By Sherman Shifflett   After a recent article about birds in CvilleBuzz, I started thinking about the birds I saw as a kid and how many of those species have become scarce. My family left Covesville in 1957, and I don't think I have seen a Baltimore Oriole since then. I remember a sycamore tree near our bus stop and I used to see the orioles in that tree. Seems to me that they built … [Read more...]

By DU Field Biologists   BRITISH COLUMBIA. After recent thaws, the ground surface in the interior and Peace parkland regions is saturated with water. As a result, wetland conditions are favorable for returning waterfowl, which started to arrive in the southern interior in early March. ALBERTA. Despite below-average winter snowfall, soil moisture levels are near or above normal across … [Read more...]

By CWF Volunteer Allen Easterly As a Complementary Work Force (CWF) Volunteer, I recently had the great pleasure to assist Region 2 and Region 4 Fisheries personnel begin the process of obtaining more musky for release in Commonwealth waters. During two separate trips, two teams of three or four conducted an electro-fishing expedition on a portion of the James River where there is a very high … [Read more...]

By VDGIF   The walleye is a popular game fish in many areas of the country, but one that is often overlooked in Virginia. DGIF’s aquatics staff uses state of the art techniques to collect, grow, and stock walleye. Here’s how we do it. Every year, DGIF collects adult walleye to use as brood stock. Brood stock are those fish that are captured, brought into a hatchery, spawned, and then … [Read more...]

Stripers Coming to Weldon Capt. Alan Cain   I just wanted to send out a quick email to let you know I have set dates for Roanoke River striped bass fishing. This fish takes place on the Roanoke River near Weldon NC where the stripers come to spawn every spring. Weldon is located right off of Interstate-95 and is about 1.5 hours northeast of Raleigh near the NC/VA state lines. Striped … [Read more...]

Deer Kill Graph Since 1947   There is an elephant in the room. For the recently completed 2016/17 hunting season, Virginia’s deer hunters tagged a total of 180,121 deer. That total represents a 16% decrease from the previous year’s harvest of 209.197. Game Department officials said that a good mast crop and diseases in previous years were responsible for the rather dramatic drop. … [Read more...]

It’s way early to get a final tally for Virginia’s deer season, but if the results from a local hunt club are any indication, the kill may be off statewide. Results show that for at least one hunt club, the total number of deer killed is down. While some nice animals were harvested, like this handsome buck taken by Robert Runnet (left) on the last day if the season, Sherman Shifflett of Louisa … [Read more...]