WVHunter129

Sounds like you guys have a good plan!!

Congrats to all those fellas who took bucks!

Rem1100

notice you hunt in the WESTERN part of the state? show me those results anywhere East of you!! you can't!!

good rule to have.... you try that here,and the 4 pt you let walk will die 200 yrds down the ridge, or on the next farm... that's a fact..but I'm all for that rule!

wvparker

1stI need to correct the fact that it's been 6 years since we started doing our management plan, 2001 was when we started. In the begining I had the same thoughts as you about the deer going the next ridge over then being shot. In some cases that is true, but theyall don't get shot. If they did then there wouldn't be any left. Took me a while to understand that. Our results have been a work in progress that's for sure. It took going into the 3rd season for the guys who hunt the farm that adjoins us to see what was going on. In the beginning they wanted no part of it. That has since changed.

royak

I live in Monroe and by far this has been my worst year seeing deer I havent even saw a buck at all. I have saw a few does but the most of them was in Mercer county on a farm I hunt. I live right on 219 and have saw hundreds of campers coming back from up north but very few with deer in the trucks

hillbillyhunter1

Sounds like a GREAT plan there wvparker, and I know that it would work anywhere in the state. The hardest part is getting hunters from the older generations to change their mindset about quality management. Many of the ol' timers think that quality management is shooting any legal buck you see and letting the does go so you can have (in their mind) the maximum numbers of deer. Also you have to put up with thoses that have an Ego issue with shooting some little buck because the can say "I gotmy buck". Myself, I have let 7 bucks walk (in rifle season) this year and took something fairly decent for our area. I haven't pulled the trigger on a buck for two years prior because of not seeing anything worth shooting, so my trigger finger was starting to get itchybut I still kept my discipline

Christine B

I am very thankful after reading this thread that so far that many of you share my views about how over managed our deer herd is in this state. IMHO for the past several years the to liberal kill amounts of both bucks and does has hurt our state deer population. I do not see the big ones I saw on a daily basis on my acreage for years.... primarily due to over harvesting of wonderful young "seed" bucks, poaching, and then those not give a S**t hunters that only want a tenderloin or two and leave the rest to rot. Hopefully things will get back on track.......

DougMD

When we had lots of deer, I was all for having fewer, yet more bigger bucks. What has happened is fewer deer with NO increase in bigger bucks. Give me the old days when we had lots of deer compared with what we have now. Without further restrictions on buck numbers and AR's, things are worse than ever.

Rem1100

it's all about the $$ as far as the legislature goes....deer hunting= income anything that effects the budget gets high priority. hunted on Short Mt today...no hunters anywhere....saw 2 doe.... high winds made for great stalking... shoulda seen more deer in the amount of ground that we covered. time to lower bag limits, and stop sellin' our does.

Christine B

Rem, I know that all too well.......just been a bad week for me found two more young does poached on the farm....tenderloins is all that was taken...ie: backstraps only !! And I am so tired of slob hunters and our wonderful politicians....

JFergus7

I took my first hunting trip east this year. I have a friend with 500 acres in Dallas, WV. Had a great trip and was amazed by the amount of does that I saw. But was really surpised that I only saw 2 bucks and both were really small. At night driving around we saw hundreds of doe's all over town. Unfortunitly, even though I saw a bunch I was never had a good shot. But I will definetly be back to hunt that land again! It was still a great trip.