By Faithlyn Graham, WV News
BURNSVILLE, W.Va. — Monday, Nov. 24 marks the beginning of the 2025 buck season, and hunters throughout the state are gearing up their firearms.
According to the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, hunting and fishing license sales to state residents in 2023-2024 totaled $7.9 million.
For many people in the Mountain State, hunting is a family tradition, with young women now comprising a large percentage of hunters each season.
Casey Drake, of Burnsville in Braxton County, said that for her, it was second nature.
“Growing up, my dad, uncles and cousins all hunted,” she said. “I got out of it for a while, but now my husband and I hunt together. I guess you could say it’s just kind of born into me.”
Drake said those in West Virginia who didn’t grow up hunting, in her experience, are less likely to start it on their own as it may be less appealing when it isn’t traditional.
Image courtesy of WV News