{"id":376462,"date":"2025-12-29T19:46:11","date_gmt":"2025-12-29T19:46:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/376462\/"},"modified":"2025-12-29T19:46:11","modified_gmt":"2025-12-29T19:46:11","slug":"dwr-encourages-safe-practices-as-deer-season-enters-final-days","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/376462\/","title":{"rendered":"DWR encourages safe practices as deer season enters final days"},"content":{"rendered":"

With Virginia\u2019s general firearms deer season entering its final stretch, hunters on the Eastern Shore are preparing for the final days of the season, which closes January 3 in Accomack and Northampton counties. With just days remaining, activity in the woods traditionally increases.<\/p>\n

The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) is urging hunters to remain focused on safety as the season winds down. Officials note that the post-holiday period often brings more hunters into the field, as families take advantage of time off from work and school.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring the holidays, Virginians tend to have time off, often hunting and spending time in the woods,\u201d said Jimmy Mootz, DWR\u2019s Hunter Education and Outreach Team Lead. \u201cWe want everyone to enjoy that time, harvest a deer, and make it back home safe and sound.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the Eastern Shore, deer drives \u2014 where groups of hunters coordinate to move deer toward posted shooters \u2014 are especially common during the closing days of firearms season. While legal and deeply rooted in local hunting culture, DWR stresses that these group hunts require heightened awareness, clear communication, and strict adherence to safety practices due to the number of people involved and the movement of game.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

To reduce the risk of accidents, DWR is reminding hunters to follow core safety guidelines:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Take a hunter safety course
\u2022 Treat every firearm as if it is loaded
\u2022 Always wear blaze orange
\u2022 Be certain of your target and what lies beyond it
\u2022 Take only clean, ethical shots
\u2022 Use proper safety procedures when hunting from elevated positions<\/p>\n

For hunters using tree stands or saddles, DWR promotes the \u201cABCD\u201d safety approach:
A \u2014 Always inspect equipment and practice at ground level
B \u2014 Buckle a full-body safety harness
C \u2014 Connect to the tree before leaving the ground
D \u2014 Destination: share your stand location with someone<\/p>\n

\u201cHunting in Virginia continues to be a safe and rewarding pastime, bringing families together, promoting conservation, and feeding communities,\u201d Mootz said. \u201cBut, while still low, hunting incidents with injury are trending higher this year. Please stay vigilant.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Hunters are also reminded to ensure they have a valid license and to review current local regulations, which can change annually. With the season\u2019s end approaching, wildlife officials say preparedness, patience, and safety remain critical \u2014 especially as more hunters head afield for one last chance before the season closes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With Virginia\u2019s general firearms deer season entering its final stretch, hunters on the Eastern Shore are preparing for…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":376463,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[79,201],"class_list":{"0":"post-376462","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wildlife","8":"tag-science","9":"tag-wildlife"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/376462","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=376462"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/376462\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/376463"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=376462"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=376462"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=376462"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}