DEC Contact: Lori Severino (518) 402-8000 February 14, 2022
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DEC ANNOUNCES 2021 BEAR HARVEST TOTALSOverall Harvest Declined; Catskills Harvest Rate Remains Highest |
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New York bear hunters took 1,346 black bears during the 2021 hunting seasons, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced today. “Every year, New York’s bear hunters provide DEC wildlife managers with valuable information to help guide future management decisions,” said DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos. “Although they aren’t always successful, thousands of dedicated hunters venturing afield each year help keep populations at desired levels, maintaining healthy bear populations in the state.” Hunters took an estimated 403 bears in the Northern Zone and 943 bears in the Southern Zone. This represents roughly 30 percent fewer bears taken in the north and 20 percent fewer taken in the south than in 2020, but only about 10 percent fewer than the five-year average harvest in each zone. Throughout the state, there is generally an alternating pattern of high and low bear harvest from year to year, which is influenced by fluctuating patterns in cub production and food availability. Because bear harvest was greater than average in 2020, and because natural foods for bears were abundant this fall, biologists expected the bear harvest to decline slightly in 2021. However, warm weather through much of the early season likely coupled with the abundant food to reduce bear movements and thereby reduced bear harvest more than expected. Despite an overall lower harvest, the Catskill region continues to produce the greatest bear harvest densities, and in Wildlife Management Units (WMU) 3A, 3C, 3K, 3P, 4R, and 4W, hunters took more than 10 bears per 100 square miles. Bear management objectives are to maintain stable bear populations through most of New York and reduce bear abundance in the central and southern Catskills. Estimated Bear Harvest Totals
*In 2021, DEC simplified the bear hunting seasons in the Adirondack WMUs by expanding the regular season to incorporate the early, bow, and muzzleloader season. Bow and muzzleloader season continued in the other Northern Zone WMUs. Notable Numbers
Black bear harvest data are gathered from two main sources: harvest reports required of all successful bear hunters; and the physical examination of more than 300 bears by DEC staff and cooperating taxidermists. Harvest estimates are made by cross-referencing these two data sources and determining the rate at which hunters report bear harvests in each zone. In 2021, 84 percent of successful bear hunters reported their harvest. Hunters who reported their harvest and submitted a tooth for age analysis receive a 2021 Black Bear Management Coordinator Patch and will be informed this fall of the age of their bear. DEC’s 2021 Bear Harvest Summary report and past harvest summaries, including tables, charts, and maps detailing New York State deer harvest, are available on DEC’s website. |
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