Combined with the existing rifle season, Virginia’s public land deer (living on that previously decried marginal habitat) – now endure a full month of rifle hunting under the most liberal bag limit (up to 5 deer) the state has ever seen. Latest. Early-season hunts have a few other drawbacks. Pre-rut hunting pressure going back to the first days of the early archery season can push even the most rut-crazed bucks into hiding. Contributors to this thread: Archer Fanatic 17-Sep-14. Say you only have one precious week’s vacation this fall, and you plan to cash it in chasing whitetails. Which is why evaluating the wind's strength and direction is vital when determining the best hunting times. Deer thrive in both habitats. Deer can be found nearly everywhere in West Virginia, and that’s both good and bad for hunters. Normally, however, Schearer avoids hunting mornings during the early season. Deer Management Association, biologists determined that whitetail deer breeding activity peaks during the same Best Deer Hunting Times - Deer Hunting Calendar November 2020, Please enter a valid Canadian or US Zip/Postal Code. Comments on this site are submitted by users and are not endorsed by nor do they reflect the views or opinions of COLE Publishing, Inc. Canadian Postal codes need to have a space in them like A2A 0A1. “Walking into an area in the morning can bump the deer you are trying to hunt. It’s not, of course. Hunting land & best counties for deer West Virginia. They might be more concerned about making money than putting their clients on deer.”. Most West Virginians think of Monroe County as farm country, and they’re right. Hunters kill most of Ritchie’s deer on private property, but there are public-land opportunities as well: the 2,300-acre Ritchie Mines WMA, part of the 967-acre Sand Hill WMA, and part of the 10,000-acre Hughes River WMA. www.solunarforecast.com
We kill bucks that we’ve never seen on our trail cameras all season, so even if a few of the bucks on our 4,000 acres get killed by my hunters, there’s a good chance new bucks will show up,” he says. Find the does and you’ve automatically put yourself at an advantage. Sincerely, due to increased deer movement during the best hunting hours. That means your mid-season hunt might fall in that post-rut lull, the period when bucks are hunkered down as they rebuild their strength. “Some outfitters will stack up their hunters during the rut because that’s when everyone wants to hunt. feeding Left unchecked, there is absolutely no reason to believe this trend will ever change. Schedule accordingly so you're in the woods during the best time to deer hunt. Identifying the counties where the most deer are killed is tricky. Planting forage for deer is a popular activity among many hunters and landowners in Virginia. As he and his son proved last season, morning hunts can be productive, but only under specific conditions. Even that approach has its problems, though. Other hunters have filled their tag or their freezer and are done for the year. Once I figure that out, I’ll hunt them in the evening,” explains Schearer. as a hobby to learn more about web development. Most states (minus the southwestern United States) contain plentiful Whitetails. Braxton’s two public tracts offer an abundance of elbow room — 18,225 acres at the Elk River WMA and 12,579 acres at the Burnsville Lake WMA. When “You just never know. It’s not the lights-out deer producer it used to be, but Mason County still ranks as one of the state’s best bets for whitetail action. All of that information can be found on the Division of Natural Resources’ website, www.wvdnr.gov, in the annual Big Game Bulletin and in the agency’s list of state-managed wildlife management areas. A buck that runs fearless across your property is also wandering across your neighbor’s property. Using solunar data is only one factor in deer hunting success. Their late-winter survival depends on a steady diet of foods loaded with carbohydrates. Bow season, early muzzleloader season and one or more weeks of gun season can put a dent in the deer population. However, for most game management officials there really is no mystery. “It’s certainly difficult to settle on one period of the hunting season,” admits Schearer. Fishing. Quality We are reprinting it here to provide the background for the problem. It’s been a consistent whitetail producer since the early 1990s, at times a spectacular one. You’ll have to brave the cold, though. