"Black Bear Hunting Info. . .
. . . Maine's Bear Population"
Historically, bears were found
throughout the State. Following European settlement, bears were
extirpated from the south-coastal section of Maine, from Portland
north to Penobscot Bay as forests were cleared for farming.
Soils were depleted and agriculture
declined since the turn of the century, and forests have re-grown
and are once again able to support bears.
However, bears are slow to re-colonize
vacant habitat, and are still rare visitors to south-coastal Maine.
Most of the State has remained a stronghold for black bears.
Historical accounts suggest that
population density fluctuated over the last century, but the State
has always supported an abundant bear population.
Interest in bear hunting increased in
the 1970's, and the Department's Bear Study was established in 1975
to monitor population trends.
The statewide population was estimated
at 6,000-9,000 in 1979, and season restrictions were implemented to
guard against over harvests. By 1984, improved information on bear
densities yielded a revised statewide estimate of 18,000 bears. The
1985 population was estimated at 21,000 bears, but renewed interest
in hunting and escalating harvests during the late 1980s reduced the
population to 18,000 bears by 1989.
Additional restrictions on hunting
season length have increased bear survival during the 1990s, and the
population increased to 22,000-23,000 bears in 1998.
by Craig McLaughlin, Ph.D.
Wildlife Biologist
Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
Maine Bear Hunting Packages | 