The black bear is the state animal of West Virginia. It is a member of the family Ursidae americanus, which ranges from Alaska to Labrador to Florida and northern Mexico. Grizzlies and polar bears, the larger North American members of this family, are found far to our north and west.

Black bears are generally less than six feet long and stand two to three feet high at the shoulder. Adult males ordinarily weigh from 150 to 450 pounds, but some West Virginia records exceed 600 pounds. Adult females vary from 100 to 300 pounds, depending upon nutrition during their early years of rapid growth. Here in West Virginia, the blond and cinnamon color phases found in western states are absent. Our bears are uniformly black, with brown muzzles. About five percent to 10 percent have white markings on their brisket, varying from a few flecks to distinct V's.

Before white settlement, bears were widespread throughout our region's hardwood forests. The population was evidently quite large, though no accurate numbers are available. Hunting seasons are regulated by calculating bear population in relation to the amount of forest in a county, which is based on the number of bears killed by hunters in past seasons. Our most popular bear hunting season, which allows the use of hounds during December, is based on a minimum average take of one bear per 20 square miles of forest. This would translate roughly as a density of one bear per four or five square miles (approximately 3,000 acres) of forestland. There is a non-dog season as well, and a bow hunting season in October and November.

The current bear population of West Virginia is estimated at 8,000 to 10,000. Total recorded mortalities of a little over 1,000 would indicate an expanding bear population. Bears have been observed in practically all of West Virginia, but are most prevalent in a crescent of counties from Tucker through Greenbrier and Monroe and westward across Kanawha and Boone.