www.dec.ny.gov

BLACK BEAR HARVEST SUMMARY

2018

Results reported in this document were funded by the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act. Grant WE-173-G

Lauren McAllister with her St. Lawrence County black bear, September 2018.

2018 20175‐Year Average      

(2013 ‐ 2017)

Historical Average   

(1991‐2000)

Northern Zone 491 383 476 515Early 259 82 176 172

Bow 55 25 33 15

Muzzleloader 48 33 53 25

Regular 129 242 213 303

Youth 0 1 NA NA

% Female : % Male 45% ‐ 55% 38% ‐ 62% 38% ‐ 62% 43% ‐ 57%

Southern Zone 804 1,037 1,056 207Early 179 150 227 NABow 294 330 332 54

Muzzleloader 18 12 12 1

Regular 302 537 528 153

Youth 11 8 NA NA

% Female : % Male 41% ‐ 59% 40% ‐ 60% 41% ‐ 59% 37% ‐ 63%

New York State 1,295 1,420 1,532 722Early 438 232 357 172

Bow 349 355 365 69

Muzzleloader 66 45 65 26

Regular 431 779 741 455

Youth 11 9 NA NA

% Female : % Male 42% ‐ 58% 39% ‐ 61% 40% ‐ 60% 41% ‐ 59%

NEW YORK STATE

DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION

2018 Bear Harvest Summary

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100% Bear Take by ImplementNorthern Zone Southern Zone

Page 2

9S

9T

9X

9N

8J

8Y

6N

6H

6A

3K

4A

3C

5C

3G

9A

9R

8G

7R

6G

9K9M

8X

8C

8R

7H

7F

4P

6F

2A

4Z

1A

9A

9W

9Y

7J

7P

6S

4F

3A

4R

2A2A

3P

5F

4Y

5T

9H

8P

8T

8S

6P6R

6J

3H

4G 4H

4S

3N

4J

5G

4L

5S

7S

6C

2A

4B

3S

4T

4K

5A

9G

8M

8H

8W

7M

4O

4W

5H

3J

3R

5J

5R

1C

9J

9C

9F

8A

9P

8N

8F

7A 6K

3M

3F

4U

4C

Black Bear Harvest Density2018

NYSDEC Bureau of Wildlife, February 2018

Northern Zone

Southern Zone

Allegany State Parkprohibits bear hunting

Bears Taken per 100 Square Miles0.05 - 2.5

2.6 - 5.0

5.1 - 10.0

10.1 - 15.0

15.1 - 32.0

WMUs

No Bear Hunting

Page 3

NEW YORK STATE BLACK BEAR TAKE BY WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT UNITSeason Key: E = Early, B = Bowhunting, M = Muzzleloader, R = Regular, Y = Youth, T = Total

