Feeding Bears is Illegal in Virginia
Wildlife Managers don't recommend feeding wildlife due to concerns surrounding disease transmission and habituation of wildlife to human foods. In Virginia, it is illegal to feed bears on both public and private lands. Bears attracted to residential areas or human dwellings due to feeding activities by people, whether deliberate or inadvertent (like bears eating from a birdfeeder or trash cans) can cause problems including the habituation of bears to people and serious property damage. Regretfully, bears that have lost their fear of people often have to be destroyed.
- Becoming Bear Aware!
- Living with Black Bears in Virginia
- Virginia Wildlife: Virginia's First Bear Smart Community (PDF)
- Electric Fencing for Black Bears (PDF)
- Do-it-yourself instructions on how to make your trash container bear resistant (PDF)
- Watch the video of a bear at the Virginia Tech Black Bear Research Center test a modified container (video provided by VT BBRC)
- Watch the video of how to modify your trash container (filmed by Roanoke Valley Television)
- 2012–2021 Black Bear Management Plan
- 2001–2010 Black Bear Management Plan
- Evaluation of Black Bear Management Options (Northeast Black Bear Technical Committee)
- Kill Permits
- Bear Seasons & Bag Limits
- Tips for Bear Hunting: Plan Your Hunt, Know Your Capabilities, and Know your Shot
- For the Chef
- Black Bear Check Stations
- Harvest Summary for 2014–2015
- Bear Harvest Age Information (2013 Age Data Available)
Additional Bear Information
- Center for Wildlife Information: Be Bear Aware
- Get Bear Smart Society
- Recommended Reading: Living with Bears: A Practical Guide to Bear Country, by Linda Masterson. 2006.
- Techniques and Refuse Management Options for Residential Areas, Campgrounds, and Group-Use Facilities (ZIP)
- The Electric Fencing Guide contains information about a range of applications for electric fencing designs that can be used to help deter bears (ZIP)