Latest News, WV Press Videos

WV firearms buck kill doubles over last year

CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — More than 84,000 deer were harvested with firearms over the past two weeks during the state’s annual buck gun season, according to West Virginia Division of Natural Resources reports.

Chris Ryan, DNR supervisor of game management services, said that number includes 66,374 antlered deer and 18,304 antlerless.

“The buck kill is just over double what it was last year,” Ryan said.

Ryan said several factors led to the increased harvest, the first of which was the increased rain and winds during late spring that disrupted fertilization and led to a lower acorn yield this fall.

“West Virginia is heavily forested and a lot of those trees are oak trees, so when those oaks don’t hit, it’s going to go make the deer eat grass and other things — it will make them browse a lot more,” Ryan said.

That need for increased movement, coupled with what Ryan said was generally good weather statewide throughout the whole season, led to hunters getting more opportunities…

Comments are closed.

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

And get our latest content in your inbox

Invalid email address