West Virginia Hunting License 2026: Cost, NR & Stamps

West Virginia uses a license class system layered with separate stamps that each authorize specific harvest opportunities. The base Resident Class A license ($19) covers small game, furbearers, and trapping. The Resident Sportsman (Class X, $35) adds fishing and the Conservation Stamp in a single purchase — the better value for any hunter who also fishes. The Conservation Stamp ($5 resident / $13 NR) is required with every base license class regardless of what you hunt. Non-residents start with Class E ($119), which covers small game and furbearers; bear hunting requires the Class EE ($162), which includes Class E privileges.

Deer, bear, and turkey hunting all require a Big Game Stamp ($10 resident and NR) on top of the base license — this is the foundational deer stamp that authorizes one antlered buck during the firearms season. Additional deer can be added through separate stamps: the Archery Deer Stamp ($21 res / $37 NR) authorizes one additional archery deer; the Muzzleloader Stamp ($16 res / $37 NR) adds one muzzleloader deer; the Additional Gun Deer Stamp ($21 res / $43 NR) adds a second firearms buck. Antlerless Deer Stamps ($7 res / $27 NR) allow antlerless harvest in select counties during split season periods. Hunting National Forest land — including the Monongahela NF and George Washington & Jefferson NF — requires a separate $2 National Forest Stamp.

West Virginia resident landowners can hunt their own property under state exemption rules during legal open seasons. Because WVDNR license classes and stamps are layered, landowners should confirm the current exemption language before assuming a Big Game Stamp, additional deer stamp, or reporting step is waived. All season dates, antler point restrictions, bag limits, and tagging or checking requirements still need to be followed.

West Virginia harvests over 2,000 black bears annually — among the highest totals of any state east of the Mississippi. The bear population is concentrated in the Appalachian mountain ranges of southern and eastern WV, where extensive hardwood forests provide dense mast crops of acorns and beechnuts that support high bear densities. The Monongahela National Forest in the eastern highlands and the forested plateaus of southern WV are the core of the state's bear range.

WV's bear season is the most structurally complex in the East. Archery and crossbow bear hunting runs September 27 through December 31 — concurrent with the deer archery season. The firearms bear season opens as early as August 30 in four southern counties (Fayette, Greenbrier, McDowell, and Mercer) — the earliest bear firearms opener in the state — and then continues through multiple split periods through December 31. Youth bear hunts are held over two separate weekends in September and October. Every firearms bear season period overlaps with different deer seasons, making WV an efficient destination for hunters targeting both species in a single trip.

Non-resident bear hunters must purchase the Class EE Bear Hunting License ($162, which includes Class E general hunting privileges), plus the Big Game Stamp ($10) and the Bear Damage Stamp ($10) — minimum total $182. One bear per license year. Counter-reporting is required for bear harvest. Unlike most western states with limited OTC bear access, WV does not require a draw for bear; tags are available at purchase.

Rifles are legal for deer hunting statewide in West Virginia — a meaningful distinction from neighboring states like Pennsylvania (shotgun or rifle restrictions by county) or Ohio (no rifles in most counties). The firearms buck season runs November 24 through December 7 (14 days). A 96-day archery and crossbow season runs September 27 through December 31 with no draw required — the Big Game Stamp ($10) is all that is needed on top of a base license. A Muzzleloader-Only season runs December 15–21. Antlerless harvest occurs through split season dates in select counties: October 23–26, November 24–December 7, December 11–14, and December 28–31.

The stamp system allows resident hunters to significantly expand their deer harvest beyond the base one-buck allocation. A resident hunter with the full stamp set — Big Game Stamp ($10), Additional Gun Deer Stamp ($21), Archery Deer Stamp ($21), Muzzleloader Stamp ($16), and Antlerless Stamp ($7) — can pursue deer across all four seasons with multiple harvest opportunities. The total stamp cost beyond the base license is $75 resident for full deer participation across all methods and seasons.

West Virginia also offers wild boar hunting year-round with no bag limit on select Wildlife Management Areas, including the Burnsville Lake and Little Canaan WMAs. A valid hunting license and Big Game Stamp are required. The wild boar population at these WMAs consists of Russian boar, providing a year-round option for hunters traveling to WV between deer and bear seasons. WV's ruffed grouse season (October 11 – February 28) and squirrel season (September 13 – February 28, 6 per day) round out the small game calendar for hunters looking to fill multiple days on a single trip.