Fierce winds laced with snow and rain dogged hunters a year ago, but the foul weather of 2008 could lead to huge dividends in the upcoming bucks-only firearms season, considering the number of carryover deer.

“It’s going to be a great deer season this year,” assistant wildlife chief Paul Johansen of the Division of Natural Resources predicted Friday.

Long a tradition that finds the workplaces and some schools depleted, the two-week season opening Thanksgiving week lures thousands of hunters to West Virginia forests, many of them from other states in quest of a little venison and some trophy racks.

“Of course, the great unknown is always what the weather is going to be like the first three days of the season,” Johansen said.

Normally, the majority of bucks are taken in that three-day span, since the ranks of hunters are highest, leading up to Thanksgiving itself.

“If we have decent weather the first three days, we expect the kill to be up somewhat,” Johansen said.

“Last year the wind blew in your face — horizontally. A lot of places had snow and some had rain. Heavy winds were blowing. That certainly affected the overall harvest.”

Besides the usual complement of bucks roaming the woods, deer surviving the 2008 season will be out there as well, and can only improve a hunter’s odds.

“Not only do we look to see the kill up somewhat this year, but I look to see some nice bucks being taken,” he said.

“Some reports I’m hearing from the field indicate there are some dandy bucks out there this year.”

Last year, hunters took 67,365, which actually was up over the previous year by 152. In the past five seasons, the harvest has hovered between 60,000 and 67,000.

Poor mast conditions likely means the deer will be more visible, out in the open fields foraging, rather than feeding within the woods, the DNR official pointed out. For the most part, except in the higher eastern mountains, the mast is spotty.

“Food is not really the driving factor in terms of what influences the deer behavior,” Johansen said.

“It’s a combination of the breeding season being in full swing. Plus we’ve got so many hunters that will be putting afield. And that tends to move the deer around.”

A year ago, out-of-staters bought 30,580 non-resident licenses — a figure that tends to stay in that neighborhood. The state also sold 2,408 junior licenses for younger hunters.

Natural Resources Director Frank Jezioro, citing figures from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Shooting Sports Foundation, says the deer hunting alone provides West Virginia’s economy with a $250 million jolt each year.

“It’s huge,” Johansen said.

“In terms of economic impact to the state’s economy — no pun intended — it really is big bucks. A lot of that is because of the rural nature of West Virginia. Economists tell me that when money is spent in a rural community, it tends to circulate longer, so the economic impact is even more significant.”

Mom and pop hotels, gas stations and convenience stores depend heavily on deer hunters, taking in as much as 60 percent of their annual income in the deer season, Jezioro said.

“It really is an infusion of needed funds that come into their businesses at a time of the year it’s probably sorely needed,” Johansen said.

“It has a real positive impact. When I used to live in Elkins, on a Friday or Sunday before the deer season, I’d go to the local grocery stores and see all these guys in camo walking around. It was obvious they probably didn’t get to a grocery store once or twice a year, usually right before the deer season. They’d get loaded up for the deer camp.”

Skiers and the faithful of West Virginia and Marshall football teams likewise are major economic boosters, but such spending is spread over a much longer period, he pointed out.

“Nothing compares to the impact that the bucks season has,” Johansen said.

“It’s such a strong tradition here in West Virginia. Even in difficult economic times like we’re going through right now, I don’t think that’s going to have a major impact on folks getting out and deer hunting. It’s so important to them. And so much of the deer hunting can be done now very close to home. It’s not going to be a major burden on many residents.”

Except for four southern counties reserved exclusively to bowhunters — Wyoming, McDowell, Logan and Mingo — deer are plentiful in 51 counties for firearms hunters.

“The bottom line is, deer hunting, from a financial standpoint, is a pretty inexpensive activity for non-residents to engage in,” Johansen said.

West Virginia pulls in hunters from nearby metropolitan areas such as Pittsburgh and Baltimore, he said.

Fewer accidental shootings have occurred in recent years, and Johansen attributes this to the DNR’s safety program and the required use of 400 square inches of blaze orange apparel.

“The real driving factor in that overall safety equation is the mandatory blaze orange,” he said.

Of late, the major safety concern has been an upswing in accidents on tree stands, or hunters in poor physical shape succumbing to sudden over-exertion.

“We urge hunters to be careful and safe with regard to elevated deer stands,” Johansen said.

“Make sure your equipment is in good shape. By all means, make sure if you’re above ground in a stand, that you wear a safety harness. Unfortunately, we see folks in accidents related to falling out of tree sands. Those are easily prevented with a harness.”

— E-mail: mannix@register-herald.com