Photo by Chuck & Grace Bartlett

Based on the most recent harvest reports, bear hunters in New England had a slow season last fall. Although some harvest figures were still preliminary at the time of this writing, in Massachusetts and from Vermont across to Maine, hunters registered 20 to 40 percent fewer bears than in 2004, making 2005 one of the poorest seasons in years.

After several years of record-breaking or near record-breaking harvests in all four states, the obvious question is, why was 2005 so unproductive? Certainly not because the bears aren't out there. According to biologists, black bear populations are on the rise throughout the region. And with bears showing up in areas where they haven't been seen in modern times, there is mounting evidence that bears are also increasing their range.

Jennifer Vashon, the Bear Project leader for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, suggests several factors that may have contributed to the lower harvest.

"I can't say what happened elsewhere," she said, "but bad weather and poor hunting conditions during the first weeks of the season led to lower hunter success in Maine."

Weather conditions can have a strong impact on hunter success, especially if bad weather occurs early in the season, Vashon said. Poor hunting conditions were reported across Maine last year.

There was also a bumper mast crop last fall throughout northern New England's top bear range. Years with big nut and berry crops generally result in high harvests because when food is abundant, bears den late. In Maine and New Hampshire, bear activity on baits during the baiting season -- traditionally the most productive hunting period -- can be slowed due to the availability of natural foods. In Maine, lower hunter participation means that simply fewer hunters were in the woods to take advantage of the situation.

Another factor may have contributed to the lower-than-normal harvest. A number of Maine guiding operations reported lower hunter participation due to the uncertainty of the referendum to prohibit traditional hunting methods in Maine.

"Many hunters opted to hunt in 2004, but probably didn't book hunts for 2005," Vashon says.

Whatever the reason for last fall's low yield, biologists generally agree on one thing: There will be plenty of bears out there this fall. As usual, weather conditions will play a role, but most managers are predicting that not only will hunter participation be back to normal, but so will the numbers of bears harvested.

There's also another thing to look forward to. Last winter was one of the driest and mildest on record. There are several reports of bears leaving the dens early this spring, which means they will have more time to put on some weight before the fall seasons.

MAINE
Maine is home to more bears than any state in the Lower 48, and more than in some provinces north of the border. Wildlife officials estimate Maine's bear population at 23,000 animals. According to biologist Vashon of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, the harvest levels in recent years have stabilized the bear population in accordance with the department's management goal.

Between 2000 and 2004, according to Vashon, Maine's bear harvests have been rather consistent, with a meager 1 percent difference between three of the four years -- in 2000, 2001 and 2003 -- when the harvest was 3,900 or higher. In 2002, hunters took 3,512 bear, but that was a low mast year, and in 2004, the harvest was 3,123.