The annual Hunting Outlook and Mast Survey provides details about the abundance of mast, such as wild fruits and nuts, produced by 18 species of trees and shrubs and the forecasted impacts to West Virginia’s wildlife.

“Beech, walnut and hickory production was up compared to 2022 production and above average across all ecological regions,” said Holly Morris, furbearer and small game project leader for the WVDNR’s Wildlife Resources Section. “In addition, red and black oak and scarlet oak production was up compared to last year and above the long-term average.”

Soft mast production was mixed this year and hunters should pay close attention to the ecological regions they’ll be hunting.

Hunters should do plenty of scouting to determine how mast conditions will affect their plans. Locating good, natural foods can increase a hunter’s odds of success.

Hunters can find a wealth of facts in the Hunting Outlook and Mast Survey, which is a helpful resource to consult before heading into the field. The report, compiled by the WVDNR’s Wildlife Resources Section with the help of volunteers and other agencies, may be downloaded at WVdnr.gov/mast-survey.

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These changes are included in the new 2023-24 West Virginia Hunting and Trapping Regulations Summary, which is now available online at WVdnr.gov/hunting-regulations.

Hunters who wish to obtain a printed copy of the summary should contact their local hunting and fishing license agent or WVDNR district office.

Copies will also be available at the WVDNR’s Elkins Operation Center and South Charleston headquarters in July.

Major changes hunters should take note of include the following:

–Season dates and open counties for the antlerless deer season have changed, see pages 15-20.

–Season dates and open counties for the black bear season have changed, see pages 38-39.

–Season dates and open counties for the fall wild turkey season have changed, see page 42.

–All deer harvested on Nov. 20-21 in Barbour, Jackson, Mason and Upshur counties are required to be brought to a designated Biological Game Examination Station for carcass examination. See page 14 for designated sampling station locations.

–The Special Youth, Class Q and Class XS Bear Season will be a split season with the first segment open Sept. 16-17. This segment is open in all or parts of 26 counties open to bear hunting with or without dogs. You may hunt with or without dogs during this segment. For more information, see page 36.

–It is now legal to use an encapsulated propellant charge that loads from the breech when the projectile is loaded from the muzzle in a single-shot muzzleloading pistol or single-shot muzzleloading rifle that has a bore diameter of .38 caliber or larger during the muzzleloader deer season. These encapsulated charges may not be used with muzzleloading firearms during the Mountaineer Heritage Season.

–Non-resident lifetime hunting, trapping and fishing licenses are now available for purchase, see page 47.

To purchase a hunting license and stamps, and get more information about the state’s hunting and fishing laws and resources, visit WVhunt.com.

The post State hunting season changes outlined in 2023-24 Hunting and Trapping Regulations appeared first on Morgan Messenger.

This is the latest in a multi-part series of columns about memorable deer that stand out from decades of whitetail hunting.

The Second Day Buck

Opening day of West Virginia deer firearms season is a yearly event that I have looked forward to since before I was old enough to even carry a gun. It is still one of my favorite days of the year. I’ve missed very few of them in the last 50 years or so. But sometimes other things in life have taken priority.

In the mid 1990’s, my daughter, Caitlin Shambaugh, was a little girl  struggling with some health problems. She was having a lot of cold/sinus issues, ear infections, and had even had pneumonia several times. Her pediatrician recommended she have her tonsils removed and tubes put in her ears to help correct these problems. So, the surgery was scheduled for — you guessed it — opening day of deer season! I definitely would not be hunting that day, or even thinking about it. Even though I was convinced that the procedure was the best course of action, and low risk, I was terrified for Caitlin to have this surgery.

Thankfully, the procedure was very successful, and later proved to be extremely helpful for her. She was only in the hospital for one night, was released the next morning, and happily settled in back home by 11 a.m.

With deer season in, and things all secure at home, by about 11:30 that morning, I grabbed my gear and was headed for the woods.

It was a mild, sunny afternoon for late November. It seemed like I had no sooner gotten settled into my stand when I spotted a big doe walking slowly along a trail on the ridge across from me. Following the doe, was a nice 8-point buck. My old 77 Ruger barked, and the buck dropped on the spot. When I looked at my watch, it was just before 1 p.m. I had been in the woods for less than an hour.

I vividly remember the overwhelming emotions of that moment. Of course, I had tremendous feelings of gratitude that things had gone so well for my little girl. I also felt very fortunate to be able to get into the woods so soon.  I felt even more fortunate to have been blessed so quickly with such a nice buck, after missing opening day.

