Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, October 23, 1995 TAG: 9510230082
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BILL COCHRAN OUTDOOR EDITOR
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
When the early black-powder season was reinstated in Virginia in 1990, Quaiff killed a nine-point buck that made the Boone and Crockett record book with a score of 140.
In 1992, he got a 10-pointer. Last year, he killed a heavy-beamed eight-pointer that scored 136 Boone and Crockett.
``I have killed nine deer with a muzzleloader,'' said Quaiff. ``All of these animals were shot in less than 50 yards and a scope wasn't necessary.''
That doesn't mean Quaiff won't be taking advantage of a new regulation that will permit the use of scopes for the first time during the upcoming special muzzleloading season.
``I am going to have a scope on my rifle for low-light conditions - early morning and late in the day . But I still will limit my shots to 100 yards.''
As executive director of the Virginia Deer Hunters Association, Quaiff was the force behind having scope-use legalized in Virginia.
``Let's give the hunter the opportunity to be as effective as possible,'' he urged the board of the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. Board members approved the request, going against the recommendations of their staff game biologists who wanted to continue with iron or peep sights only.
``We worked toward it because our membership supported it,'' Quaiff said. ``We support what the membership supports. That was keeping in mind that there wasn't a biological reason for not doing it.''
The compelling reason for legalizing scopes in Quaiff's mind was to increase accuracy.
``If we can't be as effective as possible and try to create as humane a kill as possible, how in the world can we expect people to accept hunting who don't hunt?'' he asked.
``I think it will be a big help for people with an eyesight problem; it will be helpful to older hunters,'' Quaiff said.
Matt Knox, deer research biologist for the game department, was an opponent of scopes, but agrees they will be helpful to older shooters who have difficulty lining up open sights on a target.
``I think what we are going to end up with is a lot of the older people using scopes,'' he said. ``I think everybody supports that, but the idea of a 20-year-old man needing one, I don't buy that.''
What scopes won't do is make modern, long-range rifles out of black-powder guns, Quaiff said. Hunters shouldn't be misled on that point, he said.
``The scope in no way, shape or form is going to extend the range of the rifle,'' he said. ``It will not. It will impact the accuracy of the rifle, but not the range.''
Just how scopes will impact the popularity of the Nov. 6-16, Dec. 18-Jan. 6 black-powder season is a source of debate. Game officials have expressed concern that the season could become so popular it will adversely impact the deer herd and upstage the general firearms season, which opens Nov. 20.
|PLEASE SEE SCOPES/B7 Scopes|
FROM PAGE B8|
Last year, without scopes, the muzzleloading season attracted 80,000 hunters who killed 30,000 deer.
``We expect the participation rate without scope to go over 100,000,'' Bob Duncan told game department board members during the public hearing when scope-use was discussed. Duncan is chief of the department's game division. ``With scopes, it may go quite a bit higher than that. I would like to go on record that it is highly probable we would have to modify the season in the future, maybe limit the buck kill.''
``We are trying to calm down the concerns of people who have the idea that we are turning the muzzleloading season into an early rifle season,'' said Quaiff.
He doesn't believe large numbers of hunters suddenly will join the ranks of black-powder hunters just because they can mount scopes on their rifles. Instead, he expects to see hunters already in the sport upgrade their equipment with scopes.
That interest is so intense that Quaiff is warning hunters not to wait too late to purchase guns, scopes and components. Sales were brisk at the late summer Virginia Deer Hunters Association annual show in Richmond.
``Dealers sold out of everything muzzleloading-wise,'' he said. ``Even the scopes were sold out.''
But the big attraction of the muzzleloading season isn't scopes, Quaiff said.
``It is the perfect time for a hunters to be out in the woods, to use their hunting skills, to be selective and to have a chance at a good buck. I think this year is going to produce some excellent racks. They are out there. I think even the boys hunting public lands are going to see a whole lot more trophy heads because of the acorn crops we have had the past several years. If we give the bucks a chance to age, that plus these acorns, they will get some bones on their head.''
Quaiff shares the concerns of game biologists that the muzzleloading season could put pressure on the buck segment of the deer population. In the western part of the state, the early season mostly is a bucks-only affair. Deer of either sex may be taken only Nov. 11 during the early season west of the Blue Ridge and on public land east of the Blue Ridge. Either-sex hunting is permitted the entire early season on private land in the east.
``There has been some concern on the negative impact of racked bucks, especially on public areas where there is a good bit of hunting and very little management going on,'' Quaiff said. ``The bucks are very vulnerable at that time of the year. I think that is something we will have to take a hard look at in two years. If we have to limit the bag limit on racked bucks, so be it. Obviously, the doe harvest is not the problem.''
There may come a time when jacketed bullets should be legalized, Quaiff said. Current regulations call for nonjacketed lead projectiles, but saboted bullets are legal.
``Without question, I think there is some good, strong data that shows jacketed bullets will create a much more effective kill,'' Quaiff said. ``If the bullet will create a more effective, cleaner kill, then I am for it.
``At the same time, I do not pass judgment on people who are using more primitive hunting weapons. Those people need to know what their effective range is. When you go to the round ball and the flintlock rifle, these are effective weapons. They have been around for many, many years, but they have their limited range.''
``I am going to have a scope on my rifle for low-light conditions - early morning and late in the day . But I still will limit my shots to 100 yards.''
by CNB