Purple paint posting law now in effect

October 19, 2019

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

October 12, 2019

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

July 6, 2019

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 ...

Groundhogs can be a nuisance for farmers

June 22, 2019

In West Virginia, I have not yet found a farmer who likes groundhogs. These critters may look cute on Feb. 2 (National Groundhog Day), but for the remainder of the year this is one destructive rodent. I don’t know how many times I have had a farmer to tell me, “Having a groundhog on your farm is like having a nest of rats in your house.” One groundhog can wreck a well-kept vegetable garden in a very short period of time. I was in my early 20s when I went groundhog hunting on my distant cousin’s acreage in Roane County. I was only using a .22 rimfire rifle but was able to get ...

Spring gobbler harvest numbers down

June 10, 2019

The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources has released the preliminary harvest figures for the spring gobbler season this year. In 2019 spring turkey hunters harvested 11,210 gobblers. This is down from the 12,287 gobblers that were harvested in 2018 or nine percent. This year's harvest is still three percent above the ten year average. Youth hunters took 357 gobblers during the one-day youth season on April 13. This is down from the 431 that was taken in 2018 or 17 percent. The WVDNR Wildlife Districts 4 and 5, which takes in the southern and southwestern counties, reported ...

DNR releases summary of questionnaire

May 25, 2019

Last week, I got a summary of the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources questionnaire that was handed out to all of the sportsmen and women who attended one of the regulations meetings held this past March. A total of 379 attended the 12 meetings that were held throughout the state. This is up from the 248 who attended these meetings last year. The one for this area was held in Buckhannon and had an attendance of 54, which was the highest of all the 12 meetings. The meeting at Fairmont finished a close second with 53. The meeting that had the lowest was held at North Bend ...