Rem1100

Deer Hunters in West Virginia Harvest 43,226 Bucks during the Buck Firearms Season


SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Preliminary data collected from game checking stations across the state indicate deer hunters in West Virginia harvested 43,226 bucks during the two-week buck firearms season, which ran from Nov. 22 through Dec. 4, according to Frank Jezioro, Director of the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (DNR). The 2010 buck harvest was 31 percent less than the 2009 harvest of 62,986. The top ten counties for buck harvest were as follows: Preston (2,030), Randolph (1,817), Hardy (1,350), Greenbrier (1,348), Mason (1,264), Hampshire (1,261), Ritchie (1,236), Jackson (1,216), Lewis (1,141) and Wood (1,113).



This year’s buck harvest is significantly lower than last year, with declines occurring across all DNR Districts. The largest percent decreases occurred in the western and central counties of the state. The harvest was 30th among all recorded antlered buck firearm seasons. Overall, 14 counties were above or within one buck harvested per square of the harvest objective and 37 counties were one or more bucks per square mile below the harvest objective.



White-tailed deer are a product of the environment. Too many deer on a given tract of land will result in loss of body weight, reduction in antler development, decrease in reproduction and sometimes death due to starvation during winter months. The cumulative effects of too many deer over time causes a decline in herd condition, which actually reduces the deer herd’s resiliency to years of poor mast conditions and harsh winter weather. The below-average acorn crops in 2008 and 2009 (acorn mast in 2009 was the lowest in 40 years) and last year’s unusually severe winter had a significant impact on the deer population and the overall 2010 buck firearms season harvest. Fortunately, 2010 has been a banner year for mast and overall, deer are in good physical condition entering the winter months.



Wildlife Biologists will analyze data from the combined 2010 deer seasons (i.e., buck, antlerless, archery and muzzleloader) before making appropriate recommendations for next year’s deer seasons. These recommendations will be available for public review at 12 regulations meetings scheduled for March 14 and 15, 2011 (see current 2010 - 2011 Hunting and Trapping Regulations Summary page 5 or visit the DNR website at www.wvdnr.gov for scheduled times and places).



Director Jezioro reminds hunters that the traditional six-day antlerless deer season in selected counties on both public and private land ends Saturday, December 11. Muzzleloader deer season begins Dec. 13 and runs through Dec.r 18. The Youth and Class Q/QQ antlerless deer season will be open on Monday and Tuesday, Dec. 27 and 28 in any county with a firearms deer season, and will be followed by a three-day reopening of antlerless deer season (Dec. 29 - 31) in 46 counties or portions of counties (see 2010 - 2011 Hunting and Trapping Regulations Summary or visit the DNR website at www.wvdnr.gov for county and area listings).


FOR THOSE WHO HUNT WV...
LOOK FOR FOR LIC FEES TO INCREASE TO COUNTERACT THE LOSS OF EXTRA STAMP MONIES. LIMITS MAY/WILL BE LOWERED AS WELL. THESE NUMBERS SHOULD BE A WAKEUP CALL....

gutshot

They've aloud the slaughter of our deer herd for so long that now it's coming home to roost. But I can promise you one thing if they keep raising lic. prices I'll be hunting land owner only before long.

WV Gino

We had temps in the low 70's opening day of rifle, rain the second day and rain Thanksgiving. I think weather on three prime days had more to do with the low harvest than anything. I hunt a spot over run with deer and only saw two deer the first day. 5 pt and a 12" wide 8. Let them both live. No one else gun hunts this area so I need natural deer movement. Like I said only two deer seen the first day. I was in the same tree from dark to dark. I did not hunt Tuesday or Thanksgiving becasue of the weather.

WV Gino

WestVirginiaBrent

I agree, the weather was way up there, we also missed the rut, acorns are everywhere so the deer didn't have to travel far to eat. I saw 18 deer total for the whole season, 2 were bucks, but we hardly had any hunters and I didn't still hunt too much to try and kick any around. As far as the weather and me, I'm out there regardless of what's happening, but no one I hunt with goes out if it's too crappy.

Pro-Line

In our area of Braxton county, there just aren't any hunters....plain and simple.

My farm is around 400 acres and there are probably 1000 adjacent acres of land that are basically vacant. There were a whopping 4 guys hunting all that land this year.

Gun season used to be a happening in our area...but now we don't even hear much distant shooting. I was many more hunters in bow season than gun season this year. If you drive around Sunday afternoon in our area, you don't see that buzz that you used to see. Not sure why.

We saw bucks...but nothing very good. My father shot a 4pt...which I had passed, but at 78, he knows he doesn't have many bucks left in him. That was the only buck taken off the land mentioned above during the entire gun season. We did take 3 does.

WV Hunter

It was really warm where we hunt also. First two days 70+. I know that had to play a role. We saw plenty of deer, although less than last year for sure. I do think the winter took a toll on the weak. Lots of snow last year, something that doesn't happen that often. I also think there are less hunters everywhere.

Rem1100....not sure what you mean by loss in extra stamp monies. You can't buy an extra stamp after the season opens anyhow. Not following you there.

Pro-Line

WV...He's probably thinking that either they will lower the limit on does for the years to come, or people either won't hunt WV or won't buy 2 buck tags.

At our farm we've not allowed anyone to take 2 bucks during gun season for years. They are welcome to take a buck and the allotted number of does...but not two bucks.

WestVirginiaBrent

Our spot was fine as far as bucks, I got trail cams of several that were nice by our standards. We just only had 4-5 hunters for ~500 acres, the deer didn't need to move for warmth or food, the rut was basically over by rifle season, and no hunters were pressuring movement, the hard rain on 2 days (Thanksgiving being one of them) kept the deer bedded and the hunters inside.

Hopefully it's a mild winter, the numerous acorns keep them fat, and next year we crack a few 3.5+ year old bucks. The bucks we took back there had more fat reserves than I can ever remember. Last winter was hard on them, I'm buddies with the Game Warden and he had several farmers within 20 miles report finding over 20+ dead deer on their farm.

gutshot

You guys are lucky to have big tracts of private land to hunt. I hunt public land and trust me it's not that rosie where I hunt. I can usually count on seeing 10-15 deer a day where I hunt and the last two years I've been lucky to see 3-4 a day. I hunt no matter what the weather so you can't blame it on that.

Gunplummer

I'm with "gutshot", after the first day I move around a lot and did not see much sign of deer. I saw one huge old doe that was a loner, but all the rest looked like fawns,they were so small. I got a look at one big bodied buck, but the two spikes and one 4point taken at the campsite were really small. My buddy shot the 4 point and it was the smallest bodied legal buck I ever saw. He picked it up by the feet and set it in the truck. Must have been a bad winter last year.