DEC Contact: Lori Severino (518) 402-8000 March 20, 2024
|
|
DEC ANNOUNCES 2023 BEAR HARVEST SUMMARYOverall Harvest Increased Slightly from 2022; Harvest Density Greatest in Catskills |
|
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos today announced bear hunters harvested an estimated 1,356 black bears (Ursus americanus) during the 2023 hunting seasons. Though rarely seen by most New Yorkers, black bears are valued by hunters, photographers, and wildlife watchers alike, and are well established in many areas across the state. “Black bear populations continue to expand into areas occupied historically,” said Commissioner Seggos. “This expansion is a conservation success story and robust populations afford great hunting opportunities. DEC encourages New Yorkers to learn the BearWise basics to help live more responsibly with bears and reduce the likelihood of human-bear conflicts in their backyards.” Hunters harvested an estimated 485 bears in the Northern Zone and an estimated 871 bears in the Southern Zone. This represents roughly six percent more bears harvested in the north and one percent more in the south than in 2022. The total bear harvest in 2023 was approximately seven percent lower than the five-year average.
The Catskill region continued to produce the greatest bear harvest densities, and in Wildlife Management Units (WMU) 3A, 3C, 3K, 4R, and 4W hunters took more than 10 bears per 100 square miles, with hunters taking more than 15 bears per 100 square miles in WMU 3K.
Notable Numbers
DEC’s 2023 Bear Harvest Summary report provides tables, figures, and maps detailing the bear harvest around the state. Past harvest summaries are also available on DEC’s website. DEC’s Black Bear Management Plan provides information on how DEC determines black bear population objectives throughout the state. |
|
###
|