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IRGINIA WILDLIFE SEPTEMBER 1992 ONE DOLLAR utona It'salwaysthesame.Afewrowsof fields every year, those who already awaywithit.Peoplewilllaugh,hoot, corn have been cut, but not havehekilongtalksonporcheswith andholler. Ado\êfield isnotagood enough to matter to the birds. It's landowners about what's been placetoliideyoursins. deathly hot, and there's no wind. plantedandwherethebestspotswill Some mightsaythattherearebet- Thesweatdripsdownyourshirtand be to hang a few decoys on a wire. ter places to learn sportsmanship it's only anhourpastnoon. Looking It'llbeaboutJuneandJulywhenthe and grace under pressure. Perhaps around, you don't see the first bird. discussions really start to get going, there are morerefined ways to learn Not on a wire, in the air, or on the witharmswavingand fingerspoint- valuablelessonsaboutlifeanddeath, ground. Heck,youcan'tevenseethe ing and men acting out last year's about friendship and honesty than ground for the green corn that's stories. Tliey will be gearing up for by a day in a dove field. But, we about twice as tall as you are. Ifyou theseasonsomethreeorfourmonths hunters find ourselves digging cieep happened to actually drop a dove, beforeitactually getshere.Theywill into the mud, and blood and guts of you had better have a dog to sniff it havebeencountingdovesforatleast living. And in truth, we learn to ap- out of the sea of corn or soybeans a month, calculating exactly when preciate it all. We make no excuses that's been planted, or you'll spend the corn will be cut, and they will fortakinginalllifehasoffered. the rest of the day looking for one havespentweekendsreloadingshot- I think how blessed I am these bird. gunshells.Afewofthediehardswill daystobeabletolookforward tothe It's all pretty awful. You grin and evenhavetlirownafewclaybirdsto doveseason. IwishIhad acoiTifield, settlein. practice up on. The rest of us just about 100 acres would do, that I It's Opening Day. It's the begin- laugh. We resign ourselves to look- could invite all my friends to for an ning again. No matter that the same inglikefoolsonOpeiiingDay. Heck, Opening Day shoot. I'd do like my ritual is repeated every year, same we'llevenbe proudofit. dear old friend Latane Trice tioes. month, same time. It's new all over Dovehuntsareplaceswherehon- Everyyear,atprecisely1:00,herings again. It wouldn't be right to do the estyprevailsandfakesarefoundout. the dinner bell to call everyone to- sensible thing and wait until a fine I personally count myself lucky to gether. Every yearhe gives thesame day when the doves are flying and have been invited back to a dove speech to the same people, about the crops have been taken in. After field in the Shenandoah Valley after safety and doves, good dogs and all, it's Opening Day. Come rain, being caught in a disreputable act. I good friends. Then he follows his heat, empty skies or fields full of admit, I did try to convince the guests out into the field, placing greencom,we'llbethere. crowd that my dog actually found them safely apart, making sure the Actually, it's a privilege to be andretrievedalostbird. Myonlyex- dogs have water and the hunters there. There have been years past cusewasthatmydog'sperformance know which way the birds will fly. when I've found myself without an that day was so disgraceful that his Latane knows no strangers on that invitationtoshootonOpeningDay.I life was in jeopardy I was afraid he day. guess I could have tried those places wouldbeconfinedtoakennelforthe I count myself lucky that I have thatletyouontotheirplacesforafew restofhis days. Desperate times call thechancetosharethedaywithoth- dollars perday. But, tome,havingto fordesperateactions. ers, to watch the birds wing bv, to pay for a stand on Opening Day is a People really can't get away with hear the doves whistle and the shots bit like having to pay for Christmas muchonatiovefield. Youcan'teven ring out across the field. 