West Virginia

Mountain State ruggedness, Monongahela National Forest, steep ridge whitetail deer, and historic black bear hound hunting.

West Virginia - The Mountain State & Monongahela Ridge Country

West Virginia offers outstanding sportspeople opportunities, rich wildlife habitats, and extensive public land access. From trophy big game hunting to abundant upland bird coverts and waterfowl flyways, West Virginia provides a premier destination for hunters of all experience levels.

West Virginia Black Bear in Monongahela Mountain Hardwoods

Managed under strict wildlife conservation guidelines by the state department of natural resources, hunting in West Virginia contributes directly to habitat preservation and healthy game populations across the state.

West Virginia Mountain Whitetail Buck on Oak Ridge

Top Hunting Attractions in West Virginia

Discover the premier wildlife management areas, big game habitats, and renowned wingshooting regions across West Virginia.

Southern Archery-Only Trophy Counties

Logan, Mingo, Wyoming, and McDowell counties—prohibiting firearms for decades and producing monster world-record archery whitetail bucks.

Monongahela National Forest High Alleghenies

Over 900,000 public acres of rugged mountain timber, cranberry bogs, and spruce ridges offering wilderness whitetail, bear, and grouse hunting.

Appalachian Mountain Black Bear Traditions

Traditional hound hunting and archery spot-and-stalk seasons in mature oak and black cherry ridges with thriving bear populations.

Potomac Highlands Spring Wild Turkey

Steep hardwood hollows and logging road benches providing world-class spring gobbler hunting over diaphragm and slate calls.

Hunting Benefits

Mountain State Public Lands: Over 1.4 million acres across Monongahela National Forest and WMAs.

Rugged Black Bear Hunting: Top Eastern state for mountain black bear tracking and hound hunts.

Southern Archery-Only Counties: Coalfield counties managed for mature trophy white-tailed deer.

Wild Boar Seasons: Unique wild boar hunting seasons in select southern counties.

Spring Gobbler Acoustics: Vocal spring wild turkey hunting across steep mountain hollers.

Hunter's Bottom Line

Summary

West Virginia is the 'Mountain State,' featuring some of the steepest, most rugged, and most beautiful hardwood forest terrain in North America. With near-total forest canopy coverage, it is an authentic big woods hunter's paradise.

The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR) offers over-the-counter licenses for both residents and non-residents. Southern West Virginia's four archery-only counties (Logan, McDowell, Mingo, and Wyoming) are world-famous for producing massive Pope & Young and Boone & Crockett whitetails on public and leased mining lands.

The traditional two-week buck firearm season opens the Monday before Thanksgiving. Scent-checking oak ridge saddles, hemlock thickets, and laurel creek bottoms where mountain bucks cruise for receptive does produces peak action.

Black bear hunting has expanded statewide, with early archery seasons, specialized hound-hunting seasons, and December concurrent seasons during the antlerless deer hunt.