2018

E

Northern

B M R TYWMU

05 1 2 805A

828 4 14 5405C

315 2 4 2405F

616 8 8 3805G

1573 6 24 11805H

67 7 10 3005J

10 0 3 406A

235 7 19 6306C

330 6 14 5306F

00 2 0 206G

211 0 5 1806H

739 5 12 6306J

20 0 6 806K

00 0 8 806N

ZoneNorthernEarly

Youth

259Bowhunting 55Muzzleloader 48Regular 129

0

491

E

Southern

B M R TYWMU

1221 0 8 4213A

2850 1 16 9833C

70 1 5 1303G

1115 0 15 4103H

1816 0 11 4503J

1528 0 21 6403K

2513 1 13 5203M

30 3 4 1003P

10 0 0 104A

00 0 3 304B

10 0 0 104F

40 0 14 1804G

80 0 8 1604H

40 0 2 604K

50 0 3 804L

90 1 9 1904O

618 0 8 3204P

618 0 1 2724R

60 0 4 1114S

00 0 3 304T

30 0 2 614U

140 0 15 2904W

30 0 1 404Y

80 0 6 1514Z

20 0 0 205R

30 0 6 905S

30 1 8 1206R

10 0 1 207M

10 0 4 507P

00 0 2 207R

40 1 12 1707S

00 0 1 108G

10 0 0 108M

30 0 2 508N

80 1 7 1608P

10 0 1 208R

110 0 12 2308T

00 0 5 508W

100 1 14 2508X

120 0 12 2408Y

20 0 0 209A

10 1 2 409H

50 0 13 1809J

30 1 3 819K

20 0 5 709M

20 0 0 209N

50 1 8 1409P

40 0 2 609R

20 3 4 909T

00 0 2 319W

70 1 1 909X

40 0 3 709Y

ZoneSouthernEarly

Youth

179Bowhunting 294Muzzleloader 18Regular 302

11

804

Early 438

Bowhunting 349

Muzzleloader 66

Regular 431Youth 11

State Total 1,295

NEW YORK STATE BEAR TAKE BY SEX*

YNZ B M R TE

Female 117 25 22 58 2220

Male 142 30 26 71 2690

YSZ B M R TE

Female 73 119 7 122 3254

Male 106 175 11 180 4797

*Sex was not reported for all bears.

* Only Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) with reported bear harvests are included here.

Page 4

9S

9T

9X

9N

8J

8Y

6N

6H

6A

3K

4A

3C

5C

3G

9A

9R

8G

7R

6G

9K9M

8X

8C

8R

7H

7F

4P

6F

2A

4Z

1A

9A

9W

9Y

7J

7P

6S

4F

3A

4R

2A2A

3P

5F

4Y

5T

9H

8P

8T

8S

6P6R

6J

3H

4G 4H

4S

3N

4J

5G

4L

5S

7S

6C

2A

4B

3S

4T

4K

5A

9G

8M

8H

8W

7M

4O

4W

5H

3J

3R

5J

5R

1C

9J

9C

9F

8A

9P

8N

8F

7A 6K

3M

3F

4U

4C

Black Bear Harvest by Town

2018

NYSDEC Bureau of Wildlife, February 2018

Northern Zone

Southern Zone

Allegany State Parkprohibits bear hunting

Bears Taken per 10 Square Miles0.03 - 0.5

0.5 - 1.0

1.0 - 2.0

2.0 - 3.5

3.5 - 7.0

No Bear Hunting

WMUs

Towns

Page 5

NEW YORK STATE BEAR TAKE BY TOWN AND COUNTY

Key: E = Early, B = Bowhunting, M = Muzzleloader, R = Regular, Y = Youth, T = Total

