West Virginia Buck Firearms Season 2026: Dates, Closed Counties and Legal Rifles
West Virginia's buck firearms season opens Monday 23 November 2026 and closes Sunday 6 December 2026. Fifty-one counties are open. Logan, McDowell, Mingo and Wyoming stay closed to firearms deer hunting. You must wear at least 400 square inches of blaze orange. Any centerfire rifle is legal, in any caliber.
That is the short answer. Below is the full season grid, the county detail, the caliber rules, license costs and how to pick a rifle that suits West Virginia ground.
Last updated 24 September 2026.
2026 buck firearms season dates
The season is two weeks long. It opens the Monday before Thanksgiving and runs through the following Sunday. For 2026 that is 23 November to 6 December. The Sunday closing day of 6 December is an open hunting day.
Your bag limit for the season is one antlered deer on your base license. You can take a second buck if you buy a Class RG stamp (resident) or Class RRG stamp (non-resident) before the season opens, or if you are a resident landowner hunting your own ground. Across all the regular deer seasons plus the Mountaineer Heritage Season combined, two antlered deer is the maximum. Inside the CWD Containment Area, or with a Class XS license, it is three. Only one antlered deer per day.
Nine areas make you take a doe before you take a second buck in that same county: Berkeley, the southern part of Greenbrier, Hampshire, Hardy, Jefferson, the eastern part of Mineral, Monroe, Morgan and Wood. The antlerless deer can be taken in any season that allows one.
Every deer season at a glance
| Season | 2026-27 dates | Where | Weapon |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archery and crossbow | 26 Sept - 31 Dec 2026 | Archery: 55 counties. Crossbow: 51 counties (not Logan, McDowell, Mingo, Wyoming unless you hold a Class Y/YY permit) | Bow, crossbow |
| Urban archery and crossbow | 5 Sept - 31 Dec 2026, then 11-31 Jan 2027 | Designated urban areas | Bow, crossbow |
| Youth / Class Q / Class XS antlerless | 17-18 Oct and 26-27 Dec 2026 | 51 counties, public land included | Firearms |
| Antlerless, split 1 | 22-25 Oct 2026 | 51 counties or parts of them | Firearms |
| Buck firearms | 23 Nov - 6 Dec 2026 | 51 counties | Rifle, shotgun slug, handgun, muzzleloader, air rifle, bow, crossbow |
| Antlerless, split 2 | 23 Nov - 6 Dec 2026 | 51 counties or parts of them | Firearms |
| Antlerless, split 3 | 10-13 Dec 2026 | 51 counties or parts of them | Firearms |
| Muzzleloader | 14-20 Dec 2026 | 51 counties. The four southern counties are closed | Muzzleloader |
| Antlerless, split 4 | 28-31 Dec 2026 | 51 counties or parts of them | Firearms |
Every antlerless day needs a Class N or NN stamp, one stamp per deer, unless you are hunting under landowner privilege. All the antlerless splits include their Sunday closing days.
The four counties closed to firearms deer season
Logan, McDowell, Mingo and Wyoming counties have no firearms deer season at all. They are archery counties. Crossbows are out too unless you hold a Class Y or YY permit. They are also closed to the muzzleloader season and to the youth and Class Q antlerless season.
| County | Buck firearms | Archery | Crossbow | Muzzleloader |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Logan | Closed | Open | Class Y/YY only | Closed |
| McDowell | Closed | Open | Class Y/YY only | Closed |
| Mingo | Closed | Open | Class Y/YY only | Closed |
| Wyoming | Closed | Open | Class Y/YY only | Closed |
| All other 51 counties | 23 Nov - 6 Dec | Open | Open | 14-20 Dec |
In those four counties you may take two deer, but only one buck per year, and one of the two has to be antlerless. Bear and turkey can be taken there with any weapon that is legal during the statewide Mountaineer Heritage Season.
If you live in one of the four and want the rifle season, you cross a county line: Boone, Raleigh, Fayette, Lincoln and Wayne all border that block and are open. Antlerless rules are set county by county and can differ between public and private land, so check your county in the WVDNR summary before you shoot a doe.
Blaze orange: how much and when
Four hundred square inches, minimum, as an outer garment, in any county with an open firearms deer season. A standard hunting vest clears that on its own. A hat alone does not.
It applies on private land, including your own, and to bow and crossbow hunters who go out during any firearm deer season. During the archery-only weeks before 23 November there is no orange requirement.
What rifles and calibers are legal
West Virginia is permissive here. There is no minimum centerfire caliber and no magazine limit for deer.
| Weapon | Rule |
|---|---|
| Centerfire rifle | Any caliber. Fully automatic rifles are not legal. |
| Rimfire rifle | .25 caliber or larger. That rules out .22 LR, .22 Magnum and .17 HMR. |
| Shotgun | Solid ball only, one ball per load. Buckshot is not legal for deer. |
| Handgun | Straight-wall cartridge of .357 Magnum or larger, or a bottleneck cartridge of .24 caliber or larger. No separate handgun stamp is listed in the current WVDNR summary; check the summary for handgun rules. |
| Muzzleloader | Muzzleloading rifle with or without a scope. Single-shot muzzleloading pistol of .38 caliber or larger. |
| Air rifle | .45 caliber or larger firing a bullet of 200 grains or more. Legal only in counties open to firearm deer hunting. |
| Crossbow | Draw weight of at least 125 pounds, bolts 16 inches or longer, working safety. |
| Magazine capacity | No limit for deer hunting. |
Popular and sensible choices for the season: .30-06 Springfield, .308 Winchester, .270 Winchester, 7mm-08 Remington, .243 Winchester, .30-30 Winchester, .35 Remington, .350 Legend and .45-70 Government. Browse the bolt-action rifles and lever-action rifles in the catalogue, and match your load in the ammunition category.
