New York Bear Hunting Opportunities Yield Record-High Take

New York hunters took 1,628 black bears during the 2014 hunting seasons, setting a record harvest for the Southern Zone, the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Joe Martens announced via a press release.

"With bear hunting areas expanded throughout upstate New York and a special early bear season in portions of the Catskills and western Hudson Valley, hunters had unprecedented opportunity to pursue black bears this year," said Commissioner Martens. "These were intentional management actions designed to limit bear population growth broadly and reduce the population in southeastern New York. We are pleased that hunters took advantage of the opportunities."

Hunters took a total of 1,110 bears in the Southern Zone, an increase of approximately 13 percent from 2013 and surpassing the previous harvest record of 983 bears taken in 2011. While in the Northern Zone, hunters took a total of 518 bears.