Hunters who wish to participate in a controlled waterfowl hunt at the McClintic Wildlife Management Area in Mason County have until midnight on August 11 to submit an application to the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources.
Successful applicants will be notified by mail by the second week of September and given their hunt day and a randomly assigned shooting station. Hunters are permitted to bring one guest.
Hunting on the controlled portion of the 3,655-acre wildlife-management area during the October 1-14 split of the waterfowl season is by permit only. McClintic ranges across a wooded bottomland along the Ohio River and includes about 30 ponds that are a favorite haunt of waterfowl.
Game traditionally hunted in the management area include deer, grouse, mink, squirrel, rabbit, turkey, woodcock, beaver, muskrat, raccoon, mourning dove, and waterfowl.
For the 2020 season, permit holders are not required to report to the McClintic office on the morning of their hunt to prevent the potential spread of COVID-19.
Additionally, walk-ons will not be permitted during the 2020 season. Division officials anticipate a return to normal procedures for the controlled waterfowl hunt in 2021.
McClintic famously adjoins the site of the alleged first encounter with Mothman, the centerpiece of one of the best-known folk tales in post-World War history.
Hikers and pedestrians visiting the area often explore the wetlands area of the management area in numbers as the Halloween season approaches.
For more information about the 2020 waterfowl season, download a copy of the 2020-21 Migratory Bird Hunting Regulations.
Applications can be accessed online at WVHunt.com. Once a hunter logs into their account, they should click "Enter Lottery" and follow the on-screen prompts to fill out their application.
The management area is located five miles north of Point Pleasant, West Virginia, off W.Va. Route 2.