Hunting dogs are sometimes brought into Wintergreen to encourage bears to relocate. The state’s specialists call this type of humane wildlife control “hazing.”
WPOA does not permit hunting in the residential, developed areas of Wintergreen.
Hunting in the undeveloped, open areas of Wintergreen is heavily restricted. It’s done in concert with input from the Nature Foundation at Wintergreen, the Wintergreen Police Department, and the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR), which manages the bear and deer population in the state, establishing rules and regulations related to hunting.
That said, it’s not unusual to hear or see hunting dogs and their owners in the woods here for a couple of reasons.
During the hunting season for black bears in Virginia, (typically starting in late November and lasting through the end of December) the use of hunting dogs is allowed and it is a common practice in Nelson and Augusta counties. During this time at Wintergreen, if bears are nearby, you are likely to hear the dogs.
Also, outside of hunting season, DWR is often on Wintergreen property assisting WPOA in managing problem bears and helping address the human behavior that can lead to bad bear behavior.
DWR utilizes hunting dogs within Wintergreen to encourage our bears to relocate. The goal in using the dogs is to safely and humanely reduce the onsite population by encouraging the bears to move where they can maintain normal bear behavior outside our community.
Bears are capable of significant damage to personal property. Dogs are an effective tool in helping Wintergreen’s bears understand that taking up residence under a front porch or crawl spaces is not welcomed behavior.