Going to northeast WV during Thanksgiving Holidays to deer hunt. Never been,& have a million questions: type terrain, quality of herd, etc. etc. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

I am originally from WV, about 40 miles N of Charleston. My brother still lives there. What questions do you have? If I can't answer them, I'll try to get him on here to answer. May be hard to do as hunting season started there yesterday.

Jim

Can't comment on the herd. The terrain is very hilly. There will be lots of hardwoods and mountain laurel. Northeast WV would but around New Martinsville or maybe a little west of there. Even further west is Coopers Rock State park which has some pretty desolate areas for the east coast.

[ 11-26-2002, 18:57: Message edited by: twillis ]

thmpr
I was out near Petersburg this year "fishing" and saw deer all over the place!!
The area is Moutains and rivers and very buatifull to look at.
The deer I saw were very nice and saw a few nice racks .
I'm goint to try to get out there soon too .
Have a great time

Turtle

Hey thmpr, I'd recommend you try your best to rely upon the information you will receive from the guys you will be hunting with. They can give you the straight scoop on what you need for that specific area.

If you are hunting alone, first off, wear comfortable boots that provide excellent ankle support. If you don't have them - don't go until you get a pair. Take 1-2 extra pair of socks along in the woods. Changing to fresh socks really refreshes your feet. Put the "used" socks in a ZipLock bag to hold the smell in.

Layer your clothes so you can start out with just a few on and add them once you get on your Stand and begin to cool.

Carry some water. Climbing those mountains will require that you rehydrate often. DO NOT forget to take in a swallow or two every 20-30min.

Carry a small compass, a bit heavier than normal fixed blade knife(or a light knife and a small roll-up wire-style saw with the rings on each end) and some matches(some butane lighters don't work in the cold).

A reflective stainless mirror with a hole in the middle about the size of a Credit Card weighs nothing and is an excellent survival tool to "flash" an airplane.

One ultra-lightweight reflective Space Blanket.

If you have a "light" rifle, this is the place to take it. Tape the muzzle closed. I also like a small cleaning rod left in the truck, just in case.

There is an old joke(?) about carring 15'-20' of rope to "tie yourself" to a tree so you don't fall off the side of the mountain. Makes a good Deer Drag too. Pulling a Deer, Hog or Bear through the mountains "without" a piece of rope would strain Superman.

Tell someone local to the area where you plan to be hunting. Tell them you will check with them when you come out.

...

Let us know how well you do!

[ 11-27-2002, 05:52: Message edited by: Hot Core ]

I live in WV. Own abt 80 acres north of Charleston. Did not hunt much for the first 20 years I lived here because of a high intensity schedule at work. The company I worked for was acquired by Dow Chemical and a great many of us were retired early.

Finally have plenty of time to hunt.

Have used that time the last two seasons.

Deer herd is now larger than ever ... with some quite good specimens. Size can go upwards of 200 to 250 pounds.

Hunted in Putnam County the last two days on private land. Talked to the fella at the local game checking station. First deer checked opening day (yesterday for gun season) was a 21 pointer. Biggest I've heard of.

Gun buck season is two weeks ... you can get an extra ticket. Doe season is a week. ML season is an additional week. On private land Buck season is also an additional doe season in most counties (except in the coal fields in the southern part of the state.)

Mast this year is localized and variable. When it's good, it's very good. Otherwise, seems a little sparse.

Good hunting near persimmon and apple trees.

Land is hilly. Forest is mixed pine and hardwoods. Deer seem to like laurel thickets if they are available.

On gear ... get a top sheet of the area you're going to hunt. Aerial views and parts of topo sheets available on http://www.lostoutdoors.com. Hunter Orange is required, but we're having good success with camo underneath that. Don't forget a balaclava ... helps with the cold too.

Boots are very important.

Equipment is pretty much like going to Wyoming ... but without quite as much survival stuff. If you can keep a course and know the general direction to go, walking out of a hunting area is much easier than out west.

Dressing in layers is a must. Polypro, Gore-Tex, Cool-Max, or microfiber running gear makes great long johns. You will sweat going in and can shiver once you settle down.

Use of tree stands by rifle hunters is growing more common, but still see lots of folks on the ground.

ATV use is not allowed in Wildlife Management Areas or National Forests ... I like that.

FRS radio use is pretty common, but the range is reduced due to the hilly nature of the land.

Talk to the folks you'll be hunting with ... as there is much diversity here, they'll have the best data.

I'd not like to use a small caliber here ... too much chance of deflecting or detonating a projectile on stuff you cannot see. Ranges are usually less than 200 yards ... often 25 to 100 yards.

It is snowing outside now. Could be a nice fall in northeastern WV ... talking about 8" in the mountains. would make very good hunting.

Rick, double big ooooops. Got my "Martins" mixed up. I meant to say Martinsburg over in the eastern panhandle. They say your memory is the first thing to go. I was up in PA two weeks ago on vacation. I forgot where some of the back roads went. Actually, I think they moved them on me.

[ 12-03-2002, 23:44: Message edited by: twillis ]

thmpr,
I saw in todays paper were some guys from Fla. got caught poaching deer in WV,12 deer,no lisc.,no tags.
Tell me it wasn't you.

Gents heres a pic of one of those willy W VA whitetails. He came from the eastern panhandle in Hampshire county. www.genevaonline.com/~gunsdogs/deerpic007.jpg

[ 12-06-2002, 21:56: Message edited by: gunsdogs ]