CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) – Urban hunting in Charleston will include bears and coyotes beginning this fall.

On Monday, Charleston City Council approved a bill that adds bears and coyotes as animals allowed to be hunted within city limits during urban hunting. Previously, only deer were on that list.

The bill allows hunters to use crossbows to hunt bears, and .22 caliber air rifles for coyotes. It also extends hunting hours for coyotes into nighttime and permits it on private property. Firearms are not allowed for hunting in city limits.

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The council also approved an amendment that prohibits hunting bears with dogs.

Councilman Chad Robinson among other council members say bear and coyote sightings are on the rise in Charleston, which made the issue a top priority.

“You’re not going to see a bear downtown or on the West Side. Most of the times, it’s going to be in the hills, around the dumps,” Robinson said. “In my residence, you’ll hear the packs of coyotes on the hillsides. The time people usually hunt coyotes is at night time.”

Urban hunting season begins in West Virginia on September 7 and runs until the end of the calendar year. It reopens on January 13 and runs until January 31.

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