Virginia Bear Foundation - VBF

03/08/2026

Virginia Bear Foundation on the 2026 Legislative Session

All problematic hunting-specific bills have been defeated or tabled until 2027. This is not a cause for celebration, but an opportunity for honest conversation.

All three bills were attempts to address a perceived problem. Whether you agree with that perception or not is irrelevant—the issue is not going away.

This conversation is nothing new, but it has certainly gained momentum over the last five years.

Landowner stakeholder groups felt compelled to pursue legislative solutions and impose them statewide due to hunters’ collective refusal to consider solutions or regulatory compromise.

As a national conservation organization, we see no benefit in a punitive system that allocates $0 toward conservation funding.

Specifically, any revenue generated by these bills would have been earmarked solely for administrative costs and enforcement, rather than supporting the primary mission of the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources: to conserve and manage wildlife populations and habitat for the benefit of present and future generations.

Can we all agree—landowners and hunters alike, regardless of affiliation—that taking money out of hunters’ pockets while allocating none of it to conservation is wrong?

Do you want punishment, or do you want solutions? Is it your way or the highway, or is mutual compromise a serious consideration?

The Virginia Bear Foundation remains steadfast in our mission of bear conservation. We support all bear hunters, and because we support anyone who buys a bear tag, we find ourselves squarely in the middle of this honest—but difficult—conversation.

Our members are diverse. They are landowners. They are still/stand hunters. And they own hunting dogs.

We are uniquely positioned to have this conversation honestly, and we ask you to do the same.

As we continue working toward a solution that all stakeholders can bear—pun intended—we ask everyone to remember the common goal: conserving and managing wildlife populations and habitat for the benefit of present and future generations.

02/25/2026

HB1396 UPDATE AND NEW CONTACT LIST!

Thank you to everyone who has continued to call and email. Our Board Representative from the Highland-Bath district spent the entire day at the legislature yesterday, attending the subcommittee and subsequent committee votes, and meeting with Senators individually throughout the day. We achieved partial results in part thanks to your response to our call to action. Thank you for everyone for continuing to call and email!

HB1396 was amended yesterday to clarify some language and add a landowner exemption. This is the 3rd positive amendment achieved, but the bill ultimetately passed through the Senate Agriculture Conservation and Natural Resources committee with a vote of 8 to 6.

Our fight has shifted to the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee. Contact information below. Keep up the pressure!

02/24/2026

02/24/2026

STAND HUNTERS, STILL HUNTERS, AND LANDOWNERS! CALL TO ACTION!

Do you realize the implications of HB1396 on YOU? Have you scrolled past or ignored the noise thinking It doesn’t affect you. Think again!

When you check a deer or bear in with the GoOutdoorVA app, it asks a specific question. “With the aid of dogs?” Yes or no. Have you EVER answered yes?

HB1396 similarly requires a $19 permit for “persons that hunt game animals, fur bearing animals, or nuisance species WITH THE AID OF DOGS.”

Thats right, you don’t have to own em’ or run em’ you simply have to benefit from them to violate this proposed statute. Could that EVER happen to you? Then this bill matters to you too.

This is not a bill to regulate hounds and houndsmen, this is a bill that affects ALL HUNTERS even if you do not buy a license as an EXEMPT LANDOWNER. This is a proposed PERMIT SYSTEM, the exempt landowner statute applies to “hunting, trapping, or fishing LICENSES.”

You may pride yourself in always doing the right thing while afield, you may not even own a dog, much less a hunting dog, but if you don’t apply for and purchase this permit and that lone straggler that has broken off from the pack runs you your dream of a lifetime, you better place that safety back on.

Call and email today. VOTE NO on HB1396 for all hunters and landowners in Virginia, this bill ain’t about “just dogs.”

*Additional Senator added in the comments*

02/24/2026

We received 1 day’s notice HB1396 would be heard this morning at 9:30am in the Senate ACNR Subcommittee of Companion Animals. We sent our Chapter Board representative from the Highland-Bath district. He took the day off work last second, dropped everything, and made the drive for all of our members and supporters here in Virginia and across the U.S.

