I learn something new about people and culture every year we go hunting. Before deer hunting season begins, six of us local hunters get together and plan for the best hunting trip that would make any sportsman jealous.

One month before opening day we prepare our gear for one week of the toughest deer hunting this side of the Appalachian Trail. It’s a place that sits on top of a mountain range. This private farm in Carroll County, Virginia is an exclusive big game refuge, but wildlife isn’t the only living thing roaming the woods.

I remember my first deer hunting trip to Carroll County. The entire trip up was nothing but talk about a hermit living alone on the mountain with no electricity, running water or vehicle. I was told he managed to live without modern amenities. And that he has long hair and beard with a few missing teeth which makes him look like a bear.

The road trip was long and rough. We spent 5 hours traveling up and down and through the western mountains of Virginia to leave civilization behind. We crossed a small bridge at the bottom of the mountain that entered the old farm road. From there it was straight up on a narrow rocky path. We looked like a convoy of mountain goats headed skyward!

Looking down the mountain side was spooky. The road was only wide enough to fit a standard pickup – nothing more! I took one look out the window of our truck and it reminded me of the cartoon character “Snuffy Smith,” where the rocky ledges were straight down with no end in sight.

We traveled in three pickup trucks outfitted with slide-in campers, trailers, 4-wheelers, supplies and gear for a week. Once we reached the top of the mountain is when it all opened up. The scenary was absolutley breath-taking. As far as the eyes could see was nothing but mountains, grassland, and many over grown Christmas trees. The forest towered above the landscape and deep canyon-like bottom land stood beneath us. When we finally arrived, we began to set up deer Camp. We listened to silence. I mean you could hear nothing but a small whisper of wind blowing through the tree limbs.

It was amazing! I thought I was in another part of the Continent, or even worse – lost. We were totally out of contact with the rest of the world. No cell phones were available back in the early 1980s.

Once we had deer camp all setup, I decided to roam around and get used to the place, so I asked the others to show me the layout of the land and boundaries. I wanted to get familiar with all the trails and shortcuts that made its way around this beautiful hunting haven.

I was soaking up all this information while riding on the back of a 4-wheeler when a figure of somekind crossed the road up ahead of us. It was getting dark so I couldn’t make it out very clearly. It looked hairy and bent over, but is was a blur. The guys told me it was probably Gurvis. They pointed to a section of the woods they thought he lived in as we made our way back to camp. They told me, “we’ve never made contact with him.”

The following day was the opening day of deer season and I couldn’t stop thinking about this Gurvis fellow. So, I turned in for the evening with high hopes of getting some rest before the big hunt. I made every effort to focus on my hunting gear and even went over the land layout again in my head. But, something told me to be careful.

Opening day was filled with excitement. No deer were taken by any member of our party. But, we were all blessed with great weather and lots of deer camp food. After the evening meal, we sat around the camp fire talking about deer and turkey signs we spotted during the first day. I began telling my story about flushing a couple of grouse, when suddenly a high pitched scream bellowed throughout the mountain range. We all thought it was a bobcat, but it didn’t sound anything close to a bobcat. Everybody shrugged it off and we decided to call it a night.

The second day of our deer hunt started out to be a successful day of hunting. Two of the guys bagged a deer early; a nice 8 pointer and a healthy 6 point buck. Everybody in our hunting party stood by an old barn admiring the deer, when suddenly we hear that high pitched scream again. Exept this time, it was a lot closer and more defined. It sounded like a bull elk bugle. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, because there were no reports of any elk being in the region. I simply had to investigate it, so this time I took off in hopes to find out what is making this creepy screaming noise.

I set my course for a section of the woods that nobody wanted to hunt. It was the old Christmas tree farm everyone mentioned. Huge cedar trees littered the mountain side. Each tree stood at least 25 foot tall and the entire forest floor was covered in pine needles. The trees were so tall that you could walk under the bottom limbs. For hundreds of yards was nothing but open rows of tree trunks. I fell to my knees in amazement. I was looking at a natural wild life super highway!

The silence quickly broke with that high pitched screaming noise again, but this time I spotted something from the distance that didn’t look natural with the settings. A person walking through the rows of trees a hundred yards away caught my eye.

I listened for any noise the best I could, but I couldn’t determine what is was. I decided to get up and follow this person to see if I could make any kind of contact with him. I picked up my pace a bit and eventually made it into a small clearing with a worn out path. I followed the path up to a small clearing just outside the Christmas tree farm. It was here that changed my life – forever!