2018

ZoneNorthernYClinton B M R TE

Altona 01 2 0 30

Ausable 16 0 0 70

Beekmantown 01 0 1 20

Black Brook 06 2 5 130

Clinton 01 0 0 10

Ellenburg 03 0 2 50

Mooers 00 0 2 20

Peru 11 1 0 30

Saranac 07 0 2 90

Schuyler Falls 01 0 0 10

TOTAL 27 2 5 12 0 46

YEssex B M R TE

Chesterfield 08 1 0 90

Crown Point 20 0 1 30

Elizabethtown 03 0 0 30

Essex 01 0 1 20

Jay 01 1 0 20

Keene 01 0 0 10

Lewis 00 1 0 10

Moriah 00 3 0 30

Newcomb 02 0 0 20

North Elba 00 1 2 30

North Hudson 01 0 0 10

Schroon 02 1 0 30

Ticonderoga 11 0 0 20

Westport 01 0 0 10

Wilmington 52 0 2 90

TOTAL 23 8 8 6 0 45

YFranklin B M R TE

Bellmont 12 0 2 50

Brandon 01 0 0 10

Dickinson 06 1 2 90

Duane 01 0 0 10

Franklin 22 0 1 50

Harrietstown 21 0 0 30

Malone 01 0 1 20

Santa Clara 01 1 0 20

Tupper Lake 13 0 1 50

Waverly 02 2 1 50

TOTAL 20 6 4 8 0 38

YFulton B M R TE

Bleecker 00 0 2 20

Caroga 00 0 2 20

Johnstown 02 0 1 30

Mayfield 04 0 0 40

Northampton 20 0 0 20

Oppenheim 11 2 4 80

Stratford 33 0 1 70

TOTAL 10 6 2 10 0 28

YHamilton B M R TE

Arietta 01 0 0 10

Benson 01 1 3 50

Hope 03 1 0 40

Indian Lake 01 0 0 10

Inlet 00 0 1 10

Lake Pleasant 00 0 1 10

Long Lake 03 3 0 60

Wells 16 0 5 120

TOTAL 15 1 5 10 0 31

YHerkimer B M R TE

Fairfield 09 0 0 90

Norway 11 0 0 20

Ohio 410 1 1 160

Russia 26 1 0 90

Salisbury 04 0 1 50

Webb 21 0 1 40

TOTAL 31 9 2 3 0 45

YJefferson B M R TE

Antwerp 02 0 4 60

Champion 20 0 0 20

Le Ray 05 0 0 50

Philadelphia 00 0 1 10

Watertown 00 2 0 20

Wilna 210 2 4 180

TOTAL 17 4 4 9 0 34

YLewis B M R TE

Croghan 313 0 4 200

Diana 02 0 4 60

Greig 19 0 1 110

Harrisburg 10 0 2 30

Lowville 00 0 1 10

Lyonsdale 04 0 0 40

Martinsburg 00 0 5 50

Montague 00 0 1 10

New Bremen 02 1 0 30

Pinckney 00 0 1 10

Turin 00 0 1 10

Watson 04 0 2 60

West Turin 00 1 0 10

TOTAL 34 5 2 22 0 63

YOneida B M R TE

Ava 00 0 1 10

Boonville 02 0 1 30

Forestport 011 0 1 120

Steuben 00 0 1 10

Western 00 0 2 20

TOTAL 13 0 0 6 0 19

YOswego B M R TE

Redfield 00 0 1 10

TOTAL 0 0 0 1 0 1

YSaratoga B M R TE

Hadley 16 0 2 90

Moreau 00 0 1 10

Providence 00 1 0 10

Wilton 00 2 0 20

TOTAL 6 1 3 3 0 13

YSt Lawrence B M R TE

Canton 20 1 0 30

Clare 02 0 4 60

Colton 02 3 3 80

Edwards 01 0 4 50

Fine 15 0 1 70

Fowler 03 0 0 30

Gouverneur 00 0 1 10

Hopkinton 011 0 3 140

Louisville 00 0 1 10

Macomb 00 0 1 10

Parishville 09 0 1 100

Piercefield 00 0 2 20

Pierrepont 10 0 2 30

Pitcairn 14 2 2 90

Russell 05 1 2 80

TOTAL 42 5 7 27 0 81

YWarren B M R TE

Bolton 13 0 1 50

Chester 01 0 0 10

Hague 01 0 0 10

Horicon 00 2 0 20

Johnsburg 08 0 5 130

Lake George 22 0 3 70

Lake Luzerne 02 3 0 50

Queensbury 10 0 0 10

Stony Creek 00 0 1 10

Thurman 21 0 1 40

Warrensburg 23 0 0 50

TOTAL 21 8 5 11 0 45

YWashington B M R TE

Dresden 00 0 1 10

Whitehall 00 1 0 10

TOTAL 0 0 1 1 0 2

ZoneSouthernYAlbany B M R TE

Berne 10 0 2 30

Bethlehem 00 0 1 10

Coeymans 00 0 1 10

Guilderland 00 0 2 20

* Only towns and counties with bear harvests are reported here.

