Where to stay for Buck Firearms Season

Buck Firearms Season is held on the opens the Monday before Thanksgiving and runs about two weeks in November and December each year.

Cabins, motels and hunting lodges across Pendleton, Randolph, Webster, Pocahontas and Greenbrier counties fill quickly during buck season, with many groups returning to the same places year after year. Properties that allow game cleaning, early check-in and trailer parking are the first to go.

Elkins, Petersburg, Marlinton and Webster Springs are the places travelers most often end up staying, rather than simply the nearest points on a map.

Monongahela National Forest is where the event takes place, so it is the first place to look, and Elkins, Petersburg and Marlinton are where visitors generally end up once it is fully booked. Cabins, motels and hunting lodges across Pendleton, Randolph, Webster, Pocahontas and Greenbrier counties fill quickly during buck season, with many groups returning to the same places year after year.

Rates are typically higher than they are a week or two before or after the event, and minimum stays are common. Booking early is what saves money here rather than waiting for a late deal, because there is rarely any late availability to discount.