Big Ditch Wildlife Management Area is a
protected area
Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...
located in
Webster County, West Virginia
Webster County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,378. Its county seat is Webster Springs. The county was founded in 1860 and named for Daniel Webster.
History
Webster County was for ...
near the town of
Cowen. The WMA is
in size and is centered on Big Ditch Lake, a man-made reservoir.
Directions
Big Ditch located along Birch River Road (West Virginia Route 82) less than west of the intersection of
West Virginia Routes 20 and
82 at the southern edge of Cowen.
Hunting and Trapping
Activities include fishing for warm water species like
largemouth bass
The largemouth bass (''Micropterus salmoides'') is a carnivorous freshwater gamefish in the Centrarchidae ( sunfish) family, a species of black bass native to the eastern and central United States, southeastern Canada and northern Mexico, but ...
,
crappie
Crappies () are two species of North American freshwater fish of the genus ''Pomoxis'' in the family Centrarchidae (sunfishes). Both species of crappies are popular game fish among recreational anglers.
Etymology
The genus name ''Pomoxis'' ...
, and
channel catfish
The channel catfish (''Ictalurus punctatus'') is North America's most numerous catfish species. It is the official fish of Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, and Tennessee, and is informally referred to as a "channel cat". In the United States, the ...
and picnics. Small game,
waterfowl
Anseriformes is an order of birds also known as waterfowl that comprises about 180 living species of birds in three families: Anhimidae (three species of screamers), Anseranatidae (the magpie goose), and Anatidae, the largest family, which in ...
and
bow hunting is permitted seasonally.
Wildlife Management Areas
West Virginia Division of Natural Resources
See also
* Animal conservation
Conservation biology is the study of the conservation of nature and of Earth's biodiversity with the aim of protecting species, their habitats, and ecosystems from excessive rates of extinction and the erosion of biotic interactions. It is an int ...
* Hunting
Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...
* List of West Virginia wildlife management areas
This is a list of wildlife management areas in West Virginia.
West Virginia wildlife management areas
References
See also
* List of West Virginia state parks
* List of West Virginia state forests
{{Protected areas of West Virginia
01
Wi ...
* Recreational fishing
Recreational fishing, also called sport fishing or game fishing, is fishing for leisure, exercise or competition. It can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is professional fishing for profit; or subsistence fishing, which is fishing ...
References
External links
West Virginia Division of Natural Resources web site
West Virginia Hunting Regulations
West Virginia Fishing Regulations
{{Protected Areas of West Virginia
Wildlife management areas of West Virginia
Protected areas of Webster County, West Virginia
IUCN Category V