Media inquiries: Please contact Dave Neudeck, dave.neudeck@dcr.virginia.gov, 804-786-5053.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: September 11, 2008
Contact:
Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation offers hunting opportunities statewide
(RICHMOND, Va.) - Virginia State Parks offer the outdoorsman a variety of hunting opportunities, including several lottery and reservation-only hunts as well as open hunting throughout the season. Hunters can reserve stands or zones on a first-come, first-served basis at the following hunts:
Muzzleloading and archery hunts will be held at York River State Park, in James City County, Nov. 3-4, with the reservation period beginning Sept. 19; Smith Mountain Lake State Park, in Bedford County, Nov. 3-4 and Nov. 10-11, with the reservation period beginning Sept. 4; and Staunton River State Park, in Halifaz County, Nov. 5-6, with the reservation period beginning Sept. 25.
Muzzleloading-only hunts will be held at Belle Isle State Park in Lancaster County, Nov. 11-12, with the reservation period beginning Sept. 26; Caledon Natural Area, in King George County, Nov. 6 and Nov. 13, with the reservation period beginning Sept. 11; Douthat State Park in Bath County, Nov. 4-6 and Nov. 11-13, with the reservation period beginning Sept. 12; and at James River State Park in Buckingham County, Nov. 10-12, with the reservation period beginning Sept. 18.
Muzzleloading and shotgun hunts will be held at Claytor Lake State Park in Pulaski County, Jan. 9-10, with the reservation period beginning Oct. 3. Shotgun hunts will be held at Chippokes Plantation State Park in Surry County, Dec. 15, with the reservation period beginning Oct. 2; James River State Park, Dec. 8-10 and Dec. 15-17, with the reservation period beginning Sept. 18; and at York River State Park, Dec. 1-2, with the reservation period beginning Sept. 19.
General firearms hunts will be held at Belle Isle State Park in Lancaster County, Dec. 16-17, with the reservation period beginning Sept. 26; at Shenandoah River State Park in Warren County, Nov. 24-25, with the reservation period beginning Sept. 5; and a special youth general firearms hunt at Shenandoah River State Park in Warren County on Nov. 17, with the reservation period beginning Sept. 5.
Hunters may reserve preferred days and stands or zones for an advanced fee of $15 a day by calling the Virginia State Parks Reservation Center, 1-800-933-PARK. Reservations will be accepted until all slots are taken at each hunt up until two days prior to the hunt, provided that the hunter completes payment before the day of the hunt.
Applications are now being accepted for the following lottery hunts:
A Grayson Highlands youth general firearms hunt on Nov. 15 and general firearms hunts on Nov. 17 and 18; and Kiptopeke archery-muzzleloader hunts on Nov. 7 and 8 and shotgun hunts on Dec. 12 and 13.
The application deadline for both Grayson Highlands hunts is Sept. 24. The lottery deadline for both Kiptopeke hunts is Oct. 3.
Lake Anna State Park will hold muzzleloader hunts Nov. 18 and 19, and muzzleloader-shotgun hunts on Dec. 2 and 3. The deadline for both lottery hunts at Lake Anna is Sept. 19.
Pocahontas State Park will hold muzzleloader-shotgun hunts Dec. 1,2, 17 and 18, with applications due by Sept. 26.
Each lottery requires a separate application. Call 1-800-933-PARK for an application or download one from www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/hunting. Applications and a $5 fee must be received by the designated deadlines.
Open hunting is offered in designated areas of five state parks: Fairy Stone in Patrick and Henry counties; Grayson Highlands in Grayson County; Hungry Mother in Smyth County; Occoneechee in Mecklenburg County; and Pocahontas in Chesterfield County.
All hunting laws and regulations apply in Virginia State Parks. Additional rules may apply in individual parks, and all lottery and reservation hunts have special regulations.
Several state parks are in or near state forests, national forests or wildlife management areas that allow hunting. State parks with overnight accommodations are convenient and economical base camps for hunting anywhere in the area. These parks offer maps and affordable camping or cabin accommodations only minutes from the field. Campsites are available through early December, and cabins are open year-round.
For information on hunting licenses, hunter safety education and hunting regulations, call the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries at (804) 367-1000 or visit www.dgif.virgina.gov.
The award-winning Virginia State parks are managed by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. For more information about hunting opportunities and programs in Virginia State Parks, hunt lottery applications or reservations, or camping or cabin reservations, call 1-800-933-PARK. For more information on Virginia State Parks, visit www.virginiastateparks.gov.
Virginia State Parks that allow hunting:
Belle Isle, Lancaster County, (804) 462-5030