Deer Friendly - West Virginia

West Virginia Deer Population: The state estimated 520,000 whitetail deer prehunt in 2025. A 2021 whitetail deer population estimate of 420,000, down from about 550,000 deer in 2017. Populations in 2023 and 2024 are about the same. Mild winters in 2021-22 and 2018-19 winter improved deer survival, but an outbreak of EHD reduced populations in some regions into 2019. A reported current population of 800,000 comes from an article written by an author who died in 2011. The population had been on a managed decline for about two decades, peaking in the early 2000's and 1990 with a state population estimate of 937,770 in 1990. 2025 Deer Season Outlook

West Virginia Deer News

West Virginia Hunting Outlook and Mast Survey Report October, 2026 WVDNR

... The mast survey is a relative estimation of mast produced by 18 different tree and shrub species that are widespread and locally common throughout the state and are of nutritional value to wildlife... The survey found the statewide mast index is 14% below the long-term average and 16% below 2025... "We expect the total white-tailed deer harvest in 2026 to be higher than in 2025. Acorn mast appears to be less abundant across much of the state this year, and that can make deer hunting slightly less challenging. With less available nutrition on the landscape in the form of acorn mast, deer will need to move further from thick cover to meet their caloric demands..."

West Virginia elk are roaming farther as restored herd grows Auigust 30, 2026 West Virginia Explorer

... Nearly a decade after West Virginia began restoring the species, tracking shows some animals are exploring territory beyond their customary range around the Tomblin Wildlife Management Area... Biologists reported that the herd reached about 130 animals after additional releases in 2024 and said at least 60 calves have been born in West Virginia since restoration began...

Lack of Evidence of Herd Immunity to Hemorrhagic Disease in White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in West Virginia, USA. 2026 The Journal of Wildlife Management

... It has been suggested that the impact of these outbreaks will lessen over time as a result of increasing herd immunity, but this phenomenon has not been supported by regional data to date... Although seroprevalence peaked in the year following an outbreak of HD, it returned to near zero within 3 yr following the outbreak, thus yielding no evidence for the development of significant herd immunity at a statewide scale...

West Virginia launches online tool for reporting sick and dead wildlife July 29, 2026 West Virginia Explorer

... a new Wildlife Disease and Mortality Reporting Tool ... allows users to submit reports from computers or smartphones, including photographs, locations and other details that can help specialists evaluate whether further investigation is needed...

New elk calves starting to appear on Tomblin WMA July 18, 2026 West Virginia, WV MetroNews

... The herd at this point is relying on self growth to increase numbers.... The first elk reintroduced came from the U.S. Forest Service’s Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area in western Kentucky. Since then, the state received two more shipments of elk transfers...

West Virginia hunters could see expanded access under new federal land policy shift May 11, 2026 WVNews

... he Trump administration is directing a broad expansion of hunting and fishing access on federal lands while tightening limits on some environmental restrictions, a shift that could affect wildlife management and recreation policies nationwide, including at sites such as New River Gorge National Park and Preserve...

Estimating white‐tailed deer density in West Virginia, USA, from camera traps and telemetry data April, 2026, The Journal of Wildlife Management

... We estimated densities of unmarked white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) populations across 3 study areas in West Virginia, USA ... Mean population density estimates were 10 deer/km2 in the central study area, 9 deer/km2 in the eastern study area, and 8 deer/km2 in the western study area. Although we do not know the true population density, our estimates are comparable to regional estimates from other studies....

Three men accused of illegally transporting live deer across state lines March 12, 2026 West Virginia, WCHSTV.com

... Poling, who manages Dream Mountain Ranch in Preston County, is accused of working with Weaver and Miller to transport deer without health certificates required by the U.S. Department of Agriculture...