Page 6

New Scotland 10 0 0 10

Rensselaerville 50 0 1 60

Westerlo 00 0 3 30

TOTAL 0 7 0 10 0 17

YAllegany B M R TE

Alfred 00 0 1 10

Allen 00 1 0 10

Alma 00 1 0 10

Amity 10 0 0 10

Andover 10 0 0 10

Burns 00 0 1 10

Clarksville 20 0 0 20

Friendship 10 0 0 10

Hume 10 0 0 10

Independence 00 1 1 20

New Hudson 00 0 1 10

Rushford 10 0 0 10

Scio 20 0 3 50

Ward 20 0 1 30

Wellsville 20 0 0 20

West Almond 00 0 1 10

Willing 10 0 1 20

Wirt 10 0 0 10

TOTAL 0 15 3 10 0 28

YBroome B M R TE

Colesville 10 0 1 20

Fenton 00 0 1 10

Kirkwood 00 0 1 10

Sanford 10 0 1 20

Windsor 20 0 11 130

TOTAL 0 4 0 15 0 19

YCattaraugus B M R TE

Allegany 10 1 0 20

Ashford 00 0 2 20

Carrollton 10 0 0 10

Conewango 00 0 1 10

East Otto 00 0 1 10

Ellicottville 00 0 3 30

Franklinville 10 0 1 20

Humphrey 00 0 1 10

Lyndon 00 0 0 11

New Albion 00 0 1 10

Olean 10 0 3 40

Portville 20 2 1 50

Randolph 10 0 0 10

TOTAL 0 7 3 14 1 25

YChautauqua B M R TE

Arkwright 10 1 0 20

Carroll 20 0 2 40

Chautauqua 10 0 0 10

Cherry Creek 10 0 0 21

Clymer 00 0 2 20

Ellington 10 0 0 10

French Creek 00 0 3 30

Harmony 10 0 1 20

Mina 00 0 2 20

Poland 10 0 2 30

Ripley 00 0 1 10

Sherman 00 0 1 10

Stockton 10 0 1 20

Westfield 20 0 0 20

TOTAL 0 11 1 15 1 28

YChemung B M R TE

Ashland 30 0 2 50

Big Flats 10 0 3 40

Chemung 00 0 1 10

Erin 00 0 1 10

Southport 30 0 1 40

TOTAL 0 7 0 8 0 15

YChenango B M R TE

Greene 10 0 1 20

Guilford 00 0 1 10

Smithville 00 0 1 10

TOTAL 0 1 0 3 0 4

YColumbia B M R TE

Ancram 50 0 0 50

Austerlitz 00 0 1 21

Canaan 10 0 0 10

Chatham 20 0 3 50

Claverack 20 0 0 20

Copake 00 0 1 10

Germantown 10 0 0 10

Hillsdale 40 0 1 61

New Lebanon 00 0 1 10

Taghkanic 00 0 1 10

TOTAL 0 15 0 8 2 25

YDelaware B M R TE

Andes 17 0 1 90

Bovina 00 0 1 10

Colchester 10 0 5 60

Delhi 11 0 0 20

Deposit 20 0 1 30

Franklin 20 0 0 20

Hamden 31 0 0 40

Hancock 80 0 11 190

Kortright 01 0 0 10

Masonville 00 1 0 10

Middletown 44 0 1 90

Roxbury 27 0 1 100

Sidney 10 0 0 10

Stamford 02 0 1 30

Tompkins 30 0 4 70

Walton 11 0 1 30

TOTAL 24 29 1 27 0 81

YDutchess B M R TE

Amenia 30 0 0 30

Dover 20 1 0 30

Northeast 00 0 4 40

Pawling 10 0 1 20

Stanford 00 0 2 20

Union Vale 10 0 0 10

Washington 10 0 0 10

TOTAL 0 8 1 7 0 16

YErie B M R TE

Concord 00 1 0 10

TOTAL 0 0 1 0 0 1

YFulton B M R TE

Oppenheim 00 1 0 10

TOTAL 0 0 1 0 0 1

YGenesee B M R TE

Pembroke 00 0 1 10

TOTAL 0 0 0 1 0 1

YGreene B M R TE

Ashland 13 0 0 62

Athens 10 0 0 10

Cairo 33 0 2 80

Catskill 05 0 1 60

Coxsackie 10 0 0 21

Durham 13 0 0 40

Greenville 20 0 0 20

Hunter 03 0 0 30

Jewett 01 0 0 10

Lexington 10 0 1 20

Prattsville 01 0 0 10

Windham 02 0 0 20

TOTAL 21 10 0 4 3 38

YHerkimer B M R TE

Fairfield 00 0 2 20

Herkimer 00 0 2 20

Little Falls 10 0 1 20

Schuyler Falls 00 0 1 10

TOTAL 0 1 0 6 0 7

YLivingston B M R TE

Mount Morris 10 0 0 10

Springwater 00 0 1 10

TOTAL 0 1 0 1 0 2

YMadison B M R TE

Hamilton 10 0 0 10

TOTAL 0 1 0 0 0 1

YMontgomery B M R TE

Mohawk 10 0 0 10

Palatine 00 0 1 10

TOTAL 0 1 0 1 0 2

YNiagara B M R TE

Somerset 20 0 0 20

TOTAL 0 2 0 0 0 2

YOneida B M R TE

Trenton 00 0 1 10

TOTAL 0 0 0 1 0 1

* Only towns and counties with bear harvests are reported here.

