It was a big year for bear hunters in New York State.
New York bear hunters killed 1,505 black bears during the 2019 hunting seasons, including a record take in the southern part of the state that stretches across the Southern Tier, Catskills and Hudson Valley, according to the Canandaigua Messenger.
Basil Seggos, the commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Conservation, says hunters are a crucial part of the state’s plan to manage populations.
“Black bears are thriving in New York, and bear hunting seasons are a critical part of our state’s necessary population management,” Seggos said in a statement. “The state’s accessible public lands offer great opportunities for bear hunting and the data DEC’s wildlife managers collect from the harvest continue to help us maintain healthy bear populations.”
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