Will Reedy
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
Turkey hunters in West Virginia can anticipate increased harvest opportunities during the 2020 spring gobbler season, which is scheduled to open Monday, April 20, according to the W.Va. Division of Natural Resources. Predictions are based on brood reports from two years earlier, as the average harvested gobbler is a two-year-old bird, and in 2018, brood … Read more
Thirteen species of turtle live in West Virginia, though the best known may be the eastern box turtle, which will be on the move this spring. The turtles are a familiar sight in backyards and along hiking trails—and on country roads, where motorists are often at a loss as to how to manage the situation. … Read more
Two gray wolves escaped their enclosure at the West Virginia Wildlife Center, near French Creek, West Virginia, according to a spokesperson for the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources. The two were euthanized in the interest of public safely after attempts to safely recapture them failed, according to Andy Malinoski. Once common across the eastern … Read more
A West Virginia angler recently caught a state record grass carp in Hardy County—the second record grass carp caught in the last two months. John Miller of Lost City, West Virginia, caught a 54.75-inch, 67.4-pound grass carp on February 18 at Warden Lake, breaking the previous record for length of 53.1 inches recorded by Zach … Read more
Students in West Virginia are learning about environmental stewardship by raising trout in their classroom and releasing them into the wild. The interactive program, called Trout in the Classroom, is sponsored by Trout Unlimited and the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources and is being funded by local supporters. The program was designed to teach … Read more
