In the dog days of summer, west virginias hunters start thinking toward the weeks ahead. One of the antlered deer must have at least 4 points, one inch or longer, on one side of the antlers. Wild boar seasons will be split, with the second portion for gun, archery and crossbow to be held feb. Virginia hunting seasons take place throughout the year in the beautiful appalachian mountains. West virginia season opener public land archery hunt. The official west virginia dnr els electronic licensing. A breakdown of the combined 201920 deer seasons reveals 36,472 bucks. Archery, crossbow seasons are approaching sports register. See the hunting regulations for additional information. West virginia hunters harvest 3,099 black bears in 2019 woaytv. The wild boar archery and crossbow seasons are open in boone, logan, raleigh and wyoming counties. Hd mediawest virginias 2018 archery and crossbow seasons for whitetailed deer, black bear and wild boar will open saturday, sept. West virginias 2019 archery and crossbow seasons for whitetailed deer, black bear and wild boar will open sept. Official site of the west virginia division of natural resources els for wv state parks and wv hunting and fishing.
December 31, 2014, to incorporated cities, towns, villages and incorporated homeowner associations. Crossbows finally legal for deer hunting in wv the. From the wv department of natural resources south charleston west virginias 2018 archery and crossbow seasons for whitetailed deer, black bear and wild boar will open saturday, sept. Archery seasons for bear, boar, and deer open sept. The wild boar archery and crossbow season is a split season, with the first segment also from sept. Other exotic animals you can hunt with your crossbow include elk, russian boar, aoudad sheep and other ungulates introduced by private land owners. Bow season opens for deer hunters saturday across west virginia and for the 1st time any hunter can take aim with a powerful crossbow. Virginia has the perfect combination of beautiful scenery, american history, and southern charm to compliment an exciting hunting season. Wild boar archery and crossbow september 28 december 31 split season february 7 february 9. Seasons and bag limits for license year july 1, 2021june 30, 2022 will be proposed at the january 2021 meeting of the board of game commissioners.
Shop a great selection of crossbows from trusted brands like barnett, tenpoint, ravin and more. Now that crossbow seasons have been established for all of west virginias biggame animals. West virginia hunting seasons, 20192020 hunting season hq. Compound crossbows are the most advanced type of crossbow, using a camandcable system to bend the limbs and store up substantial power in a compact package. Bow and crossbow hunting is prohibited on bright mccausland homestead wildlife management area. While hunting with one of these used to only be allowed with a classy permit, which is for hunters with certain physical.
No special crossbow hunting license is required and you only need the regular bow hunting license and youre good to go. Archery season actually ends on december 31st here in wv. Further, the director shall designate a separate season for crossbow hunting and identify which species of wildlife may be hunted with a crossbow. There are essentially two types of crossbows available at dicks. Deer archery and crossbow seasons west virginia division. Aug 08, 2019 so they have passed a law in wv where we can use a crossbow during all of our archery season, i finally jumped on the wagon and bought a excalibur matrix 380 with a bull pup stock off ebay the bow shoots awesome, but me being a avid compound bow hunter all my life, any advice for my excalibur would be much appreciated. To implement the hunt, homeowner associations must submit a written request to the director by march 1. Official site of the west virginia division of natural resources, wv state parks, and wv hunting and fishing license. This buck jumped string and almost did a belly flop. To hunt the february wild boar season, hunters will need a 2019 hunting license. Aptly named the mountain state, west virginia gives hunters the opportunity to hunt in majestic solitude while pursuing deer, bear, turkey and small game.
Licensed deer hunters may carry one blunt or judo tipped arrow to hunt the open portion of the small game season during the archery deer season. The west virginia state legislature took action earlier this year to legalize the use of crossbows during big game firearms seasons. Middle mountain sporting goods is the best source in the elkins, wv area for all of your hunting, fishing, camping and sporting good equipment. West virginias archery and crossbow seasons to open on. At the same time the commissioners voted to split several seasons, they voted to consolidate the states archery and crossbow season for black bears. Dnr customer service toll free 1888wdnrinfo 18889367463. The wild boar archery and crossbow seasons are open in. Deer archery and crossbow seasons 26 west virginia hunting and trapping daily bag limit. Read more 6082662621 west virginia crossbows are legal for all hunters in the full archery season for deer, bear and turkey. Photo courtesy of the west virginia department of commerce. Crossbows may also be used during the regular firearms seasons. South carolina legal archery means a longbow, recurve bow, compound bow or crossbow 5011565. You can hunt them with a valid texas license and the landowners permission.
