In continuation of my last column, I want to flash
back to 1952. Remember the good old days? In 1952, the hunters of
Calhoun County harvested 26 deer. Previous to 1952, we did not have a
deer season in the county. In 1952, the state had a whitetail harvest of
17,140.
In contrast, Calhoun County hunters took home 2,653
deer in 2009. As a state, 154,524 deer were checked in by hunters.
In 1968, our spring turkey season was five days
long, beginning on May 5. Today, I often hear complaints about how
turkey season comes in too late, and it starts during April.
What about the fishing? Let’s compare the weights
of some state record fish from 1964 compared to now:
Weight In Pounds
Species
1964
2010
Brown Trout
10.5
16.0
Rainbow Trout
10.0
15.7
Largemouth Bass
8.6
12.3
Smallmouth Bass
7.5
9.8
Bluegill
1.6
2.8
Walleye
14.8
18.9
In 1964, the Little Kanawha River had produced four
state record size fish. Today, the Little Kanawha claims three. Of note,
two of those, the flathead and the freshwater drum, were also records in
1964.
Any way about it, let’s just enjoy the outdoors.
Don’t forget to keep hoping for spring. Information was collected out of
West Virginia conservation magazines. Comments can be sent to
Coryboothe@verizon.net.
Editor’s
Note: Cory is the son of Ronzel and Karen Boothe of Russett. He is a
1996 graduate of Calhoun County High School and is a teacher at Meadow
Bridge Elementary, Fayette County. He resides near Summersville.)