Maryland Black Bear Hunt Closed

Oakland, Md. (October 3, 2010) — The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced the conclusion of the 2010 black bear hunting season. The season opened Monday, October 25 in Garrett and Allegany counties. The seventh Maryland bear hunt was officially closed at 9:00 p.m. with 67 bears reported to mandatory check stations in Western Maryland.

“The 2010 bear hunt was another unqualified success. Unseasonably mild weather made the first part of the season a challenge and kept hunter success low. Despite marginal conditions we safely reached another harvest quota while allowing the first five-day bear hunt in Maryland history,” said Harry Spiker, Game Mammal Section Leader for DNR’s Wildlife & Heritage Service.

“The permit application preference point system proved effective again this year. More than 3,800 hunters applied for one of the 260 available bear hunting permits and 85% of the permits were awarded to applicants with one or more preference points,” Spiker added.

The average estimated live weight of the bears taken this year was 163 lbs. The largest bear of the season was a 433 lb. male taken by Joseph Schmidt of Oakland, Garrett County.

The hunt by the numbers:

• 67 bears taken
• 57 from Garrett County, 10 from Allegany County
• 163 lbs. average weight
• 72% of the bears were taken on private land
• 558 hunters participated in the hunt and 3,850 hunters applied for a permit
• 58% of the successful hunters were residents of Garrett and Allegany counties

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

Raw video available for media only. Email Josh Davidsburg at jdavidsburg@dnr.state.md.us for link.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, is the state agency responsible for providing natural and living resource-related services to citizens and visitors. DNR manages more than 461,000 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 12 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