The boys and I are heading down this year, going to make a week of it. Never hunted it before and wondered if any on the fire have and what there thoughts were( hunting pressure, deer numbers, bear sightings, etc..). I’ll be picking up a bear tag too.

MM

Hunted there for 33 years from 1970 till 2003 and have been down twice in the last 10 years. My favorite place to hunt deer and I have hunted in 6 eastern states and Wyoming and Montana. We camped off rt.33 at the intersection of Seneca creek and Whites run. Killed a buck most years and filled double buck tags 4 or 5 times. As far as the deer population down there now I don't know. The mountains are extremely steep with cliffs and rockslides. Saw bears on more than one occasion but never hunted them there. If you don't want to camp out Yokum's in Seneca Rocks is a place to stay. By the way the bucks we shot were not very big for the most part. If Battue notices this he may post the pictures of two very nice bucks his buddies shot in the National Forest. The place I mentioned to camp can be located easily on Google Maps.

I used to hunt that area every year (Dolly Sods and the Spruce Knob areas).....until a few years back when the DEEEEP snow in the mountains put a hurting on the deer population. A couple of bad winters in a row really hurt the deer hunting in my opinion.

Have not been back in about 5 years...........

We're not going out west this fall and I'd like my boys to get some wilderness/mountain type hunting experience. I've hunted the adirondaks and though its fun the deer numbers are the lowest I've seen anywwhere. We'll be in Webster county probably, getting a cabin down there and hunting the surrounding area. Hopefully we get some tracking snow but mostly just like to wander, and there is alot of ground to cover in those mountain.

Hunted there a few times and its a great place to go. I hunt there every November during gun season in the Tucker County portion but have been thinking about going up there earlier for a bow hunt. I have always seen deer and a lot of bear scat but never actually seen a bear in there. If the scat is any indication there are about 50 million bear that live in that area.

Hunting bear and deer at the same time in the mountains sounds good to me. My sister lives in Tucker county but her husband stays close to home when he hunts( they own close to 100 acres) so I’ll be a bit south on a big tract of public land instead of hunting with him. Are the woods pretty dense for the most part or can you see for a ways in that time of year?

MM

It’s a mixture , there are areas of dense bull pines and areas of mountain laurel .
In the bull pines you can find places that you can set on the ground and get 10-50 yd shots .
Mountain laurel , find a good trail and set up on the outskirts .
Then there is the hardwoods that might consist of big timber , white oaks are your friend . But there are hardwoods with a lot of young growth .
Clear cut areas offer good cover for you and deer and are often traveled and bedded .
If you can find these areas bordering farm land , cornfields and soybeans , they are often a honey hole .
Parkersburg to Somerville offers some good territory and lots of it .
Nice bucks killed in that range .
Bear population good too .
People are friendly .
Good luck
Kenneth

Would you say that hunting there is like most places in that once you get 1/2 mile or or so from the road you don’t see many hunters?

MM

In Webster County: no. Timber and gas line roads cut everywhere. People tend to hunt the roads or close to. You're either on a narrow ridgeline or headed straight down a STEEP slope.

I used to be on a timber company lease in Webster County, that is God's country. It's been quite some time ago, but a pilot who flew some executives into the Weyerhaeuser Mill in Braxton County left the airport and crashed in Webster County on his way back to Virginia. It took over a decade before they found his aircraft, his tie and drivers license.

ETA: http://wayoffthetrail.com/index.php/2019/10/04/n28901-wreckage-from-2006/

It's truly a mixed-bag and depends on the tract of land you're hunting. Most of Tucker county has been raped by the timber companies, so it depends on how long ago it was timbered versus how much under-brush you're dealing with. Mountain laurel is thick in that area as well.

You need to get a topographic map of where you are going to hunt, and take a look at the lines..There are places, and more than a few in the Monongahela that are close. Short and long.. Places a Deer or Bear doesn't come out with casual effort..

Haven't been down there in a while..But we did OK for a few years. Then they had bad snow and we stopped going...and some grew weary of sleeping in tents.

If you are OK with seeing few and perhaps crossing paths with something great...It can be a fun hunt...These were both taken perhaps a mile from the nearest dirt road...And the dirt road was probably 15 from the nearest asphalt..It coiled around those holes like a never ending snake. The Monongahela gives up little to the Western Mountains...and in places nothing.








If you get in the middle of a bad snow storm and are far in...Don't hesitate to leave early.

