SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Monday in many ways is an unofficial state holiday. More than 330,000 people will be in the woods , clad in orange, rifle over the shoulder, in pursuit of a buck. Officials at the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources predict they will not be disappointed.
“We’re very,very excited for the 2015 buck season. We’re expecting a very, very good year,” said DNR Biologist Chris Ryan. “The acorn crop is low, we had a very good carry over from last year, and we’re getting reports of some very big bucks.”
Hunters may find bigger racked bucks across the West Virginia landscape this year. Several factors are playing into the improved prospects for success. First, last year’s buck harvest was 30 percent below normal, meaning a lot of those bucks from 2014 survived the season. Second, last year’s mast crop was abundant meaning the bucks went into the winter with an abnormally high level of fat storage and the winter survival rate was higher than usual. Now those bucks have another year of age along with good nutrition which is the formula for increased antler size.
“They’re going to see a tremendous jump in the antler growth,” Ryan said. “They’re going to be the ones hunters typically like to look for.”
There’s already evidence of hunter success. The number of bucks and the size of antlers killed during the archery season has been eye opening according to Ryan, and they have been in places which are not typically known for immense antler development.
“All around the state, when you look at Facebook you’re seeing bucks killed in Pleasants County or Tyler County that are really big and really nice,” said Ryan.
The buck season runs for two weeks in West Virginia. Once again hunters in a number of counties are also allowed to kill a doe if they’re hunting on private land and if they’ve purchased a Class N stamp. It’s also the second year for a rule which allows hunters to kill two deer in one day, as long as one of them is a doe.
This will be the first buck season for the state’s new Electronic Game Check system. Hunters should have their DNR I-D number by now, if not they’ll have to get one at a license retailer or at wvhunt.com before they’ll be able to check in their deer. The number enables checking in the deer online, at a license retailer, or over the telephone.