Thursday, August 28, 2008
All kinds of changes in hunting regulations
Bill Cochran
Recent columns
For Virginia hunters, the 2008-09 season will be a time of regulation changes. In fact, there is a whole page of new regulations in the hunting and trapping digest of the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. And that doesn’t cover dove and waterfowl regulations. Here’s a look at what’s new:
CANADA GEESE: The bag limit during the Sept. 1-25 season has been doubled to 10. Shooting hours for this period have been expanded to 30 minutes after sunset west of Interstate 95. The extension also is in place east I-95 Sept. 1-19. The goose limit has been increased from two to three during the Nov. 15-29 and Dec. 15-Jan. 14 portions of the western zone season. You guessed right if you think game officials want hunters to take more resident geese to cut down on damages caused by these big birds.
BEAR: The hours for the chase season have been expanded to cover one-half hour before sunrise to 4 ½ hours after sunset, which means hunters won’t have to depart the woods as early as they once did.
>Bear hunters have a new check card, which no longer is part of the deer and turkey license. The bear card includes an envelope to provide a bear tooth for research purposes, which is mandatory.
BOBCAT: Hunters and trappers who kill a bobcat must report the kill within 24 hours through a DGIF electronic system available at HuntFishVA.com or by calling 866-GOT-GAME.
>Bobcats taken to a Virginia taxidermist no longer will be required to be sealed with a special CITES tag, but such a tag is required to sell bobcat pelts. Tags can be ordered on line at HuntFishVA.com.
BOW: An antlerless-only bow season has been established in Loudoun and Prince William counties to coincide with the Sept. 6-Oct. 3 urban archery season dates.
CALLING DEVICES: Electronic calls now may be used to hunt bobcats, coyotes and foxes on public lands during periods when a firearm season is in place. They have been legal on private lands with the permission of the landowner.
DEER: The counties of Bedford, Fairfax, Fauquier, Franklin, Loudoun, Patrick, Prince William and Roanoke have an earn-a-buck regulation (EAB) that requires hunters on private land to shoot at least one antlerless deer before they can kill their second antlered buck. East of the Blue Ridge, they will be required to kill a second antlerless deer on private land before the can kill their third antlered buck. The idea is to force hunters to kill more does in counties with a heavy deer herd.
>Fauquier County has been added to the special late antlerless-only firearms deer season that is available in Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William counties. That season has been extended through the last Saturday in March.
>Either-sex deer hunting days have been increased in 16 eastern counties/cities and have been reduced on national forest and DGIF land in 15 counties. For details, check the Hunting & Trapping In Virginia law digest or HuntFishVA.com.
>Either-sex deer hunting days have been reduced on private land in Rockbridge County and the portion of Rockingham County west of Virginia 613 and 731.
DOVES: The daily bag limit has been increased from the long-standing 12 to 15.
DUCKS: The wood duck limit has been boosted from two to three, but no canvasbacks may be bagged this season.
FIREARMS: Unplugged shotguns are legal for hunting non-migratory game, which means you can go from three shells to five when you are hunting game that includes rabbits, quail, grouse, deer and turkeys. Don’t get carried away. When you go after migratory game, such as doves, woodcocks and waterfowl, you must have your gun plugged to hold only three shells.
LICENSES: An apprentice license, good for two years and costing $11 for residents and $21 for nonresidents, allows a new hunter to defer hunter education requirements while under the direct supervision of a mentor hunter.
MUZZLELOADING: The early muzzleloading deer season has been expanded from one week to two (Nov. 1-14) west of the Blue Ridge Mountains, but the extra week doesn’t come with a bigger bag limit.
>Private land in Grayson County will offer either-sex hunting the last six days of the muzzleloading season.
>Suffolk, east of the Dismal Swamp line, now has a late muzzleloading season when either-sex deer may be taken the final six days.
>Electronic ignitions can be used on muzzleloaders. The battery must be removed for these guns to be considered “unloaded.”
TURKEY: Starting and ending dates for the late segment of the fall season have been changed in most counties east of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Check HuntFishVA.com or the Hunting & Trapping rulebook for details.
>An Oct. 18 youth fall turkey hunting day has been established for youngster 15 and under, and the hunting hours for the youth spring gobbler season (April 4) have been extended to sunset. They have ended at noon in the past.
>A two week fall turkey season will be open on Eastern Shore for the first time (Oct. 25-Nov. 7 and Nov. 27) in Accomac and Northampton counties along with the City of Suffolk.
URBAN ARCHERY: The special bow season for deer in participating urban areas will open Sept 6, a week earlier than in the past.
