Get ready to enjoy hunting adventures in the forests and fields of West Virginia. Our regulations summaries are your guide to West Virginia’s world-class hunting seasons, providing you with current rules and essential knowledge to help you hunt safely and ethically and make the most of your time outdoors.
Hunting and Trapping Regulations
For season dates, open counties, bag limits and other helpful tips for West Virginia’s big and small game seasons, download the Hunting and Trapping Regulations Summary for the 2026-2027 seasons.
New for 2026-2027
- Season dates and open counties for antlerless deer, fall wild turkey and black bear hunting seasons have changed. See appropriate sections for details.
- Bear and turkey may be taken with any weapons that are legal during the statewide Mountaineer Heritage Season within Logan, McDowell, Mingo and Wyoming counties (see page 32).
- Youth and Class Q permit holders may take one antlered deer during the Special Split Youth and Class Q Seasons (see page 27).
- Detailed chronic wasting disease question and answer information has moved online to WVdnr.gov (see page 12).
Migratory Bird Hunting Regulations
For season dates, bag limits and other helpful tips for West Virginia’s migratory game bird seasons, download the Migratory Bird Hunting Regulations Summary for the 2025-2026 seasons.
New for 2025-2026
- Minimum youth age restrictions for the youth seasons have been removed.
- Concurrent waterfowl and deer gun season limitations have been modified.
- An interim northern pintail strategy has been adopted by the USFWS, increasing the daily bag limit of pintails to three and the possession limit to nine.
- Duck segment dates have been modified.
- Beginning July 1, 2025, migratory e-Stamps will be available for purchase at duckstamp.com/e-stamp, in addition to 30 other states that sell e-Stamps.
If you want to request a printed copy of the current regulations, contact your local authorized hunting license agent or WVDNR District Office.