Hunters Harvest 92,553 Deer During '25-'26 Seasons March 4, 2026 West Virginia, Connect Bridgeport

... The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR) announced that hunters harvested 92,553 white-tailed deer during the 2025-2026 seasons, which is a 17 percent decrease from the 2024 deer harvest of 111,646 and 14 percent below the 5-year average of 107,434. This year’s decreased harvest was caused by an increase in hard mast production ..,

Bill to put antler restrictions on a second buck fails at the state house January 3, 2026 West Virginia, WV MetroNews

... Legislation which would have placed restrictions on a West Virginia deer hunter’s second buck during hunting season has died at the State Capitol... Raleigh County Delegate Eric Brooks ... said he also favored the bill.“I can appreciate, I’ve been told and we know this to be true in every state that it’s in, if you let some of these smaller bucks walk, you’ll get bigger bucks,” ...

Legislation to put point restrictions on deer hunting in W.Va. moves forward January 30, 2026W West Virginia, MetroNews

... House Bill 4504 would require a second buck taken by a hunter in West Virginia to have at least three scoreable points on one side before it would be legal... Currently West Virginia’s only restriction on antlers is they must be at least three inches above the hairline ...

New West Virginia law allows thermal drones to recover lost pets and wounded wildlife January 4, 2026 WV News

... The West Virginia Legislature made it legal for licensed drone operators to search for animals such as deer, elk, or turkeys believed to be mortally wounded...

West Virginia hunters harvest nearly 34,000 bucks in firearm season December 16, 2025 WTRF

... Statewide, the 2025 buck harvest was down 18.5% from the 41,435 antlered deer harvested during the same season in 2024 ... Wildlife officials attribute the decline primarily to an increase in hard mast production, such as acorns, which can disperse deer across larger areas and make them harder for hunters to locate. Several counties also had outbreaks of hemorrhagic disease, which officials say likely affected deer populations and hunter success, particularly in western parts of the state..,

Number of deceased deer rises due to HD in Jackson County October 1, 2025 WV News

... “While we may not have seen an outbreak of HD of this severity in Wood and Jackson County in the recent past, we have experienced similar outbreaks of HD in other areas of the state in recent decades and the deer population naturally recovers from these outbreaks without any additional measures in relatively short order (a few years at most),” ...,

WVDNR predicts lower deer harvest in 2025 amid EHD outbreak September 23, 2025 Yahoo

... its annual 2025 Hunting Outlook and Mast Survey ... predicts that archery and firearms harvests will be lower this hunting season. The survey cites the abundance of acorn mast in the Mountain State, which means that deer won’t have to move as far from their cover to find food and will be harder to find as a result...

Tours to see West Virginia's only elk herd now on sale August 25, 2025 Yahoo

... Although elk used to be extinct in West Virginia, a herd was reintroduced to the Tomblin Wildlife Management Area in Logan County in 2016, and now, about 140-150 elk live in the herd, including about 60 calves who have been born in the state...

Deer killing disease discovered in Jackson County August 24, 2025 West Virginia, WV News

... an outbreak of hemorrhagic disease (HD) in white-tailed deer in several counties in the western part of the state along the Ohio River... “The most recent outbreak was in 2024, where it was substantially more sizable than we are seeing to date in 2025.”..,

Hemorrhagic Disease outbreak in deer, no threat to public health August 20, 2025 West Virginia, WTAP on MSN

... Forty-nine reports of dead deer have come in for Wood County, all believed by the W. Va. DNR to be related to the HD outbreak... over the past few decades, the outbreaks have been becoming more frequent ...

WVDNR Launches Spotlight Surveys to Track Deer Populations Across West Virginia August 19, 2025 West Virginia, WV News

... Conducted after sunset along county roads, the nighttime surveys are carried out by WVDNR biologists. The information gathered is used to estimate deer numbers, monitor population trends, and guide decisions on hunting regulations and habitat management...

West Virginia leads the nation in deer-vehicle collisions July 18, 2025 West Virginia Explorer

... Drivers on West Virginia roadways in 2023 reported wrecks involving more than 10,000 deer ... The U.S. leads the world in deer-vehicle collisions, with more than 1.5 to 2 million annually...

