Question: If a black bear is still with cubs during the November PA bear season and the mother is shot will the cubs make it through the winter? How long do cubs stay with mom? Can I make a judgement by cub size? I would not want to shoot a mother if cubs wouldn't make it. It is legal to shoot cubs in PA but faced with shooting a 300 lb mom or a 50lb cub, of course I'd opt for the larger.