Many different things can make a hunt memorable — an exceptional animal, beautiful country, good luck, bad luck, etc. But if a person lives the outdoor lifestyle, sometimes events surrounding a hunt can leave even more of an impression than the hunt itself. In this case, hunting, or taking a deer, was not a priority until much more important things were resolved. But as soon as everyone was doing well at home, the hunt was back on. It really is a way of life for many folks.

I will always remember the range of emotions I felt during the events leading up to that hunt and will always feel especially grateful for The Second Day Buck.

Wade Shambaugh has lived in Morgan County his whole life and is a lifelong outdoorsman.

The post Everyday Outdoors: Bucks I have known, Part XIII appeared first on Morgan Messenger.

Bucks I have known: Part II

This is the second in a multi-part series of columns about memorable deer that stand out from decades of whitetail hunting.

The Battle Buck

If a person hunts long enough, they will experience some unbelievable things involving wild animals. Some true stories are crazier than anything a hunter could make up.

A few years ago, I was planning an elk hunt in Idaho. The hunt would be unguided on a mix of public land and private property.

A good friend, who farms one of the places I would be hunting, told me to make sure I got a deer tag. He said he was seeing a couple of good bucks coming out in a harvested wheat field.

When I got to Idaho, my friend showed me where he had been seeing the bucks. He even had big round hay bales stacked in the opposite corner of the field that I could climb up on for a better vantage point.

As I climbed into position that afternoon, I noticed a horse in a nearby paddock, watching me with mild interest.

Shortly before sunset, I noticed the horse staring intently at the other end of its paddock, just across from a corner of the field I was watching. I felt certain that the horse was watching some sort of animal, possibly a deer, elk, or coyote.

Suddenly, the horse took off at a brisk trot and disappeared behind some brush at that end of its pasture. I could hear hooves thumping and pounding. Then, I heard the loudest buck grunt/bawl I have ever heard in my life. My buddy, who was watching a different nearby field, heard it, too. The horse came flying back into its paddock at a gallop and slid to a stop, obviously shaken.

A couple of minutes later, a big whitetail buck stepped out from the corner where all the ruckus had just occurred. I didn’t need to look at him long to tell he was a good one. I dropped him on the spot.

He sported a big wide heavy 9-point rack, and was the biggest bodied whitetail I have ever seen. He had also just driven off a horse! I think that makes him pretty memorable.

The Windstorm Buck

Opening day of West Virginia gun season a few years ago, a group of us that worked at Peacemaker National Training Center met in the shop before daylight, preparing to hunt some of the range property. Most of the hunters in the group were precision rifle shooters, and normally  set up to hunt open areas. The problem was, along with the bitter cold that morning, there were wind speeds of 25-30 mph. Most of the guys decided to take up more conventional stands in some of the sheltered hollows on the property, instead of watching the more exposed rifle ranges.

I had planned to take up a position on top of a high berm that had been built as a backstop for rifle matches. That position gave me a great view of a couple of overgrown fields as well as a nice creek bottom, with lots of potential areas for a shot at 300-500 yards.

To add to the appeal of this spot, we had recently been seeing a really nice 8-point courting does all over the area I would be covering. So, in spite of the rough weather,  I decided to go ahead and climb up there for my morning sit. To put it mildly, the conditions were brutal, and any long shots would be tough.

Sure enough, later that morning, the big 8-point came over the ridge in front of me, in hot pursuit of a doe. She led him down the hill, then made a loop starting back up. They were about to pass between two pine trees in the brushy field, which I had ranged at 450 yards. The wind was still blowing full power from the left, but was not completely at a right angle, which helped lessen its effect a little. The buck paused, turning slightly to the left, facing the wind. I had a rock-solid position, laying prone, with the bipod on the rifle dug into the soft dirt of the berm. I had also dialed the correct elevation into the scope. The wind hold was going to make or break the deal. I held just ahead of the buck’s shoulder, on the big part of his neck, to allow as much room as I could for the wind to push the bullet to the right and still be in the vitals. It worked perfectly. A solid hold at the front of the buck’s shoulder allowed the wind to push the bullet back into his ribs for a clean shot.

Sometimes, rough conditions make a hunt all the more memorable.

Wade Shambaugh has lived in Morgan County his whole life and is a lifelong outdoorsman.

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