Archive for August, 2008

Trophy buck areas begin ‘growth’ phase

Monday, August 25, 2008

Finding a place to hunt trophy deer on public lands has always been a problem in West Virginia — that is, until now.

Five public hunting areas have been specially designated for “older-aged deer management” — in other words, trophy bucks. The regulations went into effect last year on the Bluestone, Burnsville and Beech Fork Wildlife Management Areas and at Coopers Rock State Forest. They had already been in effect at the McClintic WMA.

DNR officials say they expect the number of trophies on the four newest areas to rise sharply this year, and to continue to increase in years to come. Sunday’s Gazette-Mail article has details.

Posted in Hunting, West Virginia, WV DNR | 1 Comment »

Feds expand W.Va.’s wood duck bag limit

Monday, August 25, 2008

Officials of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have finally given West Virginia’s wildlife managers what they wanted.

Effective with the upcoming waterfowl season, three of the five ducks in each hunter’s daily bag limit can be wood ducks. Before the change, the maximum was two woodies.

Read more about the change, and get the feds’ most recent report on duck numbers, in this Sunday Gazette-Mail article.

Posted in Hunting, West Virginia | No Comments »

Upshur men arrested for spotlighting

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Two Upshur County men have learned the best way to poach a trophy buck is not to do it next to someone’s house.

In the early morning hours of Aug. 6, a Rock Cave resident notified authorities that he had heard gunfire near his home. Sgt. Marshall Powers and Deputy Dewain Linger of the Upshur County Sheriff’s Department answered the call, along with Division of Natural Resources conservation officer Jeff Craig.

The officers discovered that a large buck deer had been spotlighted and shot. The poachers took the buck’s head, with antlers still in velvet, and left its carcass in a nearby field.

After a brief investigation, the officers cited 32-year-old Heath Foster of Rock Cave for spotlighting, hunting during a closed season, carrying a loaded gun in a motor vehicle, and shooting within 600 feet of a residence. Foster’s alleged accomplice, 32-year-old Terry Pumphrey of Ireland, was cited for spotlighting, hunting during a closed season, illegal possession of wildlife, and conspiring to commit a hunting violation.

Posted in Ethics, Hunting, West Virginia | No Comments »

Bluestone State Park offers turkey hunting discounts

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Year in and year out, the Bluestone Wildlife Management Area ranks as one of the state’s top public lands for fall turkey hunting.

This year, officials at nearby Bluestone State Park have decided to cut hunters a break. From late October to mid-November, they’ll offer discounted mid-week cabin rates to turkey hunters.

The discount, 30 percent, is nothing to sneeze at. The fall turkey season in Summers County runs from Oct. 25 to Nov. 1. The season in nearby Monroe County runs from Oct. 25 to Nov. 22.

Details can be found here at the Division of Natural Resources’ Web site.

Posted in Hunting, State Parks, West Virginia | No Comments »

What will happen to W.Va.’s state fish?

Monday, August 18, 2008

In the last two Sunday Gazette-Mail outdoors pages, I’ve delivered a two-part series on brook trout in West Virginia — the species’ history, its decline, and attempts to restore fisheries damaged by environmental insults.

Part I outlined the actions that pushed brookies from an estimated 95 percent of their former habitat. Part II detailed efforts by resource agencies, corporations and volunteers to fix what had been ruined.

Posted in Environmental Issues, Fishing, Monongahela National Forest, West Virginia | No Comments »

Winfield Locks fishing area to close temporarily

Monday, August 18, 2008

The day after Labor Day should be memorable – and maybe a little disappointing, too – for anglers who like to fish at the Winfield Locks off U.S. Route 35.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will temporarily close the popular fishing-access area downstream of the dam on Sept. 2 so that construction crews can improve the site.

Planned improvements include pavement for the gravel parking lot, additional stabilization of the riverbank, and an access walkway from the parking area to the riverbank that meets required accessibility standards.

In the past, the only access to the area had been by a steep set of steel steps that led from the parking lot to a set of fishing piers at the dam’s base.

Corps officials expect the construction to take four to six months, depending on weather and the Kanawha River’s water levels. Fishing on the Eleanor side of the locks will remain open throughout the construction process.

Posted in Fishing, West Virginia | No Comments »