Will Reedy
Hunters in West Virginia harvested 38,776 antlered deer during its two-week buck firearms season in 2020, according to preliminary data collected through the electronic game checking system managed by the W.Va. Division of Natural Resources. Gary Foster, assistant chief of game management for the division, said state game biologists felt positive about the harvest, which … Read more
Anglers and hunters who purchase a 2021 hunting and fishing license in December have a chance to win a lifetime license and other prizes from the W.Va. Division of Natural Resources. The division, which offered a lifetime license giveaway for the first time last year, will give away two lifetime licenses this year, along with … Read more
Youth, senior, and Class Q/QQ hunters in West Virginia will be able to participate in a special hunting season for antlerless deer and a new season for black bear. Special seasons for antlerless deer and bear will run October 17-18, during which youth (ages 8-17), seniors, and Class Q/QQ senior hunters with Class XS licenses … Read more
Families looking for an alternative for school-based sports or a new outdoor activity their children have plenty of options in West Virginia, thanks to archery and other bow-shooting programs. With the COVID-19 pandemic creating uncertainty over participation in traditional team sports this school year, now is a great time to start, according to officials at … Read more
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 … Read more
There’s always a bigger fish, isn’t there? That’s what fisheries biologists in West Virginia are trying to determine as they research ways the state can provide anglers with bigger bluegill. Over the last few years, fish biologists with the state Division of Natural Resources have been focusing on how bluegill management in small lakes can … Read more
The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources is accepting applications for its 2020 Limited Antlerless Hunt, which will be permitted in areas where division biologists have deemed the deer population too high. Chris Ryan, the supervisor of game management services for the division, says the hunt will help wildlife officials manage herds in those areas. … Read more
Leading up to the Mountain State’s annual free fishing weekend June 13-14, the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources is stocking nearly 6,000 pounds of channel catfish in 41 ponds and lakes around the state. Division Director Stephen McDaniel says the catfish stockings have become extremely popular across the state as trout-fishing season winds down. … Read more
In an effort to understand declining firefly populations, the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources has launched a citizen-science project to track lightning bug sightings in the Mountain State. West Virginia’s 40 species of fireflies have declined in number due to habitat loss, pesticide use, and other environmental causes such as light pollution, according to … Read more
West Virginia fields and forests teem with young wildlife in spring, and state biologists are reminding residents and visitors that disturbing young wildlife is unsafe, illegal, and often detrimental to the animal’s chance of survival. Tyler Evans, a wildlife biologist at the West Virginia State Wildlife Center near Buckhannon, West Virginia, says it’s a blessing … Read more
