The Northern Virginia Gun Club is located on the south side of Route 218 in King George County. There are 20 stands available per day for the hunt. Stands are filled in order as calls are received at the reservation center and assigned randomly through a drawing for stand-by hunters. Hunters may hunt from the ground or bring portable climbing stands with them. A designated park official must approve all portable stands prior to use. Stands are checked each morning prior to hunters being put out on their stands. Hunters may take two mature deer. The park may have DMAP tags available to hunters who take antlerless deer. Hunters will be required to use their own tags (not DMAP tags) for any antlered deer harvested. Caledon has one stand designated for hunters requesting an "accessible" stand. These stands are such that a hunter may be driven via golf cart style vehicle to the stand. Other stands require considerable walking. Contact Caledon by mail at 11617 Caledon Road, King George, VA 22485, by e-mail at Caledon@dcr.virginia.gov or by phone at (540) 663-3861.

Mason Neck NWR And Mason Neck State Park
Northern Virginia residents will be happy to know that Mason Neck NWR and Mason Neck State Park will be offering the public a chance to hunt deer on Nov. 17, 18 and Dec. 9 this season. Applications for the lottery hunt are available on Aug. 1 and are due on Sept. 1. The application fee is $10 and applications may be sent to prospective hunters via e-mail. In addition to the application fee there is a $20 fee for successfully drawn hunters. Hunters will be notified by Oct. 1 and scouting is set up for Nov. 6 this year.

Applicants must certify on a range and are limited to shotguns 20 gauge or larger and No. 1 buckshot or larger. Hunters using a 20 gauge may use No. 2 buckshot. To certify hunters must put at least three pellets in a 14-inch target with 000 buckshot, four pellets with 00 or 0 buckshot or five pellets of No. 1 and six pellets of No. 2 buckshot.

Only weapons and ammunition qualified with and listed on the certification card may be used or possessed during the hunt. No permit will be issued to any person not certifying on an approved range. Certification is good for three years and hunters with certification older than three years must re-certify.

One whitetail deer may be harvested, tagged and checked in before hunters are permitted to re-enter the field to hunt again. Deer must be field dressed but not processed when checked in. DMAP tags may be used for antlerless deer only. Hunters must use their own tags for all other deer. Hunters are encouraged to take does. If a hunter takes a buck with 3-plus points or a second buck after taking a spike, he may keep that deer, but his permit will be voided.

During the 2004/2005 season, 263 permits were issued. According to Daffny Jones, assistant manager of Potomac River NWR Complex, 82 hunters harvested 99 deer last year: 60 bucks and 39 does.

Call (703) 490-4979 for more information or to inquire about the nearby Occoquan NWR managed hunt.

Readers should note there are many more opportunities available for hunters across the state. We have simply highlighted some of the more popular hunts. Many state parks, National Wildlife Refuges and natural areas offer managed hunt opportunities. Call your local park or refuge to determine if opportunities exist for hunting near you.

Most of the managed hunts also encourage the taking of does, which means that hunters do not have to wait for a doe day to bag their venison. Some locations also provide DMAP tags for this purpose, saving the hunter a tag in the process. Public hunts are excellent places to bag a deer for the freezer or introduce a new hunter to our pastime. Good hunting!