The NYS DEC has published their 2024 Bear Harvest Summary Report. There were an estimated 1,685 bear taken this past season, which is up 24% from 2023 and about 13% from the 10-year average.

There were an estimated 1,028 bears taken here in the Southern Zone and an estimated 657 taken in the Northern Zone. In Sullivan County, there were 52 bear taken in WMU 3H and 46 taken in WMU 3K. The heaviest bear that was taken in the state weighed 564 pounds.

The DEC has a Black Bear Cooperator Program wherein successful hunters must submit the weight of the bear as well as a premolar tooth which is used to determine the bear’s age. Hunters that submit their data receive information about their bear and get a commemorative patch for their jacket or hat.

The DEC report is available for review on their website. It contains a lot of information including a discussion of the success of the special early season in the Southern Zone in reducing the average age of female bears to meet the goal of lowering the bear population.

The report also contains information about the BearWise New York educational campaign and I encourage everyone to check it out. It contains a link to the Bearwise webpage.

Switching gears a bit, my sources at the DEC tell me that Camp DeBruce is on track to open this year. That is awesome news. The DEC summer camps are a wonderful opportunity for our youth to get outdoors and enjoy our natural world. The signup for enrollment is quickly approaching on March 23 at 1 PM on the DEC website.

There are several opportunities from local clubs and organizations that sponsor children to attend the camps. The Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs of Sullivan County has many openings available and the Sullivan County Conservation Club still has another opening as I pen these words, so please reach out with potential candidates. Contact info is on our websites.

Lastly, there will be a hunter safety course at the Sullivan County Conservation Club on Saturday, April 5 at 8 AM. If anyone needs a course before turkey season opens, hop on the DEC website and register.

As Spring approaches, let’s all enjoy the outdoors!

John S. Van etten is the current president of the Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs of Sullivan County, Inc.