Virginia Hunting News
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Restored Kentucky Elk Populations Being Shared with Other States
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Virginia Black Bear Tests Positive for Rabies On April 17th, the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) was contacted by two men who encountered a bear that appeared to be acting very erratically in Afton, Virginia, Albemarle County. The men were driving a small 4-wheel off-road utility vehicle on a large, secluded parcel of land, when a bear approached and began biting the vehicle's tire, and then attempted to enter the occupied vehicle. The men were able to exit the vehicle without injury and ultimately shot and killed the bear. |
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In Ten Years, NSSF® Has Awarded $4.7 Million to State Agencies to Promote Hunting $392,185 in Hunting Heritage Partnership® Grants Go to 12 Projects |
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Virginia DGIF Recognizes Assistance of Hunters, Reports Two New CWD Positives in Western Frederick County Not unexpectedly, two new cases of chronic wasting disease (CWD) have been detected very close to where CWD-infected deer were found in 2009 and 2010. Both deer - a 4.5 year old buck and 1.5 year old doe - were killed by a hunter in November 2011 in western Frederick County, Virginia, very close to the West Virginia border. Given the proximity of these new positives to the previous cases, changes to the current management actions or restrictions are not anticipated, although CWD surveillance in that particular area may be heightened. |
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Virginia's Bear, Deer, Turkey Harvest Data Announced Wildlife biologists with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) have compiled preliminary figures for deer, turkey, and bear harvests for the 2011-2012 fall/winter hunting seasons. The white-tailed deer harvest was slightly up from last year while the turkey harvest increased significantly. The bear harvest was down from the previous year. Poor and spotty mast crops across the state this past fall coupled with management actions to meet population objectives all factored into fluctuations in populations and harvest trends. |
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Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries Seeks Public Input for Virginia Wild Turkey Management Plan The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF), in cooperation with Virginia Tech's Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, recently initiated an effort to develop a Virginia Wild Turkey Management Plan, similar in scope and intent to the existing statewide management plans for black bear and white-tailed deer. Virginia Tech personnel will be hosting a series of focus group meetings in March and April to discuss various aspects of wild turkey management with Virginians who have a strong interest in management of wild turkeys. |
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Virginia Officials Confirm Elk Restoration to Begin Soon The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation has been officially notified that elk restoration efforts in Virginia will begin this spring. |
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Virginia Offers Increased Options, Decreased Costs: Multi-year License Discount Goes into Effect January 1, 2012 The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF) will introduce reduced pricing for resident annual hunting, trapping and freshwater fishing licenses for two-, three- and four-year periods beginning January 1, 2012. Purchasers will save $2 for each additional year over the first since the license price is reduced $1 and the associated $1 license agent fee will be saved. |
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Effective Jan 1, You May Need an Access Permit to Visit WMAs and DGIF-owned Public Fishing Lakes in Virginia Holders of valid Virginia hunting, freshwater fishing, and trapping licenses, and people with Virginia boat registrations will be exempt. |
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Virginia Hunters Needed for Chronic Wasting Disease Surveillance and Management The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) would like to ask for hunters continued support in its surveillance and management of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). Chronic wasting disease was detected in Virginia for the first time in a deer killed November 2009 in Frederick County less than one mile from the West Virginia state line. A second CWD-positive deer was also harvested in 2010 approximately 1.5 miles from the first. |
Now that Kentucky’s elk population has been successfully restored, the state is unafraid to share its “natural” wealth. While Wisconsin is still rewriting its elk management plan and hoping to receive elk from Kentucky soon, elk restoration is already underway in southwestern Virginia with support from Kentucky.