I stood there looking at a old shack. The material looked like logs, but thinner in height and width. I was standing some 20 feet away from what appeared to be the front door when something fell on the ground in front of me. I turned around to find this old looking, hairy man staring right at me some 15 feet away. I kept my cool and told him that I wasn’t there to do any harm. The old man says, “I know you wasn’t, I’m just fooling with ya. I know ya’ll up here deer hunting.”

My first thought was to introduce myself, but the older gentleman motioned for me to come sit down in a nearby chair. It was a chair alright – a wooden seat nailed to a tree stump. He picked up another odd looking chair and sat down in front of me. I immediately asked the man for his name, and he told me it was Gurvis. My conversation with Gurvis went on for about an hour. We traded information back and forth very quickly. I could tell that he didn’t feel comfortable with me being there, so I started to excuse myself and told him that our hunting party will not bother him. What he said next shocked me.

Gurvis told me that he chose to live in the wild. That it’s free to live like he wants. To survive off the land and enjoy being in such a beautiful place called home. According to Gurvis, his parents worked as farm hands on the place during the early 1930s. His parents decided to leave the farm and seek better life elsewhere. Gurvis didn’t want to leave so he chose to run away. Everybody was desparate to find him, but they all gave up after several search attempts. Everyone, including his parents, left Gurvis for dead. Both of Gurvis’ parents headed up north to find work. Gurvis didn’t reappear until a year later.

Living on the top of a mountain with plenty of natural resources can prove to be a worthwhile challenge. When you know every inch of your own backyard, natural survival techniques come into play. Gurvis expressed his talents by driving the deer to us when we least expected it. Somehow, he knew where we were going to be hunting. Gurvis roamed around silently through the forest. This kept the deer moving the entire time we were hunting. It proved to be very successful with each of us bagging a decent size buck.

Gurvis didn’t want to see or talk to anyone else in our hunting party. I was the only one he would talk to. I had successfully established a level of trust between us. Every evening before returning back to camp, I would stop by and chat with Gurvis, and one time he let me take a photo of him. Each day was filled with surprises. I remember one instance when Gurvis was preparing a couple of rabbits for the evening meal. He offered me to stay and share his kill with him. But, I knew better, because I didn’t carry a flash light to find my way back to deer camp. Plus, I didn’t want to bother him at meal time, either!

Conversation broke out during our last night at deer camp about Gurvis. Everyone was talking about spotting him during our daily hunt, but nobody seemed to understand that Gurvis was the driving force behind our success. He was like having a good look charm or rabbit’s foot in our pocket. I didn’t want to speak up and share my story with the others about Gurvis, instead, I kept my silence. I wanted this to be my own little secret about the Gurvis mystery. After all, Gurvis wanted it this way. He made me promise not to disclose of his whereabouts. His ticket to freedom and living off the land must be held a secret.Gurvis insisted that I take an oath of confidentiality before I left the mountains. And, so I did.

Every year from then on we managed to harvest some of the biggest deer I’ve ever seen. Turkeys were so plentiful. Grouse, quail and a few black bear were also available to us. This big game refuge provided us with more than just a place to hunt. It gave way to the true meaning of life in the wild. Unforunately, we don’t hunt this particular farm any more. The owner sold the place to a nearby Christmas tree company. The new owner did not allow hunting. Therefore, we have not been back since 1995. Of the fifteen years we hunted this wonderful and beautiful farm in Carroll County, our memories of Gurvis are still with us. I learned a lot about surviving in the wilderness from Gurvis.

Gurvis would’ve wanted me to share this story with you, but not back then. I felt the timing had to be right before I disclosed of the best hunting trips a man could ever take during their lifetime. Each member of our hunting party experienced a common bond with the Christmas tree farm. It gave us enjoyment and supplied us with many deer hunting memories that will last forever!

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Most Large rivers that flow throughout the Virginia landscape provide anglers with many opportunities to land more blue catfish, specifically when the water level is up. The debris from logs, limbs, fallen trees, and other structures upstream flush vast amounts of nutrients and cover for blue catfish of all sizes downstream.

The Dan River has a unique history behind its blue catfish feeding and spawning habits, especially during heavier rains. As the water rises above normal, bluecats gain an advantage over other catfish species when it comes to feeding. Their nesting habits require cover with steady currents. Unlike annual spawning periods, bluecats are found in the oddest places along the Dan River. The most common is no longer a mystery.

