Podcast
West Virginia Outdoors Audio Playlist
Hosted by MetroNews · EN
Join Chris Lawrence as he takes aim at Hunting and Fishing issues in the Wild and Wonderful state of West Virginia.
32episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
08/08/2026 - West Virginia Outdoors with Chris Lawrence
1w ago00:53:51Tap to summarizeChris Lawrence opens with a tribute to DNR Commissioner and West Virginia Trappers Association legend Janet Hamrick Hodge, who passed away overnight after a private battle with advanced cancer — read her resignation letter to the commission just days earlier. The show then tells the remarkable story of West Virginia's first-ever state record pumpkinseed sunfish, set by Ken Neher of Morgantown from a public pond in Preston County after a year and a half of targeted pursuit — a record that was broken within two weeks by Sierra Adamson of Beverly, who caught hers on a nightcrawler in the Tygart River in Elkins, and has since been broken a third time at Cheat Lake. DNR furbearer biologist Holly Morris closes the show explaining the science behind the Natural Resources Commission's decision to increase the otter trapping bag limit from one to two — stopping short of three due to population modeling showing the risk of regional extirpation — and addresses how the agency handles otter nuisance complaints and accidental catches above the limit.
Transcribe →08-01-2026 WV Outdoors with Chris Lawrence
2w ago00:54:07Tap to summarizeOn this episode of West Virginia Outdoors, Chris talks with Katie Zipfel from the WV DNR on the Ohio River carp populations. Plus, a previously enjoyed fishing trip off the coast of North Carolina.
Transcribe →07-25-2026 WV Outdoors with Chris Lawrence
3w ago00:54:23Tap to summarizeOn this episode of WV Outdoors, Chris talks with Sergeant Dennis Feazell from the Natural Resources Police about their swift water rescue operations in Lewis and Upshur counties, and Shon Butler from Longspur Tracking talks about using drones to assist in rescue and recovery efforts.
Transcribe →07/18/2026 West Virginia Outdoors with Chris Lawrence
Jul 1800:53:50Tap to summarizeChris Lawrence welcomes two guests covering major upcoming outdoor events in West Virginia. Captain Dwayne Duffield of the West Virginia Natural Resources Police Association previews the Northwoods Throwdown, a charity softball game pitting WV game wardens against their counterparts from Maine on August 1st at GoMart Ballpark in Charleston — with proceeds benefiting the association's R3 youth recruitment initiative, International Wildlife Crime Stoppers, and Maine Operation Game Thief. Youth in baseball uniforms get in free, and the event features vendor booths, raffle prizes including a $3,500 Maine bear hunt and engraved Glock pistols, and a pre-game field experience for 26 youth lottery participants. Wildlife Center manager Mark Biller then previews the 10th Annual Living History Encampment Rendezvous at French Creek on July 31st and August 1st, featuring historical actors demonstrating blacksmithing, gunsmithing, and knife making from pre-colonial through Civil War eras, and shares updates on the center's animals including three bears, two otters, three bison, and a recent search for a turkey exhibit.
Transcribe →07-11-2026 WV Outdoors with Chris Lawrence
Jul 1100:54:01Tap to summarizeOn this episode of West Virginia Outdoors, Chris talks with Eddie Ferrari from Appalachian Camping Experience on camping preparation, and Ethan Barton, Wildlife Disease Specialist for the DNR, discusses recent cases of Rabies and Mange in West Virginia.
Transcribe →July 4, 2026 - West Virginia Outdoors – [ENCORE] From Lake Erie: The Best Smallmouth Fishing Day of Chris Lawrence's Life
Jul 400:45:50Tap to summarizeChris Lawrence broadcasts an entire episode live from the deck of Ed Powell's bass boat on Lake Erie near Buffalo, New York, during a Memorial Day weekend pre-spawn smallmouth trip. After enduring miserable 48-degree, windy, rain-soaked conditions on day one, the pair land an extraordinary haul on day two, boating over 50 smallmouth with five fish topping four pounds, including a 4-pound, 11-ounce standout — what Lawrence calls the best day of fishing in his life. Powell, who is pre-fishing the stretch ahead of a Bassmaster Open in August, walks through his drop shot technique on vertical seawalls, braided line setup, and the role of forward-facing LiveScope sonar, discussing both its advantages and the ongoing debate over whether it makes competitive fishing too easy. The conversation also touches on Powell's season on the Bassmaster Opens circuit, including a top-10 finish at Lake Norman, and the Tour de Coal float trip on the Coal River back home in West Virginia.
Transcribe →06-27-2026 WV Outdoors with Chris Lawrence
Jun 2700:54:01Tap to summarizeOn this episode of West Virginia Outdoors, Chris talks with Colonel Bobby Cales about his upcoming retirement and his career at DNR Law Enforcement, and Randy Kelly talks about the elk herd in Southern WV and their calves.
Transcribe →June 20, 2026 - West Virginia Outdoors – Live from Lake Erie: The Best Smallmouth Fishing Day of Chris Lawrence's Life
Jun 2000:45:49Tap to summarizeChris Lawrence broadcasts an entire episode live from the deck of Ed Powell's bass boat on Lake Erie near Buffalo, New York, during a Memorial Day weekend pre-spawn smallmouth trip. After enduring miserable 48-degree, windy, rain-soaked conditions on day one, the pair land an extraordinary haul on day two, boating over 50 smallmouth with five fish topping four pounds, including a 4-pound, 11-ounce standout — what Lawrence calls the best day of fishing in his life. Powell, who is pre-fishing the stretch ahead of a Bassmaster Open in August, walks through his drop shot technique on vertical seawalls, braided line setup, and the role of forward-facing LiveScope sonar, discussing both its advantages and the ongoing debate over whether it makes competitive fishing too easy. The conversation also touches on Powell's season on the Bassmaster Opens circuit, including a top-10 finish at Lake Norman, and a season recap including the Tour de Coal float trip on the Coal River back home in West Virginia.
Transcribe →06-13-2026 WV Outdoors with Chris Lawrence
Jun 1300:54:02Tap to summarizeOn this episode of West Virginia Outdoors, Chris Lawrence talks with Jeremy Simon from the West Virginia Taxidermy Association about a show they are hosting this weekend, Frank Williams talks about Free Fishing Weekend, and Bill Curry talks about the upcoming Tour de Coal.
Transcribe →June 6, 2026 - West Virginia Outdoors with Chris Lawrence
Jun 600:53:27Tap to summarizeChris Lawrence opens with news that Natural Resources Commissioner Lauren Winans has resigned her seat to join the Morrissey administration, leaving District 3 open for a gubernatorial appointment. Tournament director Sean Douglas then joins from the water to preview the 43rd annual West Virginia Bass Festival at St. Mary's — the state's most prestigious bass tournament with a $20,000 top payout — covering registration deadlines, weigh-in times, and the public's standing invitation to watch at Riverfront Park. Retired DNR biologist and longtime snake researcher Frank Jernasic closes the show with a deep conversation on timber rattlesnakes at Cooper's Rock, where he has documented over 1,600 encounters in 10 years, covering rattlesnake diet, travel range, live birth, growth rate, and common myths including cottonmouths in West Virginia. Listener questions cover black snake varieties, tree-climbing behavior, and how to tell a water snake from a venomous species.
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