After you’ve bagged a whitetail or two, you may be thinking of tackling other big game, perhaps a trip out West or to Canada. Stalking elk, mule deer, or Canadian bear is true high adventure and needs to definitely be on your bucket list. However, don’t overlook a bear hunt in the mid-Atlantic region, a chance to hunt a very challenging animal with a much lower price while avoiding travel and outfitter fees.
Specifically, look at Pennsylvania, Maryland, and West Virginia; each has abundant public land, often in large tracts, and easy access. Here’s a quick look at each state and the opportunity found there.
Pennsylvania: The Keystone states has held a black bear season for decades and needs to cull about 25 percent of their herd annually to keep the population in check. Several management units in the eastern section of the state have such high bear numbers that the archery season opens September 19 and runs through November 14. Both crossbows and vertical gear are legal for the statewide season, which runs November 16–20, providing unique access to some of the largest bears in North America. Pennsylvania abounds with public land that includes 120 state parks, 2.2 million acres of state forests, and 1.4 million acres of state game lands.
Complete information is online, yet it’s easier to find a sleeping 400 pound black bear than information through PA’s “enterprise portal” which puts every aspect of government on a single page, and continually loops researchers back to the beginning. For quick access, start here.
Maryland: The Free State has about 1,000 adult bears and the population has increased so much that the number of counties for 2016 with a season doubled from two to four. You’ll need to apply for a lottery drawing license, yet you can include two buddies to assist the permit-holder, and they can also hunt. Only one bear can be taken with a license, yet having help nearby is a huge support when you’re successful. Bears in Maryland can be quartered for removal, but the carcass must be checked in, as in Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
Maryland does not have a separate archery season, yet bowhunting gear is legal during the season that runs October 247ndash;27 in the four Western counties and concurrently with deer season. For full details, start here.
West Virginia: The Mountain State has so many bears that two can be taken in some counties. If you like rugged wilderness environments, you won’t need to head for the Rockies; you’ll soon see where West Virginia got its nickname. The Monongahela National Forest is a public-land gem with general accessibility on the perimeter but enough interior landscape to wander for days. Bear populations are high and hunters may find as many piles of bear dung as clumps of deer droppings.
West Virginia opens its archery bear season September 26 and on October 10 allows the harvest of wild turkey, whitetail, deer and bear, a triple option that makes bowhunting high adventure. Start here.
Regulations about hunting times and the use of bait, calls, and lures varies from state to state, so read the pertinent regulations carefully. Once done, an adventurous bear hunt takes little more preparation than a camping trip and can be combined with family activities or a group of hunting buddies.
Since bear hunting in the mid-Atlantic region is a drive-to adventure, you can schedule a pre-hunt scouting trip to double check camping sites and accommodations. All three states have great fishing, hiking, and other recreational facilities which help make the black bear challenge just plain fun.
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