Montana Black bear numbers growing in Southeast part of the State

Black bear numbers have climbed over the past seven years in southeastern Montana, prompting the Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission to recently double the harvest quota this fall from four to eight bears. The season in FWP’s Region 7 started in 2006 in response to increased bear sightings and sportsmen interest. During the 2012 Region 7 black bear hunting seasons, region wide either-sex quotas of two and four were in place for the spring and fall. Five black bears were shot; one in the spring and four in the fall. Three were males and two were females. This marked the third consecutive year and the fourth time in seven years that the fall quota was met. Fifty-five percent of Region 7 black bear harvests were by hunters targeting some other species. The spring quota has never been met. Read on…..