Published: November 23, 2009 08:11 pm      

Buck gun season opens to all except four southern West Virginia counties

WELCH — Hunters in four southern West Virginia counties will once again have to sit out the state’s firearm buck gun season.

Despite renewed discussion last year over the long-standing closure of buck gun season in McDowell, Wyoming, Logan and Mingo counties, the 2009 firearm season is once again off-limits to hunters in the four southern West Virginia counties.

The question of opening up the gun season to McDowell, Wyoming, Logan and Mingo counties comes up every year, Hoy Murphy, a public information officer for the state Division of Natural Resources, said.

“Right now that (the four counties) is restricted to archery,” Murphy said. “The bow hunters are in favor of keeping it that way of course. Of course the gun hunters would like to hunt in their home counties, but at this point it is just not biologically feasible to open those counties to gun season. It would just reduce the population and wipe out the gains we’ve made over the past few decades.”

Murphy said DNR officials review the gun ban in the four counties each year.

“It is reviewed every year,” Muprhy said. “But there is just not the (deer) population down there to support the gun season. It is doing better. It is expanding, but it is not enough at this point were DNR biologists think it could survive a strong gun season. The terrain is very rough. It is difficult for deer to survive in that area. It is very steep. Food sources aren’t as good as they are in other parts of the state.”

The gun season opened Monday, and continues through Dec. 5. Each hunter can bag two bucks over the next two weeks.

The DNR expects 280,000 licensed hunters to hit the woods this season, according to the Associated Press.

Murphy said good weather Monday was expected to draw large numbers of hunters.

“Actually, probably a third or more of the kills are taken during the first day or two of the season,” Murphy said.

— Contact Charles Owens at cowens@bdtonline.com