AmmoLand.com

West Virginia State Parks Help You Ring in the New Year

West Virginia DNR

SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. – -(Ammoland.com)- Whether you’re a little bit country or a little bit rock ‘n’ roll, nine of West Virginia’s state parks with lodges can help you celebrate the turn of a New Year on Friday, Dec. 31. State parks offer a variety of planned dinners and dances and packaged options.

Lodge parks offering New Year’s Eve opportunities include Blackwater Falls, Cacapon Resort, Canaan Valley Resort, Chief Logan Lodge, North Bend, Pipestem Resort, Stonewall Resort, Twin Falls and Tygart Lake.

West Virginia State Parks and Forests organize and schedule a variety of events and activities throughout the year including New Year’s Eve Celebrations, dinner theaters, winter outdoor programs, Valentine’s Day options and more. For event and activities or packaged event and deals, visit www.wvstateparks.com.

Blackwater Falls State Park
End 2010 at beautiful Blackwater Falls State Park with a dinner followed by DJ entertainment in the conference center. New Year’s Package includes two nights lodging for two people, dinner and DJ New Year’s Eve, toast at midnight, refreshments and New Year’s Day breakfast. Cost for the package is $327.20 per couple.

Blackwater Water Falls is located in Davis in Tucker County. The park features a 54-unit lodge, vacation cabins, camping, full-service restaurant, and one the state’s most photographed scenes, Blackwater Falls.

For park and event information call 304-259-5216 or www.blackwaterfalls.com.

Cacapon Resort State Park
Bring in the New Year at Cacapon with a bang! Celebrate with music, dancing, and a formal toast. Celebrate New Year’s Eve with dancing to the live band “Saturday” playing Rock-‘n’-Roll and R&B Dance Music. Overnight Package cost is $209.63/couple and the overnight package includes lodging, dinner and breakfast, entertainment, midnight toast, and taxes, for two. New Year’s Eve Celebration Tickets (dance only) are available and the cost is $25 per person.

Cacapon State Park, near Berkeley Springs in Morgan County, is a year-round vacation and travel destination. Situated less than two hours from Washington, D.C. and Baltimore Md., the rural and restful surroundings make Cacapon and nearby Berkeley Springs State Park a nice retreat for a day or weekend.

For event, accommodation and restaurant information call 304-258-1022 or www.cacaponresort.com

Canaan Valley Resort
A New Year’s weekend at Canaan Valley includes skiing and outdoor fun and the warmth of Canaan Valley lodge for two “end of year party” options: a family oriented event or an adult party. Each package includes dinner, entertainment, party favors, and more and reservations are required.

A family party will be offered featuring entertainment, games, contest, party favors, punch, toast at midnight and dinner buffet. The evening also includes DJ entertainment, games, prizes, party favors and cider toast at midnight. The buffet menu includes family favorites chicken tenders, mac and cheese, spaghetti, popcorn shrimp, beef pot roast and desserts. The adult price is $21 and children ages 6-12 is $12.50, kids ages 5 – under free with parents. Rates are inclusive.

An adult party features a special dinner menu in the Hickory Room, live entertainment featuring Brother Short Band in the Laurel Lounge, party favors, champagne toast at midnight, and more. “The dinner menu is a three course dinner with choice of tureen of beef stuffed with cream of cabbage and wild mushrooms, apple walnut chicken, veal Oscar with lump crab, asparagus and Hollandaise sauce or pan seared Chilean sea bass. The price of $50 per person is inclusive and makes a very nice New Year’s Eve package,” said Lisa Ratliffe, director of sales. Overnight packages that include skiing also are available.

Reservations are required. Call 304-866-4121 x2651.

Chief Logan Lodge
“The Jaguars” sing and play favorite songs from the ‘50s to the present and bring the dance floor to life the last day of 2010 at Chief Logan Lodge. Located on US 119 between Chapmanville and Logan, the “lodge and conference center offers 75-upscale rooms and ample room for a great party,” said Danny Taylor, general manager. The New Year’s Eve package is $179 and includes king or queen hotel accommodations, dinner for two, two drink tickets and a champagne toast at midnight. The dance is from 9 p.m. until midnight and dinner is from 8 – 10 p.m. Dinner and party only is $112 per couple. Both packages include taxes and gratuity.

