Pendleton is very much a highland county with state Route (SR) 220 as the main highway. That highway, though, runs past a number of valley farms, and it is those holdings where I would recommend that bowhunters try to gain permission. If that option fails, then the Potomac WMA (139,786 acres) in Pendleton, Randolph, Grant and Tucker counties would be an acceptable alternative.

he Potomac WMA, which is part of the Monongahela National Forest, features elevations from 900 to 4,862 feet. Many tributaries of the South Branch course through the lower elevations of this public land, and it is along those waterways where I would start looking for deer sign. Attempt to locate finger ridges that come down to these streams.

DISTRICT III
In District III, which covers the heart of West Virginia and the central mountain counties, the traditional leader in the bow kill has long been Randolph County, in part, at least, because of its large size. Many of the counties in this region are not known for sporting deer populations as large as the ones in other regions of the state. I asked district biologist Ray Knotts for his choice of an off-the-radar domain.

"I have long thought of Nicholas County as the sleeper in District III," Knotts said. "I have, over the years, scored more good bucks from Nicholas than any other county in the district. Although the county does not have a high population of deer, bowhunters typically take one to 1.5 deer per square mile of habitat. The icing on the cake is that Nicholas is also a very good place to bowhunt for a bear," he said.

"This combination makes Nicholas County a very worthwhile choice for a properly licensed hunter. Also, Nicholas has some national forestland and Summersville Lake WMA for public lands. Likewise, there is considerable acreage of company-owned timberlands, which can be accessed for a small permit fee or in some cases for free."

Last year, Nicholas County hunters accounted for 662 deer checked in during the bow season. The harvests from the previous four years are as follows: 2001 (910), 2002 (1,297), 2003 (1,094) and 2004 (833).

Nicholas is very much a mountainous county and is certainly one of the more challenging West Virginia places where I have bowhunted. Steep mountainsides and hillsides characterize much of the topography, and there seems to be a never-ending challenge to find a place where the wind can be in one's favor for more than an hour or two.

As Knotts noted, the Summersville WMA (5,974 acres) is a viable option for those who do not have access to private land. However, much of this public land contains some very steep mountainsides and it also has some of the more scenic vertical rock cliffs anywhere. More than a few archers have used these topographical features as pinch points to help determine where to place their stands.

A real plus for the Summersville WMA is that camping is available on the public land and private campgrounds that exist nearby. Summersville Lake is part of the surroundings and motels have sprung up around the impoundment over the years. So visiting bowhunters have plenty of options on where to stay.