| 
Black
Bear Hunting in West Virginia with a Yamaha Rhino
SxS
GNCC ATV Racer Brent Sturdivant
Takes ATVriders.com on a Black Bear Hunt
 |
| The
Hunting Team gathered around the first black
bear kill of the week |
Elkins, WV (12/01/2010) - For many
of us that enjoy the great outdoors, fall and winter
usually mean one thing, hunting! The quarry may
be a deer or rabbits, ducks and geese or just the
camaraderie of being with other hunters enjoying
the great outdoor lifestyle with friends and family.
December marks the opening of Black Bear season
in West Virginia, and we were invited to hunt with
a close knit group of hound hunters near Elkins,
WV.
This trip would prove to be a very educational hunt
filled with excitement and success measured on many
levels. Being relatively new to bear hunting in
general, I was full of anticipation as I arrived
in the region and prepared for the hunt. Having
skilled woodsmen guiding me, I would have to rely
on their expertise if I was to have a chance at
my own bear as eagerly listened and soaked in all
they had to say and show me.
The region we would be hunting was located just
outside Elkins WV, a community rooted deep in
southern culture and firmly planted by the rugged
terrain that tests men of all ages. With steep
mountain ridges that drop to hardwood bottoms,
the scenery is nothing less then breathe taking.
The area we would actually be hunting was a combination
of private hunting leases that gave us over 7000
acres to pursue our quarry.
|
|
The view
on top of the mountain range was spectacular
in Elkins, West Virginia
|
Logging is on going in this region and on several
leases active logging operations. Seeing the land
stripped of its timber was sobering but a reality
we face as the demand remains constant as society
continues to consume and grow. Clear cuts rise
from once barren ground forming a mixture of terrain
that is perfect for the bear population to explode.
| |
|
The logging
roads of West Virginia are not only handy
for the logging companies but they make
for great trails for off-road enthusiasts
& hunters Alike
|
The big benefit to the hunters is that this area
is the logging roads, skid roads and ATV trails
that allow access to areas that would be almost
too remote to enter without anything short of
a horse or mule. The clear cuts have reclaimed
the land and they were so thick that walking through
them was a job in itself at times, and seeing
the men spend hours slowly working them was testament
to how hardy one must be to revel in this area.
|