Is an AR-15 legal for deer in West Virginia?
Yes. An AR-15 is a semi-automatic centerfire rifle, and semi-automatic centerfire rifles are legal for deer here. Only fully automatic rifles are barred. There is no magazine cap, though a loaded 30-round magazine is more weight than help in steep timber.
The real question is the cartridge, not the platform. A .223 or 5.56 AR is legal and plenty of deer have fallen to one, but it wants a heavy controlled-expansion bullet and a broadside shot inside 150 yards. To make an AR do the job without qualification, step up: .350 Legend, .450 Bushmaster, 6.5 Grendel and .300 Blackout all run in a standard AR-15, and an AR-10 in .308 hits like any bolt gun. Our buck season rifle picks cover what we list.
Picking a rifle for a West Virginia mountain hunt
This is not prairie country. Most of the state is steep, laurel-choked hardwood, and many shots are taken at close range at a deer that will not stand around. Open ridges, clear cuts and reclaimed strip benches stretch that out to 200 or 250.
What that means in practice:
- Short and light beats long and heavy. A 20 to 22 inch barrel carries better on a 45-degree slope. You will hike more than you shoot.
- Low magnification. A 1-6x, 2-7x or 3-9x scope covers everything the state offers. A variable scope such as 4-16x works if you keep it on its lowest setting; a high-power setting is hard to use on a buck at close range in thick timber.
- Weatherproof it. Late November here is cold rain as often as snow. Stainless and synthetic pays for itself. If you carry a walnut-and-blued rifle, wipe it down every night.
- Lever guns still work. A .30-30 or .35 Remington carbine in thick cover is fast, points like a shotgun and is plenty for deer in this state.
Do not overbuy. A .30-06 or .308 with a sensible scope is plenty for any deer in this state and will still be working in twenty years.
Licenses, tags and what they cost
| License or stamp | Who it is for | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Class A - hunting and trapping | Resident | $19 |
| Class X - sportsman combo (hunt, fish, trap) | Resident | $35 |
| Class XS - senior lifetime | Qualifying residents 65+ | $25 |
| Class E - annual hunting | Non-resident | $119 |
| Junior sportsman, ages 8-17 | Non-resident | $16 |
| Class H - six-day small game | Non-resident | $27 |
| Conservation / Law Enforcement stamp (CS/LE) | All non-residents | $13 |
| Class I - National Forest stamp | Non-resident on national forest land | $2 |
| Big game stamp (Class BG) | Residents with Class A | $10 |
| Firearms deer stamp - the extra buck (Class RG resident $21 / Class RRG non-resident $43) | Both | $21 / $43 |
| Muzzleloader deer stamp (Class RM resident $16 / Class RRM non-resident $37) | Both | $16 / $37 |
Buy the RG or RRG stamp before opening day. It will not help you after you have already filled the base tag. If you were born on or after 1 January 1975 you must have completed a hunter education course before any base license can be issued to you.
Frequently asked questions
Can I hunt on Sunday in West Virginia?
Yes. On private land you need the landowner's written consent and you have to carry it on you. On public ground, Sunday hunting is allowed on federal land where hunting is permitted, in state forests, and on land the state owns, leases or manages for wildlife. The buck firearms season includes the Sunday closing day of 6 December 2026.
Is .223 legal for deer here?
Yes. Any centerfire caliber is legal. Use a heavier bonded or controlled-expansion bullet rather than a varmint load, keep the range sensible and wait for a broadside shot.
Do I need blaze orange while bowhunting?
Not during the archery-only weeks. Yes, 400 square inches, if you are carrying a bow or crossbow during any firearm deer season.
What is the antlerless season?
Four splits: 22-25 October, 23 November to 6 December, 10-13 December and 28-31 December 2026, in 51 counties or parts of them. You need a Class N or NN stamp for each antlerless deer. Youth, Class Q and Class XS hunters get their own antlerless days on 17-18 October and 26-27 December.
Can a non-resident hunt the buck season?
Yes. A Class E license at $119 plus the $13 conservation stamp gets you in. Add the $2 Class I stamp if you are hunting the Monongahela National Forest, and the $43 RRG stamp if you want a shot at a second buck.
How many bucks can I take?
One on the base license, a second with an RG or RRG stamp. Two antlered deer is the season maximum across all regular seasons and the Mountaineer Heritage Season combined, or three inside the CWD Containment Area or with a Class XS license. One antlered deer per day.
Get set before opening day
Dates, open counties and equipment rules on this page were checked against WVDNR on 24 September 2026. County-level antlerless rules change every year, so confirm your county in the current WVDNR regulations summary before you hunt.
If you still need a rifle, glass or a case of ammunition, order early so the dealer transfer is finished before opening day. Start with the full catalogue, and if you are new to buying a firearm here, read our West Virginia gun laws guide first.
General information, not legal advice. Current as of September 2026. Laws change; check the official source before you act.
