The vast majority of outdoorsmen do their scouting for deer in the summer or perhaps early fall. Many successful hunters, however, do it differently. They do most of their scouting from late winter through early spring.

Most gamefish can be tough to catch in winter. One species that actually bites best in January and February, however, is the chain pickerel. I’ve enjoyed excellent pickerel fishing on the ponds on A.P. Hill Military Reservation that are open to the public. The tidal rivers east of I-95 are a…

By the time January rolls around, ducks want nothing more than a quiet, secluded spot to hide out on. Small, neglected potholes and ponds are magnets for these late season birds, and that makes them great hunting spots for sportsmen who take the time to research and locate these gems.

One of the best artificial baits available for winter fishing trips is the blade lure. Besides being effective in the coldest weather, these lures will also catch a wide variety of gamefish.

Two area state parks have scheduled First Day hikes:

Slipping silently along in the river’s current, we scanned the water ahead for signs of our quarry. Hopefully we would flush a squealing wood duck or quacking mallard any minute.

From late December through mid-February is one of the best times of year for pursuing ruffed grouse. This challenging gamebird entices upland hunters to the woods no matter how cold the air and how deep the snow, with open season lasting through Feb. 11, 2023.

Last week we looked at some of the reasons to book with an outfitter for at least your first hunt in a western state. After you have some experience, you may want to tackle the whole expedition from license applications to on-site logistics to equipment and care of meat.

There are probably very few Shenandoah Valley sportsmen and women who haven’t dreamed of a trip out west to pursue big game animals like mule deer, elk, antelope and moose. But taking such a long-distance, multi-day trip requires lots of planning, even if you book a guide.

The following recreation activities are scheduled: 

Most sportsmen in the Shenandoah Valley are busy hunting these days. But fall and winter is also a good time to improve your fishing skills. Maybe you like spin fishing most of the time or using baitcast gear, but chances are you’ve thought about taking up fly fishing. It’s a great way to ca…

A few weeks ago we looked at some of the top walleye fishing waters in the state. In this column we’ll examine a few more spots to try, but first a bit of background on the biology of this fish might be helpful.

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Deer hunting will reach a peak in the next two weeks. The rut comes in during the second week of November in the Shenandoah Valley and lasts for most of the month. Here is one way to up your odds of harvesting a buck as the breeding ritual swings into full gear — locate rut chasing grounds.

The following recreation activities are scheduled:

If you are fortunate to harvest a nice buck this hunting season, how you handle the deer will play a large role in determining the quality of mount you get back from the taxidermist.

October is the month when frosts first arrive in the Shenandoah Valley. For many of us, that happened last week. If you are a deer hunter, it’s important to be aware of the changes the first frosts of autumn have on whitetail feeding habits. Foods that drew deer consistently in early October…

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Sportsmen living in Virginia have a wide variety of gamefish to try for, from trout to catfish, bluegills to stripers. One intriguing quarry that often gets overlooked, however, is the walleye.

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For the whitetail deer hunter, finding a spot where acorns are dropping from oak trees and the leaves are littered with hoof prints is a welcome sight. This makes a very productive stand site in October or early November. But the fact is acorn abundance varies and can be light or even nonexi…

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For sheer fishing fun and frenetic action on the water, it’s hard to top an outing for bluegills. Making this fish especially appealing is the fact that they can be caught with all three major types of angling Shenandoah Valley anglers use — live bait fishing, casting lures and fly fishing.

The following recreation activities are scheduled:

The following recreation activities are scheduled:

Food plotters know that every forage has an optimum time for planting. For brassicas, September is the time to get these plants in the ground in the Shenandoah Valley, though an early October date would also work if you don’t have the time to plant right now.

The following recreation activities are scheduled:

The following recreation activities are scheduled:

After a two-hour drive, I arrived at Lake Anna at the crack of dawn. Waiting for me there was guide Bill Mathias, who I’d fished with many times in the past. Within minutes we were roaring up the lake and easing onto a shallow flat near a main-lake point.

The following recreation activities are scheduled:

Part Two of an occasional series on famous outdoor gear companies

This week and next we’ll look at how another famous outdoor gear company got started. Previously we’ve delved into the birth of Filson, Buck Knives and Leopold Optics.

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Virginia and Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay is famous for its healthy populations of many exciting gamefish — red drum, black drum, cobia and striped bass to name a few. But one of the most appealing species to many anglers is the humble flounder.

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“I’ve never seen a freshwater fish that strikes as violently as a large catfish,” said our fishing guide, John Sellers. “When a big cat strikes, you’ll know it!”

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Bring up the subject of fly fishing and most people picture images of clear mountain streams and vest-clad anglers casting delicate flies to mayfly-sipping trout. But the world of fly fishing has expanded dramatically in recent years. Now anglers use this classic form of fishing to challenge…

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Fishermen in Virginia can enjoy quality angling for many types of gamefish, from trout to largemouth bass, stripers to catfish. But some of the most exciting fishing the state offers is for crappies. If you want to explore these opportunities for this tasty panfish, here’s a rundown on some …

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Spring turkey hunters enjoyed a successful season this year, with a total harvest of 19,711 gobblers during April and May’s hunting. This is the fourth highest harvest ever, with the other three recorded during 2015, 2021 and 2020.