The Archery in the Schools program is organized by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR) and is present in more than 300 schools across the state. It is open to public, private and home school students in grades 4 through 12. This is a great program that gives...
This week I decided to write about an elusive critter that roams our mountains but is seldom seen, the fisher. I’ve never laid eyes on one myself but a few years ago I captured a blurry picture on my trail camera that sure did resemble a fisher. I did a...
With the start of a new decade this year, I decided to take a look back at the most notable changes that took place to hunting seasons in West Virginia during the last decade. Growing up in the late 1900’s I always wondered what life was going to be like...
Just because deer season is over and winter is here, doesn’t mean you have to put the guns away quite yet. Rabbit, Grouse, Raccoon, Fox, Bobcat, and Coyotes can make for some great late season hunting opportunities. In WV you can legally hunt all of these animals until February 29...
Now that deer season is over and the freezer is hopefully full, the best part comes with the tasty meals that follow. There are several ways to cook deer meat, or venison, and this week I thought I’d share a few recipes. Venison is the term used to describe the...
It’s hard to believe that another buck season is in the past and we’ll have to wait until next year to buck hunt with a rifle. The first two days of buck season provided good conditions to hunt in but on the third day, high wind advisories were issued all...
The most popular week of deer hunting has passed as fast as the Thanksgiving leftovers, but there’s still another week of buck season left for those, including me, that weren’t so lucky. I like hunting during the second week as the deer start to calm back down some and the...
November is a busy time of the year for me with deer season and the rut in full swing. Months of preparation have led up to the best deer hunting of the entire year. It’s also the perfect time to fish for big lake run salmon, steelhead, and brown trout...
Halloween has passed and things are about to get interesting in the deer woods. The smaller bucks have been pushing each other around and pestering the does. The bigger bucks that were only making night time appearances are moving during daylight hours now. More road kill deer will start showing...
The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR) has released their findings for the 2019 Mast Survey and according to it, there’s food in the woods this year. The big producers this year are the red, black, and scarlet oak trees which all saw a significant increase from last year’s...
It’s here, the much-anticipated start to the 2019 deer seasons began on Saturday September 28 with the archery and crossbow opener. The first day of Fall has arrived which means the daylight hours will be shortening from here on out. However, the daytime temperatures have been stuck in summer mode...
As another hunting season approaches, we as hunters have the responsibilities to obey the law, be safe, and hunt ethical. It seems that more and more private land is becoming leased or posted as landowners feel they can control who hunts on their land better. Gaining permission to hunt private...
September is a transition month with cooler temperatures in the early mornings which triggers the leaves on the trees to start showing hints of fall colors. Labor Day has come and gone, school is in session, football is back and yes, another hunting season is here! The 2019 hunting season...
In a recent press release the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR) announced that deer from southeastern counties have died from hemorrhagic disease. So, what exactly is Hemorrhagic Disease? It is caused by either one of two closely related viruses. The epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV) and the bluetongue...
The coyote is one animal that continues to intrigue me since it’s taken up residence in West Virginia. The eastern US is one of the last areas of the country to be colonized by coyotes. I remember growing up in the late 80’s and early 90’s when the word coyote...
The heat and humidity of summertime is an active period for biting insects and slithering reptiles. Snakes are an often talked about reptile in that you either like them or hate them. The majority of folks tend to dislike snakes but they are a living species just like all the...
The big black bruins that roam the hills and hollows of West Virginia have come a long ways since the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. In 1980 there were 47 bears killed by hunters and the population statewide was estimated around 500. Fast forward to today where the bruin population...
On June 20, 1863 West Virginia became the 35th state admitted to the Union. The land was rugged and huge virgin timber towered over these hills and hollows. Most early settlers staked out the rich fertile bottomlands first. Along these rivers huge virgin oaks, walnuts, yellow poplars, sycamores and other...
When it comes to the outdoors, perfect timing means everything. It doesn’t matter what time of the year it is everything has it’s time and place in nature. In the spring you dig ramps when they pop out of the ground, pick morels when they’re up, and hunt turkeys. In...
Spring gobbler season is in full swing and nothing will try your patience more than the wild turkey. On Wednesday morning I got into a knock down battle with a hen and 2 gobblers before she took them the other way. We called back and forth for almost an hour...