1 count my- dinner. Iknowalotofpeoplewhodo get away with looking good on a self lucky anotherSeptember has ar- both, but I've always felt that Open- dovefieldlikeyoucangetawaywith rived. ing Day is a day that should be it,say,onaskislope,justbecausevou shared with friends and not look like a hunter doesn't mean you strangers; a day when acts of kind- are a hunter. You can be dressed in ness should be offered with no the best camouflage and L.L. Bean stringsattached,outofrespectforthe wear from head to toe, but if you way things used to be when the don't hit a dove, everyone knows. If world was notcjuitesolargeand un- you don't shoot, everyone knows. tamedaplace. And, ifyou happen to dosomething So, I feel the luckiest of us all are dreadfully stupid, like shooting at a those who travel back to the same dove 100 yards away, you won't get \/IRGINTA Vie1992liiintiii;^^cuboiihc^îii--' iitnitopm^c9forthelatestiiifonimtioiito makethisthebestseasonyet;pliotobyRobSimpson. Vw D L L b I I 1- Cover:Foxsquirrel;photobyLarryDitto. BackCover:PhotobyBillLea Features 4 TheMagicofHickoriesbyBruceIngram Findaliickorytreeandyou'llfindasquirrel. 6 One-on-OneDoveHuntingbyGeraldAlmy Therearewaystoenjoythechallengeofdovehunting withoutthehelpofotherhunters. 9 1992Virginia'sHunter'sGuide Tlielatestwhere-to-goinformationalongwitha huntingseasonforecast. 34 Virginia'sWildlife—TheStar-nosedMole byJohnPagels SpTifptnberJniirnal 27 Journal 31 Safety 30 PhotoTips 32 Recipes Dedicated to the Conservation ofVirginia's Wildlife and Natural Resources VOLUME NUMBER 53 9 The Magic of Hickories byBruce Ingrain Your key to success with early season squirrels this year could have a lottodowithyourknowledge of hickories. In normal years with good mast crops, the squirrel-hickory connection is asurethingwhenitcomestoa successful hunt in the early weeksofSeptember. Hickories are close rela- tives to walnuts and butter- nuts and can be characterized by their alternate compound leaves which typically have toothedborders.Thetreesusu- ally have tall, ramrod straight trunks and the wood itself is verytoughandstrong,andhas beenused foreverythingfrom baseball bats and skis to gun- stocksandtoolhandles. Of the hickory varieties (genusCan/a)nativetotheOld Dominion, three are found tliroughout much of the state anci have great significance to wildlife. The mockernut (Carya tonieiitosa) is probably the most common member of the trio in the western part of thestateandisafavoritemenu itemofearlyseasonsquirrels. Likeall hickories, themock- ernutischaracterized by itsal- ternate compound leaves which typically have toothed borders. Mockernut can be identified by its seven or nine shiny green leaflets which are hairy underneath. enjoy I crushing these leaves and in- halingthearomaticaromathat they emit. Later on in the season, these leaves become a beautifulgt)ldenyellow. The elliptical nut of the mockernutisconcealedwithin a thick, brown husk. The nut- meatsthemselvesareeasilyex- VIRGINIA WILDLIFE tracted by squirrels, but we humans squirrelsout. Beforesettingupshop, move into range of the animal and havetoundergoquiteabitoflaborto however, it's crucial that you find squeeze offa good shotfrom my 20- get at the meat. But that effort is freshcuttings. Cuttings that are gray gauge. Ifthat'snotchallenginghunt- worth it. I love the taste of mocker- or moldy are obviously old and ing,1don'tknowwhatis. nuts and have used them in cakes couldindicatethatthesquirrelshave Still hunting will also take early andbreads. exhausted the food supply in that seasonsquirrels. Forthistactic,Ilike Evenbettertastingistheshagbark area and have moved on. Converse- to establish a "mile run" of hickory (Caryaovata). Theobvious character- ly,cuttingsthataregreenandfreshin stands and move from stand to istic ofthis variety is its rough, shag- appearance quite likely indicate that stand. For example, 1 might have lo- gy bark which often "flakes