bowhunting only counties question
West Virginia
Contributors to this thread:
For those of you who hunt in one of these 4 counties: I am looking at buying land or leasing in one of these counties - I know it really depends on the land you purchase but for hunting purposes do you think one of the counties is any better than the other three?
Thanks for any advice in advance!!!
That's a hard question. I think coal companies, timber, and land companies own up to 85% of the land in some of the counties. You never know what they are going to do. I've hunted 2-3 places that you hunt it one year and the next year the mountain is gone.
I think Logan and Mingo is more straight up and down than Wyoming and McDowell but they have rough areas too.
Wyoming and McDowell probably have more deer than Logan and Mingo cause they got a quicker head start. But the numbers are getting better in Logan and Mingo.
I think in all 4 you can have the most frustrating days of hunting, but in any of them a state record could walk by your stand.
Thanks Gobbler - I sort of thought the same thing but just trying to get a good starting point. I figured I might need to get in better shape. Here in Berkeley County - I have been able to get my John Deere or 4-wheeler within a few yards of all of the deer I have killed over the past 15 years. Plus, just walking to stand in the morning is a simple little walk here...
What about buying on the border of one of those counties? Still could benefit from them being bow only..
This is my opinion only but I would look to buy land in the midwest or just hunt there every year. I think you can hunt there cheaper than buying land in one of the bow only counties. That is what I did. You don't have to deal with coal companies as much and you don't have to be a mountain goat. I have killed a nice buck there 6 of the last 8 years. You can go on a guided hunt each year for a few weeks a year. There are some great bucks no doubt in those bow only counties but if you own the land it will be hunted when you are not there. JMO.
There are no deer left I wouldn't hunt the counties at all if I was you wouldn't waste my time on the basket racks........just sayin.......lol they all have there ups and downs to them but I would try and find a the roughest ground I could that way hopefully there will be minimal atv and poaching maybe or something with as little access as possible that way it's lil easier to maybe keep track of who and what's coming in and out when ya not there
I hunt mingo now and have been in lease in logan as well,,and have seen some brutes in both, hunting back home in Fayette is just not as fun... but as gobbler said (and this has happened to the lease he and I are in) one season your hunting and everything is great then here comes the timber co to timber the lease,, next year here comes the coal company and your spot is under 200 foot of rock and dirt or not even there coal is king and just because you lease it don't mean what you paid for will be there next year or 5 years from now, but you still go and you adapt... just know it can happen to even the best leases....I would never buy land down there just for sole purpose of bowhunting cause who's to say some one may next year or 10 years from now figure out how to open a gun season and take away the Bowhunting only that we all love ,,and it could happen any time and if that happens them big bucks will be gone in one season,,,,Id get into a good lease IF you can find one
George is right. Buying there would be done.
I have lived in Logan County. I currently live very near McDowell County. I have worked in all four of them extensively. I have hunted all four. I've hunted Logan and McDowell the most. I'll say this. No where, in all the states I lived, have I ever experienced the caliber of hunting Logan county offers. Like all places, I guess it is dependent on where you are at but, I have hunted all over Logan County and the same applied every where I went. Lots of deer and Lots of BIG deer. The remaining three are far off behind Logan in my experience. God Bless
Thank all of you! A lot of good advice here - I really do appreciate it!
I live in Wyoming and work in . I have to say that I have seen some world class deer in Wyoming but I would have to say that Wyoming is by far hunted harder than the other counties. more hunters in the woods equals more deer seen which also equals more deer killed. The quality of deer in Wyoming co has really went down hill over the past few years. Look at how may more deer are making the books in logan and over the past few years. I would focus in one of them.
Back in the early ninetys Wyoming started producing good bucks, then as population grew McDowell started churning them out. Around 2000 Logan has been churning them out. Wyoming especially has more accessable at least in terms of terrain. Logan's terrain is a lot steeper and harder to hunt which results in more bucks living longer.
Another reason is that as a specie enters new habitat they thrive because the habitat hasn't been degraded and the feed and amount of feed for an individual deer is better. The next new horizon, and I think the records will prove this is Mingo county. It currently has the lowest deer population of all 4 counties and is still on an upward trajectory. I think it will be producing quite a few Boone and Crockett class bucks for several years to come.
That is not saying it will be the only one. The other 3 will still produce Boone and Crockett class animals, with Logan probably being better than Wyoming and McDowell. However all 4 are quite capable of producing a new state record any year.
I think the key will be trying to keep the deer well below the carrying capacity of the habitat because all of those counties are pretty much mast dependant because their is MINIMAL agriculture in all 4. Right now there is a 1 buck and 1 doe archery limit. Numbers may need to be controlled by increasing the doe limit to 2.