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Francis Barger admires the 44-pound striper he caught in the Chesapeake Bay. |
A300-ACRE FARM adjacent to Quantico Marine Corps Base is the latest property to join the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries' lineup of wildlife management areas.
The VDGIF recently acquired Merrimac Farm in Prince William County with support from the Prince William Conservation Alliance (PWCA), MCB Quantico, and the McDowell family, previous owners of the property.
Closing the $2.859 million deal required a creative pooling of resources. The PWCA obtained an $820,773 Virginia Land Conservation Foundation grant, the Department of the Navy contributed $1,429,750, and the VDGIF provided $608,997 from its capital funds. The military contribution came from a special account designed to help protect installations against encroachment by incompatible development.
Virginia Secretary of Natural Resources L. Preston Bryant, Jr. said of the acquisition: "Merrimac Farm is an excellent example of how partnering organizations can use the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation grants to protect important habitat. This project contributes to Gov. [Tim] Kaine's goal of conserving 400,000 acres by the time he leaves office. Achieving that goal will not only protect our land and water for wildlife but also improve the quality of life for all Virginians."
The farm includes a mix of wetlands, hardwood forest and upland meadows, and nearly one mile of frontage on Cedar Run Creek. The property previously had been managed as part of a shooting preserve.
Jerry Sims, VDGIF's regional biologist, said plans for the site include special managed hunts (with hunters likely selected by random drawing), fishing, wildlife viewing areas, and environmental education programs that can help demonstrate wildlife management in a rapidly urbanized setting.
"I think this could become a model for other public lands in Northern Virginia," Sims said.
Public access will be limited, with horseback and bicycle riding, use of all-terrain vehicles, dog walking and jogging prohibited. Sims said this will protect the habitat and minimize conflicts among designated users of the tract.
Merrimac Farm Wildlife Management Area is scheduled to open this spring. For more details on the tract, call the Fredericksburg regional office of the VDGIF at 540/899-4169.
SHOT Show
I somehow managed to disconnect myself earlier this month from the five-day Las Vegas whirlwind and outdoor gear playground that was the 2008 SHOT Show and force myself to return to Virginia.
Joining 58,000 mostly kindred souls, I trekked the convention center halls and the miles of displays featuring firearms, hunting and camping equipment, tactical military and law enforcement gear, and outdoor clothing.
My shoulder was a little sore the first two days of the show, courtesy of a failed attempt to try out darn near every new American (and some Italian and Swedish) firearm on the market. Invited outdoor media members could test shoot at three different desert range venues ringing Las Vegas.
Try as I might, daylight ran out before I could squeeze triggers on even one-third of them. Still, that would represent about 35 rifles, shotguns and muzzleloaders and, conservatively, 400-500 rounds of ammo.
I launched rifle rounds from small .17 rimfires to mighty .375 H&H downrange at everything from paper targets to spinning metal targets to swinging bowling pins. I blasted box after box of shotshells from snappy .410s to booming10 gauges at flying orange targets--all in the name of research.
What did I find? Most new offerings shoot very well. In general, thumbhole stocks that allow a pistol-style grip are increasingly popular among rifle product lines. Everyone is improving on the sloppy rifle triggers of the past. Quality recoil pads are becoming standard equipment. Muzzleloaders are getting easier to reload and clean. And pink firearms are fashionable, primarily for young lasses entering the shooting sports.
More specifically, I liked the new Browning X-Bolt rifles, especially the model I shot in the .325 WSM caliber. The new Winchester Model 70's trigger is, in fact, crisp. Remington's R-15 semiautomatic rifle, patterned after military-styled firearms, is a blast to shoot and should become a varmint-hunting favorite. As a muzzleloader fan and longtime user of the Thompson/Center 209x50 Encore Magnum, it may be time to trade up to a T/C Encore Endeavor.
The show was the biggest yet, but much of the increase seemed to be on the tactical and law enforcement side of the business. This isn't too surprising, given the dollars being invested in homeland defense and assorted wars.
Noteworthy Fishing Trips
Finally, with no fishing report running during these cold winter months, we'll report some notable catches.
Francis "Pee Wee" Barger, who worked for The Free Lance-Star in the packaging department, dropped by to leave word of a trophy striped bass (rockfish) he caught late last year while fishing aboard "Honnee Girl" in the Chesapeake Bay. The big fish weighed 44 pounds and measured 46 inches long.
Six local anglers had a trip of a lifetime last week, catching 96 Atlantic sailfish over three days in Mexico. Chris Hallberg, Michael Colangelo, John Fick, Tom Martyak, Tim Fetner and Garrett Holden traveled to Isla Mujeres, off Cancun last week where they fished on the 55-foot Bertram "Challenge" with well-known sailfish guide Capt. V.J. Bell.
"One day we caught and released 54 sails, which was a little short of the captain's record of 63 fish in one day," Colangelo reported.
Ken Perrotte can be reached at The Free Lance-Star, 616 Amelia St., Fredericksburg, Va. 22401; by fax at 373-8455; or e-mail at
Email: outdoors@freelancestar.com.
