Do people hunt black bears? How does hunting affect black bear populations?
Black bears are considered a “game” animal or “furbearer” and are hunted during regulated seasons in 27 states and 12 Canadian provinces. Season length, timing, bag limits, methods of take, reporting and tagging requirements, and other provisions vary. There are several books-of varying quality-describing bear hunting experiences and techniques. Massachusetts has a split season with 17 days in September and 18 days in November. Bait, hounds, and hunting during deer shotgun season are prohibited. The bag limit is 1 bear annually. Hunters require a permit in addition to their basic license and must present the animal to a check station no later than 48 hours after taking the animal. Some studies or models have suggested that sport hunting limits bear populations in areas that are heavily hunted. Bears are often reported to have an inherently low reproductive rate and hence sensitivity to hunting. However, studies in California indicated that sport hunting took about 8% of the population