My knowledge of this was verified by other catfish anglers who fish the Dan River banks on a regular basis. One of which is a Dan River bank fishing legend, Mr. Joey Edwards. Mr. Edwards has over 30 years experience fishing for catfish along the Dan River. Bluecats, according to Edwards, swim upstream after heavy rains. The river swells to higher levels. The water quickly becomes discolored and rough. This is the prime time to have your bait in bank-side holes, under log jams, or floating structures.

Flathead catfish also occupy the Dan River waters. Despite the bluecat’s survival pattern, flatheads simply find it irresistible when bait fish hover around log jams. Bait fish take advantage of this period to feed on the microscopic organisms found in and around underwater logs and debris. These are prime areas to fish. The key cycle of spring and summer feed patterns of bait fish will send any Flathead into a feeding frenzy. Bluecats and flatheads share the same feeding habits found in heavy river current. This is a major factor when it comes to providing natural food washed downstream.

Flathead catfish roam around searching for log jams and back water holes for bait fish that stray outside the school. These powerful catfish will storm underwater log jams to disrupt the school in hopes to catch a weaker or injured bait fish. Contrary to belief, flathead catfish like to eat their food slow. Even when the attack is aggressive, they gently open that huge mouth and slowly engulf their food of choice. They are the slowest eating catfish. No other catfish prefers this feeding method.

Of the 200 mile long stretch of the Dan River, roughly 100 miles has some of the fiercest fighting blue catfish ever found in Virginia rivers. Mr Edwards has landed bluecats ranging from one pound to over seventy five pounds. His unique bank fishing method has proven that hard work pays off every time after a heavy rain. He swears by this and waits until the river starts to swell upstream. He monitors the river and debris levels. Sometimes, heavy rains will not loosen up debris, but will carry valuable natural resources down river to be recollected in smaller pockets of backwater. These smaller river havens attract bait fish and anglers alike.

Local anglers who know this prepare themselves early for the annual spring spawn. Only small catfish are kept for consumption, while larger ones are photo, weighed, and released back for stock. According to Mr. Edwards, it’s a huge challenge to land a blue catfish from a deep bank-side hole. One covered with structure from top to bottom. And one that could be potentially hazardous to your health, too! Roaming along the banks of the Dan River to locate a deep hole with structure and heavy current can very rewarding, but he claims you must know the way to avoid the dangerous terrain.

The real mystery behind landing lunker blue catfish in the Dan River has always been said you have to be in the right place at the right time. Use the catfish’s bait of choice in the right hole during the high water period and your chances of landing more bluecats will increase exponentially.

For example, let’s say you find a section to fish in the Dan River. You locate a log jam or deep hole with plenty of structure. And, you float your bait by a pile of logs. Suddenly, the line gets tight. The rod tip doesn’t twitch, but slowly bends. You wait to feel for the pickup and the fight is on. What has taken place is easy food for the catfish. What has occurred is the bait secretes an oil from the hook penetrating through the body of the bait. This oily substance creates curiosity and the catfish will come to investigate. If the meal looks inviting, the catfish will slowly place the bait fish in their mouth and take it to its eating place where it will be safe.

Fishing for catfish the Dan River isn’t for everyone. It takes dedication and extreme knowledge of the river for safer fishing. If you’re planning a fishing trip to the Dan River, be prepared to watch the weather, talk to the local experts, and make sure you have plenty of tackle! You will want to make sure your presentation of the bait is in constant view, wait for the pick-up, set the hook, reel it in and land the fish. If you try to skip anyone of these steps, you will not catch many fish. Sure, sometimes you can set the hook immediately, and get lucky once, however, if you learn how to master when to set the
hook, you’ll catch them every time. All that is required to catch big blues is simple intelligence, patience, and know when the time is right.

One of the most overlooked parts of fishing from the bank is that the Dan River increases in width every year. This particular river channel has a long history of cleaning itself from sediment and large structure after rainy periods. The water rushes downstream at a fast pace and anglers think they can go back and fish the same river hole every year, but that’s not true. The holes inside and under the banks are not going to be there next year. Don’t expect to go and catch catfish everytime, because what fun would that be? And, it would quickly get boring. You can also use many sizes of hooks, weights, and baits to use. Honestly, get used to whatever makes you feel comfortable and catch fish most of the time. Most importantly, have fun and stay healthy and stay dry!

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