With a few weeks left for general firearms deer season, the Department of Wildlife Resources wants to remind hunters to keep safety top of mind.
“During the holidays, Virginians tend to have time off, often hunting and spending time in the woods, said Hunter Education and Outreach Team Lead, Jimmy Mootz. “We want everyone to enjoy that time, harvest a deer, and make it back home safe and sound.”
To help ensure a safe day in the field, hunters should follow the following safety guidelines.
Take a hunter safety course. Treat every firearm like it is loaded. Always wear blaze orange. Be sure of your target and what is beyond it. Respect wildlife, property, and people by only taking clean and ethical shots.
If hunting from an elevated position, including a tree stand or saddle, practice these safety ABCs.
A: ALWAYS remove and inspect your equipment. Practice at ground level.
B: BUCKLE on your full-body safety harness securely.
C: CONNECT to the tree before you leave the ground and slow down.
D: DESTINATION share your stand location for each hunt.
“Hunting in Virginia continues to be a safe and rewarding pastime, bringing families together, promoting conservation, and feeding communities,” said Mootz. “But, while still low, hunting incidents with injury are trending higher this year. Please stay vigilant and ensure you and those in your hunting community continue to implement safe hunting practices.”
In addition to taking a hunter safety course and having a valid hunting license, hunters should check the local regulations where they plan to hunt to make sure they’re in compliance. Hunting regulations can change so hunters should check for updates every year.
If you’re out waterfowl hunting and think you saw an invasive nutria, we want to know! How do you tell if it’s a nutria versus a beaver? If it had prominent white whiskers, it was likely a nutria, and we need to hear about it! Nutria are an invasive species wreaking havoc on Virginia’s wetlands, damaging vital habitats.
Rodents of unusual size (R.O.U.S.) do exist, and they do lurk in marshes! Nutria, or Myocastor coypus, is a large, invasive, semi-aquatic species of rodent that threatens Virginia’s wetlands. Armed with giant, orange incisors and voracious appetite for vegetation, this creature can chew through beautiful wetland landscapes, turning them into bare patches of mud that then become eroded to open water over time. They eventually outcompete native wildlife by destroying their habitat, which is scary for Virginia’s wildlife.
Nutria produce up to three litters each year of four to five young, a reproduction rate that left unmanaged can quickly lead to thousands upon thousands of individuals. They grow to between 15 and 30 pounds. Each nutria can consume up to 25% of their body weight in vegetation a day, and they feed year-round.
Help us protect our wetlands together and report your nutria sightings! To report, please call 1-855-571-9003 or report online.
Interested in trapping and removing destructive nutria from your property? Nutria can be trapped legally year-round. Use our Licensed Trapper Finder Tool to locate a qualified service provider in your area.
Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources
