When most hunters think of great bear hunts, they point to Canada, especially the western provinces, where hunters can take two bears. In addition to travel expenses, these hunts average $5,000 or more, and you need a passport and the ability to deal with spring and early summer black flies and mosquitoes. Ironically, the Mid-Atlantic states have of the best bear hunting in North America, as witnessed by the monster shown above, which weighed 641 POUNDS! Even more unusual, this beast didn’t come from some remote section of mountainous terrain, but from an orchard just outside of town.
Ghosts of the Night
Each year, Pennsylvania harvests bears weighing over 500 pounds, and a few exceed 600 pounds. Black bears are found across the state, even into the suburbs of Philadelphia, and hunting them is almost comically easy. A non-resident adult hunting license costs $101.97, with a Junior license just $41.97. To hunt bears with a bow, you will need a bear tag, $36.97, and an archery license, which costs $26.97. That’s it, and you can buy each of these permits online. Pennsylvania is blessed with abundant public land, yet you don’t need to seek out the most remote mountainous tracts. A friend was a game warden and told me of a bear just south of Bedford, PA that was too big to fit in a culvert trap.
Season Dates:
• Statewide: October 18 – October 25, 2025
• Extended WMUs (Wildlife Management Units):
• WMUs 2B, 5C, 5D: September 20 – November 28, 2025
• WMU 5B: October 4 – November 21, 2025
Key Regulations:
• Only one bear may be harvested per license year.
• Hunters must possess a valid bear license and archery license.
• Bears must be checked within 24 hours of harvest.
• Sunday hunting is permitted in select WMUs—check the PA Game Commission guide for specifics. To reach the PA website, click here.
Mountain State Bruins
West Virginia offers an equally inviting black bear season for archers, which opens on September 27 and runs through the end of the year. That’s more than three months of opportunity and offers a unique Urban Archery Season in select cities and towns. If you do your homework and hunt in the correct counties such as Boone, Fayette, Kanswha, etc, you can take two bears, but only one per day. If you want to plan an adventurous hunt, capitalize on the Monongahela National Forest, which contains nearly one million acres. This unique tract of land is so high that the Dolly Sods Wilderness Area has tundra, yet this hunting behemoth is surrounded by many small towns with motels and rural cabins for rent.
Season Dates:
• General Archery & Crossbow Season: September 27 – December 31, 2025
• Urban Archery Season (select cities/towns):
• September 6 – December 31, 2025
• January 12 – January 31, 2026
To access the West Virginia website, click here.