Published: September 17, 2008 10:33 pm      

Early bear hunt begins in area

A first-of-its-kind early bear hunting season begins in southern West Virginia today with hopes of reducing the burgeoning, overpopulated numbers of black bears in Raleigh, Fayette, Boone and Kanawha counties, state Division of Natural Resources officials say.

And there could be some trophy bears in there, too.

Although a record number of bears was harvested in 2007, DNR District III wildlife biologist Larry Berry said this year’s early bear season was implemented to help further reduce their population, in some cases by an additional 10 percent. Bear hunters harvested 1,807 animals in 2007, with Raleigh, Fayette, Boone and Kanawha accounting for about 22 percent of the state’s total kill.

Berry, whose region includes Raleigh and Fayette counties, said DNR officials estimated about 18 to 20 percent of sows have been harvested in past years during the regular season, which traditionally begins in December. DNR officials are hoping that number can be increased up to 30 percent in “order to start stabilizing the bear population.”

Berry said in western Raleigh County near Morris Creek bear density is estimated to be as high as four bears per square mile, and other regions in the four counties are in the two-to-four bears per square mile range, he said. In rural areas, bear densities of two to three per square mile are preferred.

This year, two black bears may be harvested by any licensed hunter provided “at least one bear is taken in Boone, Fayette, Kanawha or Raleigh counties,” Berry said. Bear hunters will be allowed to hunt in these counties with or without dogs until Sept. 27, he said, and other select counties will begin an early bear season Sept. 22-27. Those counties include Greenbrier, Nicholas and Webster. Many of the same counties will also hold a bear season where dogs are prohibited beginning Nov. 24. A complete listing can be found in the 2007-2008 Hunting and Trapping Regulations, Berry said.

“This is certainly going to be a unique season. I know we had a November season years ago in the ’70s and early ’80s, but this is the first time we have ever gone to a September season,” Berry said Wednesday. “The idea was to try and get more hunting pressure on those four counties and increase harvest numbers and specifically try to reduce the number of females.”

Berry said the number of nuisance bear reports has decreased greatly because of this year’s abundant mast — nature’s food source which provides bears with plenty to eat, therefore eschewing the need for the state animal to forage through garbage cans.

“Early this spring there was a good bit of moisture that allowed several types of herbaceous vegetation to grow and other natural foods were widely available,” Berry said. “There was a good blackberry crop and the apples are coming off the trees now. The bears have certainly utilized all of that.”

Berry said bear hunters looking in areas with lots of hickory nuts, acorns and autumn olive — a non-native shrub bearing green leaves and red fruit — may have the opportunity to harvest a trophy bear this year, courtesy of the early seasons. Bear hunters and DNR officials alike believe many of the larger bears head to their hibernation dens by the time the regular bear hunting season opens each year. This year, the bear hunter may be one step ahead, he said.

“We are in uncharted waters with this early bear season and many believe there’s a possibility of taking some big, trophy bears this year,” Berry said. “There’s a lot of talk by bear hunters who believe some of the larger bears just seem to lay down for the winter earlier than other bears, and those are not available to harvest during the regular bear season.”

Berry said the average litter of cubs per sow is almost 2.8 and each sow comes into heat every other year. Without the hunter, the bear population would be out of control in West Virginia, causing complications all over the state.

“The bear hunters are the ones who control the numbers in the state,” Berry said. We need them and we need the dogs, too, as a tool to manage the bear population. They are actually not killing enough of them, and that’s why we went to the two-bag limit this year. We are a little bit worried that there’s not enough bear hunters out there.”

— E-mail:

cgiggenbach@register-herald.com