It’s the ultimate challenge.
And it’s regarded by many Mountain State hunters as the most preferred manner of hunting whitetails.
The reason is simple: a hunter limits himself with the most short-ranged hunting weapon available—the bow and arrow.
Instead of using high-powered technology, a bowhunter opts for a primitive style of weaponry.
As a result, a bowhunter must rely on his hunting prowess and stalking skills to get within 20-30 yards before a shot can be attempted.
“There’s nothing like the adrenaline rush when a big buck slowly strolls within bow range,” says Colin Carpenter, wildlife biologist with the DNR in Beckley.
“But even then, a harvest is far from being a sure thing.
“Scent or movement can spook an animal. If there’s an obstacle between you and the deer, you still might not get a clear shot.”
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Carpenter is among 100,000 archers expected to go afield in West Virginia this season in search of a trophy buck. “Bow hunting is big here, there’s no doubt about it,” the biologist says.
Archery season opened in all 55 counties in September and by the time the season ends in late December, approximately one-fourth of these individuals will have taken a deer with their Indian-style weapons.
The interest in archery-style deer hunting has grown dramatically in the state.
Carpenter, meantime, offers this advice to fellow archers: “When you shoot a deer with a bow, you should wait for about an hour before tracking the animal. A deer has a tremendous will to live. If you get on his trail too quickly, he will keep moving instead of bedding down.
“If you hit a vital organ, such as the heart or lungs, he will run for a little while, but he won’t go far.”
Deer population figures across the state are like those of last year.
With careful management and strong deer herds, the whitetail population undoubtedly is on the rise in the state in many areas. The population is stable in other areas.
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West Virginia has an area of about 24,292 square miles. An estimated 1 million whitetail deer occupy about 94 percent of the land.
Still, hunting with a bow can present its own distinct set of challenges for the sportsman.
The exaggerated movements to draw the bow, plus intangibles such as tiny swirling wind currents, are working against the bowhunter.
Add the whitetail’s acute detection sense at such extremely close ranges, and often, the deer escapes unharmed.
Certainly, then, for the bowhunter the challenge of the hunt and excitement of a point-blank encounter with a wily whitetail is the driving force behind the people who pick up the bow.
Of the 32 million hunters in America, 30 million are deer hunters, and almost 20 million people archery hunt for deer.
Bow and arrow hunting for deer is the fastest growing outdoor sport in the world.
Unfortunately, it’s not the most efficient hunting technique for whitetails.
The practical range of most bows is 30 yards or less, so the archery hunter must rely on his superior hunting skills to get within range.
This necessity of getting into point-blank range also requires a sportsman to become more familiar with the habits and life cycle of his quarry.
In the long run, this knowledge spawns a much greater appreciation for one of the forest’s most graceful creatures.
And the Mountain State continues to be the place to hunt if you are an archer.
During the past five years, the state has witnessed a steady increase in the bow harvest of white-tailed deer.
In the last three years, nearly 30,000 deer were harvested annually by bowhunters in West Virginia.
Not only are archers claiming more deer, but they are harvesting a lion’s share of the trophy bucks, too.
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Now, with a liberal bow season and scores of antlered creatures running loose, the opportunity to put venison on the dinner table and a trophy in the den has never been better.
To get an accurate picture of where the deer are located, you only must flick your eye over the harvest figures of the last few years. Perusing these figures in the 2022 DNR’s Big Game Bulletin, for instance, it’s easy to figure out where you might want to concentrate your efforts.
It’s also interesting to note that although the leading counties statewide produce a lot of deer, it’s the four bowhunting only counties of Logan, Mingo, McDowell, and Wyoming that produce the largest number of trophy bucks.
To obtain a buck that will make the Pope & Young archery book is an outstanding accomplishment for any hunter, one that requires scouting, patience, perseverance, endurance, and the willingness to ignore the small stuff.
And hunters will have to put a lot of time in the woods if they are to join an elite group of hunters—those who harvest a super-size buck with a bow. “Spend more time in the woods, control their scent and be patient is the key to getting a chance at a larger-antlered buck,” Carpenter said. “You can’t get them if you are not out there hunting. Scouting to find where the older bucks are hanging out is a good idea too.”
Only time will tell who are favored by the stars to achieve their hunting dreams.
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Top o’ the morning!