The expansion of our state's black bear population is an exciting one for hunters. As bruins become more common in many more areas of the state, they are increasing an already impressive slate of hunting opportunities.

Last season, hunters set a harvest record when they bagged 2,064 bears during the various fall seasons. It was a 14 percent increase over the previous year's take. To put things in perspective, the total bear harvest in the entire state in 1980 was 47. A lot of positive things, bear-wise, have happened during the past 30 years.

"Numerous factors contributed to this record bear harvest," said Chris Ryan, Division of Natural Resources (DNR) Bear Project leader. "West Virginia has a tremendous bear population that allows for a variety of different hunting opportunities. The expansion and increase in the bear population has led to the expansion of hunting seasons designed to keep counties in line with their management objectives. With the cooperation of hunters, wildlife managers can maintain or adjust bear populations to desired management levels by implementing appropriate hunting regulations."

The variety of bear-hunting seasons Ryan speaks of includes a dedicated bow season, an early season in September, a late season in December, as well as a concurrent buck/bear season in Monongalia and four southern counties. There is also a zone where dogs are allowed during firearms seasons and a zone where the use of dogs is not permitted. Dogs are not allowed during the bow season. Not all West Virginia counties are open to bear hunting. If a county is not listed in the annual hunting digests that details the various seasons, it is closed to bear hunting.

A total of 447 bears were taken last fall during the bow season alone. The top counties were Randolph, Nicholas, Preston, Webster and McDowell. Another 1,587 bears were bagged during 2008 firearms seasons. The top counties during the early season held in September were Pendleton, Randolph, Hardy, Pocahontas and Greenbrier. The September hunt produced a bear kill of 670. The traditional December hunt produced a harvest of 808. The top five counties were Pocahontas, Greenbrier, Pendleton, Randolph and Webster.

According to Ryan, the tight management of black bears by means of the complex season structure, the early (September) season in particular, is necessary to keep the bruin population within reasonable limits.

"The new September season was designed to harvest additional female bears normally not available in December because they have already gone to den," said Ryan. "Since the removal of most early gun seasons in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the bear population and harvest has continued to grow at a conservative estimate of at least 7 percent per year.

Eleven counties in the traditional mountain range and four counties in southern West Virginia that were above their management objectives were open for six- and nine-day seasons in September, respectively. In addition, the statewide bag limit was increased to two bears, provided that at least one bear be harvested in the four southern counties.

"The additional female harvest should help to bring most counties back in line with their management objectives; however, the total population effect will not be known until age data is available in late 2009. Early hunting seasons will be necessary in the future to help stabilize the female population, which is ultimately one of the main factors controlling the bear population. Without early hunting seasons, the bear population would continue to grow at an exponential growth rate until reaching biological carrying capacity."