May 09, 2018 wv s 2018 hunting season will extend into 2019 by john mccoy. Make sure you check when the season starts and ends and look for any restrictions that. The first segments will follow the usual format an archeryandcrossbow season from sept. Anyone who is 10 years old or older can hunt with a crossbow during any season when a firearm is allowed, for big game or small game, except that hunters in the upper peninsula may not use a crossbow during the dec. As an additional exception, if youre a class yyy holder, you are allowed to hunt with a crossbow in these counties as well. I have already scored, jerod scored in the last video november 4, and alvin gets it done on the last day of our bow season. February 16, 2012 proposal aims to allow crossbows for hunting by mannix porterfieldregisterherald reporter the registerheraldthu feb 16, 2012, 12. This weekend is much cooler than the opening day, almost 20 degrees cooler. This buck came in on a flextone grunt fast and hard.
Crossbows may legally be used to hunt during the firearm and archery seasons. West virginia is the latest state to acknowledge that crossbow hunting is just like hunting with any vertical bow. Species opening date closing date daily bag limit possession limit season limit. Virginia hunting seasons, 20192020 hunting season hq. The wild boar archery and crossbow seasons are open in boone, logan, raleigh, and wyoming counties. Here we are again, it is october 5th, the 2nd weekend of the 20192020 wv archery season. In these counties, crossbows can only be used by holders of class yyy permits.
The state has eliminated the handicapped regulations for the use of a crossbow in their deer season. Sep 11, 2019 west virginias 2019 archery and crossbow seasons for whitetailed deer, black bear and wild boar will open sept. Make sure to check out our list of top 5 recommended crossbows for hunting in the usa if youre looking to get started. It is legal to hunt waterfowl during this period on lakes, rivers, and waterways during the open waterfowl season and to hunt bear in specified counties. Extended archery bibb, chatham, clarke, clayton, cobb, dekalb. Half bow and half gun, the crossbow gives you the best of both worlds. They also instructed the division of natural resources to establish a separate crossbow hunting season and identify those game species that could be hunted during this crossbow season. Crossbow regulations north american crossbow federation. The black bear harvest of 2019 is the thirdhighest bear kill ever recorded.
Crossbow laws and regulations are crossbows legal in my. Crossbows finally legal for deer hunting in wv the hunting page. One for archery and one for firearmssold separately must be accompanied by a class a, al, abl, x, xs, or xj license. They also instructed the division of natural resources to establish a separate crossbow hunting season and identify those game species that could be.
No more than 10 may be antlerless and no more than 2 may be antlered. The legislation did not require a crossbow license. Starting with the first day of archery season and lasting until the end of the year, it is now legal to use a crossbow for hunting purposes in wv. The wild boar archery and firearm seasons will be split into two parts. The first part of the firearm season will run from oct. Legal for physically challenged hunters during archery season. West virginias archery and crossbow seasons set to open. Virginias combined 70,000 bow and crossbow hunters represent less than 30 percent of total deer hunters and harvest about 10 percent of the states deer annually. Last fall donny baisden scouted and hunted and shot this awesome unicorn buck in logan west virginia. Individuals hunting in an area within a deer reduction zone may take a buck if hunting under regular deer hunting season license, and are not required to take a doe first. Previously, crossbows were only allowed for hunters with disabilities.
Bucks of this caliber have been coming out of not only logan but also wingo, mcdowell and wyoming counties for the last 40 years. Everything you need to plan your hunting trips, from maps to regulations and beyond. West virginia archery and crossbow season kicks off on saturday. Below are the seasons and bag limits for most hunting and trapping seasons for from july 1, 2019 through june 30, 2020. Us crossbow regulations select a stateprovince from the map to see regulations related to it. Fall wild turkey season dates and open counties have changed.
Despite being a smaller state, west virginia is home to more than 350,000. Archery and crossbow seasons for whitetailed deer, black bear and wild boar will open on saturday, september 28 and run through december 31, according to west virginia dnr director stephen mcdaniel. West virginia season opener public land archery hunt youtube. The prediction held true for both the bowcrossbow and december seasons and the overall harvest was much higher than 2018, carpenter said. Mingo, logan, wyoming and mcdowell is still illegal however. Therefore hunters choosing to use a crossbow will only need the necessary license required. Oct 10, 2019 opening day of the 2019 wv archery hunt with the ravin r9 crossbow. Sep 27, 2018 photo courtesy of the west virginia department of commerce.
