West Virginia
Mountain State ruggedness, Monongahela National Forest, steep ridge whitetail deer, and historic black bear hound hunting.
Big Game Hunting in West Virginia
Official Regulatory Body
West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR)
White-tailed Deer
The Mountain State is famous for its four southern "bow-only" counties (Wyoming, McDowell, Logan, and Mingo). Closed to firearms deer hunting since 1979, these rugged, roadless mountains produce world-class Pope & Young and Boone & Crockett giant whitetails in deep reclaimed coal hollows.
West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR) manages deer across 55 counties. The northern and central mountains within the Monongahela National Forest offer classic big-woods still-hunting, while the southern bow-only counties challenge archers with steep mountain ascents and high-stake encounters with giant mature bucks.
American Black Bear
The black bear is West Virginia's official state animal, roaming the remote Allegheny mountain ranges in healthy numbers.
WVDNR conducts both archery and firearms seasons, including traditional hound hunting and spot-and-stalk seasons during the November deer gun week. High-elevation oak ridges, cranberry bogs, and wild cherry stands provide prime bear feeding zones.
Wild Boar
West Virginia maintains a unique, free-ranging herd of wild boar in the rugged southern coalfield mountains of Boone, Logan, Raleigh, and Wyoming counties.
Introduced from European stock in 1971, these wary animals live in steep mountain hollows. WVDNR offers lottery and over-the-counter permits for archery and firearms hunts across rugged public WMAs.