Overview
Known For
West Virginia is known for great hunting opportunities for four primary species–whitetail deer, black bear, turkey, and wild boar. For black bear hunting, particularly, West Virginia is known for having the most liberal hunting opportunities in the lower 48 U.S. states and bears have been harvested in 53 of the state’s 55 counties in recent years. The state also recently introduced elk with the hopes of one day offering an elk hunting season.
Terrain
West Virginia’s terrain varies from mountains to river valleys to plateaus. Most of the state lies in the Appalachian mixed mesophytic forests, with its eastern border in the heart of the Appalachian/Blue Ridge Mountains. There are over 1,000 named peaks in West Virginia, and per square mile, the state is officially the most mountainous in the U.S.
West Virginia Hunting Seasons
| Season | Start Date | End Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Bear
See Regulations for more details. |
Sep 2, 2023 | Sep 10, 2023 |
|
|
Bear – Youth 1
Youth/Class Q/QQ/Class XS. Select counties. See regulations for more details.
|
Sep 16, 2023 | Sep 17, 2023 |
|
|
Bear – Archery & Crossbow
See regulations for more details.
|
Sep 30, 2023 | Dec 31, 2023 |
|
|
Bear
See Regulations for more details. |
Oct 7, 2023 | Oct 13, 2023 |
|
|
Bear – Youth 2
Youth, Class Q & XS |
Oct 21, 2023 | Oct 22, 2023 |
|
|
Bear
See Regulations for more details. |
Oct 26, 2023 | Oct 29, 2023 |
|
|
Bear
See Regulations for more details. |
Nov 20, 2023 | Dec 3, 2023 |
|
|
Bear
See Regulations for more details. |
Dec 4, 2023 | Dec 31, 2023 |
|
|
Bobcat
Hunting and Trapping. See regulations for further details.
|
Nov 4, 2023 | Feb 29, 2024 |
|
|
Coyote
No limit.
|
Jan 1, 2023 | Dec 31, 2023 |
|
|
Coyote – Night Hunting
Night-with artificial light/night vision technology. No limit.
|
Jan 1, 2023 | Aug 31, 2023 |
|
|
Deer – Archery & Crossbow
See regulations for more details.
|
Sep 30, 2023 | Dec 31, 2023 |
|
|
Deer – Youth 1
Antlerless only. See regulations for more details.
|
Oct 21, 2023 | Oct 22, 2023 |
|
|
Deer – Antlerless 1
Select counties only. See regulations for details.
|
Oct 26, 2023 | Oct 29, 2023 |
|
|
Deer – Firearm Buck
See regulations for more details.
|
Nov 20, 2023 | Dec 3, 2023 |
|
|
Deer – Antlerless 2
Select counties only. See regulations for details.
|
Nov 20, 2023 | Dec 3, 2023 |
|
|
Deer – Antlerless 3
Select counties only. See regulations for details.
|
Dec 7, 2023 | Dec 10, 2023 |
|
|
Deer – Muzzleloader
See regulations for more details.
|
Dec 11, 2023 | Dec 17, 2023 |
|
|
Deer – Youth 2
Antlerless only. See regulations for more details.
|
Dec 26, 2023 | Dec 27, 2023 |
|
|
Deer – Antlerless 4
Select counties only. See regulations for details.
|
Dec 28, 2023 | Dec 31, 2023 |
|
|
Deer – Winter
See regulations for details on bear and deer winter season.
|
Jan 11, 2024 | Jan 14, 2024 |
|
|
Dove – Late
|
Dec 19, 2022 | Jan 24, 2023 |
|
|
Duck – Youth 1
See regulations for more details.
|
Sep 17, 2022 | Sep 17, 2022 |
|
|
Duck – Late
See regulations for more details.
|
Dec 23, 2022 | Jan 31, 2023 |
|
|
Fox – Red and Gray Fox
Hunting and Trapping
|
Nov 4, 2023 | Feb 29, 2024 |
|
|
Fox – Night Hunting
Red and Gray Fox. Hunting at night with artificial light/night vision
technology. No limit.
|
Jan 1, 2024 | Feb 29, 2024 |
|
|
Goose – Canada Goose (Early)
See regulations for more details.
|
Sep 1, 2022 | Sep 11, 2022 |
|
|
Goose – Youth 1
See regulations for more details.
