Maryland's annual bear hunt off to slow start

Oct. 27—CUMBERLAND, Md. — An abundance of food, plus some rocky weather, probably contributed to the slow start of the 2021 annual Maryland bear hunt, Karina Stonesifer said.

The hunt, in its 18th year, began Monday and continues through Friday in the state's four westernmost counties.

Stonesifer, Wildlife and Heritage Service game management associate director, said 18 bears were harvested Monday, which included nine in Garrett, two in Allegany, four in Washington and three in Frederick counties.

"We have had strong mast production this year across the region and this includes nuts like acorns, hickory and walnuts," she said via email Tuesday. "A healthly natural food supply means that bears do not have to travel nearly as far to find food and they are largely staying in the woods. Hunters are likely going to have to cover more ground and seek those areas in the woods with good mast producing trees."

Over the years, hundreds of black bears have been killed by vehicles on Maryland roads, while others died or had to be euthanized due to severe mange.

Bears in the past have also caused substantial damage to Maryland farm fields and livestock.

Maryland's Department of Natural Resources typically receives several bear sightings and complaints.

The DNR in 2020 increased the number of bear hunt permits from 800 to 950.

Despite the expansion, the harvest dipped, with 117 bears being checked in last year, as compared to 145 bruins bagged in 2019.

In 2018, 135 hunters killed a bear, while there were 131 taken in 2017.

The record number of bears harvested in Maryland stands at 167 in 2016.

That year, the hunt was expanded from Garrett and Allegany to include Washington and Frederick counties.

Currently, Maryland has a healthy bear population, and its feasible the animals fed on the Brood X red-eyed cicadas that surfaced this summer after 17 years underground.

"We did notice a temporary drop in nuisance calls when the cicadas were emerging in the areas of the state where we normally see a lot of activity," Stonesifer said. "It would have been very difficult to determine if there was any correlation to weight gain."

So far, the largest bear taken in this year's hunt weighed nearly 350 pounds and was killed by a junior hunter in Garrett County, she said.

"Needless to say, (the hunter) was pretty excited," Stonesifer said.

Unlike previous hunts, there's no quota system this year, and hunters are not required to call a hotline and provide a status every evening.

Sub-permittees may hunt black bears regardless of whether the permittee is hunting.

Additionally, permittees and sub-permittees are not required to maintain visual contact with each other while hunting black bears.

"Hunters are reminded that a permittee and sub-permittee team of hunters may kill only one black bear," Maryland's DNR website states.

"It is the responsibility of the hunting team to maintain some form of communication to ensure that only one bear is taken," it states.

"The hunt is an important management tool used to slow the increase of Maryland's black bear population and limit expansion of Maryland bears into the eastern suburbs and cities," the website states.

Teresa McMinn is the Digital Editor for the Cumberland Times-News. She can be reached at 304-639-2371 or tmcminn@times-news.com.