Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR)

DNR Announces Final 2007 Black Bear Hunt Numbers

OAKLAND, MD — The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) today announced the final numbers for the 2007 black bear hunting season. The hunt was officially closed Thursday, October 25, at 9:00 p.m.

The 2007 black bear season opened Monday, October 22, one half-hour before sunrise in Garrett and Allegany Counties. Despite challenging weather conditions throughout the two-county hunting area, 51 bears were reported to official check stations as of 9 p.m. on October 25. The harvest objective for the 2007 bear hunt was 50 to 70 bears. The average estimated live weight of the bears taken this year was 174 lbs. The largest bear was a 615 lb. male taken by Coty Jones of Fishing Creek, MD.

The hunt by the numbers:

	51 bears taken
	43 from Garrett County, 8 from Allegany County
	174 lbs. average weight
	74 % of the bears were taken on private land
	59 % of successful hunters live in the hunt area
	452 hunters participated in the hunt and 2,804 hunters applied for a permit.

For more information about Maryland’s black bears visit www.DNR.MD.gov/Wildlife.