Morning all, Anyone have any good recommendations for hunting public land in areas around Culpeper, Warrenton, Fredericksburg VA? I'll probably be limited to public land since I don't know anyone private land. The C.F Phelps WMA is pretty close to me anyone ever hunted that? Thanks!

Quantico or AP Hill. Both require you to register, pay a nominal fee, and I believe have a hunter safety class. You will also be background checked going onto the installation.  I haven't personally hunted either but have heard good things about them.

Fairfax county has an awesome archery program if your interested. I'm part of it and there's 10+ stands within a 20 min drive of my office.
I've gotten a 4 point already and many guys have multiple deer, one guy in my team has 7 deer but I suspect he's retired and doesn't have toddlers at home .

You can google it pretty easily, There is a qualification of 3 out of 3 arrows in a 7 or 8 inch circle at 25 yards. If you fail 3 times you don't qualify so practice practice practice. But one you're in a group it's awesome. My group wants each person to get in 100 hours of hunting from Sept to Feb.

Ive heard several times that CF Phelps can be crowded with the crazies.

You in the Sugarland run cluster?

I'll definitely look into that! Thanks for the tip! I've never shot a bow before, but I can learn! It also may be worth it since finding a place to hunt may be my downfall! Do they help new hunters out? Learning how to gut and all that fun stuff?

Crossbows are awesome. My shoulder no longer lets me shoot my compound bow so I got a crossbow and I'm good to go.

G. Richard Thompson Wildlife Management Area was reported to be a ghost town this season.

http://www.hikingupward.com/OVH/GRT_WildlifeRefuge/

Never deer hunted but routinely squirrel hunt there.

I posted the hiking link because the trails are good to follow for my purposes.

There are several access points in both Warren and Fauquier counties.

Ghost town for deer or a ghost town of hunters?

I spent a lot of time in GR Thompson last season, and from personal experience I can attest it would be a great place to hunt squirrel, but it is about the worst place to hunt deer I have ever been.  I hunted intermittently throughout most of the season, and then finding myself home alone after Christmas day (rest of the family was on a school trip) I hunted Thompson every legal hour of every legal day for a week straight.  During the entire season I never say a single deer.  Plenty of other hunters, but no deer.  I did see one carcass a hunter had left after doing a partial butchering job, and the deer was a small yearling.  I'm by no means an expert hunter, but I'm not that bad.  

Before the start of this season I happened to secure rights to hunt a private farm in Loudoun Co.  Now I'm on 300ish acres with probably 8 other guys, and I see deer every time I go out and I've shot two this season.  I hope to God I never need to go back to hunting public land in the northern half of Virginia.