GREEN BANK, W.Va. — Applications are now available for a special resident-only, controlled onsite deer hunt, according to the Green Bank Observatory (GBO), located in Green Bank, West Virginia. This controlled hunt is organized and planned in cooperation with the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (DNR).
Submission of an application enters each hunter in a drawing for a maximum of two days on the GBO site. Applications must be received by GBO on or before Aug. 1, 2017. Only successful applicants who receive an authorization letter for a particular day or days will be permitted to hunt. “Walk-ons” will not be permitted.
The controlled hunts, held Oct. 13 and 14 under the auspices of the DNR, will take place on four designated areas ranging in size from 132 acres to 1,000 acres. Each area is designated: Bow Only; Muzzleloader and Shotgun with Slugs; or Muzzleloader Only. Hunters must indicate the bow or firearm they wish to use on the application.
The maximum bag limit during the GBO hunt is two antlerless deer (one per day). An on-site lottery will be held each day to allow five hunters to pursue deer of either sex. These are bonus deer and do not count toward the hunter’s annual licensed deer bag limit.
Participating hunters must possess a base West Virginia hunting license (Resident A, AH, AHJ, X, XJ, Lifetime A-L, AB-L or XS) or be exempt from having to purchase a license. All deer harvested must be checked at the official game checking station located on the GBO site.
Due to the work at the Observatory, gasoline-powered vehicles are strictly controlled on site. Hunters may only park in designated areas and will be issued a pass for display on the windshield. Transportation from the hunter check-in station to some hunt areas will be provided by GBO staff. For purposes of safety and the biological study of harvested deer, all hunters must pass through a check-in station each morning before the day’s hunt. At the end of the day, all hunters must exit through a check-out station.
Applications may be picked up at any DNR district office or may be requested by sending a self-addressed, stamped envelope to the Green Bank Observatory at P.O. Box 2, Green Bank, West Virginia 24944, Attention: Hunt Coordinator. Applications are also available at www.wvdnr.gov. For additional information, interested hunters may call 304-456-2011 or 304-637-0245.
