West Virginia — where you can actually hunt
West Virginia sells tags over the counter — there's no draw. So the question is where: which counties have public land you can walk onto and hunt. And “public land” isn't one thing — a national park or a refuge is closed or permit-only, so we count only what's truly open, and show the rest honestly. Pick your species below.
What “huntable” means here
National forest, BLM, and state game lands / WMAs are open to hunting (state wildlife-agency lands are managed forit); state forests generally are. National & state parks and military land are closed; wildlife refuges are permit-only — those are excluded from the number.
By huntable public land
Most huntable counties first
Ranked by open public land — state game lands / WMAs and national forest are the open categories that push a county up. The mix shows what kind; deer harvest (WV Division of Natural Resources reported deer kill) shows where the animals are.
| County | Huntable | Land mix | Deer harvest | Save |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pocahontas | 55.6% | State Game Lands / WMA 55.6% | 2,157 | |
| Tucker | 39% | State Game Lands / WMA 38.9% | 1,728 | |
| Randolph | 32.7% | State Game Lands / WMA 32.6% | 4,065 | |
| Pendleton | 30% | State Game Lands / WMA 29.9% | — | |
| Webster | 18.6% | State Game Lands / WMA 18.6% | 1,675 | |
| Greenbrier | 17.7% | State Game Lands / WMA 17.7% | 3,521 | |
| Hardy | 14.5% | State Game Lands / WMA 14.5% | 2,525 | |
| Wayne | 12.8% | State Game Lands / WMA 12.8% | 1,260 | |
| Mingo | 11.6% | State Game Lands / WMA 11.6% | 534 | |
| Braxton | 9.9% | State Game Lands / WMA 9.9% | 2,393 | |
| Lewis | 8.5% | State Game Lands / WMA 8.5% | 2,823 | |
| Wirt | 8.5% | State Game Lands / WMA 8.5% | 1,556 | |
| Berkeley | 8.4% | State Game Lands / WMA 8.4% | 2,177 | |
| Monroe | 8.2% | State Game Lands / WMA 7.8% | 2,762 | |
| Nicholas | 7.2% | State Game Lands / WMA 7.2% | 2,477 | |
| Summers | 7.1% | State Game Lands / WMA 7.1% | 1,551 | |
| Grant | 6.7% | State Game Lands / WMA 6.7% | 2,361 | |
| Wetzel | 6% | State Game Lands / WMA 6% | 1,802 | |
| Logan | 6% | State Game Lands / WMA 6% | 645 | |
| McDowell | 5.9% | State Game Lands / WMA 5.9% | 666 | |
| Hampshire | 5.8% | State Game Lands / WMA 5.8% | 2,595 | |
| Mason | 5.5% | State Game Lands / WMA 5.5% | 3,442 | |
| Morgan | 5.2% | State Game Lands / WMA 5.2% | 1,486 | |
| Monongalia | 5.1% | State Game Lands / WMA 5.1% | 2,132 | |
| Ritchie | 4.7% | State Game Lands / WMA 4.7% | 3,276 | |
| Brooke | 4.6% | State Game Lands / WMA 4.6% | 991 | |
| Wyoming | 4.5% | State Game Lands / WMA 4.5% | 946 | |
| Hancock | 3.9% | State Game Lands / WMA 3.9% | 900 | |
| Preston | 3.4% | State Game Lands / WMA 3.4% | 4,943 | |
| Mineral | 3.3% | State Game Lands / WMA 3.3% | 2,354 | |
| Putnam | 3.3% | State Game Lands / WMA 3.3% | 2,100 | |
| Fayette | 3.2% | State Game Lands / WMA 3.2% | 2,396 | |
| Jackson | 3.2% | State Game Lands / WMA 3.2% | 3,694 | |
| Lincoln | 2.9% | State Game Lands / WMA 2.9% | 1,689 | |
| Taylor | 2.7% | State Game Lands / WMA 2.7% | 1,211 | |
| Clay | 2.5% | State Game Lands / WMA 2.5% | 744 | |
| Boone | 2.5% | State Game Lands / WMA 2.5% | 1,312 | |
| Mercer | 2.4% | State Game Lands / WMA 2.4% | 1,624 | |
| Pleasants | 2.3% | State Game Lands / WMA 2.3% | 729 | |
| Tyler | 2% | State Game Lands / WMA 2% | 1,818 | |
| Kanawha | 1.9% | State Game Lands / WMA 1.9% | 2,502 | |
| Roane | 1.9% | State Game Lands / WMA 1.9% | 2,411 | |
| Marshall | 1.8% | State Game Lands / WMA 1.8% | 1,595 | |
| Cabell | 1.6% | State Game Lands / WMA 1.6% | 1,161 | |
| Wood | 1.3% | State Game Lands / WMA 1.3% | 3,403 | |
| Jefferson | 1.2% | State Game Lands / WMA 1.2% | 1,269 | |
| Calhoun | 1% | State Game Lands / WMA 1% | 1,425 | |
| Barbour | 0.7% | State Game Lands / WMA 0.7% | 2,430 | |
| Marion | 0.7% | State Game Lands / WMA 0.7% | 1,704 | |
| Gilmer | 0.6% | State Game Lands / WMA 0.6% | 1,577 | |
| Ohio | 0.5% | State Game Lands / WMA 0.5% | 873 | |
| Harrison | 0.4% | — | 2,079 | |
| Upshur | 0.3% | — | 3,286 | |
| Doddridge | 0.2% | — | 1,937 | |
| Raleigh | 0% | — | 2,436 |
huntablePct = state WMAs + national forest as a share of the county (WV Division of Natural Resources GIS + PAD-US, EPSG:5070); deer = WV Division of Natural Resources reported deer harvest by county. Turkey = WVDNR spring gobbler harvest by county (2026), sums exactly to the published statewide total (12,006). National & state parks, military land, and permit-only refuges are computed but shown as the “mix,” not counted huntable; confirm the specific tract with the state agency.
West Virginia — best of, ranked