out- silvertailsarestillpresent. cated fourorfive grovesofhickories ward" from the tree in long, curved Onceyou have determined that a in a given locale and will spend the strips. Found in both the mountains grove is being used regularly, I be- day hunting from one to the other. and valleys, the shagbark possesses lieve that the old maxim "Good WhenIleaveonestand,Imovefairly fivetosevenleaflets (usuallythefor- things come to those who wait" rapidly; but as I near another one, I mer) and those leaves turn golden- comes into play. Aftertakingastand literally inch along hoping to see or browncomeautumn. ina likelyarea, I oftenwon'tseeany hearasquirrel.Thistacticworksbest The third valuable member is the squirrelsfor30ormoreminutes. But on rainy days or early or late in the pignut (Caryaglabra) and it typically eventually I will hear the telltale day. has just five leaflets. The leaves are raspingsoundcindlater1willspythe If the hickory crop has failed, be not as deep a green as those of the shavings from liickory nuts filtering suretocheckoutotherfood sources. mockernut, and the bark is very down through the tree limbs as a For example, during the early sea- smooth, especially when compared bushytail"peels" itsprize. sons, 1 have found squirrels feeding tothatoftheshagbark.Tlieearlypio- Nowit'sdecisiontime. Isitbestto on the fruits of such trees as wliite neers gave the pignut its name be- stalk the animal and move in for a and red oaks, blackgum, staghorn causehogswereveryfondofitsnuts. close shot with a shotgun? Or is it sumac, walnut, and on apples in Be that as it may, I have found the best to wait even longer and hope abandonedorchards. Lastyear,Ihad taste of pignuts to be far inferior to thattheanimalmovestoatreecloser trouble locating squirrels in the that of mockernut and shagbark to my position? I prefer the first op- mountains, but found scores of the hickory nuts. For more information tion,becausestalkhuntingissochal- creatures around bottomland corn- onhowtoidentifyhickories,Irecom- lenging, and is so satisfying when I fields. The deer and turkeys were mend VieAudubon SocietyFieldGuide succeed. oftenaroundthosesamefields. to North American Trees (Eastern Re- There are those who scorn the Yes, the squirrel-hickory connec- gion) and the A Field Guide to Trees early squirrel season because it is tion is an importaiit one in Virginia. andShrubsinthePetersonseries. supposed tobeso"easy." But, sever- And knowing the intricacies of this al Septembers ago, 1 was hunting a relationsliip will help make all of us Hunting TlieHickories Craig County stand of hickories betterwoodsmenandhunters. D groMvye foafvhoriictkeorsitersatdeugyrifnogrhtuhnetieanrglay wahmeonc1kseprontutetd.aSgroamyesqu4i0rremlihniugtheisn dBrouocreLhiifegrmaamgaizsitnheeaViiurtgainfiraeqeudeitnotrcfoonrtrOiubtu-- seasonistotakeastandandwaitthe elasped before I was finally able to tortoVirginiaWUdlife. MockernutHickory PignutHickory ShngbnrkHickory illustrationsbySpikeKinith SEPTEMBER1992 byGerald Almy And when virtually all of the birds crowds,noise,loudvoicesandtraffic wise up late in the afternoon and jams. Tliose tilings are usually con- Mention startflyingtootherfields,there'sstill sidered part and parcel of a dove doves and most a delicious barbeque dinner waiting hunt, but they don'thavetobe. And Virginia hunters conjure and more socialization to round out at day'senti, chcinces areyou'll have up imagesofhuge, fresh- theaftenoon. asmanyormorebirds-per-manthan ly har\'ested com fields surrounded It's awonderfulyearly event, anci thoseatthebigsocialshootsdo. by dozens of hunters baking collec- ifyou'reintherightspot,theselarge- Even if you don't, you'll have a tively under a hot September sun. scale dove hunts can yield some feeling thatyou areactually hunting They are waiting for birds to fly on good shooting. Butifyoudon'thave the quarr\' instead of just showing opening day. When the Gatorade the connections