Let me jump in here. I just joined HuntingNet.com and am new to the forum. I am currently living overseas, but will move to northern VA this summer. I will be a complete newbie to VA hunting--heck, I haven't hunted anything in over 10 years because I've been living in Asia during the hunting seasons. Since I will only be in VA for a year of language training before I transfer to Turkey in 2005, I have been desperately looking for a group of local hunters to show me the ropes and tell me where I might go find some deer. Your club/group proposal sounds very intriguing to me, but since I could only commit to the 2004-05 season, I was wondering if that might affect my eligibility for such a venture.

Anyway, I am looking forward to taking my two teenage sons out in the Virginia woods to look for deer, and maybe even bag one or two. We intend to participate in both the muzzleloader and the rifle seasons. Any advice on Virginia hunting would be greatly appreciated--sounds like you might be the right group of guys to ask. Thanks.

Gun-barrel welcome to the board and welcome soon to Va. I have a feeling what kind of work you are in but I won't go there here! I worked for 15 1/2 in the world I think you work in, I worked it 4 years in the Air Force and then 11 1/2 years as a contractor.

Anyhow whether this club comes to fruitation or not we will have to hook up when you get back to the states. Where are you going to be in No. Va.?

Taz:
Haven't found a place yet. Since we'll be on per diem for the year, thought I'd rent. If anybody has any good suggestions, I'm all ears. Ideally, I'd like a place that is accessible to Route 50, so I can easily get into the Foreign Service Institute on Arlington Blvd. Don't mind a drive, as long as it's not more than 45 minutes or maybe one hour during decent traffic. Also, want to make sure the boys get into a decent school. Prefer a single-family dwelling vice apartment. I plan to buy an SUV this summer, so should have decent hunting wheels. I'll use it in Turkey next year.

During rifle season, what is the predominant deer firearm in VA? Rifle or shotgun? I've only ever deer hunted with a rifle, since I am from the West. When I go to Turkey, the government will allow me to import one sporting rifle and up to three shotguns. I hope to hunt wild boar, and waterfowl. There are other big game animals, but I understand they might be quite expensive to hunt. We'll see.

Anyway, I'll definitely need to get together with folks like you so I can move up the Virginia hunting learning curve as quickly as possible. Plan to arrive in the area early-mid August. Training starts about that time.

I understand there will be a big Outdoor show in Richmond in mid-August. I might be able to pick up some pointers there as well. I'm excited to get to do some hunting after all these years; and especially excited to be able to do it with my boys. I'm sending one of them to the NRA Whittington Adventure camp this summer in Raton New Mexico, where he'll get two weeks of daily shooting and outdoor adventure instruction, then go on a mock hunt for practice. That should qualify him for a VA hunting license.

gun barrell--get ready for "sticker shock" on houses in northern va. also, the traffic is terrible(not for me).

taz-look forward to meeting you all. im still in for the new club. april 15 is right around the corner

Gun-barrel Fairfax has great schools, but as o2bebowhunting said, housing is EXPENSIVE!! Hopefully they give you enough per diem to cover it. Your boys will have to take a hunters safety course to hunt and so will you unless you have proof of taking one before. If your son gets a hunters safety card from his class they will accept that. In Va. some counties are shotgun only and some are rifle or shotgun. Some of the shotgun counties are buckshot only also.

We're on a sliding per diem: the first couple months are more than covered, the next two months are reduced by about half, then the rest of the year is about half of that. In the end, the per diem will cover most rent--I may have to pay a little out of pocket during the last 8 months, but in the end, we should make out alright.

If I read the regs right, if I can show that I have received a hunting license from another state, I shouldn't have to take a hunters safety course. Is that your understanding as well? My son will get a New Mexico state hunter's safety certificate which should be recognized by VA. The other son will have to take the course since he's never had a hunting license.

Pardon the ignorance, but will my 30-06 with 3-9X variable scope be too much gun for VA deer? What kind/caliber of rifle would you recommend? Since I'm from the Western US, I have a hard time imagining shots within 100 yards. I have a rifled slug barrel for my Rem 870, but it sounds like it might be useless since buck shot only is allowed in some counties. Are there VA counties that allow slugs in shotguns?

Gun-barrel if the old license you have is a state that requires a hunters safety course you are good to go, the son taking the class in New Mexico will be good to go, as you said the other one will have to take the class.

Your 30-06 will be fine, there are a lot of counties that allow slugs so the slug gun will be fine, there are some though that are buckshot only, but I don't think you will have a problem finding ones that allow slugs.

Shots in Va will range from 5 yards out to 100's, most will be less than 100 yards though unless you are hunting mountains or fields.

Not trying to jump in on this thread but as long as you are over 16, any license or hunter education from any state or any country will work. In addition to this, you may also sign the back of the license certifing that you have held a hunting license before. Got this from page #4 of the 2003-2004 Hunting and Trapping regulations. Try this link:


http://www.dgif.state.va.us/hunting/...tion2.html#edu

What about the muzzleloading season? Do you hunt muzzleloader? I have never done it before and have long wanted to, so I thought I'd give it a try this year.

VAhuntr: Thanks for pointing out the regs on licenses. My Utah license should do the trick.

Gun-barrrel I have hunted 2 seasons black powder, not hard though, they are amazingly accurate if you practice enough and pack one heck of a punch!