U.S. Army Garrison Fort Belvoir and the U.S. Army Installation Management Command have approved the regulations governing the 2013-14 waterfowl hunting season on post.
All hunting activities on Fort Belvoir are authorized and controlled by the garrison commander in compliance with applicable Federal, Commonwealth of Virginia, Fairfax County and Fort Belvoir laws and regulations. Hunters are reminded that failure to strictly adhere to these rules may result in the revocation of hunting privileges on Fort Belvoir and/or criminal prosecution.
According to the rules, all hunters must register each year with the Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation's Outdoor Recreation to hunt waterfowl on Fort Belvoir. This process must be completed at least one calendar day prior to hunting. Each hunter must also complete or provide the ODR staff with copies of current and proper Virginia State licenses, stamps, and permits; proof of having attended a Hunters Safety Course; and a completed application for a Hunting Permit on Fort Belvoir, FB (MS)FM 148, 1 August 1990. A yearly non-refundable registration fee of $75 is required.
The hunter will receive a Hunt Card, with all necessary stickers, when the registration is completed. The card needs to be used to check in and out of ODR and must be in the hunter's possession at all times while hunting.
Additionally, all hunting reservations must be made through HunTrac, the telephone reservation system put in place in 2011. No reservation will be taken in person or over the phone by an ODR staff member.
For HunTrac instructions see link in the On the Web box.
Hunting will only be authorized when DFMWR ODR is open. Hunting is authorized Monday-Saturday and not authorized on Sundays. Hunting will not be authorized on any day that DFMWR ODR is not open or the installation is in a non-green operating status.
Hunters are responsible for knowing the time they must return to ODR. The blind leader must return to ODR by the posted time and turn in his or her hunting and parking passes and check out of HunTrac to complete the check-out process. All hunters who do not comply will be in violation of Fort Belvoir's hunting rules and regulations.
Hunters must have the following in their possession at all times while hunting: all required Virginia State hunting licenses, documents, stamps, Harvest Information Program numbers, federal waterfowl stamp and permits, official Hunter Cards, and Outdoor Recreation Waterfowl Hunting (youth or adult) passes.
Shotguns are the only weapons authorized for waterfowl hunting on Fort Belvoir. Handguns are not permitted and conceal-carry permit holders are prohibited from bringing handguns on Fort Belvoir. Pump and semi-automatic shotguns must be plugged so the magazine and chamber combined accommodate no more than three shells. In transporting weapons, all shotguns will be unloaded and inaccessible to passengers while transported on the installation in accordance with Fort Belvoir Regulation 190-2. All shotguns will be cased, disassembled, and locked in a trunk, camper or tool box and may only be transported directly to and from authorized areas. No deviation is permitted.
For hunters utilizing dogs, all dogs trained and/or used for retrieving waterfowl must be up to date on all required shots and have tags on their collars including their owners' names, addresses, and phone numbers. While retrieving waterfowl, the owner must comply with all Fairfax County dog licensing laws and all dogs must remain under voice command when retrieving waterfowl. Dogs cannot retrieve waterfowl on land. While on Fort Belvoir all dogs must remain on a leash.
Waterfowl blinds are divided into three hunting zones. The zone schedule is posted at ODR. Each blind has an a.m. and p.m. slot and has a maximum occupancy based on the size and type of blind. Maximum occupancy is posted at ODR as well. Waterfowl blinds, as well as GPS coordinates, are shown on the Waterfowl Map at ODR, as well as online (see link below). Blinds will be closed when training is scheduled. If a hunter encounters an unscheduled training exercise in the training area adjacent to their assigned blind, he or she must leave the blind and report the incident immediately to an ODR staff member. Failure to notify ODR is a violation of the regulations.
Hunters are required to abide by applicable U.S. Army regulations relating to speed limits, consumption of alcoholic beverages, littering, trespassing, and natural resource protection.
Hunters are also responsible for reading and abiding by any posted changes or additional information posted to the ODR Hunting Board. Hunters will be responsible for the loss of their DFMWR hunt cards, hunting passes, parking passes, tracking passes, scouting and/or youth passes.
Training areas are off limits to unauthorized personnel.
Additionally, hunters will not exhibit unruly behavior, bad sportsmanship, and/or upset the sensibilities of the non-hunting public. Observations of any violation of Federal, State or Fort Belvoir Rules, Restrictions and Regulations must be reported immediately to the Federal Game Warden at (703) 806-3105. Unsafe practices, unauthorized personnel in blinds, training areas and any violation of Federal, State or Fort Belvoir Regulations will result in corrective actions.
Any violation and/or offense of these requirements, local, state, and/or federal policies, laws or regulations, will be corrected through hunting status, privilege restrictions and/or suspensions.
For major violations and/or offenses the Hunt Review Board, when approved, will be utilized. For minor violations and/or offenses the ODR director and Game Warden will issue suspensions up to 30 hunting days. For more information on the HRB, see the Fort Belvoir Hunting Review Board Policy that is posted at ODR.
The details of this document describing Fort Belvoir Waterfowl Hunting Registration, Rules and Restrictions are subject to change at any time during the Waterfowl season. Changes will be posted to the ODR Hunting Bulletin Board. All hunters are responsible for reading the hunting board for any changes and all updates.
Outdoor Recreation is currently seeking volunteers to assist with building new blinds and repairing old blinds to get ready for Early Goose Season, said Brianna Kipper, ODR manager.
• General Waterfowl Hunting Information: www.belvoirmwr.com/docs2013/ODR_Final WaterfowlMemo_Aug29_2013.pdf
• Waterfowl Zone Chart: www.belvoirmwr.com/docs2013/ODR_ZoneChart2013-2014.pdf
• Waterfowl Map: www.belvoirmwr.com/docs2013/ODR_WaterfowlMap_2013-2014.pdf
• HunTrac Instructions: www.belvoirmwr.com/docs2013/ODR_HunTracDeer_2013.pdf
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