Outdoor News Daily

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) today held the drawing for the 2010 Maryland Black Bear Hunting Permits. A record 3,850 applications were received online and by telephone over the 31-day period, surpassing the 3,608 applications DNR received in 2009. The list of winning applicants will be available online after 9 a.m. on Friday, September 3 at http://blackbear.dnr.state.md.us.

“Maryland’s black bear hunt is not only a unique hunting opportunity, it is vital to managing our bear population,” said Harry Spiker, DNR’s Game Mammal Section Leader. “And the popularity of the hunt continues to grow as evidenced by the record number of applications received again this year.”

A total of 260 black bear hunting permits were awarded through the drawing. Winning applicants will be mailed a packet of information that contains all of the necessary instructions on how to register for the hunt as well as helpful information about bear hunting. The list of winners will also be posted online; applicants will need their Application ID number to check the results. Applicants who have misplaced their Application ID number may call DNR’s Wildlife and Heritage Service at 410-260-8540 beginning Tuesday, September 7 to obtain this information.

Applicants are reminded that Friday, September 3 is a Service Reduction Day, one of five days throughout the year when DNR offices will be closed as part of the overall state budget reduction plan in effect for the 2011 Fiscal Year. DNR offices will also be closed on Monday, September 6 in observance of Labor Day.

Applicants not selected in the 2010 drawing will be given an additional entry (preference point) in the 2011 drawing if they apply.

DNR’s seventh Black Bear Hunting Season is scheduled to take place from October 25 through October 30, 2010. The hunt remains quota-based with a targeted harvest of 65 to 90 bears, and the hunting season will close before the harvest level exceeds the quota. A guide to hunting bears in Maryland is available at http://www.dnr.state.md.us/huntersguide/BlackBearHunt.asp.

Applicants had the option to voluntarily contribute to the Maryland Black Bear Damage Reimbursement Fund again this year.

“Hunters were extraordinarily generous as we received $1,820 in donations,” said Gene Deems, eGov and Online Services Manager for DNR.

In 2009, hunters voluntarily donated $1,520 to the fund. Donated funds will be used to reimburse Maryland farmers who have suffered agricultural damage caused by black bears. The Black Bear Damage Reimbursement Fund was established in 1996 and has paid out more than $100,000 in eligible claims to Maryland farmers.

For updates and real time information, follow the Maryland Black Bear Hunt on Twitter at http://twitter.com/mdblackbear.

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