The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources announced that hunters in West Virginia harvested 2,479 black bears during the combined 2024 archery, crossbow and firearms seasons.
The preliminary harvest for the combined 2024 seasons was lower than the 2,830 bears taken in 2023. As predicted by the 2024 Mast Survey and Hunting Outlook, the archery/crossbow harvest remained consistent with the previous year. However, the overall bear firearms harvest was lower than in 2023, despite a higher harvest during the September and October season segments.
During the first segment of the 2024 archery and crossbow seasons (Sept. 28 – Nov. 24), hunters harvested 899 bears. Of these harvests, 431 were taken with vertical bows and 468 were taken with crossbows. The top five counties for archery/crossbow harvests were Fayette and Preston (55 each), Webster (48), Boone (43), Nicholas (42) and Wyoming (40).
In Pendleton County, hunters harvested 22 bears during the archery and crossbow seasons. Grant and Hardy county hunters took 23 bears in each county, with 18 being taken in Pocahontas County and 39 in Randolph County,
During the firearms season, hunters harvested 1,580 bears. This included 611 bears taken during the September and October seasons, 166 bears during the September youth, Class Q, XS season, 20 bears during the October youth, Class Q, XS season, 57 bears during the concurrent antlerless deer/bear season and 368 during the three early firearms seasons.
In the September/October seasons, nine bears were harvested in Pendleton County. Harvests in surrounding counties were Grant (eight), Hardy (11), Pocahontas (12) and Randolph (27).
Additionally, hunters harvested 271 bears during the concurrent buck-gun bear season and 697 bears during the traditional December season. One bear was harvested with a muzzleloader during the Mountaineer Heritage Season, and that was in Pendleton County. The top five counties for firearms harvests were Nicholas (167), Boone (153), Kanawha (115), Fayette (109), and Logan (92).
During the buck-gun season, no bears were taken in Pendleton and Randolph counties. In Grant, Hardy and Pocahontas, only one bear was taken in each county. However, in the December firearms season, hunters harvested 23 bears in Pendleton, 12 in both Grant and Hardy, 57 in Pocahontas and 43 in Randolph.
Total black bear harvest in local counties for 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and, respectively, was Pendleton, 182, 166, 147, 47, 104 and 55; Grant, 84, 109, 75, 31, 47 and 44; Hardy, 108, 82, 36, 16, 41 and 47; Pocahontas, 135, 177, 199, 101, 137 and 88; and Randolph, 242, 231, 185, 100, 171 and 109.
