Outdoors notebook for 08.20.15
Wilkesboro hearing set for popular game lands
Public input on future management of three favorite areas for outdoor recreation in northwestern North Carolina will be sought Tuesday at a hearing in Wilkesboro.
The state’s Wildlife Resources Commission wants to tap the opinions of hunters and others who visit the Buffalo Cove, Mitchell River and Thurmond Chatham game lands.
The meeting is set for 6:30 p.m., at Walker Center on the campus of Wilkes Community College, 1328 Collegiate Drive.
The agency is in the process of developing management and user activity plans on the lands for the next 10 years.
Buffalo Cove covers 6,633 acres in Caldwell and Wilkes counties; Mitchell River consists of 2,306 acres in Allegheny and Surry counties; and Thurmond Chatham embraces 6,472 acres in Wilkes and Allegheny. The latter has been among the favorite deer hunting sites in the western portion of the state for years.
“We encourage everyone with an interest in these game lands to provide input,” said Gordon Warburton, mountain ecoregion supervisor with the Commission. “We hope to hear not just from hunters and fishermen, but also wildlife watchers, photographers, birders and others.”
The commission will accept input online at www.ncwildlife.org (click on “Comment on Game Land Plans” at the bottom of the homepage). Comments also can be sent via email to gamelandplan@nc.wildlife.org.
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Notes
▪ The S.C. Department of Natural Resources plans to honor a fallen soldier, Army Spc. Thomas Caughman, in a unique way. The agency has scheduled two free deer hunts in his name for active, disabled, reserved and retired members of the military. The hunts will be held Nov. 13 and Dec. 18 at Cowden Plantation near Jackson, S.C. Application may be made to Lauren Ann Williams via fax at (803) 734-4491 or by email to WilliamsLA@DNR.SC.Gov. The first 20 applicants by Oct. 17 will secure spots to hunt. Caughman, of Lexington, S.C., was fatally injured in 2004 in Iraq when his Humvee was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade.
▪ Operation North State, which holds fishing events for wounded warriors on North Carolina waters, has issued a bulletin citing two needs. The most immediate is for 25 boaters/guides to assist the wounded and disabled veterans in the next Top Shelf Fishing Festival, scheduled for Jordan Lake on Oct. 3. A larger-than-expected number of current and former military members want to fish. Also, Operation North State needs more donations of used rod/reel combos to give the vets to keep; 45 have been donated so far. Information: Terry Snyder, 151 Windemere Court, Winston-Salem, NC 27127; email snydert33@gmail.com or phone (336) 764-5967.
▪ Tony Lara, who appeared on Discovery Channel’s “Deadliest Catch” in 2011, died in a South Dakota motorcycle accident. Lara was killed during the massive rally of motorcyclists held annually in Sturgis. He skippered the Cornelia Marie in six episodes of the reality series filmed on the Bering Sea southwest of Alaska.
Observer News Services
Catches Of The Week
▪ An 87-pound wahoo off Hatteras Village by Andrew Long of Rocky Mount while trolling from the Runaway with skipper Jay Daniels.
▪ Twenty-seven blue catfish in 130 minutes by Denver, N.C., residents Robert Wood and Mac Byrum while fishing with cut bait at Lake Norman near Cowans Ford Dam. They found the fish suspended 35 feet deep over 70-90 feet of water.
▪ A 23-pound king mackerel at Oak Island Pier by Ronnie Gadd of Concord.
▪ A 50-inch red drum boated and released near Hatteras Village by Bill Anderson of Mt. Airy.
▪ A 52-inch red drum near Hatteras Village by Russ Hull of Elizabeth City.
▪ A 47-inch red drum near Hatteras Village by Lisa Lopp of High Point.
This story was originally published August 19, 2015 at 9:42 PM with the headline "Outdoors notebook for 08.20.15."