RE: West Virginia Deer Hunting Hurting!
Mason's Ridge, I have to agree with you to a point. When you let hunters hunt with rifles and muzzleloaders for 4 weeks straight and it's open season the deer simply don't stand a chance. However, the bucks are a totally different story. The buck population and size are down due the hunters not the DNR. Most all of the WV hunters I know will not let a one horn spike go as long as it's leal. Also if there is a small spike standing beside a doe most of our hunters will shoot the spike and let the doe go. Then wonder why they never see any big bucks??? No wonder they don't see any big bucks because they shoot all of them before they ever see their 2nd birthday much less mature.
This is why I said the heck with it and started hunting the bow hunting only counties. Yes, it's tough hunting and the deer population is low but I have the woods to myself and the bucks die of old age most of the time. I have killed 2 10 pointers the last 2 seasons there and I don't care if I ever pick my rifle back up. To me it's real hunting in those 4 counties. You, your bow, mature bucks and thousands of acres of public land to hunt. Can it get any better????