MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Deer season appears to still be in recovery mode with the reported numbers of hunters down in comparison to pre-pandemic numbers.
With one more week left of deer rifle hunting season left in West Virginia, early numbers from the state Division of Natural Resources show that between 250,000-300,000 hunters hit Mountain State woods during the first week. The reported numbers are considered just a bit below average with several factors attributing to the post-pandemic recovery.
“It’s kind of stabilized,” said Cpt. David James with the DNR’s Law Enforcement Division. ” There are hunters there, but it’s not at the level it was a couple years ago and you can attribute that to gas prices, and inflation, stuff like that.”
According to James, gun related injuries are on the decline this year due to increased training programs, but injuries unrelated to firearms are on the rise. These incidents mainly stem from transportation accidents where in one case, a person died from their injuries and in another one person was accidentally shot.
“What we’re seeing an uptick in is hunting incidents involving ATVs and UTVs,” James said. “We actually had a fatality with that in District 6, that’s the Parkersburg District.”
Another unusual rise in hunter related incidents is stemming from heart attacks and tree stand falls. While tree stand falls are a little more self-explanatory, reports of heart attacks appear to be stemming from hunters carrying back hunted deer to their vehicles. In response to these numbers, James is advising hunters to not be afraid to ask for assistance if they need it.
“Know your limits. If you’re a sedentary person and you don’t do much through the year and have some health conditions don’t be afraid to ask for help- take your time,” James said.
James is also advising hunters to still follow gun safety measures that are taught yearly by the Department of Natural Resources. He also advises to continue to wear safety gear while out in the woods and to know that if you take a shot, make sure it’s one that you don’t want to take back.
“Be sure of your target and what’s beyond it,” James said. “You’re responsible for that bullet not only to the deer or animal you’re shooting at, but what’s beyond it once it passes through.”