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Deer - Antlerless Season
2011-2012 Hunting Regulations

Counties with a bag limit of two or four Class N or NN Deer in Antlerless Season | Unlimited Resident and Nonresident Class N or NN Counties | Hampshire County Antlerless Season | Concurrent Hunting during the Antlerless Deer Season

An antlerless deer is any deer having no antlers or having no antler greater than three inches long above the hairline.
The maximum annual bag limit in a county or any legal combination of counties is four Class N or NN antlerless deer.

Counties or parts thereof open to Unlimited Resident Class N, Nonresident Class NN and Three Additional Class N or NN

Season Bag Limit: 4

November 21-22 (Private Land Only)
November 23 – December 10 and December 28-31 (Private and Public Land*)

Counties or parts thereof open to Unlimited Resident Class N and Nonresident Class NN and One Additional Class N or NN

Season Bag Limit: 2

Two Class N or NN deer may be taken in each county, not to exceed an annual total bag limit of 4 Class N or NN deer.
November 21-22 − (Private Land Only)
November 23 – December 10 and December 28-31 (Private and Public Land*

Counties or parts thereof open to Unlimited Resident Class N and Nonresident Class NN

Season Bag Limit: 1

One Class N or NN deer may be taken in each county, not to exceed an annual total bag limit of 4 Class N or NN deer.
November 21-22 (Private Land Only)
November 23 - December 10 and December 28-31 (Private and Public Land*)

Counties or parts thereof and Wildlife Management Areas open to Limited Class N for Resident Only (Must Apply)

Season Bag Limit: 1

Only one Class N antlerless deer may be taken in this group of counties and WMAs.
November 21-22 (Private Land Only)
November 23 - December 10 and
December 28-31 (Private and Public Land*)

Berkeley
Hampshire**
Hardy **
(North of Corridor H and that portion of W.V. Route 55 from Wardensville to the Va. Stateline.)
Jefferson
Marshall
Mason
Monongalia
Ohio
Wood

Brooke
Doddridge
Hancock
Hardy
(South of Corridor H and that portion of W.V. Route 55 from Wardensville to the Va. Stateline.)
Harrison
Jackson
Kanawha (North of Elk River and West of Corridor G)
Lewis
Marion
Mineral
Pendleton (private land)
Taylor
Tyler
Wirt

Barbour (private land)
Braxton (private land)
Cabell (private land)
Calhoun
Gilmer
Grant (private land)
Greenbrier (private land - South of Route 60, South and East of Route 9, East of Route 219 at Renick, South of Route 11, West of Greenbrier River, South of I-64 and West of Route 60/14 see map on page 19)
Monroe
Morgan
Pleasants
Pocahontas (private land)
Preston
Putnam
Randolph (private land)
Ritchie
Roane
Tucker (private land)
Upshur
Wayne (North of Route 37)
Wetzel

Wildlife Management Areas

Bluestone 200
Summers/Monroe counties
 
Elk River 100
Braxton/Webster counties
 
Grant County (public lands) 100
Stonecoal 100
Lewis/Upshur counties
 
Stonewall Jackson Lake 600
Lewis County
 
Teter Creek Lake 10
Barbour County
 
Tucker County (public lands) 150

There are no counties for antlerless deer hunting limited to residents only with prior application in 2011.

Counties not listed in the table are closed to firearms antlerless hunting. December 4, 2011 closed to antlerless hunting.

*See pages 15-16 for exceptions and special regulations regarding antlerless season on WMAs and other public lands.

**Hampshire County and portion of Hardy County (see pages 11 and 20) will also have a special resident and nonresident Class N or NN antlerless season on private and public land October 28-29, 2011, with a bag limit of one antlerless deer (see page 20).

A maximum of four antlerless deer may be taken on Class N or NN stamps (one per day, except that two may be taken on the same day, December 5-10, 2011 on private land only, provided the first deer is legally checked prior to hunting a second deer).

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All antlerless deer taken during the antlerless deer season or the portion of the antlerless deer season concurrent with buck firearms season must be taken on a Class N or NN stamp, Class DT license or as a landowner. See exception for concurrent archery hunting on page 22.

All West Virginia residents must purchase a Class N stamp to hunt during the antlerless season with the following exceptions:

  • Resident landowners (see page 9) may hunt antlerless deer on their land without a license provided the land is in a county or part thereof open to antlerless deer hunting.
  • Resident landowners, their resident children or resident parents do not have to live on the property. However, a resident tenant must permanently live on the land.
  • Resident stockholders of resident corporations formed for the primary purpose of hunting or fishing who own in fee no less than 1,000 acres may hunt antlerless deer on their own land, provided the land is in a county or part thereof open to antlerless deer hunting.
  • Residents or nonresidents who hold Class DT licenses are not required to purchase Class N or NN stamps but must abide by all other antlerless regulations.

All nonresidents, military personnel, senior citizens, Class Q and QQ, disabled veterans, former POWs and underage hunters not exempted must purchase a Class N or NN stamp to hunt antlerless deer during the antlerless season.

