Photo by Steve Howard.

In 2007, New England's black bear hunters have a lot to look forward to. Hurricane Katrina knocked down harvest numbers in some areas during the 2005 season.

And during 2006, a bumper crop of natural foods kept bears off baits, making them harder to find. As a result, higher-than-average numbers of healthy black bears are wandering the forests of New England. Careful pre-season scouting and a thorough knowledge of the species are sure to boost hunter success in 2007!

Here's a look at what New England's black bear hunters can expect this season:

MAINE
An estimated 23,000 black bears are wandering the Maine woods -- the highest population in any of the lower 48 states! Once viewed as pests, bears could be hunted year 'round during the first half of the 1900s. And Maine had a bounty on the animals until 1957.

In the 1960s, regulations were tightened, and bear-hunting seasons were shortened to a six-month period. A three-month, fall-only season has been in place sine 1982.

The 2006 bear harvest was lower than that of 2005. Both years were lower than normal, according to Jennifer Vashon, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Bear Project leader.

"Our preliminary numbers indicate a 2006 harvest of 2,659 bears," Vashon said. "That was lower than last year, but last year was lower than the previous five years. I think the lower 2006 harvest was because most bears were harvested with the use of bait. Even hound hunters often use bait, and so do trappers.

" Last year, we had an exceptional crop of natural foods -- not just for one type of food, but most natural foods. I heard early on from hunters that they were not getting the bears to respond to bait. In talking to other state biologists, that held true in most of the Northeast."

Despite a couple of low harvest years, Vashon predicts a good bear-hunting season for 2007:

"The population has been stabilizing or slightly increasing in recent years," she said. "With the healthy population, I would expect to see a return to the harvest rates we saw between 1999 and 2004, which were between 3,500 and 4,000 bears per year."

Normally, two low harvest years in a row would raise concerns. But the fact that harvests were down and natural food supplies were up accounts for the drop in 2006. And the first (usually most productive) week of the 2005 bear season took place during Hurricane Katrina!

"Unlike Maine's deer season, when most resident hunters can just go out the next week, half our bear hunters are non-residents who have booked a guide for a week. They don't usually have the opportunity to come back and hunt again the next week," Vashon said. "That's what we think lowered our harvest in 2005. Our studies indicate good cub production and survival rates and a healthy population of bears. We're going to watch and see what the next year brings. But we expect to see a return to our previous harvest levels."

Since 1983, Maine's wildlife biologists have been tracking 40 to 50 radio-collared bruins in any given year. The body of work gathered on survival rates, reproduction, behavior and condition of the bear population is one of the most extensive, comprehensive and long-standing bear studies in North America.

Like most of its neighboring states, Maine uses research and public input to set management objectives each year. Hunting is the primary tool used to meet those objectives.

"Funding is probably our biggest management challenge," Vashon noted. "Just like any state, we need adequate funding to get good information. Our funding has been dropping, and our responsibilities have been increasing, so you have to set your priorities. If increased funding were available, we'd like to go out and collect additional information."

Maine's bear season runs from late August through November. Hunters may take one bear annually. Bait, hounds, still-hunting, stalking and trapping are legal methods, but with various season dates.

At the time of this writing, the Maine State Legislature was considering changes in bear-trapping laws. The changes, supported by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, include reducing the number of traps allowed per hunter from two to one, and doing away with foothold traps. Foot-snare and cage traps would still be allowed.