The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation is offering lottery hunts for white-tailed deer beginning Oct. 6 at Cowbane Prairie Natural Area Preserve in Augusta County.
The new managed hunts at Cowbane Prairie, on the western slope of the Blue Ridge in the Shenandoah Valley, will run through Jan. 1, 2022. Anyone 16 years of age or older may enter the lottery. Simply complete the application and return it along with a $5 non-refundable application fee by 5 p.m., Friday, Sept. 17.
Successful applicants will be notified by phone and mail within two weeks of the drawing. Those selected will have the option of purchasing up to four permits for their hunt, allowing them to form a party consisting of themselves and up to three other hunters.
Each party will be assigned a four-day hunting period (Wednesday-Saturday) at a cost of $60 per hunter.
In addition to state hunting regulations, all hunters at Cowbane Prairie must also comply with special rules and harvest guidelines set by the Department of Conservation and Recreation. Each hunting party will be required to first harvest four antlerless deer before harvesting an antlered buck.
Consistent with the statewide deer season framework, muzzleloader only hunting will be allowed during the first three four-day hunts at Cowbane Prairie. Beginning with the Nov. 17-20 hunt, either muzzleloaders or shotguns may be used.
For more information, visit this page. To apply, download and fill out the application here.
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