By Alex McCrickard/DWR It’s easy to understand why striped bass (Morone saxatilis) are known as “everyman’s fish.” They’re fun to catch and are one of the most accessible fish for anglers to target. Add on the variety of different methods you can use to …
By Steve Living/DWR Photos by Steve Living/DWR Shrubs have been on my mind lately… perhaps the result of watching too much Monty Python in my youth. More so because the importance of this part of the habitat puzzle has been obvious over the last couple of …
By Dr. Peter Brookes With meteorological summer (June 1) now behind us and astronomical summer (June 21) just ahead of us, it’s high time to venture out to one of the Old Dominion’s wonderful waterways for some fishing. Indeed, with even more hours of …
By Bruce Ingram If there is one common theme across Virginia right now concerning our fisheries, it is the threat that non-native species present to our long-established gamefish. DWR Region 1 Fisheries Manager Clint Morgeson details the danger that the …
By Gerald Almy The tiny spinnerbait hit the water with a delicate “plop” a scant foot from the shoreline as we floated silently down the Shenandoah River. The current swirled backwards in an eddy there, making it a prime hangout for the fish this river is …
Birds are probably the most photographed of all wildlife. They bedazzle us with their colors, songs, and curious behaviors. We see and hear them everywhere throughout the year. No wonder they are a favorite subject for photography. Photographing birds can …
By Matt Green for Whitetail Times Photos by Matt Green Several years ago, my close friend Chris invited me to the Howard Hill Classic traditional archery shoot at Tannehill State Park in McCalla, Alabama. Being an avid outdoorsman, a pleasant weather …
By DWR Press Release The Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) announced a harvest of 24,447 turkeys during the 2023 spring turkey season. This represents the highest spring turkey harvest ever recorded in Virginia. The previous record was 20,580, set …
The 34 hunters who gathered for the Seventh Annual Old Dominion One Shot Turkey Hunt on April 22 included 10 youth, 12 veterans, and two Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) employees: Stacey Brown, the Deputy Director of Boating, and Tyler …
By Dr. Mike Bednarski, DWR Fisheries Chief Photos by Meghan Marchetti/DWR Over the years, I’ve been fortunate enough to catch a lot of bass, and sometimes, I’m lucky enough to catch a big bass. As I combed through my notes, a few baits really showed up as …
By Gerald Almy Photos by Gerald Almy When redbuds bloom on shoreline hills and gobblers call from mountain ridges, there’s no more rewarding fish to go after in Virginia than panfish. Which “panfish?” Take your pick. Members of this clan can include as …
By Mark Fike Photos by Mark Fike I have always been a kid at heart, and in some ways I guess that is good. My wife will attest to the fact that I can sit on a pond bank for hours and find something to fiddle around with. When it comes to fishing, I have my …
The below success stories, like the photo above showing Jason Haga’s son’s successful harvest from the 2023 Spring Youth and Apprentice Turkey Hunting Weekend, were emailed to DWR at social@dwr.virginia.gov. Congratulations on the successful hunts! From …
By Lacey Sullivan for Whitetail Times Recently I found myself sorting through some old family photos that we believe were taken throughout the 1980s and ‘90s. In a big stack of photos with no order or method of organization, I came across some pictures of …
By Molly Kirk Elk have been spotted in Breaks Interstate Park! According to Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) Elk Project Leader Jackie Rosenberger and Austin Bradley, superintendent of Breaks Interstate Park, it’s an encouraging first step …
Enter for a chance to win a guided tour to see the Virginia elk as well as a cabin stay at Breaks Interstate Park for up to 4 people! Your entry into this sweepstakes serves as a donation to elk habitat and management in Virginia. Enter the Sweepstakes! A …
By DWR Conservation Police In the 11th and 12th week of the 12th basic Conservation Police Officer Academy, recruits received training in skills unique to Conservation Police Officers working in the outdoors with wildlife. Recruits spent a week and half at …
By Molly Kirk/DWR Thanks in part to the Endangered Species Act, there’s work underway to help preserve and expand populations of the Big Sandy crayfish in Virginia. “With the current status, we’re in a really good spot to act immediately, so that we can …
By John Page Williams Photos by John Page Williams Most of us see rivers while crossing bridges over them more often than we do exploring them in boats. From that perspective, the Mattaponi appears to be a narrow stream with wooded banks from busy roadways …
By Bruce Ingram Photos by Bruce Ingram “You only take care of the things you love, and you only love the things you know,” said Beth Wiegandt when asked why she enjoys shepherding seventh graders down the James River every spring. But Wiegandt, who …
