?

I’m not looking for exact locations, of course. Just general information like the part of the county, elevation, terrain, etc.

Also, I know folks have put their trailcam submissions on hold while I’ve been gone. But now that I have wifi access and am back to being on the computer for hours every day, feel free to send away. We need to get some shots of bucks out of velvet on here!

I have long sung the praises of the outdoors recreation resources of the Roanoke region. Most of those resources are natural resources that are enhanced by man’s touch. Say, the Appalachian Trail, the Jefferson and George Washington national forests, streams and reservoirs.

Today, my column in The Roanoke Times focused on the possibility that Roanoke could get an amazing indoor climbing gym. The River Rock gym  would share space with the River House development, a 128-apartment complex being built in a historic former cold storage building along the Roanoke River (and popular Roanoke River Greenway). The space will also be home to the Wasena City Tap Room, a casual pub that will have about 20 craft beers on tap. Yes!

Visionary Roanoke developer Ed Walker is the man behind the project, which would be similar to the above-pictured gym in Massachusetts. Walker, who has climber, former fly fishing guide and recent MBA grad Brent Cochran heading up the project, doesn’t jump into something without thinking it through. When he is committed he does things right. This is the real deal.

Today’s paper also included a piece by business reporter Amanda Codispodi about the plans for East Coasters bike shop to relocate to the long-abandoned former Virginia Museum of Transportation, which is just a couple hundred yards from the River House site.

I live about two miles from the spot and I am pumped. I already am on the Greenway a lot for rides and runs. I love the idea of being able to ride my bike with my wife and kids to the climbing gym, get a good workout (for all you hunters, climbing is a tremendous way to get in shape for deer season) and then go to the tap room for a cold IPA.

Roanoke’s rep as an outdoors mecca is getting stronger, and a place like River Rock can only help.

It’s not a sure thing. The developers are trying to gauge community support. There are no strings attached. Just go to the River House website. On the home page is an area to enter your email to “vote” for the climbing gym.  I already voted. I hope you do, too.

Last night was the annual Catfish Campout at Smith Mountain Lake with my buddies Erich Faber and Rich Dorsett.

Normally we do this on Erich’s dock far back in a shallow cove. He has a tent set up on  his dock and we just cast out in all directions. The cats typically keep us pretty busy all night, which means very little sleep.

So, this year I proposed that I would bring my little camper down the road on the adjoining property, stay in it later in the night and then fish that part of the bank. I made this proposal earlier in the week when it looked like there might be some thunderstorms Wednesday night. But, while staying out potentially bad weather was one reason, another is that I really like getting at least a few hours of sleep every night!

Long story short, we moved the whole operation to a neighbor’s nearby dock. It’s a much bigger dock. It’s covered. And fishing can be good.

It was good: for the sunfish we planned to use for bait. In no time we had plenty of bluegills and green sunfish in our bait basket. So then it was time to get the baits in the water and wait. Read more »

We are in the process of overhauling Roanoke.com, and we’ve been reaching out to readers for feedback on what they’d like to see with the new site. We even have a blog, The Refresh RT blog, to keep readers in the loop.

So, let me pose that question to you all: How can we improve the Outdoors content on Roanoke.com? What are we doing well? What can we do better? What else would you like to see? Are there other outdoors sites we should look at for ideas?

Be blunt and honest. Your input will make a difference.

First, some basic background on what we have now.

–Outdoors stories and columns that appear in The Roanoke Times comprise part of our online Outdoors package. I write nearly all of these.  Read more »

As expected, a seven-person subcommittee in Virginia’s House of Delegates voted this morning to table SB 464, the bill that would have allowed Sunday hunting — with restrictions — in Virginia.

The vote was 4-3.

I just got back from a fun two hours at the Y with my kids. I just popped a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. It’s delicious. And bitter. Which seems appropriate. The bitter part, I mean. Anyway, now is not the time for me to get wordy.

To those who worked hard to try to get fair treatment for the feared, misunderstood minority that are hunters, I say “Prost!”

And that’s all from me tonight.