Unfortunately, not the result we wanted, passing the subcommittee 2 votes to 1. It doesn’t get much closer than that!

HB1396 is on to the full committee, we’ll keep sending representatives, but we need YOU to keep calling and emailing, our work is not done yet and we cannot do it without your support!

02/20/2026

Questions about legislation that may affect our way of life? Concerned about HB1396? Wondering what we are doing in Richmond or what you can do to help?

Come see us this weekend at the Western Virginia Sports Show at the Augusta Expo Center!

02/19/2026

Alright folks, it's finally here !! This weekend is supposed to be nasty weather so come on out and visit with us tomorrow through Sunday at the show. We'll be looking for you 😁

02/05/2026

The Virginia Bear Foundation has been busy on the front lines and behind the scenes since the 2026 legislative session opened.

Our Chapter started by working on a bill with other stakeholders to ease curfew requirements during chase season, it was unfortunately tabled so that we could focus on defeating the onslaught of anti-hunter and anti-conservation legislation.

4 Chapter Board members have been active in Richmond meeting with legislators and speaking at sub-committee and committee meetings.

SB471 - The hunting dog roadway bill from Fairfax. Do we need to say anymore? DEFEATED!

SB770 - An anti-hound bill framed as increasing muzzleloading deer hunting. Substitute submitted to reduce to a simple trespass bill, still in subcommittee. We opposed this bill as written, positive progress but we aren’t done yet!

HB1396 - Requires stringent permits with unreasonable and impossible expectation for hunter’s to predict animal movement. There are too many unanswered questions in this bill. We oppose and will continue to fight to defeat it!

Our members and our Chapter Board are 100% fully volunteer working tirelessly on your behalf during one of the worst ice storms we’ve seen in our lifetimes. We cannot defeat these bills without your continued support. Thank you for all the calls, emails, and in person testimonials. Continue to be respectful to our legislators, but keep the opposition coming!

01/24/2026

Folks the time has come to start voicing our opinion .As we set around the house this weekend waiting out the winter storm, we need to take about 20 minutes to make these phone calls and or emails. The verbage in these bills leave a lot of open ends . HB1396 is very biased towards a lot of dog hunters in Virginia. Then SB471 has the ability to change the way you have hunted bear your entire life. So don't wait, do your part to make sure your voice is heard . The more of you to call the louder we as hunters become collectively.

01/04/2026

Sorry for the absence folks but just like all of you, we are passionate bear hunters. It's time to get cranking on some outdoor shows and really cool new stuff. We'll be at the Western Virginia sportsman show in February so come on out for a visit. We have new swag that we think you'll appreciate. Have conservation ideas or concerns ? Well come to our booth for a conversation with us.

12/25/2025

Merry Christmas from the ABF family to yours 🐻

12/06/2025

" I hunt because I can't afford meat in the grocery store". I've heard that statement over and over in my life and I call B.S. . To our family bear is the Wagyu of wild game but make no mistake it's very expensive. If I had to guess it's about $200 a pound when you consider all factors involved. I love my dogs but their purpose is to find and catch bears . I feed them the best dog food I can afford plus a pound of raw meat each daily. Sometimes I buy that meat in the form of chicken or pork but it's mostly deer . My Garmin tracking system was around $1,500 , dog box for the truck, kennel, dog houses , gas to and from, then there's my gear that wasn't cheap either. I hunt because I love it, the meat is simply a byproduct.

Now let's get into all of the crazy diets people go on for a minute. I live in the natural world so I eat things from the natural world. It's a pretty simple formula in my mind. I must stay healthy to continue hunting with my dogs so I eat healthy. We render bear fat and use it for all kinds of things including cooking. We obviously eat the meat as well. So in conclusion hunting with my dogs equals exercise and eating what they catch equals a clean diet. So let's stop lying to ourselves and society and simply admit that we hunt because we love it and no other reason.

VBF Vice President
Wayne Dixon