readonly,
Good luck on your bear endeavor. I've hunted the Lexington (Moore's Creek SF and Private land adjoining) area quite a bit, along with private areas not far from Lynchburg. I've taken a 400+lb. bear and a bud killed a 500+ about 4 years back. I don't live in Va currently, but my wife's and my family all live in Va. I may head back South and retire in the Lynchburg area. As others have said, find the remote and steep country and you up your chances for nice blackies.
My BIL runs dogs and it's fun to see what the dogs have up a tree, but we shoot very few over dogs. When I hunt, I normally still hunt. Very slow pace with lots of "stop-and-stand". Sometimes I will cover 8 miles and sometimes only a few miles, but bear season in Va for me is more of a get outdoors and enjoy the hunt, with deer often being the primary game. Also, most of my days afield in Va are over holidays now that I don't live there. I hope to be hunting the last week of December with family if work allows.
Last edited by 1Deernut; 12/11/15.