Page 7

YOntario B M R TE

Canandaigua 10 0 0 10

Naples 00 0 1 10

South Bristol 20 0 0 20

TOTAL 0 3 0 1 0 4

YOrange B M R TE

Blooming Grove 40 0 0 40

Crawford 10 0 0 10

Deerpark 37 0 3 130

Goshen 00 0 2 20

Greenville 10 0 1 20

Highlands 20 0 0 20

Minisink 10 0 3 40

Monroe 00 0 1 10

Montgomery 20 0 0 20

Newburgh 10 0 0 10

Tuxedo 20 1 3 60

Wallkill 20 0 0 20

Warwick 22 2 4 100

Wawayanda 21 0 0 30

Woodbury 00 0 1 10

TOTAL 10 23 3 18 0 54

YOtsego B M R TE

Maryland 10 0 0 10

TOTAL 0 1 0 0 0 1

YRensselaer B M R TE

Berlin 30 0 0 30

East Greenbush 10 0 0 10

Grafton 00 0 1 10

Nassau 20 0 1 30

Petersburgh 00 0 3 30

Pittstown 20 0 0 20

Sand Lake 10 0 0 10

Schodack 00 0 1 10

Stephentown 00 0 1 10

TOTAL 0 9 0 7 0 16

YSaratoga B M R TE

Charlton 10 0 0 10

Milton 10 0 0 10

TOTAL 0 2 0 0 0 2

YSchenectady B M R TE

Rotterdam 20 0 0 20

TOTAL 0 2 0 0 0 2

YSchoharie B M R TE

Blenheim 10 0 3 40

Broome 00 0 2 20

Conesville 01 0 3 40

Fulton 10 0 2 30

Gilboa 20 0 2 40

Middleburg 10 0 3 40

Schoharie 00 0 1 10

TOTAL 1 5 0 16 0 22

YSchuyler B M R TE

Catharine 00 0 2 20

Cayuta 00 0 1 10

Reading 10 0 0 10

Tyrone 00 0 1 10

TOTAL 0 1 0 4 0 5

YSteuben B M R TE

Addison 10 0 2 30

Avoca 10 0 0 10

Bath 30 0 1 40

Cameron 10 0 2 30

Campbell 10 0 0 10

Canisteo 10 0 2 30

Caton 00 0 3 30

Cohocton 30 0 1 40

Corning 40 0 0 40

Dansville 00 0 3 30

Erwin 30 0 2 50

Greenwood 20 0 1 30

Hartsville 10 0 0 10

Hornby 00 0 1 10

Hornellsville 00 0 1 10

Howard 00 0 4 40

Lindley 20 0 2 40

Rathbone 20 0 2 40

Thurston 00 0 2 20

Troupsburg 30 0 5 80

Urbana 20 0 1 30

Wayland 10 0 0 10

West Union 10 0 2 30

Wheeler 00 2 1 30

Woodhull 30 0 4 70

TOTAL 0 35 2 42 0 79

YSullivan B M R TE

Bethel 12 0 1 40

Callicoon 11 0 1 30

Cochecton 01 0 4 50

Delaware 12 0 1 40

Fallsburgh 22 0 0 40

Forestburg 32 0 1 60

Fremont 10 0 4 50

Highland 43 0 4 110

Liberty 36 0 1 100

Lumberland 05 0 3 80

Mamakating 712 0 7 260

Neversink 33 0 1 70

Rockland 21 0 0 30

Thompson 53 0 1 90

Tusten 03 0 5 80

TOTAL 46 33 0 34 0 113

YTioga B M R TE

Barton 00 0 1 10

Nichols 10 1 1 30

TOTAL 0 1 1 2 0 4

YTompkins B M R TE

Newfield 00 0 1 10

TOTAL 0 0 0 1 0 1

YUlster B M R TE

Denning 15 1 1 80

Gardiner 22 0 1 50

Hardenburgh 03 0 0 30

Hurley 34 0 1 80

Kingston 32 0 0 50

Marbletown 73 0 2 120

New Paltz 40 0 4 80

Olive 57 0 4 171

Plattekill 20 0 0 20

Rochester 812 0 4 251

Rosendale 10 0 0 10

Saugerties 13 0 3 70

Shandaken 27 0 5 140

Shawangunk 85 0 2 150

Ulster 03 0 2 50

Wawarsing 416 0 5 272

Woodstock 45 0 2 110

TOTAL 77 55 1 36 4 173

YWashington B M R TE

Cambridge 10 0 3 40

Hebron 10 0 0 10

Jackson 10 0 0 10

Salem 00 0 3 30

White Creek 00 0 1 10

TOTAL 0 3 0 7 0 10

YWyoming B M R TE

Gainesville 10 0 0 10

Middlebury 00 0 1 10

Orangeville 00 0 1 10

TOTAL 0 1 0 2 0 3

YYates B M R TE

Jerusalem 00 0 1 10

TOTAL 0 0 0 1 0 1

Early 438

Bowhunting 349

Muzzleloader 66

Regular 431

Youth 11

NYS Total 1,295

* Only towns and counties with bear harvests are reported here.

Page 8

NEW YORK STATE

 DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION 

Black Bear Harvest by Population Management Objective

Bears Taken per 100 Square Miles

0

4

8Northern

0

4

8

12

16

20

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Southeastern

