The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources has announced that hunters harvested 2,469 black bears during the combined 2025 archery and firearms seasons.
The preliminary harvest for the combined 2025 seasons mirrors that of the 2024 seasons, coming in 10 bears short of last year’s total of 2,479 harvests. As predicted in the 2025 Mast Survey and Hunting Outlook, hunters harvest fewer bears during the archery and crossbow season and more bears during the firearms season.
During the first segment of the 2025 archery and crossbow seasons (Sept. 27 to Nov. 23), hunters harvested 543 bears. Of these harvests, 252 were taken with vertical bows, and 291 were taken with crossbows. The top five counties for archery/crossbow harvests were Fayette (47), Raleigh (35), Greenbrier (29), Logan (28) and Boone (27).
During the firearms season, hunters harvested 1,925 bears, a 22 percent increase over last year’s harvest of 1,580 bears. This included 506 bears taken during the September and October seasons, 152 bears during the September youth/Class Q/XS season, five bears during the October youth/Class Q/XS season, 33 bears during the concurrent antlerless deer/bear season and 316 during the three early firearms seasons.
Additionally, hunters harvested 290 bears during the concurrent buck-gun bear season and 1,129 bears during the traditional December season. One bear was harvested with a muzzleloader during the Mountaineer Heritage Season. The top five counties for firearms harvests were Boone (169), Kanawha (136), Randolph (124), Webster (122), and Pocahontas (102).
In Pendleton County, hunters harvested 80 black bears during the archery and firearms seasons — six in both the bow/crossbow and September/October gun seasons and 68 during the December firearms season.
Total black bear harvest in neighboring counties were Grant (30), Hardy (37), Pocahontas (115) and Randolph (145).
For more information about hunting opportunities in West Virginia, hunters should consult the West Virginia Hunting and Trapping Regulations Summary, available to download at WVdnr.gov/hunting-regulations. Hunting licenses may be purchased online at WVhunt.com