Class N or NN stamps may be purchased at any license agent, county clerk’s office, the DNR offices in Charleston and Elkins, or on the DNR Web site (see page 41).

Class N or NN stamps are nontransferable. Class N or NN stamps are not county specific, but in limited resident counties or WMAs, the Class N stamp must be accompanied by a valid eligibility card.

During the antlerless season, a Class N or NN stamp holder may substitute a bow for a firearm to take antlerless deer.

Only one antlerless deer may be taken on each Class N or NN stamp.

Only one antlerless deer may be taken per day, except that two antlerless deer may be taken on the same day during December 5-10, 2011, on private land only, provided the first deer is legally checked prior to hunting a second deer.

No person may actively participate (driving) in any manner in hunting antlerless deer without a valid Class N or NN stamp or otherwise being exempt from having a Class N or NN stamp.

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Counties with a bag limit of two or four Class N or NN Deer in Antlerless Season

There are 14 counties or parts thereof where a hunter may take two antlerless deer and nine counties or parts thereof where a hunter may take four antlerless deer during the antlerless season by purchasing multiple Class N or NN stamps (see pages 12 and 18). Hunters may take up to two or four antlerless (Class N or NN) deer in each county or part thereof not to exceed the bag limit specified in each county or part thereof and not to exceed the maximum statewide bag limit of four antlerless (Class N or NN) deer. See pages 15-16 for antlerless regulations on WMAs and other public lands.

  Unlimited Resident and
Nonresident: bag limit of two
2 or 4 N map
  Unlimited Resident and
Nonresident: bag limit of four

* Private land only in Pendleton County.

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COUNTIES AND/OR WMAs WITH Limited Resident N PERMITS, and Unlimited Resident and Nonresident Class N or NN with a bag limit of one

Counties and public lands with limited resident hunting for Class N deer in antlerless season

There are no counties with antlerless deer hunting limited to residents only with prior application in 2011. Eight wildlife management areas (WMAs) or portions thereof have a limited number of Class N stamps for resident antlerless deer hunting (see page 18). To be eligible to hunt on one of these WMAs, an application must be submitted by August 20, 2011. Successful applicants will receive notification from the DNR by mail. See pages 15-16 for antlerless regulations on WMAs and other public lands.

In limited resident antlerless WMAs, a hunter may take only one deer in the antlerless season.

To apply, ask your license agent for an antlerless permit application or download one from www.wvdnr.gov.

Counties with a bag limit of one Class N or NN deer in antlerless season

Twenty counties or parts thereof have an unlimited number of Class N or NN stamps for resident and nonresident antlerless deer hunting (see pages 13 and 18). No application is necessary for these counties. Hunters may take one antlerless (Class N or NN) deer in each county or part thereof in this group of counties, not to exceed the maximum statewide bag limit of 4 antlerless (Class N or NN) deer. See pages 15-16 for antlerless regulations on WMAs and other public lands.

  Unlimited Resident
and Nonresident: bag limit of one
1 N Map

* Private land only in Barbour, Braxton, Cabell, Grant, Greenbrier-southern portion, Pocahontas, Randolph and Tucker Counties.

Greenbrier Coutny Map

Hampshire AND PORTION OF HARDY CountIES - SPECIAL Antlerless Deer Season

Special two-day season October 28-29, 2011

There will be a special two-day Class N or NN antlerless deer season in Hampshire County and that portion of Hardy County which lies north of Corridor H and W.V. Route 55 from Wardensville to the Virginia state line (see page 11 and 31) on October 28-29, 2011, for resident and nonresident hunters. Hunters must purchase a Class N or NN antlerless stamp or hold a Class DT license to participate in this special antlerless season. Resident landowners, their resident children, and resident tenants who permanently live on the property, are not required to purchase a Class N stamp if hunting on their own property. The bag limit for this special season is one antlerless deer.

The purpose of this special antlerless deer season is to continue surveillance for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD − see page 31) and to determine its prevalence and distribution within these counties. Selected official game checking stations in these counties will be staffed by DNR Wildlife Resources personnel and biological data along with tissue samples will be collected and sent to a certified laboratory for CWD testing. Hunters will be able to check the DNR Web site, www.wvdnr.gov, for test results of those deer from which samples were collected.

WEST VIRGINIA CWD Containment Area

See page 11 for special regulations regarding deer carcass transport and baiting and feeding of wildlife within Hampshire and portions of Hardy and Morgan counties.

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Concurrent Hunting during the Antlerless Deer Season

During antlerless season, concurrent hunting for small game and bear (where the season is open) is legal; however, no hunter except those legally hunting antlerless deer or bear shall be afield with a firearm with solid ball ammunition or shot shells containing larger than No. 4 shot, except for waterfowl hunters using nontoxic shot.

Concurrent archery hunting for antlered and antlerless deer is legal during the antlerless season subject to all archery deer hunting regulations. All persons hunting during deer firearms seasons (except those engaged in farming activities on their own land and waterfowl hunters) must wear at least 400 square inches of blaze orange as an outer garment.

Concurrent waterfowl hunting is legal (see separate WVDNR Migratory Bird Hunting Regulations publication).

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