
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, October 23, 1995                   TAG: 9510240006
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B-8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

HUNTING OUTLOOK

DEER: Clear a spot on the wall. This is the year to get a buck big enough to send you trotting to the taxidermist. Two back-to-back, better-than-average mast years have produced big bodies and big racks.

TURKEYS: Good reproduction and plenty of food in 1993 and 1994 have boosted the population. A spotty acorn crop this year means birds will be concentrated in areas where they can find food. All this points to excellent hunting.

QUAIL: Following a string of dismal years, look for a marked improvement in quail hunting. Bird populations are up 30 percent. It should be the best season in five years, but don't expect a return to the ``good old days'' west of the Blue Ridge.

BEAR: The bear kill should rebound from last season's drop of 35 percent. There have been frequent sightings of these big animals, but officials don't anticipate a record year.

RABBITS: Bring on the beagles. This should be another excellent rabbit season. The bunny population has been booming during the 1990s, and it enjoyed another 20 percent increase this year.

GROUSE: Populations of these woodland birds have been so low the past three years they have no place to go but up. Look for a modest increase in the number of birds, but expect to spend hard hours in the woods to flush them.

by CNB