CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Like a growing number of states, West Virginia was aiming to make a dent in its fast-growing deer population when it created its first-ever September hunting season this year.

But the upshot of such changes across the country often is more hunters spending more time, and money, pursuing deer. Federal government figures show more than 10 million big game hunters spent approximately $11.8 billion annually, a number that has increased despite waning participation in the sport.

As the number of hunters has dropped, the population of whitetail deer, by far the most common big game animal, has climbed across much of the United States.

Wildlife biologists have responded by increasing opportunities to kill whitetails, particularly in warmer-weather states where extreme winter cold doesn't help check deer numbers. Some states have lengthened hunting seasons, others have increased bag limits. Some have tried to increase access to private land.

"Certainly there's an interest in creating more opportunities," said Matt Hogan, executive director of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.

"State agencies are very supportive of keeping the traditions of hunting alive and one of the ways you do that is providing more opportunities for folks to get out there."

West Virginia opened its first-ever September archery season in the middle of the month, allowing bowhunters to pursue deer in 36 counties. The following week, the state opened a muzzleloader

Advertisement
season. The changes are aimed at reducing the state's deer population, which is estimated at 1 million. Last year, West Virginia hunters killed 162,371 deer, up from 145,937 in 2007.

Other states have tried different approaches.

Kansas has established a zone around Kansas City where the aim is to essentially eliminate the deer population, said Steve Williams, president of the Wildlife Management Institute, a 98-year-old conservation group.

Pennsylvania has established similar rings around Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

Some states have made it easier to shoot does, populations drop more quickly if the breeding females are eliminated, while others have increased seasons. Some require hunters to kill a doe before shooting a buck.

"You look at deer kill statistics and, for the most part, those numbers continue to climb," Williams said. "Certainly, in general way, they've been successful."

Just how many of West Virginia's estimated 300,000 deer hunters take the hint and get out earlier than usual , or even buy an extra doe tag or two, is a tough call given the response to past efforts to expand hunting.

When West Virginia decided to overlap firearms seasons for bucks and does, the aim was to reduce the burgeoning deer population. That worked, but it's less clear whether the change sent more hunters to the field or increased permit purchases.

"It took advantage of the fact that the vast majority of our hunters are afield the first two or three days of the buck season," said West Virginia Division of Natural Resources official Paul Johansen. "It probably had a positive effect. It certainly didn't have a negative effect on license sales."

The most recent National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation shows spending by big game hunters increased from 2001 to 2005 to $11.8 billion, from $10.1 billion. Overall, spending on hunting declined to $22.9 billion, from $23.5 billion in the same period.

People who kept hunting, though, continued to spend an average of 17.5 days per year in the field.

Ohio's Department of Natural Resources has taken a new approach to combating the state's swollen deer population this fall by trying to hook up hunters with farmers in a state where 95 percent of land is in private hands. People looking for a place to hunt can sign up on huntohiofarms.com, as can farmers seeking hunters.

If a two-year test in four northeastern counties works, Ohio hopes to expand the program statewide, Ohio DNR spokesman Luke Miller said. So far, about 3,800 hunters, but a relatively scant 40 farms, have signed up.

While Miller says the goal is increased pressure on Ohio's antlerless deer population, the agency is also aiming to get more hunters out more often.

States such as Kansas and Montana already have programs that pay landowners to allow hunting parties.

"There's more of those programs out there and they're increasing all the time," said Hogan, with the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.

Increasing programs to provide access is part of what agencies are supposed to do.

"That's part of our business to try to provide recreation to our citizens," West Virginia's Johansen said. "Generally speaking, when you create a new season it generates interest in our hunters and it gets them excited and they go out and hunt."

In Pennsylvania, giving hunters more opportunities to shoot does by overlapping the season for antlered and antlerless deer a number of years ago generated greater interest, said Williams, who lives in the Keystone state.

"Our doe tag license sales did increase," he said.

The change also gave hunters the opportunity to keep going after they took the first deer of the year, without waiting several weeks for a brief doe season.

"For me, personally, it changed from a one-day season to a two-week season," Williams said.