Some places in the Mon and adjoining GWNF aren't too steep if you're following an old railroad grade. I haven't been over on the Mon during hunting season much in the last few years, but on the VA side you just don't see the vehicles you used to.

Thanks for the insights boys, we’re really looking forward to it .

God Bless,

MM

I hunted in 1993/94 near the Falls of Hills creek with some really good hunters from NJ. Deer sign was everywhere and so were the bears. I went back in 2021 for deer rifle and was amazed at the lack of sign. I saw one doe and a small buck from a distance. May try again I also noticed almost no trucks parked along side the road and the National Campground had one other camper besides me.

Well, MM, how did it go?

Those are some hammer bucks.

I hunted WV a lot in the 90's. I loved it. I really considered moving there when I quit working. But the area we hunted was sold off into subdivisions. Now there is little place to hunt. What is left is leased. Sad.

Is this hunt played out or could there still be good opportunities for those willing to put in work? I’ve never thought about WV being a reasonably new Vermonter & mostly unfamiliar with Eastern venues, it would be nice to get back into the steep & gnarly.

What about the Green Mountain National Forest?

Played out. Deer numbers overall are very low per sq/mi except in the Champlain Islands. Great hiking & skiing though!

Oh we have plenty of steep and gnarly, too much for a geezer like me. I think there’s something like 1.4 million acres of public land. There are some real boomers for the stick and string crowd in the four archery-only counties near Charleston. Some of them wander out now and then to the surrounding areas. I saw a head from Raleigh County in the back of a truck that was simply a crusher, maybe the biggest I’ve ever seen in person.

Oh yes! Those 4 WV bow only counties produce some bruisers for sure, a hunting buddy killed a 169" 11 point in Wyoming Co. last year...If I had the time I would go Myself but you can only hunt so many places every Fall and I spend My time in Ohio and Kentucky....For now...Hb

Forgot about this thread.
It went pretty well. I got a small forkie to get us on the board the 3rd day and missed a bear. My boys had fun and my oldest should have killed a bear. Lots to tell but too sleepy to write it now, will come back to this tomorrow.

MM

We poked around in there last year and came across two Game Wardens. After a nice conversation, they told us of the lack of mast and how bad the population was down and recommended we try another area. We saw nothing at the recommended area. This is the same I've heard from others. I think I'm finally getting the hint. No deer here....wink

Please do. I especially want to hear about how you missed a bear, so I can do the same if I ever see one here😜

So we headed out the Sunday before the opener, and by we I mean my two sons and myself. We drove down from Pa and headed to a big section of the monongahela where we would have plenty of room to roam and stretch our legs. We stayed in a cabin I found on the web. Cabin was great with my only complaint being it HAD Wi-Fi, not that the boys minded. Got there kind of late so no time to scout around but I had picked some likely spots e-scouting.
First day: my e-scouting was right on. We hiked in 3.5 miles on a trail and then bushwhacked down into valley and hunted our way back. Lots of deer sign, scrapes, trails and a few sightings. The problem was what I could not recognize online was how thick the area was, never could see more than 75 yards. Boys were frustrated and the going was tough, actually got cliffed out while trying to follow the valley back towards the truck and had to go back up to get around. Did not expect that. Right towards the end of the grind a bear darts in front of us abs runs up a steep bank very thick vegetation abs we couldn’t shoot, I knew when he created out there might be a shot. When he did he paused and I touched one off. Apparently still a little too thick and a couple small saplings saved his life. Once the adrenaline came down and I replayed the events in my head I realized it was a pretty small bear and was actually glad I missed.
Day 2: went to another area and was relieved to find lots of oak, lots of mast and in places we could sit and watch openings 2-300 yards. Multiple deer sightings but no horns.
Day 3: Moved again and we found our spot to really hunt there. Mix of thicker vegetation and large oak flats and side hills. Saw deer right off the bat on our hike in, about 2.5 miles off the main road all foot traffic. Found a good point to sit on and watch a side hill where I could see 2-300 yards. 1/2 hour later a little forky got too close and our camp needed a boost in morale so he got to take a ride in my pack.
Best story from day 3 was that a bear walked within 10 yards of my son and he plain forgot he had a gun, never seen a bear in the wood and his mind short circuited. When I came by to get him on the way back to the truck he told me the whole story and he just couldn’t understand why he didn’t shoot. It’s a memory he’ll carry the rest of his life.
Day 4, last day. Hunted most of the day, few deer sightings with one missed shot, kind of long by my middle boy on a “buck” meaning it had horns but he couldn’t tell me how big.

