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West Virginia DNR issues deer harvest totals

(Photo Illustration/MetroCreative)

SOUTH CHARLESTON — Hunters killed more than 45,000 antlered deer during firearms season, which was below the 2022 count, according to the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources.

The preliminary information from electronic game checking stations shows deer hunters harvested 45,155 antlered deer in the two-week firearm season from Nov. 20 to Dec. 3, the division said.

The harvest was 7.5 percent below 2022 when 48,810 bucks were killed. The 2022 firearms season harvest was an increase of 18 percent over 2021.

The lower numbers were anticipated, according to Paul Johansen, Wildlife resources Section chief.

“The harvest during the 2023 traditional buck firearm season was expected to be lower than that of 2022,” Johansen said. “Average hard mast indices paired with bad weather during the opening few days of the buck firearms season probably hindered the success of many hunters this season. All areas of the state registered an average decrease of 11 percent, with the exception of the southeastern areas that had an increase of 19 percent from the 2022 harvest.”

In Wood County this year, hunters harvested 954 deer, down 214 from 2022 when 1,168 were killed. Over the last five years, 2022 showed the largest deer harvest in Wood County during the firearms season.

In the region, the most antlered deer killed during the season were in Roane County where hunters harvested 1,163 deer, an increase of 82 over the 1,081 in 2022. Over the last five years, the most deer in Roane County killed during the season was in 2021 with 1,186 deer.

The fewest were killed in Pleasants County where 292 antlered deer were harvested during the season this year. Hunters killed 397 in Pleasants County in 2022.

Calhoun and Gilmer counties also posted more deer kills from 2022 to 2023, from 625 in 2022 to 861 in 2023 in Calhoun County and from 906 in 2022 to 949 in 2023 in Gilmer County.

The largest drop in harvests were in Ritchie, Jackson and Doddridge counties.

In Ritchie County, hunters killed 672 fewer deer this year than last, 1,620 in 2022 to 948. The most deer killed during a firearms season in the five year period in Ritchie County was 1,620 last year.

In Jackson County, hunters killed 518 fewer deer, from 1,509 in 2022 to 991 in 2023. Hunters in Doddridge County shot 382 fewer deer, from 1,035 in 2022 to 653 in 2023.

Statistics for 2022 and 2023 in other counties in the region were: Wetzel, 994, 718; Tyler, 900, 690; and Wirt, 783, 631.

The top 10 counties in the state for kills this year were Greenbrier with 1,892, Randolph with 1,604, Preston with 1,413, Pendleton with 1,413, Monroe with 1,396, Braxton with 1,394, Hardy with 1,329, Kanawha with 1,242, Pocahontas with 1,236 and Fayette with 1,226.

Archery and crossbow season runs through Dec. 31. Muzzleloader deer season is open until Sunday.

The Youth, Class Q/QQ and Class XS deer season for antlerless deer will be open Dec. 26-27 in any county with a firearms deer season, followed by the reopening of Class N/NN antlerless deer season Dec. 28-31 in specified counties or portions of counties. Hunting, trapping and fishing licenses and stamps for the 2024 seasons are on sale.

More information is available in the 2023-24 Hunting and Trapping Regulations Summary and at WVdnr.gov.

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