West Virginia Deer News and Information Archive by Topic: Population and Management, Deer in the News, Disease, Suburban, Transportation

Report sick and injured deer to WVDNR

West Virginia Deer: In response to an NDA survey, the state reported an estimate of 520,000 whitetail deer preseason in 2025. According to the 2026 Hunting Outlook and Mast Survey Report an increase in the deer kill for 2026 over 2025 is expected because "Acorn mast appears to be less abundant across much of the state ...deer will need to move further from thick cover to meet their caloric demands."

An abundant acorn crop and an outbreak of EHD in 2025 was expected to reduce the number of deer taken in the hunt. 2025 Hunting Outlook and Mast Survey. The 2025 buck harvest fell by 18.5% with the total down by 17 percent.

The state expected the 2024 deer population to be about the same as 2023, but the 2024-25 buck hunt was down although the total number was up by about 2%. Numbers from the 2023-24 deer hunt were down by 7.8% from the previous season. The DNR reduced the limit on antlered deer from three to two for 2024. The state doesn't report a formal deer population estimates, but has reported estimates to the National Deer Association and Outdoor Life. Outdoor Life reported a deer population of 420,000 in 2021, 500,000 in 2020, 550,000 in 2017, and 800,000 to 900,000 in 2012.

The National Deer Association reports a 2019 population of 542,500, 595,000 in 2015, and 761,000 in 2005. The peak deer kill from the hunt was 218,253 in 2001 when the population was around 900,000 compared to the 2021 kill of 105,278 with a population around 420,000. A reported "current" population of 800,000 comes from an article written by an author who died in 2011. Although some of the article has been updated, the population estimate is consistent with population estimates prior to that time.

The 2023 hunting outlook and mast survey expected "The total white – tailed deer harvest in 2023 should be similar to that of 2022. Average red, black, and scarlet oak production will mean that deer will not have to move as much to find food, especially early in the season..." However, the state reported the hunt was down by 7% s in 2023. The decline was attributed in part to bad weather and average mast. At the start of the 2023 deer hunt, Brett Skelly, the DNR’s deer project leader, reported that about half of the annual mortality was happening outside of the season attributable to deer that die in automobile collisions, deer that are killed by coyotes and deer that succumb to viral or bacterial infections.

The increase in the 2022 deer hunt was attributed to favorable mast and weather conditions for hunters. The 2022 deer outlook from the Department of Natural Resources expected population conditions similar to 2021. The increase in the 2022 deer hunt was attributed to favorable mast and weather conditions for hunters. The 2022 deer outlook from the Department of Natural Resources expected population conditions similar to 2021.

The very mild 2019-20 winter resulting in higher fawn numbers was offset somewhat by a poor oak production in 2020. Good mast harvest in 2021 reduced the distance deer travel for food contibuting to the 1.5 percent decline in the 2021 deer hunt. The population in 2020 is thought to be about the same as 2019, although there was a sharp drop in the 2019 buck kill. The 96 wildlife management areas (WMA) in the state total 1.4 million acres, 8% of the land in the state.

Another mild 2018-19 winter allowed for higher fawn survival into 2019. The 2019 population was thought to be about the same as 2018 and approximately stable since 2015. An abundant red acorn crop reduced deer movement and a late-summer outbreak of epizootic hemorrhagic disease reduced deer populations in 2019.

An outbreak of EHD took a toll on some area populations in 2017. Rising coyote populations are reducing deer populations throughout the southeast. A good acorn crop contributed to the 4 percent decline in the 2017 deer hunt as deer moved around less. Another good crop in 2018. The deer population had been on an upward trend because of a good acorn crop and reduced hunting of antlerless deer in 2014 and into 2015. Also, a 30 percent reduction in the buck kill for 2014 triggered automatic limit reductions in several counties. 2017 West Virginia Mast Survey and Hunting Outlook. Mature forests reducing deer habitat have contributed to a general declining population trend.

