"R.D. Bailey WMA and McDowell and Wyoming counties are all known for their big bucks," Hanshaw continued. "Personally, one of the nicest bucks I have ever seen was a big 8-pointer that I saw crossing a road next to the WMA one morning at 2 a.m. That buck was an absolute monster, which is really no surprise, for the WMA absolutely has a reputation as a place where big bucks live.

"Before going to R.D. Bailey, bowhunters should know that the WMA has very steep, mountainous land. It's just like most of the land in Mingo and Wyoming, which means that the climbing can be very difficult."

As one would expect, oak-hickory forests blanket much of R.D. Bailey, and not much open land exists. The coves are quite narrow and their sides extremely precipitous. Bow harvests from 2002 through 2007 have fluctuated quite a bit with the tallies being 49, 94, 42, 54, 91 and 133, respectively.

Hanshaw related that bowhunters do not have many choices regarding lodging, as the region remains very rural. Twin Falls State Park is not far away as the proverbial crow flies, but the region's roads are so narrow and the going so slow, that the park is some 45 minutes from the public land. Twin Falls is open year 'round and has 14 cottages, 20 lodge rooms, and 50 campsites, all of which are likewise open year 'round. For more information, contact the park at (304) 294-4000 or at www.twinfallsresort.com.

ELK RIVER WMA
The 18,225-acre Elk River WMA in Braxton County is one of the more centrally located public lands in the state. This District III public land features mature oak-hickory forests, and, as is typical of highland public lands, has numerous hollows, finger ridges, benches and shelves.

Located just 30 minutes from Holly River State Park, the Elk River WMA has long been an important public land resource for central West Virginia bowhunters. Park superintendent Ken McClintic relates that bowhunters will likely enjoy an outing at the WMA.

"The Elk River WMA has a reputation of having a good number of deer as well as some nice bucks," he said. "Although the WMA has a lot of steep sections, it also has a mixture of habitat. The backwaters of Sutton Lake are in the WMA, so there is some bottomland. That bottomland has some openings, too, that draw deer.

"There are also a variety of elevations from the bottomlands to high, steep mountainsides. The Right and Left Forks of the Holly River meet before Sutton Lake, so there is bottomland habitat in that area, too. Some major fields are also along those bottoms. A lot of deer travel down from those ridgetops, through the bottomlands, on their way to reach the river."

After a very solid year in 2002 when bowhunters checked in 58 deer, the Elk River WMA has seen its harvest numbers level off the past few years. From 2003 through 2007, the tallies were 28, 18, 20, 30 and 31, respectively. McClintic stated that the park does not seem to be drawing as many bowhunters as it used to, which may or not mean that hunting traffic is down on the public land.