to get invited on up. Time must be taken for scouting and Cokes start to run low about such a hunt, or simplv don'tcare for and locating good areas to hunt. mid-afternoon, mourning doves the crowds involved, take heart. Then vou must pattern the birds to come winging in like gray ghosts. Ther—e's another kind of dove hunt- see wliich flight routes they use,just They'resurprised bythegunfire,but ing a kind I've specialized in for like you'd pattern a buck's move- anxious to feed and not easy to turn over20years. And thanks toincreas- mentfromfeedingtorestingareas. back. Notatfirst,anyway. mgmourningdovepopulationsover And if the first spot you choose The shooting is fast and furious, that time frame, the sport is as good doesn't turn out to be the best, vou particularlyatafewkeylocations.At todayasitwaswhenIfirstbegantr\'- can simplv move to where more others it'sonly mediocre.Since there ingitduringmycollegedays. birds are flying. If too many birds are so many other hunters, though, The do\'e hunting I do is mostly enterafieldusingroutesvouhax'en't one can't just move where the birds done alone or with one or two other covered, youcansneakupandjump are flying better. Someone els—e is al- friends to share the afternoon with. shoot them to get the doves flying ready there. But no matter dove When 1 gohunting, oneofthe things again—perhaps past your partner's hunting is a social event, anyway. I'm looking for is escape from position. There's a great feeling of VIRGINIAWILDLIFE ^^ willallowyoutohunt,eitherforfree of Lovingtonand is reached from Rt orforareasonablefee.Andthey'llbe 626andRt743. WMA particularly happy to do so when TlieDickCross inMecklen- you tell them only a few people will burg County is another good bet for youfind behunting,ratherthanahugegroup. doves. Situated 16 miles southwest If Try to line up several such areas ofSouthHill,justbelowJohnH. Kerr yourself alone beforeopeningdayDrivebackroads Dam, it sits on the nortWhMsiAde of the in the area you want to hunt and lo- Roanoke River. This offers on a dove catebircis flying or resting on power 1,372acresofhuntingand isreached field, lines. Figure out where their princi- viaRt4. About850 ofthoseacres are palflightroutesareandtheirfeeding leased to farmers on a percentage don't despair. destinations. Then approach the basis. The Game Department's por- Theê are ways landownerandexplainthatyouonly tion of the crops are left in the fields ^ willhuntwithacoupleofotherpeo- to provide food for wildlife. There ple or alone and only on days when are also several inillet fields planted to enjoy the hesaysit'sokay. especiallytoattracWtdMovAes. Avoid large agricultural spreads, ChesterPhelps inCulpeper challenge of since these aren't as easy for a small and Fauquier counties is a good bet number of hunters to cover and for hunting doves in northern Vir- dove hunting chances are clubs will have already ginia. Access is best on Rt 651, near leased them. Small harvested fields Sumerduck,offofUS17.Mostofthis without the j^ of corn, sunflower, millet, milo anci WMA is too thickly wooded for wheat are good for dove hunting doves, but the open areas can pro- he^ of others. withoutacrowd.Ifthere'sawatering vide good shooting at times. There pond nearby, evergreens handy for are10parkingareasavailable. WMA roosting and telephone or power Wliite Oak Mountain pro- wires for resting on, you've found a vides good dove shooting for south- doveparadise. centralVirginiahunters.Tliearealies Public lands with good dove in Pittsylvania County, 15 miles huntingarealsoavailable. Bothinili- northeast of Danville and five miles tary reservations and some of the southeast of the town of Chatham. state's wildlife management areas Tlie agricultural leases on tliis 2,712- offer good bets. Fort A.P. Hill near acretractprovidegoodfoodsupplies Bowling Green, Quantico Marine fordoves. being "in control" that's sometimes Corps Base north of Fredericksburg, Hunting