OAKLAND, Md. (November 2, 2010)—The seventh Maryland black bear hunt was officially closed on October 30 at 9:00 p.m. with 67 bears reported to mandatory check stations in Western Maryland. The season opened Monday, October 25 in Garrett and Allegany counties.
“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 and 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/wildlife.