West Virginia Hunters Harvest 131,444 Deer in 2012

West Virginia Hunters Harvest 131,444 Deer in 2012



SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Preliminary counts of game checking tags indicate West Virginia hunters harvested a total of 131,444 white-tailed deer during the recently completed bucks-only, antlerless, muzzleloader, archery and youth/Class Q/Class XS deer seasons, according to Division of Natural Resources Director Frank Jezioro. This year’s total harvest was three percent below the 2011 deer harvest of 135,696. A total of 56,658 bucks, 45,169 antlerless season deer, 24,571 bow-killed deer and 5,046 muzzleloader season deer were taken during the 2012 season.

Antlerless Deer Season

The 2012 antlerless deer season, which includes the youth/Class Q/Class XS deer season, was 12 percent above 2011 and one and one-half percent below the five-year average of 45,845. “It is important to note that the antlerless harvest is the key component to any deer management strategy, as it controls the future deer population,” said Jezioro. “Many counties had liberalized antlerless hunting seasons in 2012, including 10 counties that required hunters to harvest an antlerless deer before harvesting a second buck with a gun or bow, and a new October antlerless firearms season in all open counties. These modifications to the antlerless season structure led to an increase in the harvest and will ensure that deer populations do not exceed management objectives.” The top 10 counties are: Preston (2,343), Mason (2,026), Jackson (1,759), Wood (1,608), Lewis (1,575), Upshur (1,569), Harrison (1,511), Ritchie (1,391), Monongalia (1,340) and Randolph (1,325).

Muzzleloader Deer Season

The 2012 muzzleloader harvest of 5,046 was 36 percent less than the 2011 harvest of 7,873 and was 37 percent below the five-year average of 7,969. “A change in season dates and an above-average acorn crop contributed to the decline in the muzzleloader harvest,” Jezioro said. The top 10 counties are: Preston (237), Randolph (230), Nicholas (219), Braxton (216), Webster (203), Jackson (173), Fayette (170), Upshur (160), Lewis (157) and Mason (147).

Archery Deer Season

The bow hunters take of 24,571 deer was 10 percent below the 2011 harvest of 27,404, 10 percent below the five-year average harvest of 27,339. Archery harvests are directly correlated to hard mast crops, and the above average acorn crop was the primary factor for the lower harvest in 2012. The top 10 counties are: Preston (1,089), Kanawha (863), Raleigh (796), Randolph (791), Monongalia (769), Wyoming (765), Logan (739), Greenbrier (727), Fayette (707) and Nicholas (693).

[Editors: Please note a summary table of the 2012 West Virginia deer harvest by season follows.]

**DNR**






2012 WEST VIRGINIA DEER HARVEST










County


Buck Gun


Antlerless


Muzzleloader


Archery


Total




Barbour


1185


882


136


368


2571




Brooke


407


592


48


310


1357




Hancock


325


488


69


434


1316




Harrison


1383


1511


139


636


3669




Marion


1094


1132


84


472


2782




Marshall


1302


1315


109


377


3103




Monongalia


1302


1340


103


769


3514




Ohio


453


480


40


303


1276




Preston


2132


2343


237


1089


5801




Taylor


682


754


64


281


1781




Tucker


639


456


83


294


1472




Wetzel


1500


1152


135


287


3074




Dist. I Subtotal


12,404


12,445


1,247


5,620


31,716




Berkeley


690


655


57


386


1788




Grant


1312


701


69


299


2381




Hampshire


1583


1117


72


228


3000




Hardy


1447


1077


77


193


2794




Jefferson


530


458


41


302


1331




Mineral


1190


1016


96


275


2577




Morgan


604


479


40


138


1261




Pendleton


1401


728


66


245


2440




Dist. II Subtotal


8,757


6,231


518


2,066


17,572




Braxton


1405


1267


216


399


3287




Clay


557


147


36


226


966




Lewis


1368


1575


157


367


3467




Nicholas


1219


594


219


693


2725




Pocahontas


1157


357


65


315


1894




Randolph


1794


1325


230


791


4140




Upshur


1285


1569


160


461


3475




Webster


819


503


203


510


2035




Dist. III Subtotal


9,604


7,337


1,286


3,762


21,989




Fayette


1005


419


170


707


2301




Greenbrier


1925


834


93


727


3579




McDowell


0


0


0


560


560




Mercer


693


71


27


578


1369




Monroe


1563


961


119


499


3142




Raleigh


748


130


14


796


1688




Summers


1086


1169


112


519


2886




Wyoming


0


0


0


765


765




Dist. IV Subtotal


7,020


3,584


535


5,151


16,290




Boone


903


89


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