dates may be restricted lackingatlargedoveshoots. and Fort Pickett near Blackstone all on some of these public areas and The firststep inhunting doves by offer public dove hunting. The conditions may change from year to yourselforwithoneortwofriendsis wildlife headquarters at these bases yearasfarasplantingsandnumbers tofindagoodplacetohunt.Thisisn't can provide maps, regulations, per- ofdoves present, so always makean hard, since doves are plentiful mitsandinformationonwheredove advance scouting trip and check throughout Virginia. Both resident fieldsarelocated. withthelocalgamewardenorbiolo- andmigratoryflocks arefound from Among wildlife management gist to find out what the outlook for the marshlands ofthe EasternShore areas,Ameliaisagoodbetfordoves. doves is and what times and days to the rugged Alleghenies in the It's located in Amelia County, 10 hunting is allowed. Try to pinpoint west. September typically sees some miles northeast of Amelia Court- two or three prime areas, so if one is 15 million doves in the state, and house and seven miles north of US crowded or unproductive, you can 360. movetoanotherspot. onlyasmallfractionofthesearehar- WMA vested onthe opener. More birds fil- Powhatan is also good for Soloorsmall-group dovehunting terdownfromtheNorththroughout doves. It's located in the piedmont requires that you actually hunt your bthueilfadlil,ngwittohopvopeurla5t0iomnisllsioomnetwihmeens sReiccthimononodf.thUeSst6at0e,go35esmitlhersouwgehstthoef qaunadrrryeliynisntgeaodnoofthjeursts stohoswciarnegtuhpe hunting reopens in late December management area with Rt 627 pro- birds past you. This is best done be- andearlyJanuary. vidingaccessfromthewest,VaRt13 foreyouactuallyenterthefield. Besides large numbers of doves, fromthesouth. WMA Stay a comfortable viewing dis- Virginiastillhasenoughsmallfamily TheJames River in Nelson tancebackandwatchthefieldfor20- farms that finding a field a few County covers 671 acres and pro- 45minutes.Useyournakedeyesand vides some outstanding dove shoot- binoculars to pinpoiiit birds on the hunterscancoverisfairlyeasytodo. Uthnelmesseslvtehse,ymaorsetpslmaanlnlinfgartmoohwunnetrsit iofngthaetJtiammeess.RItivleiers,o1n5tmhielensorstouhtehdegaesst gporwoeurnldi,neflsy.inWg,atocrhretshteiinrgfilnigthrteepsaotr- SEPTEMBER1992 — s terns. Mostdoveswillhaveacouple bagged nearly half of our limits this threeroutestheyusetocomein,plus ofalleys or lanes they use to fly in waybeforeweeventookourstands. agroveofcedarstheyroostin.Thisis overapointofland,alargetree,field Walkhunchbacked as you approach the typeofsetupthatproducesgreat comer or notch in a treeline. Locate doves oryou'll never get in shotgun oneandtwo-manhunts, ifit'srested where the birds enter the field most range, meaning 45 yards or less. If severaldaysbetweenshoots. often and where there's enough vou have a friend or two along, sta- For this small-field setup, I prefer coversuchaswoods,brushorstand- tion them at likely flyways before an improved cylinder and modified ingcomthatyoucansitinfrontofor you try to flush thebirds. The doves choke in a double barrel, generally behind. You don't need to be totally mayflyoverthemastheyleave. using a 16 or 20 gauge. Twelves are hiddenbut something to break your Don't be concerned about spook- also good, and an expert can take silhouettedefinitelyhelps. ingthebirdsawayfromthefieldper- doves consistently with a 28. Best Wearing drab tan or olive clothes manently.Onceyoutakeastandand shot sizes are 7-1/2's and 8, with 8's or even camouflage is also wise. stopmoving,thebirdswillnormally tops for early season birds, 7-1/2' Some of the tan and black linear return in 10 to 30 minutes, ifthey've forwinterhunting. camopatternsareespeciallygoodfor beenfeedingthereregularly. If you've shied away from dove dovehunting.Ifthebirdsareparticu- Anotheradvantagetomovingpe- hunting because you thought it was larly skittish, a headnet or face paint riodically