Virginia's Eastern Shore
BELLE HAVEN, Va., May 5. -- Editor Forest and Stream: Having not seen anything from the eastern shore of Virginia in your valuable columns this spring, I thought I would respond to a feeling that has long been prompting me to represent our lovely section occasionally in your paper, provided you find anything worthy of acceptance.
Accomac county, on the eastern shore of Virginia, like all other sections of our coast, has donned its spring colors, and shore-bird shooting and fishing have supplemented duck shooting and field sporting. A bushel of fine trout at a tide now is a fair catch for two men. Curlew shooting is at its height, and will remain so till about the 20th inst., when they will start northward to nest. Smaller birds, viz., dowich, plover, calico back, yellow leg, etc., will be here in maximum quantities about the 10th to 20th.
There are three clubs located on the ocean side of Accomac, one on Wallops Beach, composed principally of Pennsylvanians; one on Revels Island and one of Wachapreague. Members of the latter are down and enjoying the first of the season's sport. This club are New Yorkers, and have demonstrated considerable liberality among our people, and in return are much liked and heartily welcomed by the people. They are always prompt in paying their dues and non-resident fees, thus giving the wardens no trouble. The club has been holding annual regattas, awarding valuable prizes to successful competitors in boat races, and setting out at their commodious club house a genuine feast during the day, inviting the ashore county citizens to participate, several hundreds of them accepting. To describe the luxuries and entertainment afforded by these regattas would take too much of your space.
Our game laws are reasonable. All non-residents must become a member of the [Eastern Shore] Game [Protective] Association, which costs him $3, and $2 annual dues. But as low as the cost is, now and then some repugnant non-residents are inclined to "kick"; yet we cannot think that any true sportsmen would refuse to pay the fee, all of which is expended toward the protection of our game.
Drum-fishing is coming on at the north end of Hog Island, between the locations of Revel's Island and Broadwater Club, the latter in Northampton county. Drum fish weighing from 25lbs. to 75lbs. are caught in great abundance in the latter part of May and first few days of June. Last year one boat would often bring up forty to sixty, the result of one day's fishing. It is a common thing for two or three men to be hung to different drums on the same boat at the same time, cutting and sheering the boat in all directions. As a food fish for immediate eating the drum is fine.
All of the sites suited to the location of clubs on the eastern shore of Virginia seem taken up. In fact, clubs have had considerable to do with reducing the sport of shooting, especially on our coast, from the fact that they usually locate in lands and near waters where wildfowl use most, the club habitations driving the fowl off and eventually breaking up the sport altogether in that section. The best way to preserve good shooting is sporting on the yacht system, or to go and come from the shore to the hunting grounds every day in smaller crafts.
JOHN H. JOHNSON.