Free Fishing Weekend!!

Who doesn't love FREE? This weekend, June 11 & 12, is the state's annual free fishing weekend for everyone ( resident and non-resident) in the state of West Virginia. This is an annual event that is held in conjunction with National Fishing and Boating Week and sponsored by Take Me Fishing. So what are you waiting on? Get out there and get fishing and don't forget to let someone tag along with you so they can learn about and start to love the art of fishing.

If you want more information including (fishing derbies for kids) on this weekend, click here.

Woods & Waters: New season dates to affect W.Va.’s hunters

When I started reading about the "newly" proposed / approved archery dates, over a month ago, in the local news paper, I posted an article verifying it as well as my opinion on the matter. As my opinions haven't changed, I did happen across another article that gives more insight on the changes along with a few reminders and alterations to other fall hunting seasons.

New season dates to affect W.Va.’s hunters

May 22, 2011 by John McCoy

When West Virginia’s wildlife officials change a hunting regulation, they expect two years to pass before hunters grow accustomed to the change.

With that in mind, perhaps this is a good time to preview some significant changes in store for fall 2011. It’s not exactly two years’ notice, but four months is better than nothing.

The most significant change – the one sure to affect more hunters than any of the others – occurs Oct. 1, the new opening date for the archery deer season.

What’s interesting about this change is that it didn’t originate with the Division of Natural Resources.

DNR biologists usually propose season dates and bag limits, and the seven-man Natural Resources Commission votes to accept, reject or change them. In this case, however, commission members took matters into their own hands.

One or two commissioners decided that the bow season should start earlier. After a brief discussion, the issue came up for a vote and the motion carried. Just like that, West Virginia’s got a deer season that begins two weeks sooner than usual.

DNR officials didn’t seem mind the change, though. Every biologist I’ve talked to has said it wouldn’t significantly affect the deer herd.

Interestingly, the Oct. 1 opener will apply only to deer. The bear archery season will open as usual on Oct. 15. To continue reading, click here...

Why Do We Wait for Spring Gobbler in WV?

This always seems to be a hot debate in local WV conversation and message boards. With most the states that surround West Virginia opening up on average a week or two earlier, why must we wait? This argument will go on for some time, but I was listening to West Virginia Outdoors Today with Chris Lawrence earlier this month and they covered this topic with a WV DNR Biologist. Below is the recap article, written by Mr. Chris Lawrence, of that conversation.

Spring Gobbler Season Late for a Reason Chris Lawrence Statewide

 

Image from Trail Cam Tuesday - April 12, 2011

West Virginia's spring gobbler season opens April 25th.  It's a season that draws a lot of interest--and often because of when it opens--a lot of contention.

"I got a call last week--and I know I'm going to get more," said Biologist Chris Ryan during a recent edition of West Virginia Outdoors. "Why don't you open the spring turkey season earlier?"

The answer is purely for the protection of the resources.  Researchers with the West Virginia DNR have given considerable attention to the wild turkey population.  The research included a hen study from years ago which determined half the turkey hens in West Virginia will have gone to nest by May 1.

"May 1st is the actual mid point of when those hens go to nest," said Ryan. "Ohio just replicated the study over there and they agreed the same thing. Right in this region that's about the time they go to nest."

The data doesn't hold true for states to the south.  Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and Alabamaall have a much earlier spring gobbler season.  Ryan says they can afford to open the season earlier because, their nesting period occurs much earlier.    The theory, which has proven true over time, is hens on the nest are less likely to be killed by hunters either errantly or maliciously in poaching. 

"Whenever they set the dates and this was before my time, they actually agreed on that fourth Monday in April," Ryan said. "It's actually before the mid-point of the medium of when those hens go to nest.  But it's late enough that they're already well into their egg laying.  It's actually done to protect those hens."

Some hunters complain they hear more gobbling activity in the days leading up to the season.   Ryan says that doesn't necessarily mean the gobbling is over before the four-week season ends.   Biologists say after the first two weeks of the season, most hens are on the nest and gobblers are still in search of a breeding mate.   The gobblers are likely more receptive to a hunters call when they're desperate to find more mates.  

Waters & Woods: Will West Virginia’s Coyote Hunters Catch a Break?

With having posted a second set of coyote pictures on Trail Cam Tuesday yesterday, I thought it would only be fitting to pass along this article for anyone hunting coyotes in West Virginia. This article covers the current regulations and the newly proposed regulations that would take effect in 2012 if approved.

In summary, the original regulations set forth in 2006 had decent reasonings, but they still hampered hunters trying to pursue coyotes at night. The current regulations arm hunters with inferior spotlights (red or amber colored only) and .22 caliber rim fire rifle that has a higher probability of wounding the coyote than killing it instantly. They list the reasons for these restrictions in the article, but it is time to give coyote hunters a fighting chance at night. With the new regulations that are proposed not being discussed till most likely July, we can only hope that the members of the state Natural Resources Commission choose to help the hunters. 

Will West Virginia’s coyote hunters catch a break?

March 11, 2011 by John McCoy

Image from 

Trail Cam Tuesday - Feb. 22, 2011

West Virginia’s coyote hunters might be getting a little regulatory relief soon.

“For what?” I hear you ask. “They can hunt the critters at night for half the year, they can hunt them during the day all year long, there are no closed counties and there’s no bag limit.”

Even so, there are restrictions hunters consider onerous. Daytime coyote hunters can do pretty much as they wish, but nighttime hunters say they’re handicapped by regulations that restrict them to spotlights with red or amber lenses and to firearms no more powerful than .22 caliber rimfire.

