As expected, buck harvest down significantly for 2025 – WV MetroNews

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia deer hunters killed 33,775 bucks during the recently completed two week buck firearms season.

According to information released Tuesday by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, Greenbrier County was the top county in the state for bucks in 2025 with 1,730 killed during the gun season. Second was Preston County with 1,349, Randolph County 1,198, Hardy County 1,165 and Pendleton at 1,135. The rest of the top ten counties in order were Pocahontas, Monroe, Grant, Fayette, and Hampshire Counties.’

Click here to see county-by-county buck firearms season harvests for the last five seasons.

As predicted by the DNR prior to the season, the total harvest was 18.5 percent below 2024. All of the DNR’s districts registered a decrease in harvest, with the exception of District 4 which experienced a 7.5 percent increase compared to last year. The DNR predicted the lower harvest because of a major abundance of mast in the state. The conditions were such that deer didn’t have to travel far to find adequate food and therefore were not as exposed to hunters.

The agency acknowledged several counties along the Ohio River and central West Virginia experienced an outbreak of hemorrhagic disease in the early fall which also impacted hunter success especially in western counties of the state.

Several deer hunting opportunities remain for 2025. The state’s archery and crossbow season runs through Dec. 31, the traditional Class N/NN antlerless deer season will be open in select areas on public and private land Dec. 11-14 and Dec. 28-31, the muzzleloader deer season will be open Dec. 15-21 and the youth, Class Q and Class XS season for antlerless deer will be open Dec. 26-27 in any county with a firearms deer season.