Outdoors: Out West, deer must be tested for disease

If you go hunting out west the next two Saturdays, there are a few important requirements from the state game department.

The state last year developed a Chronic Wasting Disease Containment Area for mandatory sampling.

Any deer killed Saturday or Dec. 3 must be brought to one of several designated sampling stations. If hunters can't bring the entire deer, they are required to bring at least the head and neck so that tissue can be extracted to look for CWD - a progressive neurological (brain and nervous system) disease found in deer, elk and moose. Nineteen Canadian provinces and states - including Virginia and West Virginia - have had animals test positive for the disease.

So far there is no evidence that the disease can be transmitted to humans, livestock or pets.

The containment area in the western portions of the state is west of Interstate 81 in Frederick County, the city of Winchester, and in Shenandoah County west of I-81 and north of Va. 675.

A list of checking stations can be found on the department's website at www.dgif.virginia.gov/hunting/.

MORE VENISON NEEDED

Today's economy is affecting charitable donations all over the country - even the Virginia Hunters Who Care's Hunters for the Hungry program.

Through this year's summer damage permit period, and the fall bow season, donations of venison are down from 185,000 pounds last year to just 111,000.

Hunters for the Hungry director Laura Newell-Furniss said in a recent statement that she attributed the decline to the "pressures all of us are feeling with the current state of the economy and the length of time this decline is continuing."

Since the program began in 1991, it has provided 18.2 million quarter-pound servings of high-nutrition venison.

To donate deer or money for processing them, visit www.h4hungry.org.

RESULTS

-- From the Hampton Roads Sailing fall regatta series raced on Lasers last weekend out of the ODU sailing center: 1. Neil Ford, 4 points (based on finishes of second, first and first in the three races); 2. Robert Suhay, 6; 3. McKay Hannah, 13; 4. Mike Moore, 14; 5. Charlie Knape, 16.

-- From a Within Limits largemouth bass fishing tournament held out of Bob's Fishing Hole in Chesapeake. The event limits anglers to fishing just the waters of the Northwest River, Tulls Bay and Tulls Creek: 1. Josh and Hunter Clark, both of Chesapeake, 9.78 total pounds; 2. Steve Albertson of Chesapeake, 9.09. Lunker award: Ken Kipler of Virginia Beach, 3.62 pounds.

UPCOMING

-- Portsmouth Angler's Club monthly meeting at 7 p.m. Monday at the Simonsdale Civic Center, 5006 Vick St. For info, call Rob Jordan at (757) 488-9305.

-- The 13th annual Rock Around the Clock 24-hour Rockfish Tournament will be held from midnight to midnight Saturday on the Sea Gull Fishing Pier located on the first island of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. Registration is $5, plus the CBBT one-way toll. Children under 16 are free. Sponsored by Oceans East 2 Tackle, the event will award $500 in prizes for the five largest rockfish. For info, call Kevin Crum at (757) 965-7799.

-- Eighth annual IBEW Local 50 Charity Rockfish Tournament to benefit the United Way Dec. 2-3 out of Cobb's Marina in Norfolk. Lines in at 6 p.m. Dec. 2, with the weigh-in at 4 p.m. Dec. 3. Registration is $25 per angler. Cash awards totaling $500 will be given for first through third place. For info, call Ray Cassidy at (757) 438-7980 or Doug Williams at (757) 438-0233.

-- Toby's Dream Found-ation second annual Rockfish Tournament Dec. 10 out of Marina Shores in Virginia Beach's Lynnhaven Inlet. A registration and captains' meeting will begin at 5 p.m. Dec. 9. Fishing is from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Dec. 10. Registration is $500 a team. For info and registration, visit www.tobysdream.org.