After years of debate, both chambers of Virginia’s General Assembly have agreed to get rid of a state law prohibiting hunting on public lands in the commonwealth on Sundays, signaling the days are numbered for a ban that can be traced back to the 17th century.

A House subcommittee struck down a series of bills that would have altered Virginia’s hunting laws, with numerous votes deadlocking despite a Republican majority on the six-person panel. 

For the second year in a row, hunters in Virginia have harvested a record number of black bears, according to the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR). For several decades, the department has tracked annual deer, bear and turkey kills and recorded each animal’s sex, date of kill, weapon used and location. 

It is hard to pin down exactly why so many women are deciding now is the time to buy their first firearm. Sales first spiked, according to the NSSF, in March when the pandemic began domestically and remained steady over the summer.

Finally, always remember what the late Dale Earnhardt said about hunting: “When I was young, I told Dale Jr. that hunting and racing are a lot alike. Holding that steering wheel and holding that rifle both mean you better be responsible.”

Bear and turkey on horizon

While Virginia’s Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF) says a harvest of 17,929 wild turkeys during the 2019 spring gobbler season was 11 percent higher than last year’s harvest, Rappahannock County saw a slight decrease.

Five years ago 57 bears were shot out of season, last year only three

‘CWD may pose a risk to people and . . . it is important to prevent human exposures’

A total of 19 bears and 1687 deer were harvested in Rappahannock County during this just-concluded 2018-19 hunting season, which compares to 24 bears and 1535 deer taken by local hunters during the previous 2017-18 season.

The Piedmont Environmental Council and Virginia Department of Transportation are collaborating to reconnect brook trout habitat and improve flood resiliency and public road-stream crossings in two more locations in Rappahannock County.

2017-18 hunting season bags a few more bears

Rappahannock County’s fall deer-hunting season with firearms is right around the corner, starting Saturday, Nov. 18, through Saturday, Jan. 6.

‘Sunday hunting for crows has been changed to Monday’

Renowned Sperryville photographer Ray Boc delights in capturing the color and life of Rappahannock County, including this past weekend along the Thornton River near Copper Fox Antiques. The title above is his.

Out-of-season bear kills by Rappahannock farmers continues to be high

Virginia legislators are making a fashion statement for the state’s 13,000 female hunters: Blaze pink is the new orange.

Alex Kardis shot this 10-point buck on the farm of his parents, Phil and Penny Kardis, in Flint Hill. It was on the second anniversary of the passing of his grandfather, Lawrence Chadwell, of Huntly. Kardis thought his grandfather would have been very proud.

Shenandoah National Park Superintendent Jim Northup announced this week that portions of Skyline Drive will be closed at night during hunting season. He noted that this is the 36th year that this closure has been undertaken and stressed its importance in reducing illegal hunting activity wit…

Virginia State Parks, managed by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, offer the outdoorsman a variety of hunting opportunities, including reservation-only hunts and open hunting, throughout the season. Hunters can reserve stands or zones on a first come, first served basis…

On a cool Saturday morning in late April, Wakefield Country Day School students, faculty members and a parent volunteer helped with a Wounded Warriors project in Madison County, helping set up a Healing Waters Project. Veterans, assisted by guides, are able to fish local rivers and streams, …

Young Rappahannock hunter Bradley Settle, son of Lee and Ashley Settle of Castleton and Renee Settle of Chester Gap, harvested his first turkey on Youth Day for spring turkey season last month. With two beards, the bird was considered an atypical wild turkey.

Lewis Foster of Flint Hill was happy enough when he caught a 6½-pound trout in early March, but less than two weeks later, he reeled in this nine-pounder on Passage Creek, in the Elizabeth Furnace Recreation Area of GW National Forest. If the trend continues, Lewis might need a find a larger truck.

Lewis Foster of Flint Hill came by the other day to show off a big one that didn’t get away — the  6½-pound trout he caught in Front Royal’s Happy Creek last Sunday.