GHENT, WV (WVNS) — The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR) continues to remind hunters of the simultaneous buck and bear seasons across the Mountain State.

According to the WVDNR, the bear season without dogs will run at the same time as the buck firearm season in 42 counties. The bear season will run from Monday, November 20, 2023 to Sunday, December 3, 2023.

Both deer and black bear will be searching the forests for different types of acorns that both species eat, making the probability of seeing bear in deer in similar places higher.

As a reminder, hunters must submit a first pre-molar tooth from each bear killed. When harvesting a female black bear, the WVDNR encourages hunters to keep the “reproductive tract or all of the entrails” and keep them frozen until their nearest district office can be contacted for a drop off. A $20 gift card is up for grabs from the WVDNR for hunters who adequately do this.

The reason for tooth and reproductive tract retrieval is to help the WVNDR better monitor black bear populations across the Mountain State.

Hunters can buy their hunting license and bear damage stamps at WVhunt.org. Hunters and outdoorsmen can find out more information about West Virginia’s fishing and hunting regulations in the West Virginia Hunting and Trapping Regulations Summary.