Whitetail deer
West Virginia hunting
19 public hunting areas ranked by today’s conditions, herd density, and habitat, plus current seasons and CWD zones.
Live · updatedSeason & rut right now
Rut phase today: Outside the rut · peak breeding around 11/13. Full rut forecast →
archery
Sep 26 – Dec 31
Archery & crossbow — Sep 26 → Dec 31.
youth
Oct 17 – Oct 18
Youth/Class Q/XS antlerless — October.
firearm
Oct 22 – Oct 25
Antlerless firearm — early split (selected counties).
firearm
Nov 23 – Dec 6
Buck firearms season.
firearm
Nov 23 – Dec 10
Antlerless firearm — concurrent split (selected counties).
muzzleloader
Dec 14 – Dec 20
Muzzleloader season.
youth
Dec 26 – Dec 27
Youth/Class Q/XS antlerless — December.
firearm
Dec 28 – Dec 31
Antlerless firearm — late split (selected counties).
muzzleloader
Jan 14 – Jan 17
Mountaineer Heritage (primitive weapons) — deer, bear & turkey.
CWD Disease Surveillance Area: CWD is present in West Virginia’s eastern panhandle (first detected in Hampshire County). WVDNR’s CWD Containment Area carries carcass-transport and baiting/feeding restrictions in Berkeley, Grant, Hampshire, Hardy, Jefferson, Mineral and Morgan counties; Pendleton County has a baiting/feeding restriction as a proactive measure. High-risk carcass parts may not leave the Containment Area, and baiting is prohibited there (baiting/feeding is illegal on all public land statewide). WVDNR offers free CWD testing for deer taken in the area. Confirm the current boundary and rules with WVDNR.
Regulations: WVDNR — 2026-27 Hunting & Trapping Regulations Summary · verified 2026-07-27.
Seasons at a glance
Every game class we model in West Virginia, and whether it’s open today. See all 2026-27 season dates, bag limits & shooting hours →
Public hunting land, ranked for today
Each tract is scored on its own conditions, then blended with county herd density and habitat. Highest first.
- 68 Chief Cornstalk Wildlife Management Area herd 60 · ground 78
- 67 Stonewall Jackson Lake Wildlife Management Area herd 60 · ground 73
- 66 Bluestone Lake Wildlife Management Area herd 50 · ground 79
- 66 Coopers Rock State Forest herd 60 · ground 67
- 65 Monongahela National Forest herd 42 · ground 84
- 65 East Lynn Lake Wildlife Management Area herd 42 · ground 86
- 65 Elk River Wildlife Management Area herd 50 · ground 74
- 65 Lewis Wetzel Wildlife Management Area herd 50 · ground 76
- 65 Burnsville Lake Wildlife Management Area herd 50 · ground 76
- 65 Beury Mountain Wildlife Management Area herd 50 · ground 74
- 64 Tomblin Wildlife Management Area herd 42 · ground 80
- 64 Panther Wildlife Management Area herd 42 · ground 76
- 63 R.D. Bailey Lake Wildlife Management Area herd 42 · ground 71
- 63 Seneca State Forest herd 42 · ground 74
- 63 Wallback Wildlife Management Area herd 42 · ground 76
- 63 Kanawha State Forest herd 42 · ground 76
- 63 Cabwaylingo State Forest herd 42 · ground 76
- 60 Nathaniel Mountain Wildlife Management AreaCWD herd 50 · ground 76
- 59 Sleepy Creek Wildlife Management AreaCWD herd 60 · ground 86
Public land map
Every mapped tract. Tap a marker for conditions.
Top counties by deer-harvest density
All 55 counties →Season-final harvest per square mile, a herd-quality proxy from the state’s annual report.
| County | Harvest | Per sq mi | CWD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hancock | 1,234 | 14.87 | — |
| Brooke | 976 | 10.97 | — |
| Ohio | 818 | 7.72 | — |
| Upshur | 2,575 | 7.25 | — |
| Preston | 4,570 | 7.04 | — |
| Jefferson | 1,442 | 6.9 | Yes |
| Berkeley | 1,990 | 6.2 | Yes |
| Taylor | 1,035 | 5.98 | — |
| Mineral | 1,948 | 5.94 | Yes |
| Barbour | 1,952 | 5.72 | — |
| Monongalia | 2,050 | 5.69 | — |
| Monroe | 2,677 | 5.66 | — |