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Youth squirrel season gets underway today

Hello to one and all. First off, let me introduce myself. My name is Don Thomason, I’m currently president of the Tygart Valley Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation and a board member at the Mountaineer Chapter of the Izaak Walton League of America. It was through the IWLA that I met Ken Cobb, former writer of this column. As most of you know, Ken passed away on July 11 of this year. Ken was an active member of the IWLA and helped out at many activities. He was a strong advocate of trying to get today’s youth involved in the outdoors. Especially hunting and fishing. ...

Deer harvest shows another decrease

The leave of absence I had to take from this “Outdoor Column” was longer than expected due to complications that occurred after surgery on Nov. 6, 2019. I had to have two additional surgeries in December and ended up being in a recovery rehabilitation center for nearly three months. This past Monday, I got a copy of the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources Big Game Bulletin for 2019. There was a nice increase (19 percent) in black bear from the bear harvest in 2018. The total wild turkey harvest (spring gobbler and fall) was down to 8.7 percent. The total wild boar harvest ...

Millennial generation can save hunting

In past columns, I have stated repeatedly there are not enough youth hunters to replace the senior hunters who are leaving this outdoor activity. In the United States, hunter participation dropped by 2.2 million or 16 % between 2011 to 2016, according to the latest U.S. Fish and Wildlife Survey. Some hunting enthusiasts may look at this as good news because it could mean fewer people in, what they consider, their favorite hunting grounds. It also means less revenue being generated for fish and wildlife management through license sales, along with fewer voices in various levels of ...

Purple paint posting law now in effect

When I started learning how to hunt back in 1955, it was unlawful to fish, hunt, shoot, trap or even trespass on the acreage of another, if the land was enclosed, fenced, or posted, without the written permission of the landowner. In 2016, another condition was added to this state tradition for posting private acreage — the use of purple paint. According to this new law that was passed by the West Virginia legislature, land boundaries can now be marked with a clearly visible purple painted mark consisting of one vertical line no less than 8 inches in length and at least 2 inches ...

DNR releases 2019 mast survey report

I had to take a leave of absence from this “Outdoor” column over the summer due to an unexpected illness. I started taking large doses of chemotherapy on July 25 (my birthday) and finished in mid-September. The therapy really sapped the energy right out of me to the point to where I did not want to do very much of anything. I am feeling somewhat better now, but I still get very tired when I try to move around quickly. This past Monday, I received a West Virginia Mast Survey and Hunting Outlook Report for 2019 from the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources. I would like to ...

New hunting regulations available

The 2019-2020 hunting and trapping regulations, which includes the various seasons, dates and bag limits, are now available at the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources Operations Center and Ward Road and at the old railroad depot in downtown Elkins. There are some changes from last year and hunters need to study the summary of these changes that is on the first page, just under the, “Table of Contents.” The Oct. 24-27 segment of the antlerless deer gun season will be open on public land as well as private land. The season dates and counties that are open for antlerless ...