BowtechDan

Hi y'all. I'm interested in the Wayne Co and Ritchie Co. West Va WMA's and would like to know how good they are for bowhunters. I live in AL and Wayne would seem to be the closest drive for me. I checked out the WVDNR website and don't see any maps of the place. I was born and raised in Ritchie Co and the DNR website doesn't show maps of Wayne Co or Ritchie Co. So:

1. Is Wayne Co WMA's good for bowhunting?
- I only care about quality of deer. Ruggedness of land doesn't matter. I can climb a hill.

2. If so, how do I get a map of the WMA's?

3. Is there a map of Ritchie Co WMA's online?

Thank you.

boonecountybowhunter

I can't speak personally for Wayne county because I've never hunted there. I hunt in Boone and Putnam mostly. If quality deer is what you're looking for though, you might want to focus on Logan, McDowell, Wyoming, and Mingo Counties. These counties do not allow rifle hunting, only bow hunting. There are some world class deer in these counties. I have hunted in Logan County a few times and have seen some great deer. As far as maps go, I'm not sure if the DNR has any maps for the public. You can always check it out on Google Earth or some other satellite program.

BowtechDan

Thanks BooneCo. I called the DNR today. They didn't think the WMA maps were on-line so they are mailing them to me. I drove up from SC and scouted parts of McDowell Co (IIRC) back about 8-9 years ago when snow was on in Feb and didn't see but 3 sets of tracks. Since I was going in their for the 1st time blind and un-informed, it seemed like a needle in a haystack on where to go. I had gotten some maps from a coal company I think and went on a whim. I thought I'd now try to narrow my search to a WMA and get some feedback. I live in Alabama now and Wayne Co would probably be the easiest to get to 1st within reason. Ritchie Co is where I'm originally from.

boonecountybowhunter

Sorry I couldn't be anymore help lol I'm sure you can find good deer in Wayne County too. Not too far from Wayne County is Putnam County. There is a little known WMA called Plymouth Amherst WMA near Poca. I know for a fact there are big deer there. I have lots on trail camera pictures. I'm letting you know this because I don't get to hunt there anymore much haha. I'll see if I can find a couple of my trailcam pictures from there for you.

BowtechDan

Thanks Boone.

madvilledoc

To be honest, Wayne County is not that much different in quality of bucks than Ritchie County. Wayne County will probably have a slightly higher population of mature bucks than Richie (mainly due to the proximity of the four bow-only counties and the ruggedness of the landscape). On the downside, the deer population in Wayne County is much smaller than Richie County. As with most of the counties that surround the bow-only four, it is a hit or miss type proposition. In other words, a lot of luck will be needed to find a mature buck and they will be sparse.

If you are looking for a quality buck, I would strongly recommend focusing only on the four bow-only counties (Logan, Mingo, Wyoming, McDowell). You can go on nearly any ridge in any of these four counties, put up a corn feeder, and have a reasonably high probability of getting a P&Y buck on camera within a week. (I'm not kidding).

If you are looking for WMA's I would look at RD Bailey WMA in Wyoming County or the nearby (and new) Elk Creek WMA in Logan County. If you are coming into WV via Knoxville, TN, this will quicker for you to get to anyway.

BowtechDan

Thanks mad.