“Both hunters and the general public are definitely having more sightings and that trend is upward,” he said. “In some of our counties where bears can be hunted, the kill is between two and three bears per square mile, which is just a phenomenal figure and really has gotten people’s attention. Simply, there are a lot of bears in the state and the population is robust.”

The biologist added that as is true with deer and turkeys, the bear harvest is influenced by mast conditions.

“The bow kill is driven by poor mast,” Steffen said. “Generally, archers are much more successful when the bears are not spread out because the mast is concentrated in just a few areas. On the other hand, when there is an abundance of mast, bowhunting success rates typically go down because the animals are more scattered. During those years, the success of gun hunters usually increases because the bears stay out longer into the winter and don’t den up as soon.

“The fact that crossbows accounted for 38 percent of the bow harvest is very interesting. The VDGIF anticipated this increase, but is that increase because the crossbow is a more effective type of bow and theoretically has a longer range? Or is it because more hunters are in the woods now because the crossbow is legal?”

Steffen stated that Virginia’s black bear population continues to be concentrated in three areas. The eight counties surrounding Shenandoah National Park produced 41 percent (662) of the total kill. Such counties as Page, Madison, Shenandoah, Rockingham, Warren and Greene especially host large populations.

A second concentration is in the western part of the Old Dominion, especially from Highland, Augusta and Albemarle counties southward to Bland, Giles and Craig. Steffen noted that Alleghany County in particular is experiencing an upsurge.

The third area is the Dismal Swamp region of Tidewater. Steffen emphasized that a recent very positive development has been the VDGIF adding the 3,800-acre tract known as the Cavalier Property to its wildlife management area lineup. The tract lies just 2.5 miles east of the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge and will serve to give bears and other wildlife a green corridor.

“Now that land won’t end up in development,” Steffen said. “And the new WMA will protect some critical bear habitat in an area of the state where development could eventually isolate the bear population. It is good especially in Tidewater for the state to add public land. Bears need large contiguous areas of forested habitat. And the public needs that land for recreation.”

Steffen said that the VDGIF is opposed to more land in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forest receiving the wilderness designation.

“I enjoy hunting in the national forest and value the fact that wilderness areas exist,” he explained. “But we need a balance between wilderness and areas where forest management can take place. Creatures from bears to songbirds benefit from the existence of early successional habitat and also from its creation. Adding more wilderness areas where timber cutting and other management activities are not permitted takes away from that balance.”

With Virginia’s bear population increasing, VDGIF staff held meetings this year to, among other things, assist the public concerning how to prevent bears from damaging private property. Ironically, on the very day I called Dave Steffen to interview him for this story, a bear had visited the Botetourt County property where my family lives. The bruin had “uprooted” our compost bin, dumped out the contents, and strewn them about our back yard.

"Bears tend to visit a number of places, but especially those that have backyard gardens, compost bins, garbage cans, bird feeders, barbecue pits and pet feeding stations,” Steffen said. “We recommend that homeowners run electrified fences around such things as gardens and compost bins and that no food be left overnight in pet food bowls. Securing garbage cans and cleaning out grease from barbecue pits are wise precautions, as well.”