Outdoors Online

July is a traditional fishing time for our Region and with good reason. Families are together for vacation time, the youngsters are out of school which makes getting together for some summertime hook n' line action a more likely option to pursue. For the less fortunate people and families across Virginia, there is not so much to celebrate or look forward to this month, especially for those struggling to make ends meet and get enough food to eat. While we enjoy our July family fun, others in need of help are getting it, through Virginia's Hunters for the Hungry (HFH). This organization is well known for its efforts at canvassing hunters, landowners and private citizens for their help in getting nutritious, healthy venison to the Commonwealth's needy. Many are familiar with the media coverage or mention of HFH just before, during and after the deer hunting seasons, but hunger is a challenge that goes on 12 months a year and so does the HFH effort.

The deer harvests in Virginia during the 2006-07 hunting seasons were significant, yet there are areas within the Commonwealth where there are still too many deer. Farmers suffer many incidents of crop damage due to deer foraging in their fields, which requires them to apply for crop damage permits. Public or municipal lands also have to control deer populations during times that are out of hunting season, if the numbers are high enough to damage habitat or come into conflict with humans. Deer harvested in this legal, off-season period are offered to HFH who then have them processed into venison portions for distribution throughout Virginia to the State’s needy. This program is so successful that the number of donated deer and subsequent demand for the processed product often exceeds the funding HFH has at different times of the year. Community outreach organizations, churches and social services offices contact HFH for donated venison 12 months a year and that includes the months of July and August. Funds are now needed to cover the processing of deer donated during the summer months. HFH is looking for assistance in the way of any donation amount you can provide. To find out how to make a donation, call HFH at 1-800-352-4868 or send your tax deductible donation by mail to, Hunters for the Hungry, P.O. Box 304, Big Island, VA 24526.

Another way you can support the (HFH) effort to feed Virginia's less fortunate is through the purchase of raffle tickets to win to win a 2007 Artic Cat ATV and Holmes Trailer. The tickets are $10 each. The drawing in support of this fund raiser will be held on August 12, 2007. To find out how to purchase tickets for the raffle drawing, call HFH at 1-800-352-4868 or visit their website at www.h4hungry.org

Brant Hays is looking for some more action this summer with blues and Spanish mackerel.
Scala photo