For event and Chief Logan Lodge information, call 304-855-6100 or visit www.chiefloganlodge.com.

North Bend State Park
Enjoy great food, live music and dancing, refreshments, and a champagne toast at midnight for a traditional New Year’s Eve party. Activities Coordinator Ken Zebo says dinner Friday evening is from 6:30 – 8 p.m. and the dance is from 9 p.m. until 1 a.m. “The Russel Ahner Band, a local group of talented musicians, will be playing all the favorites,” Zebo said. Jim Ingel’s New Year’s Eve Buffet includes carving stations, four entrees and assorted salads, sides and desserts. The North Bend package includes refreshments and mixers throughout the evening. There is a champagne toast at midnights. The dress is comfortable and the atmosphere is casual. The package includes overnight at the lodge, dinner, dance refreshments and mixers and Saturday buffet breakfast for $215 per couple. Individual packages and dinner/dance only, and reduced room rates are available for Saturday night for individuals spending the weekend enjoying the park and scenery.

North Bend State Park is located in Ritchie County near Cairo and Harrisville. The family-style lodge rooms, vacation cabins, campground and nearby North Bend Rail Trail are popular year-round. For reservations, call 304-643-2931 or visit www.northbendsp.com.

Pipestem Resort State Park
Celebrate on New Year’s Eve and stay for the weekend to take advantage of Pipestem State Park’s amenities. “Several options are planned for New Year’s Eve, including overnight packages or dinner and dance only,” according to Shirley Martin, activities coordinator. Stay overnight at McKeever lodge, enjoy the seafood buffet, New Year’s Eve dance and midnight toast for a total cost of $165.72 per couple. “If seafood isn’t your dinner choice, stay overnight at McKeever lodge, enjoy a three-course dinner, New Year’s Eve dance and midnight toast, for $190.64 per couple” said Martin. Taxes and gratuities are included in the overnight package price. Reservations are required.

For those opting for the dinner and dance only at Pipestem, the seafood buffet and dance is $98.63 per couple; the three-course dinner and dance is $124.56 per couple. The dance music is provided by Tim Singleton, a DJ from Vansant, Va. There is a cash bar. For reservations, call Pipestem State Park, 304-466-1800 or www.pipestemresort.com

Stonewall Resort
Stonewall Resort near Weston makes New Year’s Eve a sweetheart evening. Room rates are reduced to $139 and include accommodation and breakfast at Stillwaters for two per reservation. Additional consecutive nights at still lower rates of $79 per night plus tax and resort fee are extended to resort guests for a weekend retreat. The music of Dustin McGray and Grayson Samples will be featured Friday evening in the Lodge Lobby from 6 p.m. – midnight. Music by the Stalnakers will be playing at T.J. Muskies lounge from 9 p.m. until midnight. A New Years Eve Buffet is available in Stillwaters Restaurant, including a Seafood Ice Bar to Sugar and Spice. The price is $32 per person plus tax and gratuity (price not included in the room).

Stonewall features a 198-room lodge that is open year-round and features a Palmer Golf Course (seasonal), Stonewall Jackson Lake, villas, indoor swimming, spa services, fine dining and services. The property is operated by Benchmark Management Company and the Executive Chef is Paco Aceves. Reservations are required by calling 304-269-8830 in advance.

Twin Falls State Park
Known for good dance weekends, Twin Falls continues the tradition of New Year’s Eve dinner and dance. Music by DJ Superman will keep the dancers on the floor until the champagne toast at midnight. Hors d’oeuvers are part of the package as well as souvenir champagne glasses and party favors. Prior to the dance, a New Year’s Eve dinner at Twin Falls Restaurant is part of the Friday night package. “There are packages for one night or two night stays, as well as cabin packages,” according to Ken Vance, event planner. A Friday night only package in the lodge is $190 per couple.

