Dove, goose season approaching

By Gene Price
Published in Sports on August 27, 2006 2:13 AM

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Our fields will begin echoing with shotgun fire this coming Friday and Saturday. The resident goose season begins Friday and dove hunters swing into action at noon Saturday. Prospects appear good for both.

Dove hunting is among the state's most popular hunting sports -- perhaps because the season opens early. The corn harvest is in full swing, which should provide good hunting.

The limit on doves is 12. And each hunter must keep his or her kills separate from those of fellow hunters -- even sons and daughters.

The noon to sunset rule applies for the first week of the dove season. Thereafter, shooting can begin at half an hour before sunrise and last until sunset.

Hunters of resident Canada goose can take as many as eight per day during the month of September.

Rules for the "regular" waterfowl seasons will be set when the Wildlife Resources Commission meets Wednesday.

Hits and misses

Fishermen with marine radios in the area usually know when I crank up my boat for a salt water fishing trip along the Crystal Coast.

I began the day with: "Seed Peddler, Seed Peddler. Are you on the water, Seed Peddler?"

This usually is followed by the same call to "Sidekick."

"Seed Peddler" is The name of James Jeffreys' boat. "Sidekick" is Louis Maxwell.

I call Seed Peddler to find out where the fish are. I call Sidekick for conversation.

Over the years, I have been convinced that when James Jeffreys is on the water, the Spanish mackerel and the blues follow his boat in Pied Piper fashion. And he's always obliging when I radio for a report.

Last week, I reported in this column that I had fished hard in previous days -- trolling inside and "outside" along Atlantic Beach and never even had a strike by Spanish or blues.

When I returned to the office, I had a message on my voice mail. James was giving me a report. He and "Sidekick," fishing separately, had made excellent catches of Spanish mackerel and even caught some kings the same days I was fishing.

What happened?

I had gone out Beaufort Inlet and headed west. They had turned toward the east and fished around Cape Lookout. And that's where the fish were.

I had tried to reach them by radio. But the radio on my "new" boat hasn't been properly installed and I was using my old hand-held which has very limited range.

My only explanation for no fish being "to the east-ard" is that James Jeffreys traveled toward the west -- and every fish in the ocean followed him!

Online licenses

Most folks get their hunting and fishing licenses from Wildlife Commission agents across the state. For the most part, these are sporting goods dealers. And license-buyers enjoy getting the latest hunting and fishing reports (reliability not guaranteed) as well as getting their licenses.

But the Wildlife Commission issued a recent news release reminding busy folks that they can buy their licenses online or by telephone. To buy online, one goes to www.ncwildlife.org.

To order by phone, call toll-free at 1-888-248-6834 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Caller should have Visa or MasterCard numbers ready when dialing.

Mistaken identity!

The Rev. Elliott Hill was browsing around his pasture near Cox's Branch in the Seven Springs area recently with his cattle dog. He had seen a bear in that area earlier, along with "bear sign" -- including tracks and bark torn from the side of a tree.

As he and the dog moseyed along, Elliott espied "a dark shape" in the tall grass ahead of him. "Bear!" he thought. And perhaps so did the dog.

The dog suddenly bolted in the opposite direction, heading for cover under Hill's truck.

But before he could join the dog, Hill got a better look at that "bear."

It was a black boar hog of unknown origin.

Fatalities up

Two men drowned in Lake Norman last weekend, bringing the death toll there to eight for the year. The toll was up from one last year and two the year before. One man, said to be a strong swimmer, dove off a pontoon boat on which around 10 people were cruising late at night and never resurfaced.

Elsewhere, a man dove into the lake near Cornelius at 11 p.m. and disappeared.

On Lake Jordan the same weekend, a woman was critically injured when a Philadelphia man operating a Jet Ski ran almost head-on into a boat just coming out of a no wake zone.

Wildlife authorities say more people and more boats are on the state's waters.

Sail and Power Squadron report:

On the subject of safety on the water, a substantial delegation from Goldsboro Sail and Power Squadron attended the U.S. Power Squadron's Board of Governors meeting in New York Aug. 16-19.

Ed Summers of the local squadron conducted the Co-op Chartering Committee's discussions with NOAA at the national function.

The Goldsboro delegation cruised points of interest in New York harbor and took part in a number of meetings, including one on Earnest Shackletin's Expedition to Antarctica and another on boat building for children.

In the group from here were Commander Roger Casey, Johnnie Casey, Dave and Linda Parsons, Ed and Rema Summers, Gail Mewborn, Rita Pate and Gloria Johnson.

The Sail and Power Squadron provides an outstanding service in promoting boating education and water safety -- along with fellowship among members.