For 2016 with a relatively stable population, antlerless deer permits were increased to moderate population growth and reduce predation of fawns. A good acorn crop in 2016 contributed to a lower deer harvest as deer did not move around as much for food, fewer acorns in 2015 increased the chances of a hunter finding deer, increasing the harvest. More than 40 deer farms in 2016.

About 300,000 deer hunters in 2014, about 330,000 in 2015 and 2016. A snowy winter in 2013-14 reduced food sources. The deer harvest declined by 34 percent in 2014, a newly appointed DNR chief has a goal of rebuilding the deer population. The good acorn crop that provided ample food and weather conditions, including high winds on opening day along with rain and snow during the 2014 season are also thought to have contributed to the decline. The population has been on a managed decline since the mid-2000's after the population peaked in the early 2000s at high densities.

The poor acorn crop in 2013, forcing deer to move around more contributed to the 14 percent increase in the deer harvest. The acorn crop was also very low in 2012. The 2013 harvest increase also reflects an increase in the antlerless deer harvest designed to reduce the deer population. In 2013, 76 percent of counties were still above population goals. Deer populations are down by as much as one half in the high mountain areas where reduced logging has resulted in a more mature forests and less deer browse.

A population estimate of 650,000 in 2009. The state estmated 761,000 prehunt in 2005 in a NDA survery. A state document provides these estimates: 700,000 to 1,000,000 in 1994, 937,770 in 1990, 133,990 in 1970.

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) was first discovered in a road killed deer in 2005 in Hampshire County. The disease continues to spread slowly throughout the state with 29 of 591 tissue samples testing positive in the county in 2014. By 2016 the disease had spread to Hardy County. By 2017 one-quarter to one-third of deer in Hampshire County were infected. A total of 183 positives into 2015, 235 into early 2017, 332 into early 2018, a total of 376 for the 2018 hunting season. A 2024 study reported CWD was the highest cause of deer mortality in Hampshire County and a new detection in Jefferson County. November, 2024, the first detection of the disease in captive deer. More in 2025.

A History of Chronic Wasting in West Virginia

Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) An outbreak in 2017, 2024, and 2025.

Source: of graph: WDNR

History White-tailed deer numbers began to decline in the 1720s when settlers moved into the area. By the 1840s they were scarce in some areas and nearly extirpated in the early 1900s. In 1909, the Legislature passed a bill that made it illegal to sell or ship game out of state. The bill also outlawed the killing of doe deer. By 1910 there were only about 1,000 deer remaining in the state.

A restocking effort began, the herd slowly grew, so deer hunting was closed in 1924 - 1926. As a result of over hunting, deer populations declined and were becoming somewhat scarce by 1941. A large deer kill in 1951 depleted the herd there were large changes in the deer harvest over the next decades as the state varied policy from buck only to hunter's choice.

The DNR has encouraged balanced demographics in the herd. In the early 1990s 70 percent of the bucks taken in the firearm season were 1.5 years, by 2012 bucks of 2.5 years or older were 58 percent. The increased doe kill starting in 1999 started a downward trend of the population into 2017 amplified by maturing hardwood forests that reduce deer food. Antlered deer were about 50 percent of the 2013 harvest, the goal in 2014 was to increase anterless deer killed somewhat to reduce the population. Source: Keeping today’s deer hunting in perspective,

Elk Once numerous, the last elk was seen in the state in 1875. A result of overhunting and habitat loss. A population of 85 in 2020. A restocking program has brought deer in from Kentucky and Arizona since 2016. Brainworm killed about 30 percent of the deer transported from Arizona in 2019. The elk have proven to be a popular tourist attraction. At the start of 2024 there were 100 elk with 40 more on the way from Kentucky. In early 2024, 127 elk with more on the way. A 2025 estimate of 140 to 150 elk with about 60 calves.

Bear An estimated 12,000 to 14,000 in 2019. About 500 in the mid to late 1970s.

Wolf: The last eastern wolf was shot and killed in Webster County in 1897.