WV Deer Hunting Seasons
 

What is your general feeling about the WV deer seasons? Should they be lengthened to help manage the heard instead of increasing the number of tags issued? Should they start earlier or go longer?

From what I have read about the crossbows being legalized for the disabled (I have nothing bad to say about that, I think it is a good thing), I read that they will have a two week season which will start around the first of October. Of course I don't think this will happen until the 2006 hunting season. The current regs 2005-2006 Hunting regulations still has crossbows as illegal to use, and there is no mention of disable people being allow to use them nor a season posted for them.

So do you think the regular archery season is fine? The regular buck season? The muzzleloader season? What's your opinion?

RE: WV Deer Hunting Seasons
 

personally I think the crossbow season should be withing the regular bow season instead of before

I think they should have less buck tags......and replace those tags with doe tags

RE: WV Deer Hunting Seasons
 

Seasons are fine.. crossbows for handicapped..fine,too...during any season.
limits should be lowered in some areas, both doe and buck, while others are ok.. it should be determined "by area", instead of statewide policies. I never have problems during the season with the deer, or lack of them.. it's the 1 wk a year hunter that screws my hunts up...

RE: WV Deer Hunting Seasons
 

Rem1100, I have to agree with you. I use to be one of those 1 wk hunters years ago, and found out that hunting is really a year round activity. You have to learn your game, you have to know his patterns and routines. Of course since I buckhunt in Greenbrier Co, I don't get to do a lot of scouting before season, but I know the area I hunt. Been hunting that area with my in laws for over 20 years. You could almost blind fold me and Icould find my way...LOL. But I generalknow the deers patterns up there.

Now here at home, I try and get out every weekend to do some scouting and find new places to hunt on that 8,000 acre club. I have taught my son that you have to do that. Youjust can'twait till opening day and then step into the woods.

RE: WV Deer Hunting Seasons
 

No problem with crossbow for handicapped DURING EXISTING SEASONS, but it will come in BEFORE the archery opener? So those with crossbow permits get a two week headstart on everyone else? What's up with that?

I firmly believe we need to have antler restrictions AND buck bag limits. I'm all for a one buck a year limit if that's waht it takes to grow bigger bucks.

RE: WV Deer Hunting Seasons
 

I personally know a guy that was shot by a squirrel hunter in the arm and applied for a crossbow permit and got it. He says that he cannot pull back a regular bow? With that being said, he has a huge advantage over the regular hunters. Does it bother me, not really. I really don't think there is that many people with a handicap, and the big bucks don't move that much in the early season. I'm glad to see that people with a handicap can get out and hunt. What I would rather see is allowing these people to thin out deer in the over populated state parks that don't allow hunting. For example, Twin Falls State Park is so over populated that from 0 to 5 feet there is no plants or regeneration.

I would love to see some kind of antler restriction by specific area and age limit. For example, in the bow only counties it has to be six or eight point or better and if you are 18yrs or younger it doesn't apply. If you are 18 or older then the antler restriction will apply.

Heck, why don't the DNR just ask the hunters and have a majority rule?

RE: WV Deer Hunting Seasons
 

DougMD, what I read on the WV DNR website when the issue was taken to the State Legislature was that the crossbow hunters would only have a 2 week season. I guess the DNR thought that opening the season early would give the handicap hunters the run of the woods before everyone else, giving them a better chance at taking a deer. Now this is just what I figure. But, I did read that the season would open around the 1st of October and end with the opener of regular archery season. I still don't know if there is a season this year or not, the WV Hunting Regulations for 2005 - 2006 says nothing in it about the crossbow season, in fact under the heading "Illegal to Hunt With" it stills says crossbows are illegal. That is why I think that anyone who is disabled needs to check with the DNR to find out if they are allowed this year or not before going into the woods with one.

The DNR did reduce the number of bucks allowed to be taken this year. You can only take 3 bucks this year. So if I want to bow hunt for a buck, rifle hunt for a buck and muzzleloader hunt for a buck I am not going to buy any additional stamps this year. In Fayette Co. where I hunt, muzzleloader season is open to bucks only since they closed the doe season here this year. I have no problem with the DNR closing doe season, I firmly believe that the DNR mismanaged the herd for the past three years with liberal doe limits. Last year here in my county, we don't have a problem of to many deer, but the DNR imposed a 4 doe limit during doe season. This went on for two years, and as of last year it was hard to find a deer! I did see a few, but they were far and few in between.

RE: WV Deer Hunting Seasons
 

Huntinwv, the DNR is wanting to make money! If they listened to us hunters then they would loose money, cause we would tell them that they need to put antler restrictions into effect, that they need to go back to the lottery system for doe permits, etc.

RE: WV Deer Hunting Seasons
 

I am fine with crossbows being used. Just not letting them have there own early season. I think the whole archery season should start2-3 weeks earlier, Like every other state in the country. I would love to see the archery go into mid or end of january. A late muzzleloader would be nice. I think it is pretty stupid have a 3 week rifle season followed by a muzzleloader season. Those are the main things I would love to see. One thing I can't figure out is why they give us 22 days to kill 3 does. They keep telling us in the Northern panhandle that we have the herd twice as high as they want it yet they don't increase the doe tags. And as long as you let the hunters shoot 5 bucks a year why would the yeven bother shooting does anyway? Would love to see one buck a year or at least only one with a bow one with a rifle and one in muzzleloader.

RE: WV Deer Hunting Seasons
 

The whole idea of letting a select group of people hunt before everyone else bothers me. I can understand a youth day to get the kids involved, but not a 2 week season for crossbow hunters. Also, I am all for a one week rifle season with a week of no gun hunting, then a week of muzzleloader. In any case, less bucks and does need to be taken one way or the other. Seems to me that if antler restrictions are used, within a few years MORE people will buy licenses because there will be more bigger bucks running around. All the guys I hunt with agree they would rather have more bigger bucks with AR's on the little guys than open season on everything with 3 or more inches of antler.