Firearms season for bear hunters begins early this year, a sign that the state's once dwindling black bear population has come roaring back.

Firearms season in Boone, Fayette, Raleigh and Kanawha counties starts Monday and ends Saturday before starting up again on November 19. In December, the season is extended to 24 other counties.

About 50 years ago, there were only about 500 of the animals left in West Virginia, but Monday the Division of Natural Resources says there are more than 12,000.

Bear hunting season had been confined to December for many years to protect the animal. This year it's starting early in some counties, with the goal of controlling the booming population.