Kids learn joys of hunting as season begins

The Youth Day that marks the start of spring turkey season has proven to be a good day to introduce children to the joys of hunting.

Spring gobbler season for everybody kicked off Saturday, but it was the youth-only day a week before that got many children off on the right track.

The day is set aside each year for hunters 15 and younger. Many take the advantage of teaming with an adult who is an expert.

Tommy Schrantz, 10, and Ethan Comeyne, 8, both bagged birds on Youth Day. Tommy got a 21-pounder with 1-inch spurs. Ethan's bird was 21.4 pounds, had a 10-inch beard and 1-inch spurs. Both Virginia Beach youngsters were hunting with their fathers.

Ben Warren, 11, also was hunting with his dad, but he's an exception in the youth hunting world. Ben, also of Virginia Beach, already is quite the experienced outdoorsman.

He has developed a skill for calling turkey few hunters have. Ben uses only his mouth to call. His dad says he can cluck, yelp, cut, putt and purr with the best of them.

On Youth Day, Ben used those skills to bring a bird in from 75 yards out - "having a 5-minute conversation" with the turkey, according to his dad.

The bird was a jake. Ben already had recorded a trophy-size kill last year - taking a bird that had an 11 1/2-inch beard and 1 1/2-inch spurs.

Clean waters

Clean Rivers Day once again was a success.

Sponsored by the Blackwater-Nottoway Riverkeeper Program, the day consists of volunteers collecting trash and debris from the two waterways and their shorelines.

This year's effort - the 11th annual - saw 214 volunteers collect more than 6,000 pounds of garbage.

Members of the Nottoway Indian Tribe of Virginia collected the most, removing 1,040 pounds of junk from the shorelines.

Riverkeeper Jeff Turner reported that some of the most unusual items were a skunk hide, a microwave oven and a bathtub.

Surf's up

Surf shop teams from Garden City Beach, S.C., to Virginia Beach will hit the swells at Kitty Hawk on Thursday or Friday to compete in the Mid-Atlantic Region of the Oakley Surf Shop Challenge.

Sweetwater Surf Shop from Wrightsville Beach, N.C., is the defending champion and will attempt to fend off the challenge of nine other teams - including Whalebone Surf Shop and Outer Banks Boarding Company of Nags Head; Coastal Edge, Wave Riding Vehicles, Freedom Surf and 17th Street Surf Shop of Virginia Beach; Wave Riding Vehicles of Kitty Hawk; The Pitt from Kill Devil Hills; and Village Surf Shoppe of Garden City Beach, S.C.

Five region winners will advance to the nationals at the Huntington Beach Pier in California later this year.

Bike racing

Call it peddle-powered motocross.

The Cycle Speedway World Championships are coming to Edenton from April 17 to 25. World champion Daniel Pudney of Australia will defend his title against racers like European champion Marcin Paradzinski of Poland and British champion Lee Aris.

Team Australia will defend its team title. There also are competitions for pairs, juniors and women.

For a complete schedule, go to www.uscyclespeedway.com.

Results

- From largemouth bass fishing tournaments held out of Bob's Fishing Hole in Chesapeake:

April 6 - 1. Joe and Tyler Glazebrook of Chesapeake, 8.16 total pounds; 2. Al Napier of Virginia Beach, 7.94. Lunker award - Mike Evans of Virginia Beach, 3.92 pounds.

- From a largemouth bass fishing tournament held out of West Neck Marina in Virginia Beach:

April 3 - 1. Rob Peppers of Virginia Beach, 9 pounds, 15 ounces total weight (including the lunker winner at 4-0); 2. Al Lemieux of Chesapeake, 7-1.

- From a Bass-Jon's largemouth bass fishing tournament held on Lake Cahoon in Suffolk.

April 2 - 1. Mike Schnieder of Hampton and Romel Soriano of Suffolk, 15 pounds, 2 ounces total weight; 2. Dan Griffin of Virginia Beach and Marion Martin of Carrollton, 10-1; 3. Mike Peregrine of Suffolk and Adam Bach of Chesapeake, 10-0. Lunker winner - Victor and Aida Lopez of Chesapeake, 6-4.

Upcoming

- Norfolk Angler's Club monthly meeting at 7 p.m. Monday at Ships Cabin Restaurant, 4110 E. Ocean View Ave., in Norfolk. Guest speaker Capt. Mike Beane will talk about fishing inshore and offshore waters.

- Tidewater Angler's Club monthly meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Bayside Presbyterian Church, 1500 Ewell Road in Virginia Beach. Guest speaker Ron Russell will talk about shad fishing in the Nottoway River. Information, call Leslie Parr at (757) 460-0130.

- False Cape State Park will offer a wilderness survival course April 16 and 17. Former Air Force survival trainer Byron Kerns will instruct students 18 and older in sessions from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and from 9 to 11 a.m. Sunday. Lodging Saturday night will be in the bunk rooms, and linens will be provided. Participants must, however, bring their own dinner and breakfast. Pre-registration is required and the fee is $50. Information, call the Virginia State Parks reservation center at (800) 933-7275.

Saltwater tournament leaders

Results listed by species, angler, hometown, weight, location, citation in category.

Blueline tilefish; Marvin Eason, Richmond; 13-2; Norfolk Canyon; 3

Speckled trout; Michael Whittaker, Chesapeake; 12-9; Elizabeth River; 40

Striped bass; James Greenwood, Chesapeake; 55-1; False Cape; 174

Tautog; Susan Wessells, Atlantic; 15-6; Powell Wreck; 15

This is the weekly 2010 Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament leaderboard. There have been 697 total entries so far - 232 for weighed fish and 465 for releases. New entries are in bold type. Of the releases, 1 was for shark (any species), 385 for speckled trout, 71 for striped bass and 8 for tautog. There have been no entries for black drum, bluefish, blue marlin, cobia, crevalle jack, croaker, dolphin, false albacore, flounder, gray triggerfish, gray trout, king mackerel, kingfish (sea mullet), pompano, red drum, sailfish, sea bass, sheepshead, Spanish mackerel, spearfish, swordfish, tarpon, true albacore, tuna (bluefin), tuna (all others), wahoo, white marlin. The contest is operated by the Virginia Marine Resources Commission and is financed through the Chesapeake Bay recreational fishing license fund.