Hunting in West Virginia offers rewarding experiences and numerous benefits for outdoor enthusiasts and new residents relocating from big U.S. cities due to the remote-work revolution. With abundant forests, diverse wildlife, and well-managed public hunting lands, West Virginia provides hunters with opportunities to pursue deer, turkey, bear, and small game in breathtaking Appalachian settings. Hunting in the Mountain State promotes sustainable wildlife management, supports local traditions, and allows families to bond while spending time in nature. For remote workers seeking a balanced lifestyle and a deeper connection to the outdoors, hunting in West Virginia delivers fresh air, self-sufficiency, and a chance to enjoy the peaceful wilderness that makes living in this scenic state so rewarding. Be sure to visit our Hunting Travel Guide for more information about hunting and hunting areas in West Virginia.
The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources is accepting applications for its 2020 Limited Antlerless Hunt, which will be permitted in areas where division biologists have deemed the deer population too high. Chris Ryan, the supervisor of game management services for the division, says the hunt will help wildlife officials manage herds in those areas. … Read more
Turkey hunters in West Virginia can anticipate increased harvest opportunities during the 2020 spring gobbler season, which is scheduled to open Monday, April 20, according to the W.Va. Division of Natural Resources. Predictions are based on brood reports from two years earlier, as the average harvested gobbler is a two-year-old bird, and in 2018, brood … Read more
When it comes to participating in West Virginia’s many hunting seasons, there’s a lot to remember. But new hunters don’t have to learn everything on their own, thanks to hunter-education classes being provided by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources. The class is open to anyone who wants to learn more about hunting, but … Read more
Preliminary counts indicate hunters harvested 99,437 white-tailed deer in West Virginia during the 2019-20 seasons, according to the state Division of Natural Resources. The harvest was nine percent below the 2018 harvest of 108,856 deer and 13 percent below the five-year average of 114,520. A breakdown of the combined 2019-20 deer seasons reveals 36,472 bucks … Read more
Hunters harvested 3,099 black bears during the combined archery and firearms seasons in West Virginia in 2019—the third-highest harvest ever recorded in the Mountain State. The preliminary harvest for the combined seasons is 19 percent above the 2,606 bears killed in 2018, and the harvest has exceeded 3,000 kills in four of the last five … Read more
No other U.S. state may be as strongly associated with hunting as West Virginia, says a Canadian writer who’s fallen in love with the Mountain State. Years ago, while writing for hunting and fishing magazines, Larry Oakley became aware of the state’s unique relationship with hunting and has been writing about the outdoor experience in … Read more
Preliminary data collected from the electronic game checking system indicates hunters in West Virginia harvested 36,796 antlered deer during the two-week buck firearms season, which ran from Nov. 25 through Dec. 7, 2019. The 2019 harvest was 17 percent below that of the 2018 harvest, according to Gary Foster, assistant chief of game management for … Read more
Turkey hunters in West Virginia harvested 1,113 birds in autumn 2019, according to preliminary figures provided by the state Division of Natural Resources. Mike Peters, a game-bird biologist for the division said the harvest was slightly low as a result of more available food, which allowed birds to disperse more. “As reported in the 2019 … Read more
Deer hunters in West Virginia are being reminded that a concurrent bear season (without dogs) will run from Nov. 25 through Dec. 7, 2019, in 51 counties, according to Colin Carpenter, the Black Bear Project Leader for the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources. All 51 counties that are open to buck firearms hunting will … Read more
West Virginia’s 2019 wild boar firearms season opens Oct. 26, runs through Nov. 2, and is open to West Virginia residents only. A second annual wild boar firearms season will run Feb. 7–9, 2020. Boars will be foraging on acorns abundant this season in Boone, Logan, Raleigh, and Wyoming counties, to which boar hunting is … Read more
