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Will ReedyWill Reedy

Will Reedy is a West Virginia writer and contributor to West Virginia Explorer Magazine whose work focuses on hunting, fishing, and the outdoors. Through essays and feature writing, he explores the landscapes, communities, and traditions that define West Virginia, bringing a thoughtful perspective to stories about heritage, travel, and everyday Appalachian life.
Campbell Falls at Camp Creek State Park, Mercer County, Bluestone Region
Fishing

Trout stocking underway for 2019 in West Virginia

by Will Reedy

West Virginia’s 2019 trout-stocking season is underway. Through May 31, the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources will stock lakes and streams around the state each week. Beginning in March, the stocking schedule will shift to Tuesday-through-Saturday, according to division fisheries supervisor Jim Hedrick. Currently, the stocking schedule is Monday-through-Friday, Hedrick said. “The Saturday stockings … Read more

The monarch is West Virginia's official state butterfly.
Attractions

Monarch subject of North Bend park program Jan. 18-20

by Will Reedy

The habits of West Virginia’s butterfly population, including the state butterfly, the monarch, will be the theme of North Bend State Park’s annual Winter Wonder Weekend scheduled for Jan. 18-20. The winter weekend also will feature other favorite park activities, including hiking, sleigh riding, crafts demonstrations, and performances by local musicians. “During Winter Wonder Weekend, … Read more

Otter In West Virginia
Hunting

W.Va. trappers and hunters must tag fur-bearing catch

by Will Reedy

Officials at the W.Va. Division of Natural Resources are reminding trappers of beaver, bobcat, fishers, and otters that they are required to electronically register their catches within 30 days after the close of the respective season. Fur-bearer trapping seasons in the state opened Nov. 3, according to Gary Foster of the division’s Wildlife Resources Section. Foster … Read more

A gated mine opening along a rail trail near Ansted, West Virginia, attracts an interested hiker.
Arts

Abandoned mine shaft lore in Fallout 76 a real-world concern

by Will Reedy

In Fallout 76, abandoned mine shaft story-lines play an important role, yet beyond the video game, abandoned coal mine openings in West Virginia pose a real-world problem. While many mine openings have been sealed or gated, historian and publisher David Sibray says abandoned mine openings are a concern for law enforcement in the Mountain State. … Read more

A white-tailed buck peers out from behind a woodpile.
Hunting

2018 buck firearm season in W.Va. opens Nov. 19

by Will Reedy

The 2018 West Virginia buck firearms season begins Monday, Nov. 19, and runs through Dec. 1, according to the W.Va. Division of Natural Resources, which estimates that approximately 250,000 deer hunters will roam the state’s woods through the period. Hunting contributes $500 million to the state’s economy each year, and deer hunters spend an estimated … Read more

Cullen MacGregor peers out from beneath a fur-lined collar during his travails in a post-apocalyptic West Virginia.
Arts

Story set in post-nuclear West Virginia predates Fallout 76 game

by Will Reedy

A science-fiction author who popularized monsters featured in the Fallout 76 video game also penned a story set in a future West Virginia that survives a nuclear apocalypse. Both the story and the game take place in versions of central Appalachia insulated by mountain ranges that protect it from atomic blasts — explosions that decimate eastern … Read more

in West Virginia
Arts

Sibray discusses Braxton County Monster, role in Fallout 76

by Will Reedy

Braxton County’s monster is unique among legendary West Virginia creatures in that its origins are quite clear: it came from outer space! Beyond that, little is known of the monster, also known as the “Green Monster” or “Flatwoods Monster,” or of what became of it, at least as far as the legend goes, says David … Read more

Trail-builder Gary Morefield walks through a mist on the Ship Rock Trail in the Grey Flats Trail System at Beckley, West Virginia.
Culture

Halloween hike to legendary haunted locale set in Beckley

by Will Reedy

Need to stretch your legs Halloween night? Two proponents of active living in southern West Virginia are leading a group hike to what’s been called one of West Virginia’s most chilling locales — the old farm at Grey Flats in Beckley. Levi Moore, senior community captain for Active Southern West Virginia, and David Sibray, a … Read more

Spooky any time of year, the old West Virginia State Penitentiary becomes one of the top destinations for Halloween in West Virginia.
Culture

WVExplorer lists top 10 Halloween venues for 2018

by Will Reedy

Looking for the ideal spooky venue for Halloween in West Virginia? West Virginia Explorer, in cooperation with WVGhosts.com, Saturday unleashed its list of the 10 most popular Halloween attractions in the Mountain State for 2018. Traffic at both websites was increased this year by interest in spooky West Virginia folklore brought on by the Fallout … Read more

David Sibray reflects on the diversity of Wheeling, West Virginia, while visiting the Wheeling Suspension Bridge.
Communities

Sibray: W.Va.’s many landscapes present marketing challenges

by Will Reedy

The diversity of West Virginia’s cultures and landscapes presents challenges when it comes to marketing the state, says David Sibray, publisher of the West Virginia Explorer. Many parts of West Virginia are dramatically different, Sibray told radio-show host Steve Novotney during an interview Friday on AM 1600 WKKX in Wheeling, West Virginia. While discussing his … Read more