Maintain Low Density Maintain Moderate Density Reduce High Density

0

4

8Central‐Western

Management Goals were established in 2014, and an early bear season was initiated in portions of southeastern New York that same year to reduce the high density bear popoulation.

Goal Area:

Page 9

Rank

Dressed 

Weight 

(pounds)

Sex Season County Town WMU

1 585 Male Bowhunting Ulster Shandaken 3A

2 550 Male Bowhunting Ulster Marbletown 3C

3 485 Male Muzzleloading St Lawrence Pitcairn 6C

4 459 Male Regular Chemung Chemung 8Y

5 454 Male Regular Ulster New Paltz 3J

6 440 Male Regular Dutchess Stanford 3G

7 425 Male Bowhunting Orange Highlands 3P

8 400 Male Early St Lawrence Pitcairn 6C

9 390 Male Early Sullivan Liberty 3H

10 385 Male Early Greene Catskill 3A

Scaled weights of dressed bears were submitted for 28% of the bears reported in 2018.

Average Weight by Age and Sex of Harvested Black Bears (2015‐2017)

Note: Bear ages are determined by examining cross‐sections of a premolar tooth (see 

www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/45598.html).  Bear teeth from the 2018 seasons have not 

yet been analyzed. 

NEW YORK STATE

Distribution of Harvested Black Bears by Weight (2018)

DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION

Heaviest Reported Bears ‐ 2018

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

Dressed Weight (pounds)

Southern Zone

Female

Male

0%10%20%

30%40%50%

60%

Dressed Weight (pounds)

Northern Zone

Female

Male

0

100

200

300

400

≤1 2 3 4 5 6+Dressed W

eight (pounds)

Bear Age (years)

Northern Zone

FemaleMale

n = 339

0

100

200

300

400

≤1 2 3 4 5 6+

Dressed W

eight (pounds)

Bear Age (years)

Southern Zone

FemaleMale

n = 766

n = 96 n = 239

Page 10

Notes:    Sum of male and female proportions across seasons within each zone equals 100%.

Male and female bear take during the Youth Seasons were <1% of the total harvest. 

 2018 Distribution of Black Bear Harvest by Sex 

NEW YORK STATE

 DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION 

2018 Reported Bear Take by Day

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

9/15 9/22 9/29 10/6 10/13 10/20 10/27 11/3 11/10 11/17 11/24 12/1

# Bears

Northern Zone

Female

Male

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

9/8 9/15 9/22 9/29 10/6 10/13 10/20 10/27 11/3 11/10 11/17 11/24 12/1 12/8 12/15

# Bears

Southern Zone

Female

Male

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

Early Bow Muzzle Regular Early Bow Muzzle Regular

Northern Zone Southern Zone

Female Male

Page 11

NEW YORK STATEDEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION

Age Distribution of Bear Harvest: 2017

Average Age of Harvested Bears

Note: Bear ages are determined by examining cross‐sections of a 

premolar tooth (see www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/45598.html).  Bear 

ages from the 2018 seasons have not yet been determined and will 

be included in the 2019 report.  Bear cubs (<1 year) may be legally 

taken in the Northern Zone, but bears known to be <1 year old are 

not legal for harvest in the Southern Zone.  However, in the 

Southern Zone, some cubs achieve a similar size to some small 

yearling or adult bears and can only be verified as cubs by 

examination of their teeth after harvest.