For package details, call Twin Falls, 304-294-4000.

Tygart Lake
Tygart Lake State Park opens mid-April through January 1 of each year. “And on the last day of each year we plan a great party,” said Stephanie Bailey, activities program coordinator. The Tygart Lake Lodge package includes overnight accommodations, dinner for two at the park’s restaurant, dance, evening snacks, door prizes and a champagne toast at midnight. The dance is from 8 p.m. until midnight and the band is Stepping Stone. A per person price based on double occupancy is $123 per person. Discounted room rates for additional nights are offered as well as cabin rate packages and rates for room suites.

Tygart Lake is near Grafton and features a 20-room lodge, cabins, full service restaurant, lake and outdoor activities. A full schedule of 2011 special events is posted online at www.tygartlake.com. Call 304-265-6144 for New Year’s Eve reservations.

Filed under: Conservation News, Hunting News by Ammoland No Comments »

Deer Hunters in West Virginia Harvest 43,226 Bucks during the Buck Firearms Season

Deer Hunters in West Virginia Harvest 43,226 Bucks during the Buck Firearms Season

West Virginia DNR

SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. – -(Ammoland.com)- Preliminary data collected from game checking stations across the state indicate deer hunters in West Virginia harvested 43,226 bucks during the two-week buck firearms season, which ran from Nov. 22 through Dec. 4, according to Frank Jezioro, Director of the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (DNR).

The 2010 buck harvest was 31 percent less than the 2009 harvest of 62,986. The top ten counties for buck harvest were as follows: Preston (2,030), Randolph (1,817), Hardy (1,350), Greenbrier (1,348), Mason (1,264), Hampshire (1,261), Ritchie (1,236), Jackson (1,216), Lewis (1,141) and Wood (1,113).

This year’s buck harvest is significantly lower than last year, with declines occurring across all DNR Districts.

The largest percent decreases occurred in the western and central counties of the state. The harvest was 30th among all recorded antlered buck firearm seasons. Overall, 14 counties were above or within one buck harvested per square of the harvest objective and 37 counties were one or more bucks per square mile below the harvest objective.

White-tailed deer are a product of the environment. Too many deer on a given tract of land will result in loss of body weight, reduction in antler development, decrease in reproduction and sometimes death due to starvation during winter months. The cumulative effects of too many deer over time causes a decline in herd condition, which actually reduces the deer herd’s resiliency to years of poor mast conditions and harsh winter weather. The below-average acorn crops in 2008 and 2009 (acorn mast in 2009 was the lowest in 40 years) and last year’s unusually severe winter had a significant impact on the deer population and the overall 2010 buck firearms season harvest.

Fortunately, 2010 has been a banner year for mast and overall, deer are in good physical condition entering the winter months.

Wildlife Biologists will analyze data from the combined 2010 deer seasons (i.e., buck, antlerless, archery and muzzleloader) before making appropriate recommendations for next year’s deer seasons. These recommendations will be available for public review at 12 regulations meetings scheduled for March 14 and 15, 2011 (see current 2010 – 2011 Hunting and Trapping Regulations Summary page 5 or visit the DNR website at www.wvdnr.gov for scheduled times and places).

Director Jezioro reminds hunters that the traditional six-day antlerless deer season in selected counties on both public and private land ends Saturday, December 11. Muzzleloader deer season begins Dec. 13 and runs through Dec.r 18. The Youth and Class Q/QQ antlerless deer season will be open on Monday and Tuesday, Dec. 27 and 28 in any county with a firearms deer season, and will be followed by a three-day reopening of antlerless deer season (Dec. 29 – 31) in 46 counties or portions of counties (see 2010 – 2011 Hunting and Trapping Regulations Summary or visit the DNR website at www.wvdnr.gov for county and area listings).

See the following table with West Virginia’s buck harvest statistics for 2006 – 2010, online at http://www.wvcommerce.org/news/story/Deer_hunters_in_West_Virginia_harvest_43/1305/default.aspx

Filed under: Hunting News by Ammoland No Comments »