How to Tag Deer in West Virginia
So, you finally have that big buck on the ground. Now what? The first thing you should do before processing is to properly tag your harvest with the correct information on a field tag. This process will be the same for deer, bear, wild turkey, and boar as per West Virginia Division of Natural Resources.
All successful hunters are required to immediately fill out a field tag after harvesting deer, bear, wild turkey, or boar. This tag must be attached to the animal, or you must stay with the harvest and have a completed field tag in your possession. The field tag needs to include the following information:
NAME
ADDRESS
LICENSE#
DATE
TIME
COUNTY
CONFIRMATION# (13-Digit)
All harvests must be electronically registered and a DNR 13-digit game check number (confirmation#) issued. This confirmation number and hunters name and address shall remain attached to the harvest. Each deer needs to be registered before it is transported beyond the county adjacent to the county of kill and within 72 hours from when it was killed or 24 hours from the close of the hunting season, whichever comes first. The field tag is to remain with the deer until it is dressed for consumption.
This information can be written on anything, as long as it contains the above information. However, this field tag must remain with the carcass until it is processed for consumption, so you are going to want something durable that can be securely attached to the animal. You don’t want your field tag flying off on the highway on your way home or to the processor. You also don’t want to write this information on something that will melt away in the rain or become illegible.
Now that we know the field tagging requirements, let’s take a minute to think about the additional items we might want to have with us to execute the tagging process. For starters, we will need to have a pen to write this information down with. Ideally, we will want something weatherproof and durable to write on. Lastly, we will need some method of attaching this information to the animal in plain sight.
Luckily, Hunt-Tag has thought about this process for you and has come up with a simple solution for field tagging after a successful hunt in West Virginia. The West Virginia Hunt-Tag System: E-Tag Kit comes with all the items you need to properly and legally field tag your harvest with confidence that you are using the correct information that is required. Each kit comes with the following components:
3 - Info Cards (Replacement Cards Here)
3 - Reusable Zip Ties
1 - Permanent Marker
1 - Cable Ring
1 – Heavy-Duty Safety Pin
The WEST VIRGINIA Hunt-Tag allows for the following information:
NAME
ADDRESS
LICENSE#
DATE
TIME
COUNTY
CONFIRMATION# (13-Digit)
Field tagging in West Virginia is pretty straight forward as long as you can remember all of the information that is required, another reason why the West Virginia Hunt-Tag System: E-Tag Kit is so handy. Plus, each kit comes with a permanent marker so your writing will never fade, reusable zip ties to attach tag to antlers, and a heavy-duty safety pin to attach tags to animals that do not have horns. Once all the information is filled out you can laminate your tag with the tags built in self-laminating flap, you can just peel off the flap’s liner and permanently seal in you writing.
Now that you have your big game animal properly field tagged you need to electronically check in your harvest with the WVDNR. All big game needs to be registered before it is transported beyond the county adjacent to the county of kill and within 72 hours from when it was killed or 24 hours from the close of the hunting season, whichever comes first. There are 3 options for checking big game animals:
Online E-Check System - https://www.wvhunt.com/login
By Phone – 844-WVcheck (844-982-4325)
At a License Agent - https://wvdnr.gov/authorized-hunting-and-fishing-license-agents/
After you have completed the check-in process a 13-digit game check number will be issued. This confirmation number is required to remain with the carcass to its final destination or through processing
The information gathered for this article was found through the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources. Please double check all information before your next hunt as regulation change from year to year.
Resources:
2021-2022 West Virginia DNR Hunting and Trapping Regulations Summary
