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Maryland Black Bear Hunt Closed

Maryland Department of Natural Resources

Oakland, Md. --(Ammoland.com)- The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) closed the 2011 black bear hunting season at 9 p.m. today with hunters reporting 65 bears to mandatory check stations in Western Maryland. DNR opened the season Monday, October 24 in Garrett and Allegany counties.

“Maryland’s black bear hunters enjoyed another safe and successful hunting season,” said Harry Spiker, Game Mammal Section Leader for DNR’s Wildlife & Heritage Service. “The cool, mild weather during the first two days kept hunters in the woods and helped DNR meet its management goal in four days.”

The average live weight of the bears taken this year was 154 pounds. Colton Lucas, 12, of Kitzmiller, Md., took the largest bear of the season, a 376 pound male.

The hunt by the numbers:

• 65 bears taken
• 59 from Garrett County, 6 from Allegany County
• 154 lbs. average weight
• 69% of the bears were taken on private land
• 533 hunters participated in the hunt and 3,915 hunters applied for a permit
• 55% of the successful hunters were residents of Garrett and Allegany counties

For more information about Maryland’s black bears visit dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is the state agency responsible for providing natural and living resource-related services to citizens and visitors. DNR manages nearly one-half million acres of public lands and 17,000 miles of waterways, along with Maryland’s forests, fisheries and wildlife for maximum environmental, economic and quality of life benefits. A national leader in land conservation, DNR-managed parks and natural, historic and cultural resources attract 11 million visitors annually. DNR is the lead agency in Maryland’s effort to restore the Chesapeake Bay, the state’s number one environmental priority. Learn more at www.dnr.maryland.gov

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Bountiful Black Bears
Compliments of the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance.

U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance

Columbus, OH --(Ammoland.com)- Black bears inhabit the U.S. from the lowland swamps of coastal North Carolina to the tall mountains of northern California.

While many Americans never spot a secretive black bear, more hunters and homeowners are seeing more bears in some areas of America.

Some of these persons say they are seeing too many bears.

Black bear populations are increasing in many regions of the U.S. The proof is growing. South Carolina’s Department of Natural Resources recently issued guidelines for dealing with problem bears. Hunters there killed nearly 100 bears during the 2009 hunting season, and cars killed more than 20 in the same period. The state is considering expanding hunting areas and seasons to counter problem bears and rising citizen complaints.

Down in Florida, bear numbers are on the upswing and the state is working on a bear management plan. Bears are also being noted in Mississippi, Texas, Louisiana and other areas where the bruins have been missing —or questionable— for decades. Louisiana brought in black bears from Minnesota and released them during the 1960s. Texas has seen bear numbers climb and now has a black bear management plan that runs through 2015.

Black bears have also been attacking humans from the Great Smoky Mountain National Park to Washington State. Some of those attacks have been deadly. Black bears are simply more numerous and widespread than other bear species, so the chances of being attacked by a black bear are higher. Black bears are also more frequently encountered around homes because they come close in search of food, such as the seeds or suet in bird feeders. Yet, grizzly attacks seem to always receive the national media attention.

If hunters seek bears and bear hunting tags, they should visit states and regions where bears are most bountiful. Much of the preferred bear habitat and hunting areas in the U.S. are along the spines of the Appalachian and Rocky Mountains. The coastal northwest regions and Alaska also have many black bears—and one Alaskan carrier that can help you put a black bear in your sights is Ninilchik charters at www.ninilchik.com. In many states, bear hunting licenses are sold over the counter. Montana is one state where you will have to take —and pass— a test to distinguish between black bears and grizzlies before you can hunt.

The work of anti-hunting groups who opposed the use of bait and/or hounds to hunt bears in past years can also be blamed —or thanked— for increased bear populations that threaten humans.

About:
The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance is a national association of sportsmen and sportsmen’s organizations that protects the rights of hunters, anglers and trappers in the courts, legislatures, at the ballot, in Congress and through public education programs. Visit www.ussportsmen.org.

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