Hunt Smart, Fish Hard: Deer, Bear, Turkey Summaries

The DGIF releases the Bear, Deer, and Turkey summaries. Hunters reported harvesting 2,892 bears during the 2023–24 bear hunting seasons in Virginia 2023–24 bear harvest was approximately 29.6% higher than the previous year’s harvest, and 3.2% lower than the previous five-year average during 2018–2022. Female bears composed 40.9% of the 2023-24 season harvest, similar to the previous year (41.3%). Significant harvest increases during the archery season (73%), and the muzzleloader season (122%) were the main contributors to the overall increase in the 2023–24 statewide bear harvest. Even though the three day early season was closed in numerous northwestern counties in 2023, the bear harvest in the 16 southwestern counties where it remained open increased 105% from the previous season. The majority (66%) of hunters reported their bear harvest using the mobile application, with 25% calling in their harvest by phone, and 9.5% reporting their harvest using the internet.

Across all bear seasons, an estimated 43.2% of bears were taken by hunters using hounds. Preliminary season estimates for the proportion of bears harvested by hunters using hounds were as follows: three-day early firearms season (43.9%), firearms season (74.8%), and youth/apprentice weekend (72.3%).

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