Photo by BillKinney.com

By John McCoy

West Virginia's deer hunters are hoping that this year's whitetail season turns out better than last year's - a lot better. While wildlife officials say 2003's total harvest of 208,255 deer was "well within predictions" for the season, hunters noticed only that the harvest fell by 18 percent from the previous year.

Granted, 2002's kill was an all-time record of 255,356. But Mountain State sportsmen are a demanding bunch, and their howls of disappointment at the dropoff spurred West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (DNR) administrators to ease pressure on heavily hunted whitetail populations.

This year's hunting regulations, particularly for antlerless deer, are designed to allow overhunted deer herds to recover a bit while still putting the hammer down on overpopulated areas. Even with the slight decrease in hunting pressure, DNR biologists say hunters shouldn't expect to enjoy another record harvest anytime this year - or anytime soon, for that matter.

"We're in the process of stabilizing the deer population statewide," said Curtis Taylor, chief of the agency's Wildlife Resources Section. "There are still a lot of counties where there are too many deer, and we'll continue to keep liberal harvest regulations in effect for those counties until we reduce the populations to the levels called for in our strategic deer management plan. On the other hand, we're cutting back on hunting in regions where deer numbers have fallen below the levels called for in the plan."

The goal of DNR policy is to level off whitetail harvests in the 200,000 to 250,000 range. When weather and mast conditions combine to create ideal hunting conditions, the kill should spike upward. When conditions are poor, the kill should drop.

Mast was spotty last year. To make matters worse, the rut began late and the weather was downright miserable during the first few days of the buck season. DNR officials blame those conditions for the exceptionally poor harvest, which numbered just 73,128 bucks - roughly 20,000 fewer than expected.

Antlerless deer hunters fared slightly better. Their harvest of 89,065 does and button bucks fell just inside the range biologists had anticipated. The bow kill of 29,790 and the muzzleloader kill of 16,272 also fell within agency expectations.

Fortunately for whitetail hunters, the DNR keeps meticulous records on all deer harvested in the Mountain State. While other states rely on imprecise surveys and estimates to compile their harvest data, West Virginia requires hunters to register every single whitetail taken during the season.

DNR officials then make the information available to the public. Each spring, agency administrators publish the West Virginia Big Game Bulletin, a soft-cover compilation of the previous year's harvest data.

The most revealing page in the entire publication is the table that shows each county's deer kill per square mile of habitat - the higher the number, the better the hunting. It's as simple as that.

Well, not quite.

The kill per square mile tends to skew higher in small counties where there isn't a lot of public hunting land. For instance, tiny Hancock County averages more than 30 deer killed per square mile, a phenomenally high number. But with just 61 square miles of whitetail habitat, Hancock can't accommodate very many hunters.

The key to interpreting the data, then, is to look for counties more than 250 square miles in size where the deer kill per square mile is higher than the statewide average of 9.1. If a county happens to have one or two good-sized tracts of public hunting land, it becomes an even better bet.

Wildlife officials have divided West Virginia into six game-management regions. Each region has one or two counties where hunters' prospects should be especially good this year.

Low, rolling hills and an abundance of hardwood forest habitat create ideal living conditions for whitetails. Not surprisingly, the district-wide average of 14.22 deer killed per square mile is the state's highest.

Several counties boast harvest numbers even higher than that. Most of them, however, are like Hancock County - too small to accommodate many hunters.

That's not the case in Wetzel County, the district's best bet for whitetail success. The county's hunters bagged 15.37 deer per square mile last year. Best bets for public-land sportsmen include the 13,388-acre Lewis Wetzel Wildlife Management Area (WMA) near Jacksonburg, the 2,072-acre Cecil H. Underwood WMA on the border with Marshall County, and the 540-acre Lantz Farm WMA near Jacksonburg.

Monongalia County is another good possibility. In fact, its productivity ratio of 17.26 whitetails per square mile is even higher than Wetzel's. The only factor keeping it from enjoying best-bet status is its relative lack of public hunting land.

The only state-run WMA in this county is the 2,000-acre Snake Hill tract near Dellslow. Perched on the edge of the Cheat River canyon, its rugged slopes offer tough but excellent hunting. A small portion of the 12,698-acre Coopers Rock State Forest also falls within Monongalia's borders.

Most of the Coopers Rock tract, however, stretches into neighboring Preston County, where hunters bagged a nifty 13.97 deer per square mile. Other good public-land possibilities within the county include the 1,057-acre Briery Mountain WMA near Kingwood and a small corner of the Monongahela National Forest's 58,978-acre Blackwater WMA.

Land posting is a problem, too. Most of the Eastern Panhandle is in private ownership. Private hunt clubs own or lease a sizable percentage of the land, and gaining access can be difficult.

Their relative abundance of public hunting property places Hampshire and Hardy counties above the rest of District II. Both counties are large in size, and each is home to more than one good-sized public tract.

Hunters in Hampshire County bagged a creditable 10.49 deer per square mile in 2003. Its top public areas include the 8,875-acre Nathaniel Mountain WMA just east of Romney, the 8,005-acre Short Mountain WMA near Augusta, the 397-acre Edwards Run WMA near Capon Bridge and the 217-acre Fort Mill Ridge WMA southwest of Romney.

Hampshire also harbors a small chunk of the George Washington National Forest's Wardensville WMA southwest of Capon Springs. Most of the 55,327-acre tract, however, stretches into neighboring Hardy County, south and west of Wardensville.

