West Virginia

[jonathan creason]

Anybody hunt the bow only counties in WV?  Land here in NC is getting harder and harder to come by, so I'm looking for some other opportunities.  I can get to Charleston in about 3.5 hours, so the drive up would be nothing.  I know a boy I went to high school with said if you can handle the terrain you'll see plenty of deer.

[leatherneck]

I grew up in WVa but I was up north. When traveling through the george Washington National Forest, we saw more deeer than we could stand to see. I would venture to say there are alot of deer in that area. Although, I have heard tale that in the bow only counties the deer are few and far between. (Hence the bow only restriction). But, they say when you see em, they are dandies. Not sure that this helps or not. Good luck.

[kuch]

never hunted down there....never saw a real good reason to.plenty of deer where i'm at.nothing big but i feel it's better to try ohio for a big boy.

[Kevin L.]

We're trying to get back down there. I miss my hills and hollers, plus the deer are tastier. The wife has an initial phone interview this evening that we hope will come to something.

       

[Jack Whitmire Jr]

I work in the 4 counties some , and believe me when I say the worst/best mountains anywhere will not be any steeper. I walked one pipeline down there that was 44 degrees on one side and 47 degrees on the other . There are not many benches that are not man made. The deer are Hugh and the rut intense . BUT I stay at home and hunt these small deer.

[Kenneth]

I'm originally from Pocahontas county and I haven't been back home to hunt for a few years so I don't know much about the archery only counties.  I'm moving to NC next month and plan to drive home to WV for archery season.  We've always had a pretty good number of deer and in the last 5 years or so the number of bears has sky rocketed.  It can get REAL steep and the mountain laurel can get REAL thick and dragging a deer or bear outta some of the places is chore for sure but the hunting is a blast.

[mountainman]

Kenneth my family is from Pocahontas county I hunt alot right outside huntersville near Marlington

[Kenneth]

Most of my family lives in Cass and Greenbank.  I sure miss it back there but there's not much in the way of employment.

[BCWV]

I've only worked in the archery only southern counties and haven't been able to hunt them but have seen some nice deer there. I've been told that there is quite a bit of land owned by coal operators that can be hunted on but I haven't verified this. It is pretty rough country.
 A member of my bowhunting club took a very nice buck there this past season. I don't know where he hunted and he's pretty tight lipped on the subject.

[rabbit_buster]

I live on the Va/WV border and have some friends from those counties and from what i have been told, the deer #'s are not great but the quality of bucks thats a different story..... pm me your e-mail and ill send you some trail camera pics from McDowell county......

[SpikeMaster]

I live and hunt in north-central WV. On a work trip to Virginia this past December, I saw two of the biggest deer I've ever seen along the interstate just north of the Kentucky border. There's been some really big deer taken out of that area.

[jonathan creason]

Thanks for the replies everybody.  Just trying to come up with a few options.  A coworker of mine goes to Ohio a couple of times every year and I know I could tag along with him.  Just trying to come up with something a little closer.

[J. Cook]

I'm from north/east WV but have family all through those counties and spend quite a bit of time there.  The deer #'s in those counties are not nearly as high as in other parts of the state, however the quality of bucks is extremely good.  It's a super hard hunt, and extremely steep and rugged -- moreso than anywhere else in the state. Great bucks, but super hard hunting.  Good luck!  Put your time in, and it will pay off.

[rabbit_buster]

J cook's right it is some rugged mountain land, my wife is from that area when we visit her family we go to a couple graveyards that you almost have to grab tree to tree just to walk up these ridges........ and for some reason these are super bucks 98% nocturnal, my buddy puts more time in a stand than anyone else i know, he may go sometimes 2 weeks and never lay eyes on a buck but usually when you see one its a heart thumper....

[sswv]

I have a friend that hunts the 'bow only' counties. he has killed some nice bucks but man does he put the time in. just because it's called "BOW ONLY" everyone gets the impressiom that it's a give me. he keeps a daily log and MANY, MANY days without an entry for seeing not one deer. YES' the big ones are there but it is ROUGH, STEEP, THICK, and the locals hate everyone that wasn't born and raised just up the hollow. stands and cameras stolen all the time, vehicles tampered with and poaching at it's highest. I'd much rather hunt my own land and see deer on a regular basis. I bet you could offer a 'trade a hunt' and someone here (southern WV) would take you up on it. heck' might just be me.


best afield

[kuch]

sswv, i didn't go into detail about that part of our state but your post is what exactly what i've been told...by an ex-DNR officer from there.Not worth my time and anxiety putting up with those type of people.plenty of deer here that are fine bow kills.

[Danny Rowan]

Lived and hunted in Morgantown for several years, good hunting, no monster bucks but I killed 5 deer per year there. The southern part of the state where I believe the bow only counties are is very rugged and like said the people do not like "outsiders" the reason there are not a lot of deer there is because of the poaching that has gone on for generations. If I was not from there I would not want to be out alone in those woods,LOL. The scene from Deliverance comes to mind,LOL.

Danny

[LCH]

I live in NC and we can get to Ohio in about 5 hours the hunting is good and a lot of public land. Lawrence county Ohio.LCH

[kuch]

i think out of state license fees are cheaper in ohio.

[the force]

Ive never hunted there but i hunt mason and barbour county theres plenty of big ones around the mason county area