Since 2016, Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF) biologists have been radio-collaring adult female bears in Virginia. Data acquired through this project continues to provide insights into the movements, denning habits, and home ranges of wild, female bears in unstudied areas of Virginia. Additionally, these female bears are successfully being used as surrogate mothers for orphaned black bear cubs.
There are currently eight adult females fitted with GPS radio-collars primarily in southcentral counties of Appomattox, Buckingham and Pittsylvania. GPS radio-collars are linked to satellites that transmit location data to the biologists. Four of these females currently have approximately 10-month-old cubs with them and three to four are expected to have cubs this winter.
Using wild female bears as surrogate mothers for orphan cubs has been a successful practice in Virginia. Female bears are excellent mothers and will readily raise orphan cubs. Each female bear will be visited by DGIF biologists in her winter den, and females who have given birth to cubs will act as surrogate mothers and be given an appropriate number of orphan cubs depending on the surrogate’s condition, age, and the number of natural cubs already present.
This exciting project is expected to continue for the foreseeable future. Deployment of the radio collars will be rotated periodically throughout the state so that no one location or female bear will acquire orphan cubs over an extended period of time. Unfortunately, we have lost eight females through hunter harvests, a farmer kill and a suspected poaching event. We hope that each of the remaining radio-collared bears and others collared in subsequent years will provide several years of service to the Department’s bear project.
For more information, please visit our webpage at www.dgif.virginia.gov/wildlife/bear to view information ranging from general bear facts, the Black Bear Management Plan, how-to videos and information on trash can retrofitting and electric fencing, as well as tips for hunters and other useful links.
DGIF’s Deal of the Season: FREE Hunter Education Course
It’s the best time of year. Not only because it’s hunting season, but because DGIF has a deal just for the Holidays that you don’t want to miss.
Now is the time to give the ultimate gift of the outdoors! Refer a Friend to purchase an apprentice hunting license and we’ll give them exclusive access to a FREE hunter education course – an original $30 value! You and your friend will receive a FREE DGIF item for the both of you (a hat, coffee mug, or other item). This deal is only available while supplies last.
Our free course offer is available for an online hunter education course only.
An apprentice license serves as a first-time Virginia hunting license and is a great way to introduce new hunters to the outdoors. To obtain a regular hunting license, a hunter education course must be completed, which is why you don’t want to miss this unique offer. An apprentice hunting license is only $11, so Refer a Friend and get them in the outdoors today.
DGIF’s Refer a Friend Program was designed for regular license holders to generate a referral code on their Go Outdoors Virginia account to send to friends or family to purchase their first hunting, fishing or wildlife license. Both the referrer and the new apprentice license holder receive a free DGIF gift once the new license holder is referred.
–Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries