There is good news and bad news concerning the duck forecast for 2018. The good news is that the overall numbers are still above the long-term average. The bad news is that they dropped from 2017. Below is a press release from Duck’s Unlimited about their findings. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently released its report on 2018 Trends in Duck Breeding Populations, based on surveys … [Read more...]
Apprentice and Youth Quota Hunts
DGIF offers apprentice and youth hunters many great opportunities to hunt land with abundant managed wildlife populations without being pressured by other hunters. Both apprentice and licensed hunters are encouraged to apply, but successful license holders MUST bring an apprentice as a guest, and successful apprentice applicants MUST bring a licensed adult as a guest. Below are the … [Read more...]
DU Sponsored Dove Hunts
Lots of hunters complain about not having any place to dove hunt. Well, they can stop complaining, enjoy some great shooting and contribute to the cause of one of the top outdoor conservation groups in the world – Ducks Unlimited. You need to act quickly if this interests you because it will quickly fill up. Join DU for three exclusive dove hunts on Sept. 3, 8 and 15 at Little George Rod … [Read more...]
A Nice Louisa Gobbler
By Sherman Shifflett Robert Runnett, of Mineral took this nice Louisa County gobbler Thursday morning, April 19. The big bird weighed 20 lbs., 8 oz. and had a 10" beard. Robert is a good hunter. I was hunting with him last fall when he took a black bear with bow. The following morning he tagged a wall-hanger buck. A few weeks ago he nailed a coyote. His dad, Lloyd, ran … [Read more...]
Spring Turkey Season Underway
It’s time to gobble! The Virginia Spring Gobbler Season opened last Saturday, April 14 and runs through May 19. Hunters may harvest one bird daily and a total of three for the entire year. Only bearded birds are legal game – some hens have beards. Turkeys may be hunted with any modern firearms, plus archery tackle and muzzleloaders. Hunters may employ decoys and blinds but it is unlawful to … [Read more...]
2018 Youth Turkey Hunting
By Virginia Department of Game and inland Fisheries The Youth & Apprentice Spring Turkey Hunting Weekend 2018 will take place on April 7 (statewide) and April 8 (private land only with the written permission of the landowner), making a perfect opportunity to take a young person or apprentice hunter afield for a chance of taking a gobbler. Resident and nonresident youth hunters … [Read more...]
Deer Harvest Stable
The results from the 2017/18 big game harvest are now in. Bear hunters had a record year, deer hunters shot about as many as the previous year and the fall turkey kill was off considerably. Bear hunters tagged a total of 2,861 animals, 17% more animals than the previous year’s record total. This number is indicative of the rapidly increasing bear population in Virginia. The animals are … [Read more...]
Lock In On Geese
When it’s a high in the twenties – in the daytime - it takes a little of the edge off going fishing, unless you have a death wish. Striper season in the bay has ended. Deer season is over. So what’s an outdoorsman to do during the awful weeks lying ahead? Well, you can hunt ducks until January 28, you can pretend there are actually grouse somewhere in the mountains and try that, or – … [Read more...]
Big Bucks, Smaller Kill
The word on the hunting streets is that while the deer kill may be down a little in numbers, the quality of deer has been excellent. There are have been some really nice animals harvested to date. Last year’s mild weather and solid mast crop, no doubt, has helped in raising healthy animals. But because of the recent efforts of the Game Department to control populations by a generous … [Read more...]
A Deer in the Headlights
Some say to watch out for deer in the headlights, but I say just watch out! I have seen literally hundreds of deer on the roadsides in recent weeks – dead and alive - and they don’t wait until dark to come out. The deer are in rut, bucks are chasing does and they run across roads after the enticing females and worry about cars and trucks later. Recent studies say that Virginia is now the 11th … [Read more...]