Take away from the hunt is that deer density is low compared to where I hunt in Pa. My oldest actually asked me why people don’t take hunting trips to where we hunt from West Virginia. I told him to keep his mouth shut and don’t tell any of those hillbillies and darn thing 😉. It was a great trip for the boys, but I think they are a bit young yet to appreciate hunting all day to see a couple deer when back home you will see 10x that. What they did appreciate was seeing 2 groups of doe not even run as we walked up to them when we were way back in off trail, almost as though they didn’t know what we were. They just kind of walked off when we got a little too close and fed away. I’ll go back at some point, I loved the remoteness and the number of bear we saw, and we actually did see a huge buck cross the road in front of us one morning so I know they are there just few and far between.

MM

Sounds like a great trip MM.

Except for the wifi!

I was borned and raised in the town it self. Monongahela.Just a little north of where MD and WV meet at the PA border.Back in the 50's, to see a deer was a rare sight and we always went up to Clinton County to hunt.My son and brother still live there.Today, deer are like long legged rats.They are every where. They tear up shrubs,gardens and it a rare sight not to see 2-3 killed every night along the roads.

Right before I left PA in 64, I was traveling along between Renova and State College. A doe deer jumped off a bank,cleared the other lane and landed on the hood of my 56 Chevy. It totaled the hood, both fenders, and cracked the windshield. Luckily it did not get the radiator and I was able to drive the Chevy home

A bear, like gold, is apparently where you find it. We’ve had a couple visit our subdivision in the past, though I missed seeing them. I did find a large scat pile in October, right on the trail in my WMA, but never saw the bear or more poop. He was probably there for the acorns. Lots of deer here and in adjoining Clarke County, VA, but places to hunt are hard to find other than the small WMA (about 1400 acres) I hunt. Not far west of here are larger public areas, but you also get into the CWD zones, which means you have to debone your deer before you leave the county. Last I checked, Hampshire County had the largest kill, for years apparently. I like the convenience of hunting 15 minutes from home, so I suffer the small WMA and the number of non-hunters that use it for their fun.

There is an interesting opportunity in Hardy County, a 6000 acre tract that only allows MLs during the regular firearms season. A warden told me that the area gets little pressure since that restriction was put in place and there are some nice bucks in there as a result. Might visit it next year. It is in the CWD area. Plenty of bears too. (This info may be out of date, as it’s been a few years since I gathered it). The area is Wilson Cove, and the woods I saw on my sole trip there were very nice.

Great story MM! Thanks for sharing....I love hunting deep woods public land but as I am getting older it is starting to take its toll on my back and hips, I will still do it as long as I can though, its the way I have hunted all my life .....Pappy, if you want to kill a bear in Virginia try Bath Co. or really any of the western counties that border Ky or WV. Bears are more than plentyful here they are really a nuisance, you cant even hang a trail camera without it being mauled and ruined by one of the bastids... Good luck I hope you kill a dozen of them 👍......Hb

Can you tell me the years of those heavy snows? Thanks a lot.

Not really sure I want to kill one anywhere, especially a mile or so back in the pucker-brush😱. I have the same problem you do with my old bones. If I ever see one, I’ll decide then, I guess. My neighbor, who hunts about three miles from here in Clarke
County, has a trail cam pic of a pretty nice one, and close to the road too!

I get a free bear stamp with my WV lifetime license, and VA thinks too highly of theirs. Unless I get another private land opportunity in VA, I likely won’t hunt there. My son belongs to a club with 1000 acres, but it’s too far away.

If you have ever boned one out( deer or bear) it is a life altering experience. I put the whole buck’s bone out meat and head in my pack, and while not light it wasn’t that bad to carry a couple miles. That same trek dragging would have been hell. If you can walk a couple miles with no problem then splitting the load wouldn’t be bad at all. It opens up the areas you can hunt if that is how you get the game out.
I shot a buck in the Allegheny state park in lower New York State, ended up dragging it 3.4 miles( gps tracked). I will never and I mean never hunt that park again without a backpack to carry them out. Same in WV.

That’s been my plan if I ever get anything of size. I have a packframe and gamebags, and now that I finally have a pickup, I have room to keep that stuff handy. Also bought one of the plastic boats that duck hunters use, so I can get just about anything that’s been boned in one trip.

Those long tough drags are something best remembered, not experienced!

Hello all who is heading to WV Monongaheala forest for deer rifle? How did you do last year?