I’m planning to do a lot more fishing this year before putting away the poles, but for many outdoorsmen it’s already time to start thinking about the fall and hunting.

The first thing we need to be aware of, and this includes many folks who are not hunters, is that as of Sept. 1 until the end of deer season, it is illegal to feed deer. The law, which took effect in 2006, was not necessarily intended toward hunters alone. It was also intended to discourage well-meaning nature lovers from feeding deer during the winter in an effort to prevent starvation and/or attempting to feed them treats they can’t resist, such as apple slices. Such feedings cause the deer to loose their fear of man. It’s probably too late for the deer that live near the picnic areas along Skyline Drive and The Blue Ridge Parkway.

The law can be confusing. It is illegal to hunt over bait but it’s not illegal for landowners to plant deer-attracting crops, such as corn, in an effort to steer deer toward their land. But, such feeding ploys will be dead by the time deer season opens. The law does not restrict schools and natural areas from creating deer habitat areas for educational purposes either. Shooting a deer that is eating apples you threw out on your lawn or putting a salt lick in the woods within shooting range of your tree stand are definitely illegal.

Wildlife biologists also say that feeding deer creates more close interaction between the animals and can lead to the spread of disease. Subsequently, it is illegal to feed deer year around in Clarke, Fredrick, Warren and Shenandoah counties where chronic wasting disease has been found. In the rest of the state the feeding ban is in effect until the first Saturday in January but it seems to me that it’s a good idea to just avoid feeding deer year round.

If you’re interested in hunting an area guaranteed to be overrun with deer, the state park system is accepting entries to lottery deer hunts in several of Virginia’s state parks. The first events are scheduled in November. Grayson Highlands State Park in Grayson County will hold a muzzleloader hunt Nov. 7-8, a youth-only general firearms hunt on Nov. 19, and a general firearms hunt Nov. 28-29. Applications are due by Sept. 30 for all Grayson Highlands hunts. Kiptopeke State Park in Northampton County, out on the Eastern Shore, will hold archery-muzzleloader hunts on Nov. 5 and 18 and shotgun hunts Nov. 19 and Dec. 2-3. Hunting with a high-powered rifle is illegal in this county due to a lack of hills so no general firearms season is offered. The lottery deadline for the Kiptopeke hunts is Sept. 28. Natural Tunnel State Park in Scotts County in the far western panhandle of the state will hold a youth muzzleloader hunt Dec. 17, and a regular muzzleloader hunt Dec. 19-20. Applications are due by Oct. 28, and remember elk that wander over from Kentucky are still legal in Scotts County. This may be your chance to bag a 1,000 pound deer! Leesylvania State Park, which is about 25 miles from Fredericksburg, will hold a shotgun hunt Jan. 18. The deadline for entries is Nov. 4. Again, rifles are prohibited due to the flat land and proximity to populated areas.

All lottery entries require a $5 non-refundable application fee and a separate application must be submitted for each hunt. Winners must show proof of completion of a hunter safety education course and pay a $10 fee. A weapons qualification certificate is required for the Leesylvania hunt. Applications and more information can be found online at   http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state_parks/hunting.shtm or by calling the State Parks Reservation Center at (800) 933-PARK.