Maryland Hunters Harvest 89 Black Bears in 23rd Season Across Four Western Counties

Maryland hunters harvested 89 black bears in the state’s 23rd annual bear hunt, held Oct. 26-31 in Allegany, Frederick, Garrett and Washington counties, the Department of Natural Resources said in a release dated Nov. 2, 2026.

The total is identical to the 2025 harvest and consistent with the 5-year average of 95 bears. Of the 89, 28 were male and 61 were female. Garrett County accounted for 61, Washington County for 10, and Allegany and Frederick counties for nine each. The largest bear had an estimated live weight of 313 pounds and came from Garrett County.

Farmers took 15 additional bears, four male and 11 female, between Aug. 15 and Oct. 27 under agricultural damage permits. Those bears are not part of the 89.

Low nighttime temperatures made for good hunting weather. The department said natural foods such as acorns and hickory nuts were difficult to find, especially on public lands, and many hunters struggled to locate recent bear signs and pattern bear movements.

Daily harvest was highest early in the weeklong season. Many hunters credited success to hunting near standing agricultural corn.

“Each year, we rely on our dedicated hunters to contribute to the management of black bears in the state,” said Karina Stonesifer, director of the department’s Wildlife and Heritage Service.

The service uses regulated hunting to slow the growth of the bear population and to ease human-bear conflicts. Decades of habitat recovery and regional conservation programs have left the breeding population concentrated in the four westernmost counties, the same four that were open to the hunt.

In its Nov. 2, 2026 release, the department said it will continue to evaluate its bear management strategy and make adjustments as needed to keep the population healthy for bears and people. The 2026 hunt was the 23rd since Maryland’s first modern bear season in 2004.