is that it tends to keep the too social and only a sport for those canevenhelp. dovesconfusedaboutwhereyouare. with the right connections, try these With a little observation, you can Whenhunting alone, I may usefour tactics for hunting without the quicklypickoutseverallikelystands or five different stands in an after- crowds. Hundreds of small fields beforeenteringafield. Ifonedoesn't noon, takingafewbirdsateachuntil that are useless for the big clubs are pay off, move to another. Or if the I'vecollectedalimit. waiting for a solo hunter or small birdschangeflightpatternsastheaf- Small fields are best for hunting group withenough initiative to gain ternoonwears,tryadifferentstand. onyourownorwithjustoneortwo permission to seekouttheirgraceful Sometimes doves will allov/ you partners. Thebirdsaremoreconcen- gray-wingedquarry. D to get close enough to jump shoot trated and you can cover the major themasyouenterafiekl orafteryou flight paths more readily. 1 hunt one GeraldAlinyliasbeoiafiill-tiiiicoutdoorwriter seethemlandinaparticulararea.On field near my home where there's a for17years.Heiscurrentlyahuntingamifish- one recent trip a friend and I each dead tree birds gather in and two or ingeditoron tliestaffofSports Afield maga- I'll! 11 i/i'K /;/(/(/ iili'iii', \hm iiiii^tI'll]/IIIInilion lo llh-I'lnh Irrilni^^jiiilli'iii--miil liiwcl Inncs; photoLyndaRichardson. 8 VIRGINIAWILDLIFE I'wmo'/if/isa.i. ., - Contents LicensesRequired page10 Fees HuntingLaws page12 BlazeOrange SteelShotZones HunterEducationRequirements WheretoHunt page13 GameDepartmentPublic HuntingLands WaterfowlBlindDrawings NationalForests CooperativeHuntingAreas PiedmontStateForests MihtarvAreas U.S.ArmyCorpsofEngineers StateParks IndustrialLands CorporateTimberlands 1992-93HuntingSeasons page19 . . , Resources page20 StatewideDeer,BearandFall TurkeyHarvest P^ge21 1992-93HuntingSeason Outlook page21 CoverphotobyRobSimpson Licenses Required Ifyouhunt,youmusthaveavalid quired to hunt during special sea- proceedsfromwhichwillbeusedfor license. Exceptions to this are: sonsopenforbowhuntingonly. habitat acquisition and restoration, (1) Landownersandtenantswholiveon A special muzzleloading gun li- and waterfowl research. A blind li- thelandtheyrentandwhohavetheir cense is required to hunt during the censemustbedisplayed onbothsta- lantilord's written permission; (2) specialmuzzleloadingseason. tionary and floating blinds in, or on Virginia residents 65 years of age or Bonus deertagscanbe purchased theshoresofpublicwaterseastofIn- older who hunt on private property which allow hunters to take bonus terstate 95 except on the Eastern inthecountyoftheirresidence. deer beyond statewide and special Shore counties. Consult the Game What licenses you may need de- seasonbaglimitsincertainareas. Law Summarv for particular infor- pends upon what, where and even- Some western counties recjuire a mation. how you hunt. A basic resident or game damagestamp to huntcieeror A license year is from July 1-June non-residentlicenseisrequiredofall bear witliin their respective bound- 30. Licenses may be obtained from hunters and is valid for hunting all aries. These are issued by the clerks the clerks of most courts and from upland game. If you want to hunt- of the court in counties where they authorized Department agents con- deer, bearand turkey, an additional li- arerecjuired. veniently located throughout the cense is required. A National Forest- A federal migratory waterfowl state. Requirement clarification may Permitisneeded tohunton National stamp is rec]uired for hunting ducks be obtained from the Virginia De- Forestlandand a similarstampisre- orgeeseanci isavailableatlocal post partment of Game and Inland Fish- quired to hunt the Piedmont State offices. A voluntary state waterfowl eries, Box ni04, Richmond, VA Forests. stamp is also available for $5, the 23230-1104.Phone(804)367-1000. A special archery license is re- 10 VIRGINIA WILDLIFE