The regulations were put into place to prevent deer from being spotlighted under the guise of coyote hunting. Regulators figured the amber or red lights would help law enforcement officers distinguish coyote hunters from deer spotlighters, who usually use powerful white lights. Regulators also figured .22-caliber rimfires would be too light for use on deer.

Since those regulations went into effect in 2006, Division of Natural Resources officials have had a change of heart. They’ve come to realize that the restrictions were too — well, restricting. Hunters discovered that the amber or red lights weren’t powerful enough, and that .22 caliber rifles didn’t pack enough wallop to kill coyotes on the spot. To continue reading, click here.

Waters & Woods: Trout stocking trucks run, even in winter

That's right folks, I'm mailing it in today. Not really, but after I posted "And it has begun..." back in early January, reading this article just reiterated my sentiments on this subject. I must say this article is music to my ears and is only making me more antsy to get out there once the weather clears up a bit. Below is part of the article with a link the to full article.

Trout stocking trucks run, even in winter

January 30, 2011 by John McCoy


With all the snow we’ve gotten this winter, it’s hard to believe that West Virginia’s trout-stocking crews have managed to stock all but five of the 52 streams and lakes on their January schedule.

It’s true, though.

“When the roads are clear, we really try to get the trout out to the people,” said Mike Shingleton, head of the Division of Natural Resources’ trout program. “We had some bad days this month, but when our crews were able to go they did a really good job.” To continue reading, click here...

A Closer look at the Final Harvest Totals for the 2010 Deer Season

W.Va.’s other deer seasons suffered, too

January 15, 2011 by John McCoy

West Virginia wildlife officials announced the final harvest totals for all the state’s 2010 deer seasons, and I examine those numbers in this week’s column:

Well, at least the results were consistent. When West Virginia wildlife officials announced the 2010 all-seasons deer harvest in a Friday release, the bottom line almost perfectly matched the buck-season bottom line: A 32 percent decline.

The buck kill, announced last month, declined 31 percent. This latest announcement hits antlerless-deer hunters, bowhunters and muzzleloader hunters with similar force. The antlerless kill dropped 37 percent. The bow kill dropped 26 percent. The muzzleloader kill dropped 35 percent. To continue this story, click here... 

I was reading through this article and thought that it was a great article to share with anyone who is from West Virginia or hunts in or around West Virginia. This would also help to explain the dismal hunting season many of us had around here. Hopefully, this just allows for the bucks to grow larger.

And it has begun...

Well it actually started back on the 3rd of January, but who's counting. No, it's not the start of my New Years diet, even though I need to start thinking about that, dang no beer and wings tonight I guess. Anyways back to the point of all this, with everything going on recently in regards to joining the OBN, officially getting accepted into their "Everything Outdoors" section, and participating in their newest writing prompt, I haven't had a lot to say about what's going on outside of this blog. So time to catch you up on everything now, actually, not much has happened it's been a boring work week, but I hope to have a new blog up in the next day or two about my scouting and shed hunting adventure last weekend with Jay. Now that all that house keeping issues are dealt with (I know Cassie and my mother are laughing at the thought of myself and house keeping being the same sentence), I can continue onto today's post.

It's a New Year, with a lot of great new beginnings to look forward to, and one thing that my fishing buddies and I know is that come the first Monday in January, the state of West Virginia starts stocking trout in selected areas. There has been more than a few random trips, taking off at 4:00AM to find a stream that we had not fished before and all we knew was that it had been stocked yesterday and we had all day to find it and how to fish it. Those are some great, albeit cold memories (yes, I may have slip in, while not wearing waders, on my first trip with those guys). This isn't a trip down memory lane though, this is actually a post to say how thankful and how well of a job the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources does about stocking the streams and rivers of WV.

Here is an excerpt from the WV DNR page on stocking about trout, but they also stock maybe other types of game fish, please follow the link I provided for more information on this:

"Stocking appropriate sport fish is an important part of West Virginia’s fisheries management program that is used to achieve a variety of goals. The traditional seasonal trout stocking of more than 150 waters has expanded to provide trout fishing opportunities throughout the year."

"West Virginia’s hatchery facilities play an important role in the state’s fisheries management efforts. The DNR operates seven hatcheries and two warmwater hatcheries for fish production. The newest hatchery at Apple Grove in Mason County represents a major improvement in warmwater fish production. In conjunction with the existing Palestine Hatchery, the DNR’s ability to provide sport fish and fish for restoration and management efforts is greatly enhanced." 

From my personal experience they normally stock come hell or high water, and trust me I was wading that high water the next morning. Haha. There has only been a few times they have missed stockings due to snow storms and they then extended the stock period as well as the quantities they stock per stream.

For anyone wanting to fish in West Virginia for trout or any other species of fish for that later, you need to check out the fishing section of the WVDNR website. If you are from West Virginia (and you're fishing for trout) here are some quick links to a few of my favorite features on their website:

• Buy a License - This is the most important and first step you need to take if you haven't yet. Here are the 2011 Fishing Regulations (will open into a PDF file).
• Trout Stocking Schedule - This gives you every stream, the country it's in, and the frequency in which they stock those streams. For those who would like the schedule for lakes and ponds click here.
• Trout Stocking Map - It's an interactive map, it can take a minute or two to comprehend everything, but a very nice tool and provides you with everything from the regulation types to the stocking frequency when it is in identify mode.
• Daily Stocking Report - It is updated every weekday at 4:00PM with the streams that were stock that day. There is a hotline that will give you the same information, the number is (304) -558-3399.