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

years

Northern Zone 

FemaleMale

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

years

Southern Zone 

Female

Male

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

<1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 ≥10

Bear Age (years)

Northern Zone 

Female

Male

n = 184

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

<1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 ≥10

Bear Age (years)

Southern Zone

Female

Male

n = 674

Page 12

Black Bear Harvest History

NEW YORK STATEDEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION

Year

State Totals

E B M R

Northern Zone

E B M R

Southern Zone

TotalTotal E B M R TotalY YY

2018 1,295438 349 66 431491259 55 48 129 804179 294 18 302 11 110

2017 1,420232 355 45 77938382 25 33 242 1,037150 330 12 537 8 91

2016 1,539466 427 71 565514238 48 61 167 1,025228 379 10 398 10 10

2015 1,715375 380 111 849583183 53 94 253 1,132192 327 17 596

2014 1,628628 331 58 611518291 26 42 159 1,110337 305 16 452

2013 1,35884 332 41 90138084 15 35 246 978317 6 655

2012 1,337386 371 55 525606386 39 49 132 731332 6 393

2011 1,25870 293 30 86527570 3 9 193 983290 21 672

2010 1,064255 315 81 413521255 35 71 160 543280 10 253

2009 1,487426 310 138 613814426 44 128 216 673266 10 397

2008 1,29585 232 117 86158285 13 99 385 713219 18 476

2007 1,117306 247 70 494544306 28 61 149 573219 9 345

2006 79674 237 25 46031874 9 16 219 478228 9 241

2005 1,066184 227 56 599453184 19 45 205 613208 11 394

2004 1,014425 227 58 304674425 49 54 146 340178 4 158

2003 1,863730 256 122 7551,370730 35 112 493 493221 10 262

2002 912182 127 34 569550182 16 30 322 362111 4 247

2001 800240 145 54 361523240 18 52 213 277127 2 148

2000 1,070180 107 39 744728180 12 37 499 34295 2 245

1999 685270 126 35 254523270 37 34 182 16289 1 72

0

250

500

750

1000

1250

1500

1750

2000

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

# B

ea

rs

Northern

Southern

NYS

Season Key: E=Early B=Bowhunting M=Muzzleloading R=Regular Y = Youth

Page 13

NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION 

Page 14

NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION 

Black Bear Management Cooperator Program

DEC relies upon hunter participation to collect critical data for black bear management.  Successful hunters are required by law to report their harvest, but many hunters also voluntarily submit premolar teeth from the bears (Figure 1), which are then used to determine the bear’s age.  DEC uses this information to assess the impact of harvest on the bear population by determination of the average age of harvested male and female bears in the various bear hunting areas. Additionally, by recording age and sex of harvested bears over a period of years, biologists can more accurately model bear populations. 

Hunters who Report their Bear and Submit a Tooth become NYS Black Bear Management Cooperators and receive a commemorative patch. 

Black Bear Cooperator Patches 2006‐2018 

Figure 1.  Portion of bear skull showing upper and lower premolar teeth, immediately behind the large canines. 

Page 15

NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION 

  

Learn More about Black Bears  

DEC has several great resources available for those interested in learning more about black bears, bear management, and bear hunting.   

           

 

This booklet, from the Northeast Black 

Bear Technical Committee, describes 

various options for bear management. 

www.dec.ny.gov/docs/wildlife_pdf/bear

Living with New York Black Bears is 

available at school and public 

libraries throughout New York. 

DEC has partnered with Untamed Science to provide 

free curriculum and multimedia resources available to 

all New York Educators; loads of interactive learning 

appropriate for students in kindergarten to 8th grade.

http://blackbearinfo.com   

 This short booklet is full of tips for 

bear hunters, before and after the 

harvest. 

www.dec.ny.gov/docs/wildlife_pdf/bb

hunting10.pdf   

See www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7215.html 

for New York’s Black Bear program. 

This booklet, from the Northeast Black 

Bear Technical Committee, describes 

various options for bear management. 

www.dec.ny.gov/docs/wildlife_pdf/bear

mgmtopt.pdf 

Page 16