Hiking, cross country and mountain biking trails at Cacapon State Park will be closed six days next month as hunters take part in two controlled hunts at the state park.
From Monday, November 4 through Wednesday, November 6, hunters who were selected by lottery will be permitted to hunt deer with bows and crossbows in designated areas of Cacapon State Park. Hiking and biking trails will be closed during those days. Signs will direct park visitors which areas to avoid.
A safe zone will be in place around the lodge, lower cabins, Nature Center, picnic areas, lower lake, Old Inn and stables. No hunting will be allowed in those areas. There are designated hunting spots on the golf course.
A second controlled hunt will take place for hunters using muzzleloaders from Monday, November 11 through Wednesday, November 13. Hiking and biking trails will also be closed during those days, and the same safety zone will be in place.
Hunters who were selected by lottery to participate in the hunts are permitted to take an antlerless deer and then a deer of either sex, for a total bag limit of two deer during the hunt.
Park officials said previously the controlled hunt is a way to manage high deer populations in certain West Virginia state parks.
Assistant Park Superintendent Kelly Smith said hunters took 36 deer during the 2018 controlled hunt at Cacapon State Park – 14 during the archery hunt and 22 during the muzzleloader hunt.
For further information about park usage during the hunts, contact the lodge at 304-258-1022.