|
Sep 17, 2022 | Sep 17, 2022 |
|
|
Goose – Canada & White-fronted (Late)
See regulations for more details.
|
Dec 4, 2022 | Jan 31, 2023 |
|
|
Goose – Light Goose (Late)
Blue and snow goose. See regulations for more details.
|
Dec 4, 2022 | Jan 31, 2023 |
|
|
Goose – Brant
See regulations for more details.
|
Dec 13, 2022 | Jan 31, 2023 |
|
|
Ruffed Grouse
|
Oct 14, 2023 | Feb 29, 2024 |
|
|
Wild Boar – Early Archery & Crossbow
See regulations for more details.
|
Sep 30, 2023 | Dec 31, 2032 |
|
|
Wild Boar – Early Gun
See regulations for more details.
|
Oct 28, 2023 | Nov 4, 2023 |
|
|
Wild Boar – Late Gun
See regulations for more details.
|
Feb 2, 2024 | Feb 4, 2024 |
|
|
Wild Boar – Late Archery & Crossbow
See regulations for more details.
|
Feb 2, 2024 | Feb 4, 2024 |
|
|
Pheasant – Regular
Roosters only.
|
Nov 4, 2023 | Jan 6, 2024 |
|
|
Pheasant – Hillcrest WMA
Roosters only.
|
Nov 11, 2023 | Dec 2, 2023 |
|
|
Bobwhite Quail
Closed to hunting on Tomblin WMA.
|
Nov 4, 2023 | Jan 6, 2024 |
|
|
Rabbit – Cottontail
|
Nov 4, 2023 | Feb 29, 2024 |
|
|
Rabbit – Snowshoe Hare or Varying Hare
|
Nov 4, 2023 | Feb 29, 2024 |
|
|
Turkey – Fall 1
Select counties only. See regulations.
|
Oct 14, 2023 | Oct 22, 2023 |
|
|
Turkey – Fall 2
Select counties only. See regulations.
|
Oct 30, 2023 | Nov 5, 2023 |
|
|
Turkey – Fall 3
Split season, select counties only. See regulations: https://wvdnr.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/2022.07.01-DNR_HuntingTrapping_Regulations.pdf
|
Oct 30, 2023 | Nov 19, 2023 |
|
|
Turkey – Spring Youth
See regulations for details.
|
Apr 13, 2024 | Apr 14, 2024 |
|
|
Turkey – Spring
Bearded turkeys only. See regulations for details.
|
Apr 15, 2024 | May 19, 2024 |
West Virginia Licenses, Permits, and Regulations
West Virginia hunting licenses, permits, and regulations for resident and non-resident hunters can be purchased on the official website of the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources. Click below to view the website.
Hunting GPS Maps
Every West Virginia hunter should have hunting GPS maps on hand. West Virginia hunting maps are available from onX Hunt. With a paid membership you can access Satellite, Topo, or Hybrid Basemaps, over which you can view maps of hunt zones, along with State, Forest Service, and other public and private property boundaries. You can view trails and roads, and even download maps to the Hunt App for use offline. Click below to get onX Hunt for West Virginia.
Hunt Zones
West Virginia’s hunt zones are part of the state’s management of 96 wildlife management areas (WMAs), which are inside six different districts. Each hunt zone has different rules, regulations, and bag limits for different species. Click below to view West Virginia’s hunt zones in more detail through an interactive map.
Hunting Layers
WV Private Lands
Over 1,000,000 parcels mapped by the onX team, this layer shows property owners in West Virginia. Tap any parcel to learn more info about the owner and acreage.
WV Gov Lands
onX has the most accurate public lands maps with over 1,700,000 acres in West Virginia to help you plan your next adventure. Tap any public land parcel to learn more.
WV Game Mgmt Units
West Virginia Game Management Units
Includes 7 Sublayers
- WV Antlerless Deer Hunt Zones
- Whitetail Deer Muzzleloader Hunt Zone
- Whitetail Deer Firearm Hunt Zone
- Archery Whitetail Deer Hunt Area
- Boar Hunt Zone
- Fall Turkey Hunt Zone
- Bear Hunt Zones
WV Possible Access
onX has mapped 580,000 acres of possible access lands in West Virginia including timber and land conservation groups. Research rules on these private lands before recreating.
The #1 GPS Hunting App
- 975 million acres of public land
- 10,668 unique hunting units
- 421 map overlays and counting
- 5,000 game wardens approve