In the past, bowhunters were prohibited from hunting bears during the firearm season for buck deer. West virginias archery and crossbow seasons open sept. Some changes to 201819 wv hunting regulations sports. Yes, any legal equipment can be used for the seasons that the bundle can be used. Interest in archery and crossbow hunting continues to be very strong and west virginia provides an incredible opportunity for our state. Sunday hunting is legal on public lands throughout west virginia. The pioneer airbow is an allnew category of big game weapon featuring full length arrows and full weight broadheads, all driven by air. Dnr answers questions about crossbow season outdoor. Its legal to hunt feral hogs any time of day or night with your crossbow, and hunting season never closes. The wild boar archery and crossbow season is a split season. To implement the hunt, homeowner associations must submit a written request to the director by march 1 of the hunt year. Hunting with a crossbow in the following four counties.
Crossbows are legal in west virginia during archery seasons. West virginia dnr deer archery regulations fact sheet. Crossbow regulations in virginia crossbows may legally be used to hunt during the firearm and archery seasons. With crossbows now legal for nonhandicapped hunters during west virginias biggame firearm and archery seasons, state wildlife officials have developed a fact sheet that answers hunters. For more information on hunting regulations, hunters should consult the 20182019 west virginia hunting and trapping regulations summary available at dnr offices, license agents, or on the wvdnr website. Deer of either sex may be taken full season during the muzzleloader seasons within the incorporated limits of any city or town in the commonwealth that allows muzzleloading deer hunting except in the cities of chesapeake, suffolk, and virginia beach and only with the weapons archery tackle andor muzzleloaders authorized by each individual. Had two does, 14 turkeys, gray and fox squirrels, and red tail hawk all right down in front near the feeder. Based on benjamins proven americanmade pcp platform, the pioneer can be cocked with two fingers and decocked just as easily, fires 8 shots in the same amount of time it takes to fire three from a crossbow, all at a blazing 450 fps. Hunt anything except deer in all counties having an antlered deer season during the first 3 days of this season.
West virginias archery and crossbow seasons for bear, boar, and whitetailed deer opens saturday, sept. Jan 29, 2020 south charleston, wv woay hunters in west virginia harvested 3,099 black bears during the combined 2019 archery and firearms seasons. Archery and crossbow hunting for antlered and antlerless deer is legal during the buck firearms season subject to all archery and crossbow. If you find a better price on a crossbow from another qualifying retailer, well match it with our best price. Contact information for information on hunting season dates and deadlines, contact.
Wild boar gun october 26 november 2 1 split season february 7 february 9. Feb 11, 2020 the bow and crossbow harvest, which doesnt include 29 recurve and longbow deer harvested in the mountaineer heritage season, was 11 percent more than the 2018 harvest season of over 26,6 and 10. This season, which may be implemented within incorporated limits of a city, town or village, opens 21 days prior to the opening of the statewide deer archery season and closes on the last day in december. West virginia dnr releases final whitetail harvest. Commissioners also approved the dnrs proposal to split the states existing archeryand crossbow season for urban deer into two. Cooper and craig take on the public land hills of west virginia on opening day. The preliminary harvest for the combined 2019 seasons is 19% above the 2,606 bears killed in 2018. The muzzleloader deer season dates have changed, and the season will run december 1016.
The wild boar archery and crossbow season is split, with the first segment also from sept. Take your hunt to the next level with a powerful, dependable crossbow from dicks sporting goods. The opening of buck season is upon us sports columns register. The following is a quick guide to crossbow hunting regulations in west virginia. Crossbow hunting regulations and laws in west virginia. West virginias 2018 archery and crossbow seasons for whitetailed deer, black bear and wild boar will open saturday, sept.
A special archery deer hunting season is available between september 6. West virginias 4 archeryonly deer counties big deer. December 31 three deer may be taken with a bow or crossbow during the archery and crossbow seasons. Interest in archery and crossbow hunting continues to be very strong and west virginia provides an incredible opportunity for our state hunters, and those from outside of west virginia, to. Wvs 2018 hunting season will extend into 2019 news. In the early 1970s whitetails were scarce, almost nonexistent, in southern west. West virginia offers several big game hunting seasons through the beautiful appalachian mountains. Sep 18, 20 west virginia is the latest state to acknowledge that crossbow hunting is just like hunting with any vertical bow. The black bear archery and crossbow season, which used to be split to avoid.