Vermont, N.H. hunters take report choice of bears in 2020

AP

January 18, 2021 | 4:43 PM

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — Initial numbers display that hunters had a report undergo season in Vermont and New Hampshire remaining 12 months, partially on account of a surge within the choice of hunters led to through the coronavirus pandemic, state officers mentioned.

In Vermont, hunters took 914 bears throughout the early and past due undergo seasons, with maximum taken within the early season, the Fish and Natural world Division mentioned. That beats the report of 750 bears taken in 2019.

“It was once a deficient 12 months for herbal undergo meals, and we noticed a surge in hunter numbers led to through the COVID-19 pandemic and in all probability a corresponding build up within the choice of hunters spending extra time within the open air looking than in previous years,” mentioned Forrest Hammond, the Vermont Fish & Natural world Division’s undergo biologist, in a written observation.

The typical choice of bears taken over the last 10 years was once 608. The 2020 effects are in step with the function of keeping up the undergo inhabitants to inside of 3,500 to five,500 bears, Hammond mentioned.

In New Hampshire, 1,183 bears had been killed, which is 12% upper than the former report of one,053 in 2018 and 42% above the previous five-year moderate of 836, mentioned Andrew Timmins, the black undergo venture chief for the state Fish and Recreation Division.

Timmins mentioned a longer undergo season, “concentrated meals assets” and an build up in hunters ended in the report harvest, the Valley Information reported.

The sale of bear-hunting licenses higher 15% throughout 2020, “most likely a results of folks having extra time to seek because of the pandemic,” he mentioned.