|
West Virginia's Natural Resources Commission approved new regulations to thin out the doe deer population during the 2012 season.
The new regulations seek to reduce deer populations in most counties by increasing bag limits for antlerless deer and creating incentives for hunters to kill antlerless deer instead of bucks.
One of the new regulations is a requirement that hunters in counties with very high deer populations must kill an antlerless deer before they're allowed to kill a second antlerless buck.
That change will be in effect during both the archery and firearm seasons.
Another change will allow hunters to take up to two deer a day, provided at least one is antlerless.
The approved regulations also include a significant change to the antlerless-deer bag limits.
In counties that had two- or four-deer limits in 2011, the 2012 bag limit will change to three.
For towns and cities that hold urban deer seasons, the commission approved dramatically more liberal regulations.
To increase the take of female deer before the "rut," or deer-mating season, commissioners approved a new three-day, late-October firearm season for antlerless deer. This year's season will be held Oct. 25-27.
| 
