Maryland hunters harvested 89 black bears during the state’s 22nd annual black bear hunt held October 20-25 in Allegany, Frederick, Garrett and Washington counties. The 2025 harvest was slightly lower than the five-year average of 100 bears. Officials believe a heavy mast crop kept bears from roaming, despite good weather conditions.
The 2025 harvest consisted of 44 male and 45 female bears. The total harvest from each county was 62 from Garrett County, 12 from Allegany County, eight from Frederick County and seven from Washington County. The largest bear had a live weight of 534 pounds and was taken in
Frederick County. Five additional bears (four males and one female) were harvested between August 15 and October 27 by farmers with agricultural damage permits.
“This year’s hunters were greeted with crisp mornings and some of the coolest temperatures we have seen during the bear season in quite a few years, providing an idyllic autumn bear hunting experience,” said Karina Stonesifer, director of Wildlife and Heritage Service in the Maryland
Department of Natural Resources. “Thanks to the efforts of our hunters, including multiple youth hunters, we had a successful bear season that significantly contributed to the management of the species.”
Though favorable weather conditions existed for much of the season, an abundance of hard mast across the landscape resulted in a lower bear harvest than the 2024 season. The daily harvest was higher earlier in the weeklong season. Many hunters attributed their success to locating hickory or white oak stands near water and thick cover where bears had ample food and shelter.
2025 Maryland black bear hunt by the numbers:
— 170 pounds was the average weight of bears taken
— 60 percent of bears were taken on private land
— 4,410 hunters applied for a permit
— 1,050 permits were awarded
As part of an overall strategy of managing Maryland’s bear population, the Wildlife and Heritage Service uses regulated hunting to reduce the growth of the population and provide relief to human-bear conflicts. Due to several decades of habitat recovery and regional conservation programs, Maryland is now home to a healthy population of bears, with the breeding population concentrated in the four westernmost counties — Garrett, Allegany, Washington and Frederick.
