8th Annual Old Dominion One Shot Turkey Hunt

April 19–20, 2024

Your One Shot Planning Team

Wildlife Foundation of Virginia
Department of Wildlife Resources
Bass Pro Shops
Green Top Hunting and Fishing
Dance’s Sporting Goods
NWTF

Mark your 2024 calendars for Saturday, April 20th for the 8th Annual Old Dominion One Shot Turkey Hunt! We know it is a hunt but it is also a fundraiser to support the hunting heritage in Virginia through land purchases, youth engagement through the Virginia Wildlife Grant Program, and much more!

As we look forward to the 8th Annual Old Dominion One Shot Fundraiser, we are thankful for our hunters, landowners, guides, and sponsors, and to this unique partnership between the Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) and The Wildlife Foundation of Virginia (WFV). The One Shot also provides opportunities to connect with others during the Guide Dinner and Guide/Hunter Gathering and Evening Celebration at Bass Pro Shops. Collectively, we are working together to promote the hunting heritage through increased access and youth programming.

The upcoming One Shot Turkey Hunt will support our military and 1^st Responder community through offering hunt scholarship to Gold Star Family kids, and we will continue the One Shot tradition to support wounded warriors, 1^st Responder community, and youth. We will also continue to engage hunters throughout Virginia who want to hunt some of the most exclusive properties with experienced guides. And like last year, we will have the popular return of the Youth Essay Contest to fill scholarships.

The popular guide and hunter planning dinner will continue, as will the post-hunt festivities at Ashland Bass Pro Shops. The scoring system will still involve an aggregate calculation related to measurement of the bird’s beard, spurs, and weight. This year will have the Ashland Bass Pro Shops store as the only official scoring site. Birds are typically scored as soon as the hunter can get the gobbler to the store. There isn’t a single “weigh-in” style event like you might see at a major bass fishing tournament.

So, year #8 brings more opportunities as we celebrate the hunting heritage in Virginia, and the people and lands that make it great!

Got questions? Please contact Jenny West, Executive Director, Wildlife Foundation of Virginia, jwest@vawildlife.org, 757-880-2362 (mobile), if you have further questions.

Event Details

8^th Annual Old Dominion One Shot Turkey Hunt and Fundraiser
Celebration Event

Bass Pro Shops – Ashland

SATURDAY, April 20, 2023

5 – 8pm

(For participating landowners, guides, hunters +1 & invited guests)

Come join us at Bass Pro Shops (Ashland) to celebrate and support the hunting heritage in Virginia with your hosts from the Wildlife Foundation of Virginia and Department of Wildlife Resources! Food will be plentiful with beverages to match it. We will also announce the One Shot winners, and, of course, spin a few stories. Ryan Brown, Executive Director at DWR, and Jim McVey, Chairman of the WFV Board of Directors, will emcee. There will be plenty of opportunities to purchase raffle tickets for prizes for your next hunting trip and support future hunting opportunities for others. As Marlee says from Dance’s Sporting Goods, c’mon get you some!

Youth Essay Contest

Over the last few years, the Youth Essay Contest has introduced youth to turkey hunting. That’s a forever memory!

Applicants must be in one of two age categories: 12 years old and under or 13–17 years old.
Essays must be 500 words or less. If your essay exceeds 500 words, your submission will be disqualified.
Essays will be scored by a statewide panel of outdoor writers and the Top 5 winners will be awarded complimentary hunts at the Old Dominion One Shot Turkey Hunt on April 20, 2024. (A parent/guardian must accompany the child during the hunt.)

The 2024 Youth Essay Question will be:

Who has taught you the most about the outdoors? How would you teach someone else what the outdoors is all about?

A few important dates:

Submission period is open - click here!
Submission due: 11:59 PM on Thursday, April 4, 2024
Scholarship notification: Wednesday, April 10, 2024

Submit Your Youth Essay Entry

Opportunities

Have questions about any of these opportunities?

Please contact Jenny West, Executive Director, The Wildlife Foundation of Virginia, at jwest@vawildlife.org, 757-880-2362.

Sponsorships

There are many sponsorship opportunities associated with the 8th Annual Old Dominion One Shot Turkey Hunt at multiple levels with benefits to hunt and merchandise.

Hunters

Be paired up with an experienced, knowledgeable guide and hunt some of the most turkey-rich private land in the Commonwealth. Your registration covers the below events plus private land access and a guide during the hunt. Shotgun and archery use only. Minimum donation to hunt: $1,000.

Guides

Be paired with a hunter committed to the sport, and enjoy a morning of camaraderie while you showcase your skills. You're expected to be an experienced turkey hunter and caller, with good woodsmanship, and an expectation of maximizing opportunity for success.

We will host a Guides' Dinner on April 11, 2024 (5–7 PM) at Bass Pro Shops in Ashland, VA. At this meeting you will receive information about your hunter, the property on which you will be guiding, and other information critical to the success of not only your hunt, but also the One Shot.
On April 19, 2024 (5–7 PM), you and your hunter will meet at Bass Pro Shops in Ashland to plan your next day’s hunt.

These two events are not only a lot of fun, but are crucial to creating a great experience for the hunters. We ask that if you are not able to commit to attending both of these events, you consider reapplying as a guide next year. Selected guides cannot carrying a gun on this hunt.

Landowners

Virginia has lots of nooks and crannies full of gobblers. If you're a landowner with a nook or cranny to donate for a day, we've got a guide and hunter that would love to hunt your property!