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By Steve Franklin
StaffWriter
The opening of hunting season is fast approaching, and with dry conditions statewide, officials are warning hunters to be cautious this season.
. “These are the driest conditions we’ve seen in quite some time,” said John Campbell, a spokesman for the Virginia Department of Forestry. “Even the slightest spark could ignite a blazing inferno, so we’ve got to be cautious. Typically, a cigarette butt wouldn’t ignite a fire, but this season is different. One unattended cigarette butt could cause a fire to bum hundreds of acres.”
Both the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries and the Virginia Department of Forestry continue to monitor drought conditions across the state, as more than 200,000 hunters are expected to enter the state’s 48,495 acres of finest this year.
Bow season is already under way. Muzzle loader and general firearms seasons start in early November. That’s when most hunters will enter the woods.
“We need to protect our woods,” said Bob Duncan, Chief of Wild Life for the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. “It is terribly dry out there and there is a lot of concern about forest fires.”
If dry conditions continue, restrictions could be placed on hunters. The last time restrictions were placed on hunting
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