Another fine public possibility within the county is the 1,097-acre South Branch WMA, which straddles the Hardy-Hampshire line near the South Branch River's famous Trough section. The property is composed of four smaller tracts that range in size from 25 to 605 acres, so it's a good idea to learn exactly where each section's boundaries are.

Hardy County's abundance of public land helped its hunters to bag a better-than-average 10.94 deer per square mile last year.

Lewis County is the unquestioned kingpin of deer destinations. Its average of 15.61 deer per square mile is the region's best, and its central location and easy access make it a favorite among hunters from throughout the state.

Lewis' best public-land hunting occurs on the 18,289-acre Stonewall Jackson WMA near Roanoke. The tract's mixture of wooded hillsides and overgrown farms make it a magnet for deer. Camping, cabins and lodge rooms are available nearby at Stonewall Jackson Resort State Park. A word to the wise, though: Campsites must be booked well in advance, and cabin and lodge rates are considerably higher than those in other state parks.

A large portion of the 3,000-acre Stonecoal WMA also lies within Lewis' borders. Like Stonewall, the tract is a consistent whitetail producer.

A small portion of the Stonecoal property juts into Upshur County, the second most productive county in the district. Despite a relative lack of public land, Upshur's hunters bagged a sterling average of 15.06 whitetails per square mile.

Hunters who can't gain permission to hunt on the many farms that dot the landscape should head for the county's southeastern corner, where coal and timber companies control large parcels of property. Some of their lands are rich in deer and haven't yet been posted.

At the top of the plenty-of-deer list is Monroe County. Monroe's hunters killed 11.42 deer per square mile last year, almost double the district-wide average.

The Jefferson National Forest's 18,526-acre Potts Creek WMA surrounds the little town of Waiteville. The tract extends from the ridgeline of Peters Mountain in the north to the ridgeline of Potts Mountain in the south. The Virginia border forms the short sides of the WMA's roughly rectangular shape.

Summers County is the district's other top producer. Hunters bagged 10.26 whitetails per square mile within its borders last year. Many of these deer came from the 18,019-acre Bluestone Lake WMA, one of the state's most productive public hunting lands.

The WMA's topography ranges from flat bottomlands to rolling uplands, steep mountains and sheer cliffs. Its oak-hickory forests provide precisely the sort of food and cover deer tend to prefer.

Wyoming and McDowell counties produce a mere fraction of the deer that Monroe and Summers do, but they make up for in quality whatever they lack in quantity. The DNR has managed Wyoming and McDowell under bowhunting-only regulations since 1979, and the two counties have become the state's leading trophy-buck destinations. Last year, the two counties accounted for nearly half the bow-killed bucks that qualified for membership in the DNR's Big Buck Club.

The 18,000-acre Berwind Lake WMA is McDowell County's largest public-land tract. In Wyoming County, that honor goes to the 17,280-acre R.D. Bailey Lake WMA.

Nestled in a sweeping bend of the Ohio River, Mason County has all the amenities a hunter could possibly hope for - easy access, varied topography, a fine deer herd and plenty of public land. Mason's hunters took advantage of those conditions to the tune of 14.81 whitetails per square mile in 2003.

The county's best public-hunting opportunities exist on the 11,722-acre Chief Cornstalk WMA near Southside.

For trophy-oriented sportsmen, the 3,655-acre McClintic WMA near Point Pleasant is an excellent alternative. For the past two seasons, DNR officials have managed the tract specifically to grow more trophy bucks. All bucks killed on the property must have antler spreads of at least 14 inches in order to be considered legal.

Mason's neighbor to the southeast, Putnam County, is a rising star in West Virginia's pantheon of deer producers. Hunters in the county bagged a fine 10.85 deer per square mile last year. Many of those whitetails came from the 7,061-acre Amherst-Plymouth WMA near Hometown.

Two of District V's counties are among the four counties managed for bowhunting only. Logan and Mingo counties don't yield as many trophies as Wyoming or McDowell, but they still rank among the state's top big-buck producers.

The 12,854-acre Laurel Lake WMA near the little Mingo County town of Lenore comprises the only sizable public hunting land in either of the two counties.

Every one of the district's 10 counties finished ahead of the statewide average. In fact, each one produced at least 11 deer per square mile!

Ritchie County ranked in the middle of the pack at 14.25, but its large size and relative abundance of public hunting land set it slightly above the others.

A sizable chunk of the 10,000-acre Hughes River WMA lies within the county's border. Leased to the DNR by Westvaco Corp., the sprawling property is a patchwork of pine and hardwood stands created by even-aged timber management.

A few miles east of the Hughes River tract lies the 2,300-acre Ritchie Mines WMA. The site of a former asphalt mine, its rugged and wooded terrain is home to a fine deer herd.

With 476 square miles of deer habitat, Jackson County boasts the most elbow room in the district. Its hunters made the most of those square miles by averaging 12.90 whitetails for each and every one of them in 2003.

The 2,735-acre Frozen Camp WMA near Marshall is the county's largest parcel of public land. The 1,700-acre Woodrum WMA near Kentuck is located in much more rugged terrain and is harder to hunt.

Tyler County's hunters killed an amazing 17.26 deer per square mile last year. Only the county's relatively small size keeps it from being a whitetail hunter's dream destination.

The 2,065-acre Jug WMA near Middlebourne is the county's largest public hunting area. The 630-acre Conaway Run WMA is a dependable deer producer, too.

Frankly, there aren't many areas of West Virginia where skilled hunters will have a hard time finding whitetails. Perhaps that's why the state's hunters expect such high harvest numbers from year to year.