Things are looking pretty good for West Virginia’s traditional gun buck season (Nov. 23).

Recent mild to average winters, good mast and somewhat more conservative antlerless deer tags have made for a solid rebuild in the herds. Skimpy mast this fall means those greater numbers of deer will be grazing at more limited food sources.

As a result, the white-tailed ones will be easier for hunters to pinpoint.

A better buck kill is thus in the cards.

But let’s not count our antlers ‘til they’re on the wall.

The biggest oops factor is rain.

If it rains hard and early in the season like it did just last year; the kill can be greatly reduced.

In fact, that’s precisely another reason why this year’s forecast is on the plus side.

The DNR folks across the District by District and Region by Region boards concur without exception per their Annual Hunting Outlook for 2009.

Hunters might note that as silly as it sounds, the most traditional of all the hunting venues is well making for some new tradition. The New Millennium kicker is that the first Monday of November’s opening day is more a deer season now than just a “gun buck” season.

Why? Some two-thirds plus of the Mountain State’s 55 counties allow some measure of antlerless gun deer hunting during the “gun buck” season.

Please be advised to carefully check your favorite county public or private land options in the regulations and note that you need a Class N antlerless deer license to exercise that option.

Regardless of your thoughts on the matter, the does in buck season option is also having another effect.

Bucks are living longer and producing better racks per on average.

Buck to doe ratios should improve and the herds should be closer to their healthier management objectives.

So in effect, hunters are being steered in the “you can’t eat horns” direction with better herd management goals in mind. And that my friends is exactly what those management goals are supposed to do. Hunters should thus follow the rules and live and let live when it comes to bagging a doe or a smaller racked buck for that matter.

So if you were wondering why a new gun buck kill record of 102,484 as was had in 1997 or even a Strategic Plan for the Year 2000 kill of 90,000 is extremely unlikely by today’s standards, wonder no more.

The gun buck times not only are a changing; they already have.

If you hadn’t noticed, the gun buck kills of the past five years have hovered remarkably around the 65,000 average and without generating a lot of complaints. Reason being, folks are bringing home a few more deer without horns while carving out this new tradition of sorts.

Nevertheless, look for a gun buck kill of 75,000 this year for a nice mix of the good old “numbers” days along with the better “quality” times of today.

And now for those fresh venison steaks. Medium rare please and pass the steak sauce.