|  10/03/2018

Virginia Quail Hunting Forecast 2018


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Weather and Conditions

"We have had a wet summer, and with the recent rains from the hurricane remnants, we may have lost a few late-hatched chicks to flooding," reports Mark Puckett, small game project leader with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. "But overall we expect to have had a good hatch. The survey we do has not been completed or analyzed. But anecdotally, I am hearing about a lot of sightings and have myself seen a good number of broods this summer. I am optimistic."
 

Habitat and Programs

"Our private lands habitat program continues to do well. Our five private lands biologists made over 625 site visits in the past year and helped create or maintain 4,344 acres of habitat," says Puckett. "They made 310 new contacts this past year and wrote 270 management plans. The NRCS Working Lands for Wildlife Programs, both the Cattle and Quail initiative and the Pine Savanna Initiative have been well received in Virginia. Four workshops were held to promote the programs."
 

Top Spots


Our best counties will be east of I-95, southeastern Virginia, and also middle and northern peninsula counties tend to be best," says Puckett. "However, some Southside central Piedmont counties have seen improvements. Most of DGIF WMAs east of U.S. Route 29 have a few quail and sometimes good woodcock hunting. Virginia's central State Forests (Appomattox-Buckingham and Cumberland) also have some good woodcock grounds and do have a few quail coveys, but they do require a state forest hunting permit.Fort Pickett Army National Guard Training Center in central Virginia has good quail hunting in places. Hunting there is limited to Tuesday, Thursday and Saturdays and a special permit from the base is required to hunt there in addition to state hunting licenses."