DOE DEER HARVEST CUT BACK FOR FALL SEASON

(05/02/2005)
The first cutback in West Virginia's doe deer season is coming this fall.

Calhoun, Gilmer and Roane County will allow one doe during the 18-day season.

The Natural Resources Commission decided Sunday to close or dramatically curtail doe hunting in many of the state's 55 counties, the first cutback since 1974.

Under the changes, the antlerless (doe) season will be closed in all or parts of 13 counties that had one last year. Six other counties will have an 18-day season with limited numbers of lottery-drawn permits. Ten others will have an 18-day season with a one-doe bag limit.

The list of counties where the antlerless season will be closed includes many of the mountain counties: Boone, Clay, Fayette, northern Greenbrier, southeastern Kanawha, Mercer, Nicholas, Pocahontas, Randolph, Raleigh, Tucker, southern Wayne and Webster.

Counties with restricted, lottery-drawn hunts will include Braxton, the rest of Kanawha, Lincoln, western Pendleton, Summers and northern Wayne counties.

The one-doe limit will be in effect for Barbour, Cabell, Calhoun, Gilmer, Grant, southern Greenbrier, Monroe, western Preston, Roane and Upshur counties.

Because deer populations had fallen in some parts of the state, DNR biologists recommended changes in bag limits. The seven commissioners voted unanimously to approve the changes.

The remainder of the state's counties will have a 22-day antlerless season with a bag limit of up to four whitetails.

Polls taken with hunter's have said the cut-backs are necessary.