Mountain State Sportsmen's Association

09/28/2026

𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐡𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐬. 𝐀𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭. 𝟐𝟏, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐎𝐡𝐢𝐨 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐲, 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝟏𝟓 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝, 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝.
𝐁𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐡𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞, 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐲𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐜𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥, 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐬 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞’𝐬 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐨𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.

09/28/2026

You can make a real difference this season. By donating a portion of your harvest to the Hunters Helping the Hungry program, you provide nutritious meals to families across West Virginia. Learn how to participate online. 🦌 WVdnr.gov/hunters-helping-the-hungry

09/27/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Ficfg5T6w/

Send a message to learn more

09/23/2026

https://www.theintermountain.com/news/local-news/2026/09/landmark-conservation-deal-protects-38000-wv-acres/?utm_module=highlights&utm_source=west-virginia-brief.beehiiv.com&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=wvu-climbs-ginseng-rules-and-a-record-tourism-surge

CHARLESTON — Thirty-eight thousand acres of West Virginia forestland will remain permanently protected under what the West Virginia Land Trust is calling the largest private conservation project in state history. The Land Trust has finalized five conservation easements covering land in Monroe, Sum...

09/19/2026

09/18/2026

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬....𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐘𝐎𝐔!

09/15/2026

National Hunting and Fishing Day is almost here! In preparation for the state’s largest outdoor-focused celebration, Stonewall Jackson Lake WMA will be closing its public shooting range this Friday, September 18, 2026.

Learn from experts about what makes West Virginia wild and wonderful. Make memories that will last a lifetime and get your tickets today!

wvdnr.gov/programs-publications/national-hunting-and-fishing-day/

09/14/2026

The open fields doctrine has become one of the biggest privacy fights in hunting, and West Virginia just put a major new restriction on government surveillance of private land. Under SB 84, law-enforcement officers cannot install surveillance cameras, including trail cameras, on posted, cultivated, or fenced private land to gather evidence of criminal activity unless they have the landowner’s consent or a valid search warrant. There are limited exceptions, including exigent circumstances and cameras placed where an officer already has a lawful right to be while observing property open to public view.

I’ve talked with West Virginia House Judiciary Chairman J.B. Akers three times by phone about these issues. His committee moved SB 84 forward with amendments, and Akers also offered a House floor amendment as the bill moved through the Legislature. The bill passed March 6 and took effect June 4, putting an actual restriction into state law instead of leaving something this important entirely to agency policy.

This is bigger than party labels. Republican or Democrat, the facts of what somebody actually does matter. West Virginia has now placed a statutory limit on warrantless surveillance cameras on certain private land, and Akers was serving as House Judiciary chairman while that legislation moved through the House. There is still a broader fight over warrantless entry onto private land under the open fields doctrine, but for hunters concerned about privacy and wildlife-law-enforcement authority, this is a significant change worth knowing about. Great job JB Akers from West Virginia on standing for hunters and private property rights.

— Stephen Ziegler
Outdoor writer | Rack Junkies Podcast