Hunting & Fishing Deer hunting in Virginia questions.....?

[inspcalahan]

I'll be in Virginia around late november and early december - figured I'd try and hunt some Whitetails on friends farm while I'm there. I've never hunted east of Colorado before and don't know much about whitetail hunting in that area.

I would like to take my scoped .460 revolver back there to hunt with just because I can, but I'll drag a rifle along if I need to. For those that hunt that area, what kind of distances am I looking at? I'l be hunting along the southern area about middle of the State - What methods work best? Sitting and glassing, spot and stalk?? I'm not really set up to get a tree stand up and go that route. All I know is there's always been tons of deer all over every time I've visited in the past and they "offered up their land" to hunt on - not sure they've ever done it.

Suggestions??

 

[SCOTTx88]

Re: Deer hunting in Virginia questions.....?

Pretty much any of those methods work here,I like my Treestand though. This one got it last yr,244yds 30ft up with my .260 XP-100R. Bring a couple coolers.

Doe with my 500.

 

[dmg308]

Re: Deer hunting in Virginia questions.....?

Treestands work well the next choice would be scout a good place and build a blind.Most deer in va are taken at relativly short distances unless you dont want to on a farm or something similar.I've taken many deer with a .357 so your .460 is more then adequate.Make sure you check the regs alot of the middle state flat areas are buckshot only.In those places they run alot of dogs to flush deer to a skirmish line.

 

[Guest]

Re: Deer hunting in Virginia questions.....?

Depends.
It sounds like you'll be pretty close to where I live.

If your friend's place is in a county that allows dogs, and a club hunts near his property, then you'll want to set up on a good crossing like a power line, gas line, creek or stream. The deer can be flat out running or if the dogs are a ways behind, they'll be in a trot-stop-trot pattern. A quick and sharp whistle may make them pause for shot when they're in a clearing.

By that time of the season, the bucks are going to be done with the rut and they'll be laid up in thickets (cutovers if it's cold) and nearly completely nocturnal.

If he has some 4-6 year old cutovers, either replanted or left to reseed naturally, you can have very good luck slowly walking through them into the wind.
If it's sunny and cold, the deer will be bedded on the sunny side of the hills.
Early morning frosts will help you to see them better, but it only lasts a few hours.
If it's warmer, you'll find them in the strips of hardwoods left in the creek bottoms.
Two man teams work best, walking at a slow pace and staying within sight of each other. But you can do it solo as well.

Spot and stalk will work in older growth hardwoods, but it can be tricky if the weather's been dry. Things get crunchy in the woods around here that time of year.

You can catch does and smaller bucks looking for waste grains in cut corn and bean fields, or grazing in fields that have been harvested and resown in winter wheat or rye. But it will be a fluke if you see a nice buck walk out before dark:30.

Good luck!

 

[Guest]

Re: Deer hunting in Virginia questions.....?

If you do shoot a deer in front a club's dogs, go ahead and remove the deer and the dogs will move on.
If it's near a road that the club uses, then you could be a good neighbor and wait from them to find you.
They don't care if you get the deer, they just want to get their dogs back and make another drive.