New York State's 2011 bear "harvest"
The state Department of Environmental Conservation reports there were 1258 bears killed by hunters in New York in 2011. That's up about 18 percent from 2010 -- and higher than the five-year average (1,152) -- but short of the record on the books (1864 bears in 2003).
Last year's total did include a record number for the sub area that covers part of the Capital Region. The DEC attributes the record to bear hunting being opened in counties stretching from Rockland and Westchester counties north to Washington County. The cover of the DEC report includes a photo of a hunter with a bear killed in Columbia County, which the agency says might have been the first bear taken in the county since the 1800s.
Capital Region
There were 26 bears killed in the Capital Region's core counties last year: Albany (4), Rensselaer (11), Saratoga (11).
Counties in the greater Capital Region: Columbia (10), Greene (68), Schoharie (19), Washington (20), Warren (27).
In recent years DEC has said that bear populations in the state are "thriving."
By the way: the word used by the DEC to describe a year's take of bears (and deer) is "harvest" -- which makes sense. But it always makes us think of a field of bears growing in rows. And we suspect the bears have a different word for it.
Earlier on AOA: Don't feed the bears
photo: Flickr user peupleloup
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Comments
Wow- I didn't know people ate bears.
... said Sarah Rain on Mar 1, 2012 at 6:42 PM | link
I looked at the report and...after a long paws, I could hardly bear it.
... said Brendan on Mar 1, 2012 at 9:10 PM | link
What? Bears are making a comeback in New York. Let's kill them!
I do not like this plan. But I like most wildlife more than I like most people.
... said J on Mar 2, 2012 at 11:02 AM | link
J, black bears are well adapted to live in and near the places we live and have increased survival chances when we put residential development in/near their habitat. They can also cause some problems for us when they get too comfortable in the places we live. How many natural predators of black bears in New York State can you name?
... said b on Mar 2, 2012 at 12:19 PM | link