West Virginia
11,900
Duck Statewide Harvest
6,400
Goose Statewide Harvest
2,400
No. Waterfowl Licenses Sold Annually
5.6
Ducks Per Hunter
3.6
Geese Per Hunter
$19
Cost of Resident Waterfowl Hunting License
$5
Cost of Resident State Stamps and Permits
$25
Federal Duck Stamp
$119; six-day small-game license $27
Cost of Non-Resident Waterfowl Hunting License
$21
Cost of Non-Resident State Stamps and Permits
$25
Federal Duck Stamp
Photo by Alexander Potapov
Well, what can you say? A state famous for hills and hollows probably won't rank very high on a list of waterfowl destinations. Still, don't sell West Virginia short.
State hunters shot decent numbers of mallards and wood ducks in 2023-'24. Some of the state's best shooting occurs on large river corridors late in the season, when other waters have frozen. The Ohio River near Parkersburg holds good numbers of honkers and ducks late in fall. Hunters can take geese and some bonus puddle ducks by obtaining permission at nearby ag fields. Or they can chase divers on the main water of the big river.
Hunters have some other public waterfowl opportunities, too, including 6,000-acre Summersville Lake in Nicholas County.
