HAGERSTOWN, Md, (AP) — Maryland’s black-bear hunting season opened yesterday with a record-large bruin and a survey from the Humane Society of the U.S. showing public disapproval of the hunt.
Coty Jones, 20, of Fishing Creek, downed a 615-pound, 8-feet-tall male with her rifle, said Paul Peditto, director of the state Wildlife and Heritage Service, a division of the Department of Natural Resources. The previous record was a 496-pound male killed in 2004.
Mr. Peditto said 16 kills had been registered by 5 p.m. in Allegany and Garrett counties.
Mr. Peditto said rain showers expected today and tomorrow could limit the animals’ movement and lengthen the time needed for hunters to fill the DNR’s expanded 50-to-70-bear quota. Last year, it took hunters two days to kill 41 bears, which was within the state’s objective of 35 to 55. If hunters don’t meet this year’s objective by Saturday, a second hunt will be held Dec. 3 to 8.
Mr. Peditto said the number of bears taken yesterday despite the mild weather was “probably just another piece of evidence that we have a pretty dense bear population.” He estimated the bear population in the two-county hunt zone at 500.
The Humane Society released a survey of 839 registered voters statewide who were queried by telephone by Gonzales Research & Marketing Strategies Oct. 16-21.
Fifty-one percent of those surveyed said they oppose recreational hunting of black bears, 43 percent said they favor it, and 6 percent gave no opinion. The sampling had an error margin of 3.5 percentage points.
“These survey results confirm what we have long known: that Maryland citizens oppose the trophy hunting of our small and recovering black bear population,” said Michael Markarian, executive vice president of the HSUS.
Mr. Peditto said hunting helps manage the growing population of bears, which have killed livestock and damaged property in rural areas.
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