stonewall jackson lake wma

[bluetick~dan]

just wondering if anyone hunts the stonewall jackson lake wma in wv ?

[BCBeagles]

Was there Wednesday of this past week. Rabbits there but very few willing to run more than about 100 yards or so. We jumped 12 and had 2 circle. We killed one and running was short and quick. Been hunting there for 18 years, this is the poorest I have seen it. Cover is disappearing with tree growth and so are the rabbits. Good luck!

[gwyoung]

bluetick, Everybody and their brother. Early in the year if you hunt hard in a couple of different locations you can jump 8 to 10 rabbits in an all day hunt. It is getting to the time of year that In most areas you couldn't track two rabbits on three days of snow. But without many places to go a lot of folks are forced to hunt there. i know of no other place in West Virginia that is hunted harder. hunters are definitely hurting the population from one year to the next. twenty years ago you could park in one place and run rabbits all day long, those days are gone! I suggest you try the little areas alongside the roads for a run or two!

[wvforester]

I dont hunt there to keep from getting throwed in jail. I had a guy cast his dogs in on my chase and he and his cronies tried to short stand me on the rabbit. If he asked to hunt with me before hand it would have been different. Had another guy try and steal my dog on Jewell Rd. access. I write my initial and last 4 of social on the inside of collars, dog boxes, anything of value. It got heated for a while. Needless to say, it is not good for my walk with the Lord to hunt there. I end up aggravated and having to pray for forgiveness before leaving. Any way, agree with every one else. The timber type is changing to pole timber from edge, rabbits run straight to hole, and it is hunted as hard or harder than Pleasant Creek WMA near Grafton. I hunt private farms around Lewis/Upshur Co. and leave I never go back. The only luck Ive had on Stonewall is to walk in a piece off of some access roads on Jacksonville Ridge, but even its spotty. There is a little 2-3 acre "island" across the train tressle in Walkersville that is fun to hunt pups on. Plus, you can break dogs off beavers. Watch for trappers though!

[bluetick~dan]

sounds like i will just stay around here . plenty of clearcuts here .

[cheatmountainman]

I hunted there today and never had a jump in 2 hours!!

[gwyoung]

cheatmountain man, That is what most of us can expect at Stonewall jackson! Twenty years ago you couldn't track one for the other, as the hunting pressure increased the rabbit population decreased . For anyone not familiar with stonewall jackson, it is thousands of acres of prime rabbit habitat. It may be the heaviest hunted large piece of habitat in the U.S. for rabbits, no kidding. It serves as a prime example of what over hunting can do to a rabbit population. Jump shooters are rampant and there are those if they track just one rabbit in a certain spot they will return until they get him! You think jumping rabbits is tough right now wait until the last week in February. Beautiful ,abundant habitat, what a shame.