Bear Management in Maine

Bears, like many wildlife species in Maine after the European settlement in North America, were harvested without regard of impacts to their population. They were often viewed as a never-ending resource. During this period of exploitation, bear populations across the US had dramatically declined until game laws were enacted. In Maine, the harvest of black bears became regulated with the establishment of hunting seasons and the registration requirement for harvested bears in the mid-1960s.

Now and for the past several decades, the harvest of black bears in Maine is a highly regulated and managed activity that is used as an effective management tool. The MDIFW uses a variety of data and public involvement to inform management and regulatory decisions. Maine game wardens enforce Maine’s hunting and trapping regulations; wildlife biologists collect data to inform management decisions, including setting hunting and trapping regulations; and the Information and Education Division develops programs to inform the public, hunters, and trappers about these regulations and management activities.

While regulations governing the hunting of Maine’s black bears have ranged from year-round bounties to hunting only during the fall, Maine’s bear season framework has remained fairly consistent since 1990, with a three-month fall hunting season that begins the last week in August and ends in November. Most bears have headed to winter dens by that time.

Currently, legal methods to harvest bears includes hunting with trained bear dogs, hunting over bait, spot and stalk, still hunting, or trapping. Hunting over bait occurs during the first four weeks of the season, with trained bear dogs for a six-week period that overlaps the last two weeks of the bait season, and by still hunting and stalking throughout the entire season. Bear trapping occurs in September and October, and licensed bear trappers are allowed to set a single cage-style trap or cable restraining device designed to hold the animal by the foot.

Beginning in 1990, a bear hunting permit has been required to hunt bears in September and October, but in 2008 the Maine Legislature established a permit system that required a permit to trap bears as well as a permit for non-resident deer hunters who want to hunt bears while hunting deer during the November firearm season. Resident deer hunters do not need a bear permit to harvest a bear during the November firearm season on deer. Fees from these new permits are dedicated to fund bear research in Maine and provide additional information on participation and success rates of trappers and deer hunters.

Research and Monitoring

MDIFW’s black bear monitoring program is one of the most extensive and longest-running programs of its type in the US. For the last 45 years, Department biologists have captured and tracked over 3,000 bears to determine their health and condition, estimate how many cubs are born each year, and determine annual cause-specific mortality rates. By establishing three study sites, biologists have a sample of female bears equipped with radio collars and monitored each year in all three study sites to help monitor the individuals. The radio collars lead biologists to the bears' locations in their dens as they hibernate under the winter snow. This gives access to the bears' dens, where biologists can determine the number of cubs born and record their health.

This information helps to develop effective objectives to maintain a healthy and sustainable bear population, while minimizing population growth in areas of higher human density, provide opportunities to view bear, and increase public tolerance and understanding of bears by educating the public on the biology and ecology of the species.