[OHhokie1]

Hey guys, I've read through some posts on this site before but this is my first post here.

I grew up waterfowl hunting in Ohio, but I'm a current student at Virginia Tech and hunt the New River when I'm down here. Basically, the area where I hunt is a shallow, slow section of the New with several large islands in the middle of it. Usually we take a canoe out to the island and set up in a wooden blind that someone made there years ago.

I was planning on going tomorrow morning by myself for geese and I won't have the canoe. My question is: is it legal for me to just wade across the river, shotgun in hand, and hunt on the island? We've been hunting there for two years, albeit not anywhere as often as I'd like, and have yet to see a game warden or have any sort of problem. However, my buddy was out fishing down there the other day and saw two game wardens talking to hunters.

I just want to make sure that hunting on the island out of a boat is kosher and that wading to the island is also fine.

 

[Undrcoverrednek]

Call The Man tomorrow an' axe'em yer question!

:welcome:

 

[Ichabod97]

Call The Man tomorrow an' axe'em yer question!

:welcome:

That's pretty much where you will get your definite answer. Might as well call the GW, because he will be the one writing you the ticket if someone else tells you wrong.

Always remember, just because you have never seen a GW in a certain area, doesn't mean the day you "might" break the law, he doesn't poke his head around the corner and stop you. Seen it happen many times before.

 

[vtcupped'n'locked]

I graduated in 2010 and know exactly where you are talking about, yes it is legal, bigger thing to worry about is parking your truck next to the railroad tracks in their right of way.... Good luck and be careful crossing the new, made many late season hairy trips at o'dark thirty across that river.

 

[OHhokie1]

I graduated in 2010 and know exactly where you are talking about, yes it is legal, bigger thing to worry about is parking your truck next to the railroad tracks in their right of way.... Good luck and be careful crossing the new, made many late season hairy trips at o'dark thirty across that river.

Okay, that's what I thought. I'm still going to calling the GW tomorrow but I'll probably just head out there before that anyway.

As for parking my truck, is that not legal? Or is it just to make sure you don't block the roadway? There's a little pull off down there and people (including me) park there all the time to fish.

Also, are you still in Blacksburg?

 

[deadplumptrout]

Been there done that ,a canoe is your best bet sometimes the water is up over waders. Then sometimes you shear every extra pin you got on your boat. Just wait till saturday the hunt pressure will be better. Like mentioned you will be watched by the warden and make sure to park off the road, out of the way of the launch. Good luck!

 

[vtcupped'n'locked]

Nope I live in Columbus Ohio now. But if you drive down the road along the tracks, and park next to the tracks, Norfolk Southern has there own cops, and they can give you a ticket. Only reason i know is they did it to us once, I think they left a note the first time saying we were trespassing and could be towed.

 

[Markd]

Who owns the islands?

 

[VaTailfeathers]

Find the phone # from the VGIF site for that county or area, then ask for the specific warden of that location. You can do some kind of a property search,if the island is substantial, but easy street is call the man, like posted above. MAke sure to take notes in writing and ask the warden to spell his/ her name so they know you are recording their answer. Note time and date of call. Take a DNA sample and get a self sperm count....only kidding. Best to ask the person who writes the ticket, as stated above.

 

[willyboy11493]

All that matters is that your below the seasonal high water line. It's public up to that point. We hunt the james on an island, we just make sure we stay on the shore which is perfectly fine just stay below the water line.

 

[Markd]

You pretty sure about that Willy? "Typically", private land ownership in Virginia is held to the low water mark.

 

[davidp14]

What about wading WHILE hunting? I had a friend tell me this was not legal without a blind license.

 

[WOODIE13]

Blind laws do not apply west of I95 or on the Eastern Shore :thumbsup:

 

[davidp14]

Thanks. I thought about hunting that way because I fish the Shenandoah a lot and more than once I've had ducks and geese come within range of my imaginary shotgun.

 

[jjorr24]

@OhioHokie1,

Are you still in the Blacksburg area? I'm a grad student at Tech (originally from MI) and I'm looking for a goose hunting partner.

 

[greendrake]

Just to give you a heads up, who ever built that blind was charged a few years ago with baiting that island. GW's are there pretty regular now!

 

[dodman]

I live near Blacksburg and work next to VT. Hunt the New River a ton. My regular hunting buddy goes a lot, but this year he's <gasp> working some weekends. Happy to get with some other folks 'round here, just give a shout and I'll try to remember to check the site. : )~ I got a decent floater I use out there. Ahh, geese coming up the river, what a beautiful sound.

Time to get ready for a dove shoot, they're mean, vicious creatures and might poop on your hat...best to try and whittle their numbers down. Cheers..!

 

[Ming Lu]

I live near Blacksburg and work next to VT. Hunt the New River a ton. My regular hunting buddy goes a lot, but this year he's <gasp> working some weekends. Happy to get with some other folks 'round here, just give a shout and I'll try to remember to check the site. : )~ I got a decent floater I use out there. Ahh, geese coming up the river, what a beautiful sound.

Time to get ready for a dove shoot, they're mean, vicious creatures and might poop on your hat...best to try and whittle their numbers down. Cheers..!

 

[Ming Lu]

I live in Dublin, want to find a partner to hunt goose and duck.