Hampshire saw highest kills in District 2

District Wildlife Biologist Chelsey Faller said that mast production and weather are generally two of the biggest drivers of hunter success.

“Observation of mast conditions and good scouting are important, but wind, rain and temperature can make or break a day’s hunting. The fall and winter of 2022 saw some heavy storm events in our area, and it remains to be seen what impact these ice storms will have on next year’s acorn crop. White oaks produce a whole new crop of acorns every year, while red oaks take two years for their acorns to mature.”

Though District 2 counties’ buck season hunting totals were down by around one to three percent from 2021, Hampshire County saw the most kills, with Hardy and Pendleton following behind. Hampshire saw 1,467 kills this season, slightly lower than last year’s 1,483.

Overall, the firearm buck season kills were up 18 percent in the state.

Faller said that acorns are one of the most important fall deer food, but not all acorns are equal and deer are selective when they have choices.

She added, “less food availability sends deer searching for areas, or even individual trees, that produced well. The extra movement across the landscape makes deer more vulnerable to harvest. A hunter who locates a handful of mast producing trees with a heavy load will typically do well, especially in a year when the options elsewhere are lean. Less high quality forage in the forest can also send deer into agricultural areas, or neighborhoods, looking for high quality food to bulk up on before winter hits.”

Antlerless harvest in the region was generally up this season in the eastern panhandle, with the exception of Pendleton County, which saw a 13.5 percent decline in harvest.

Below is the preliminary data for District 2’s buck firearm season totals:

Mineral           972

Hampshire       1457

Hardy             1181

Morgan           576

Grant              1089

Pendleton        1154

Berkley           701

Jefferson         511