I plan to deer hunt WV for the first time next fall as a goof friend purchased some property between Clarksburg and Parkersburg. Seems to have plenty of deer. Anyone know the approximate timing of the rut there?

thanks

Roughly the same as here in western VA, I'd say, the peak is supposedly around November 11, but can still be good Thanksgiving week. Should be good hunting over there. Also, WV does not have an early muzzleloader season like VA. It's archery up until Thanksgiving week when rifle season opens. Muzzleloader comes after that.

Most years the rut has peaked before Thanksgiving week but some years it hits late and it seems like everyone gets a buck. What county will you be hunting?

Thanks much. Doddridge county

Get a moon chart, plan on hunting after the peak in November. Always the best time.

Gun season doesn't open til Nov 23

im in kanawha county, and usually our rut hits around the first and second weeks of november. by rifle season the rut action has calmed way down.

At my house it's pretty much all the time, but mornings are better.

As for the deer, stuff starts happening during the first week of November, the beginning of the ML season next-door in VA; the peak probably about a week later. Bucks are likely to be traveling or with does any time during the month. When the orange wave hits the woods Thanksgiving week, on the public land I hunt anyway, hunter activity seems to be the motivation for deer movement. On private land things happen more naturally.

How much land does your pal have?

107 acres. mostly woods, some meadows

Edge is good.

Might be worth signing up for On X, or at least checking sat pics, especially if you can't get there well before the season to check it out. Scouting any time near when you'll be hunting is probably a bad idea. I got a crossbow a couple years ago and it gives you a long season to enjoy, with deer moving naturally.

Ive been hunting in Wetzel County which borders Doddridge for almost 35 years. Dave in WV summed it up pretty well. Youll start looking forward to the years the season starts on the 19th and 20th.

Usually hunt Cabell/Mason/Wayne county, and pretty much every year I see the most bucks on Veterans Day. Several times I’ve seen bucks following does even before Halloween, but can’t remember ever seeing much buck action by the time gun season rolls around. Just my experiences on the properties I’ve hunted.