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.. Clear skies. Mornings tend to be a little more comfortable, but even they have a drawback. Plan ahead and get out there during the right time of day to increase your chances of success. Tiny counties usually have disproportionately high kills per square mile, but can’t accommodate many hunters. (Available at: https://www.dgif.virginia.gov/wildlife/deer/management-plan/virginia-deer-management-plan.pdf.) Generally speaking, every state’s deer season can be broken into three segments: early, middle and late. The charts will forecast deer activity and show you the best days and times to hunt deer. I am an avid deer hunter from South Carolina and I started this web Days when a major or minor feeding time occurs close to sunrise or sunset will have a higher rating. That way, I get a good idea of their preferred routes to and from a feed field. Thank you for visiting Deer Feeding Chart. So the answer to the reporter’s question is simple. This site will allow you quick and easy access to hunting and fishing licenses, regulations and other important information about outdoor recreation in West Virginia. Thank you for Reading! Or just read on. The decline began in 1996 and despite a brief upsurge in the overall harvest between 1999 and 2001, it has continued ever since. The stump-sitters, the guys who hunt more for the fun of deer camp than the thrill of the actual hunt, have thrown in the towel. But don’t take my word for it. But don’t take my word for it. Good deer hunting can be found in many parts of West Virginia, but the best whitetail-producing counties share a common set of characteristics — plenty of deer… Both of Mason’s major public areas are popular whitetail-hunting spots — the 11,772-acre Chief Cornstalk WMA near Southside and the 3,655-acre McClintic WMA north of Point Pleasant. Antler-restriction regulations are in effect at McClintic; bucks taken must have antlers at least as wide as their outspread ears. Even better, rutting bucks could appear at any hour. sundaynwv 18-Sep-14. The true best-bet counties have the highest deer kills per square mile, enough area to accommodate plenty of hunters, and enough public land to allow people from outside the area to get in on the fun. That popularity is one more drawback, says Chris McClellan, owner of Sailors Creek Outfitters in southern Virginia. Winds light and variable. near The rest? Food plots are valuable for attracting deer, turkeys, rabbits, and other wildlife to specific areas for hunting or viewing, but they do not substitute for management activities that improve habitat over large areas. Major About half of the 12,747-acre Coopers Rock State Forest lies within Preston’s borders, as does most of the rugged 3,092-acre Snake Hill WMA. Guns. This theory was said to be used by hunters and fishermen long before Knight’s theory was published and is still widely accepted and adopted today. Find the hot food source and you can have those deer to yourself. As that same game management official indicated in the Richmond Times interview, in order to increase interest (and therefore revenue) the Department scheduled the new season right in the heart of the breeding season, or the November “rut.”
He admits that it’s all but impossible to pattern mature deer, but that’s the beauty of the rut. The other drawback to hunting the mid-season? “I prefer to watch deer in the morning and hunt them in the evening in September and October. Things certainly quiet down toward the tail end of the season. However, it’s by far the most popular time to be in the woods. Reach John McCoy at johnmccoy@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-1231 or follow @GazMailOutdoors on Twitter. Schearer, who is also the media relations director for CVA, says everything has to be just right for a productive morning hunt. You’ll not only be hunting smarter deer this time of year, but also you’ll be hunting fewer deer. Once I figure that out, I’ll hunt them in the evening,” explains Schearer. You can almost set your watch by early-season whitetail travel patterns. They don’t need to travel because they have plenty of food just a few steps away from their beds. You have permission to edit this article. Unseasonably warm weather can also temper rut activity. when Each year more than 350,000 hunters take to West Virginia's woods in search of some sort of quarry. Days when deer
For some of us, that might be an outfitted hunt at a fabled deer destination like Illinois, Kansas or Texas. Early-season hunting has its perks. However, as you get closer to “the rut” or the theorized peak-week for hunters, activity increases drastically. who have provided the data for the Solunar Calendars we use on our site. rut. of the whitetail They live under a false sense of security that comes with eight months without a hunter in the woods. If you don't want to bring your iPad into the bathroom, we can send you a magazine subscription for free! modern and mobile friendly website for solunar feeding times. A week’s vacation means one thing to serious deer hunters: seven straight days in the deer woods. Deer hunters agree that the moon and sun have a higher rating like humans they. Creek Outfitters in southern Virginia numbers are easy enough to find, but they aren t... Professor at West Virginia, and only if there are new matching.... 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