Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, February 14, 1994 TAG: 9402150023
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BILL COCHRAN OUTDOOR EDITOR
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Only, you won't see the word ``record'' in the public reports of the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.
``I'm not ever going to use that word,'' said Matt Knox, the deer research biologist for the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.
``People want the deer harvest to be like the world's fair, bigger and better every year,'' said Knox. ``It just can't be. It might go up to 230,000 some day, but I don't think we should expect a record harvest every year.''
The bear season also set a record, with the figure now reported at 781, nearly 19 percent above the previous high mark. Turkey was the only species that failed to follow the big game record-setting trend. It finished at 11,194, a few birds below last season and well under the 16,861 record of 1990.
The fact that the deer kill has jumped by 75 percent the past six years reflects, in part, efforts by state game officials to reduce the herd in areas where high populations are resulting in crop damage and vehicle accidents.
The herd-trimming efforts, achieved through more liberal hunting regulations, are paying off, Knox said.
``There is no question from the biological standpoint that the deer herd is being brought under control,'' he said. ``I think we are at the point where deer herds are being stabilized and reduced.''
The percentage of female deer in last season's kill was 41.5, the highest the game department has recorded. The year before, the figure was 39.6 percent. Through much of the '70s and '80s, that figure was around 30 percent.
With both the total number of deer and the percentage of does in lockstep, herd reduction is certain to follow, Knox said.
Agriculture officials are saying, ``It's about time.''
``Bambi can sure eat a lot of soybeans ... and peanuts ... and peach tree saplings, and so forth,'' said John Johnson, of the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation.
A year ago, the federation supported legislation that directed the game department to assess deer damage and establish a deer management plan. That study, which has been released to the 1994 General Assembly, reported $11.4 million in damage to row crops and nursery stock by deer in 1992. There was another $4.5 million in property damage, such as broken headlights and smashed fenders - and worse - that result from deer-vehicle collisions.
While the statewide deer kill increased by 676 animals last season, the Western kill declined by 7,933, which was a 10 percent drop.
``There were a whole bunch of reasons,'' said Knox. For one, the weather was unfavorable at both ends of the two-week firearms season in the West.
``Opening day was balmy and windy. The last day was a complete rain-out,'' said Knox.
The heavy mast crop also played a role, by spreading out the deer and making them tougher to find, Knox said.
Then, too, in some areas there simply were fewer deer.
``I haven't had a chance to sit down and look at the figures county by county, but I think there are going to be some western counties that will be way down,'' Knox said.
Bath and Highland are examples, where kill figures declined by more than 1,000.
Knox believes mortality last winter, especially during the deep snow and blizzard conditions of mid-March, probably killed more deer in mountain counties than officials first believed.
``They were in terrible shape coming into the storm,'' he said. Body weights were down due to a scarcity of food, and deer densities were high. ``Nature just balanced the herd.''
Knox said he will be able to use kill figures to estimate the number of deer lost to winter mortality. Already he has predicted that the reaction of hunters over a declining harvest will be one of concern.
``It will be, `We need to protect the deer.' I think we are going to have to look at the fact that nature was telling us something. You only can carry X number of deer and evidently we were on the top end of the scale.''
This winter's harsh weather isn't expected to result in mortality, because the abundant food crop of last fall has helped keep deer in good shape, Knox said.
Muzzleloaders accounted for 25,995 deer, nearly double the previous season, thanks to more liberal regulations and higher hunter interest. The bow kill declined from 17,646 to 15,900.
The bear kill was the eighth record in a decade. It represented a 60 percent increase over the season before, yet only 37.5 percent of the kill was females, the second lowest figure in 10 years. During the 70s and 80s, when the kill averaged about 215, there was a greater number of females in the harvest. Hunting regulations were changed to protect sows and cubs.
State game officials had predicted a kill of about 640 bears during the 93 season. A heavy mast crop kept the animals active deep into the season, and hunters were favored with good weather, said Dennis Martin, a state wildlife biologist in charge of bear research.
Wildlife biologists say there were few surprises in the turkey kill, which was 266 birds lower than the previous fall season.
``Generally, we saw good to excellent foods throughout the state. Typically, that results in reduced fall harvest rates,'' said Gary Norman, turkey project leader for the game department.
When mast is abundant, turkeys don't have to travel as far or feed as long; therefore, they are more alert and less vulnerable to hunting, Norman said.
Also making an impact were regulations which removed turkey hunting from the first week of deer season in 45 counties. Game officials shortened the season in one-third of the state when the kill leaped to 16,861 in 1990, a figure they believed was cutting into the population.
``I can only guess what the harvest would have been this year if we hadn't made those changes,'' Norman said. ``I would venture to say it probably would have been 13,000 ... 14,000 .... 5,000. Even more.''
The best news coming from the past season is the fact that turkeys appeared to enjoy an excellent hatch last spring. That was evident by the large percentage of young birds in the kill, Norman said.
The abundance of food and the above average hatch is promising news for spring gobbler hunters.
``Gobblers should be in peak, if not near peak, physical condition,'' Norman said. ``We will have a lot of jakes [young toms] out there. They will provide some opportunities. The spring of '95, when this age group will be 2 years old, we ought to have just a phenomenal spring gobbler season.''
The spring gobbler hunting season is set for April 16 through May 21.
by CNB