The Whitetail Tradition

Each fall, deer hunters across the state and beyond take to the woods for more than just a champion harvest.

This story was originally published in the November 2024 issue of Wonderful West Virginia. To subscribe, visit wonderfulwv.com.

Written by Devin Lacy

My  husband calls me most mornings he’s away hunting. It’s early, so it’s usually just a quick check-in—a reminder of where he’ll be and a “Wish me luck.” It’s tradition, in a way, something I’ve grown used to over the years as he takes off to the woods in hopes of coming back with an impressive harvest, refreshed from time spent outside.

He has told me so many stories about the hunting trips of his childhood. He’s been hunting since he was 10 years old, making many memories in the woods, and he probably will until he’s too old to hike up mountains or haul deer around. Even then, I’m sure he’ll find a way.

The stories are varied: traveling not-so-quietly—to his dad’s chagrin—through the woods with his brothers, fending off curious squirrels stopping by to investigate his tree stand, learning valuable lessons in how to watch and listen after unintentionally spooking a few deer, and racing to make it back to camp before the sun sinks. He even fondly remembers keeping his grades up in school so he’d be allowed to take a few days off to go hunting instead.  

He’s not the only one with many stories to tell about his first forays into West Virginia’s widespread love of hunting.

Hunters are drawn to the Mountain State from all across the region as people seek the space and opportunity. In 2021, the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources processed 265,000 hunting licenses, approximately 70,000 of them for non-residents. People enter our wilderness from all walks of life with unique experiences to share and new memories to make.

Deer DNR

For Paul Johansen, chief of the WVDNR’s Wildlife Resources Section, his first deer hunting experience can only be described as “life-changing.” “Hunting is just a part of the natural fiber of humans,” he says. “It goes way back to our genetic makeup; we’re hunters and gatherers. It never quite leaves you, and when you have the experience of getting up in the morning—a cold, crisp, clear morning—and you’re in that deer stand in the woods, it resonates strongly. I still feel that sense of awe today.”

Johansen was introduced to the sport through family ties, a familiar entry point for many of our hunters. Like a valuable heirloom or a beloved expanse of property, the knowledge and skills are passed down from generation to generation, given with care and passion. It’s a long-standing, family-oriented tradition, he says, and a strong part of the state’s culture.

In this modern age, where hunting has become an act more of recreation than inherent need, the tradition and culture of deer hunting in West Virginia still remain and grow. Come November, when opening day rolls around, hunters around the state will take days off work, be marked absent in school, and disappear into the woods. “I think the reasons are as varied as the individual hunters that are out there,” Johansen says. “There are some that grew up doing it, and it’s tradition. A lot of hunters enjoy the opportunity to get out and enjoy nature. And there are certainly folks that are interested in seeing if they can bag a big buck or help us manage the deer herds.” All of these hunters find what they are looking for in our mountains—they might just have to sit quietly for a while.

However, there seems to be one other distinct factor that keeps drawing hunters to West Virginia woodlands in the fall. “A big reason, especially in West Virginia, is to be with their family and their friends,” Johansen says. “It’s a social event, if you will. They may not be hunting side by side, but they gather together in the morning, maybe walk out to their own stands together, come back together for lunch. It’s a chance to renew those friendships and spend time together in the field. Some folks have had to leave the state to seek opportunities elsewhere, and their families are still here, and they’re coming back that week of Thanksgiving to spend time with their families. And what a wonderful time to deer hunt while they are here! It’s part of that celebration.”

At the end of the day, deer season is a reminder to people like Johansen, who work as wildlife professionals for the state, of just how important a resource we have here in our white-tailed deer and the significance they have to hunters and families throughout the region. “This tradition of deer hunting is so important to West Virginians, and it’s an honor to play a role in helping manage that resource.”

A Bowhunter’s Perspective

Some of Ed McMinn’s earliest memories are seeing photos of his great-grandfather on hunting trips, headed up the mountains of Pocahontas County to find deer. “I got introduced through some family,” he remembers. “My dad wasn’t much of a hunter, but he took me a few times. I really got involved when a friend in college introduced me to bowhunting.”

Bowhunting quickly turned into a passion for McMinn, a yearly hobby that he eventually shared with his son at an early age. “I started him with a little long bow at age 3. He took to it and loved it, and we’ve gone on several trips together.”

His son now in his 30s, McMinn retains his love of the sport and fosters that passion in others. He is president of the West Virginia Bowhunters Association, one of several organizations that serve as a valuable aspect of the hunting culture in West Virginia, fighting to keep it protected, thriving, and growing. Many of these organizations—including the WVDNR—are dedicated to the education of hunters and non-hunters alike, bringing new people to the sport and sharing the traditions with others.

Like Johansen, McMinn believes in the quality relationships that are built through deer hunting, the unequivocal social nature that brings us back to the woods time and time again. Over the years, he has hunted on both private and public lands in the state, building friendships and connecting with others. McMinn has also found camaraderie in the Parchment Valley Bowhunter Retreat, an annual gathering of bowhunters in Ripley that brings together men from all over the state—and even a few from beyond our borders—for hunting and fellowship with one another.

For McMinn, these connections are why the tradition is so important. “When I hunt with my son, we get time to connect with each other, whether it’s on the drive to the private lease or the public land. It’s good family time,” he says. “The connections in the truck or the cabin, telling the stories and reliving the experience, are where you feel a lot of the fun and enjoyment.”

Keeping the Tradition Alive

Wildlife management has been a cornerstone of West Virginia since the state’s creation in 1863. According to the West Virginia Conservation Agency, wildlife populations—including white-tailed deer—were detrimentally affected by the timbering efforts in the late 1800s and early 1900s. It was the work of the state and those dedicated to retaining the “wild and wonderful” in West Virginia that kept the tradition alive with great success. WVDNR has recorded 7 million deer harvested in the state since 1945, almost 110,000 of them in the 2023–24 combined deer seasons. And behind those 7 million deer are 7 million tales to be told.

While not a hunter myself, I am often completely enraptured by their stories, the deep sense of nostalgia and pride they elicit. That is the charm of deer hunting, I think, and the charm of West Virginia: these long-standing traditions that seem to remain no matter how our world changes.