Short Hills Wildlife Management Area was acquired by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) in July 2010, after the land was initially secured by two non-governmental conservation organizations.

The other half was first purchased by the Wildlife Foundation of Virginia; that parcel was subsequently acquired by VDGIF for $3 million, utilizing Pittman–Robertson Federal Aid funds.

[4][5] The long and often narrow area includes a single one-mile (1.6 km) stretch of land bordering public roads; the remainder is landlocked by private property.

[3] The area is owned and maintained by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, and is open to the public for hunting, trapping, hiking, and primitive camping.

[8] As of 2017[update], public access points remain limited to a one-mile (1.6 km) stretch of Plank Road (Virginia State Route 610) that borders the area.