The 2015-2016 West Virginia Hunting and Trapping Regulations Summary brochure is available at West Virginia hunting and fishing license agents, Division of Natural Resources district offices and the DNR Elkins and South Charleston offices. This regulations summary is also available online at www.wvdnr.gov.
DNR officials urge hunters and trappers to carefully review these regulations, as there are several important changes in place this fall and next spring.
Hunters and trappers must follow the new rules for electronic checking of game. This can be accomplished by either going online to wvhunt.com, stopping at a hunting and fishing license agent, or by calling 1-844-982-4325 (1-844-WVCheck). Additionally, these rules no longer require the hunter and/or trapper to take their game to an official game checking station. All field tagging, transporting and possession requirements still apply.
A crossbow season for deer and wild boar will run Sept. 26 – Dec. 31 and for bear during the period from Sept. 26 – Nov. 21 and from Dec. 7-31. Additionally, crossbows are legal to use during any big game firearms season.
The antlerless deer season will run Oct. 22-24, Nov. 23 – Dec. 5, Dec. 17-19 and Dec. 29-31. Antlerless season bag limits have been reduced in several counties for 2015.
Black bear firearms hunting seasons have been modified, including the addition of a Sept. 5-12, season in Logan, McDowell, Mingo and Wyoming counties.
During the 2015 fall wild turkey hunting season, changes for the one-week and two-week season counties have occurred.
Night vision technology is legal for taking coyote, fox, raccoon, skunk and opossum during open seasons.
The West Virginia Chronic Wasting Disease Containment Area has been expanded to include all of Berkeley, Hampshire, Hardy, Jefferson, Mineral and Morgan counties. It is illegal to bait or feed deer at any time in these counties. Additionally, hunters are prohibited from transporting dead deer beyond the boundaries of Hampshire, Hardy and Morgan counties.
