Hunters register 4,129 bears, exceed harvest quotas
Hunters registered 4,129 black bears in the 2020 Wisconsin hunting season, a 12% increase from 2019 and 13% over the intended harvest quota, according to preliminary information released Friday by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Due to higher than anticipated hunter success rates, the kill exceeded the goals in all four management zones.
The preliminary registrations by zone were 892 bears in Zone A, 753 in Zone B, 1,046 in Zone C and 1,438 in Zone D.
The agency made 11,380 permits available to hunters this year and set a harvest quota of 3,650 (800 in A, 750 in B, 900 in C and 1,200 in D).
The higher than anticipated kill this year was likely due to a combination of factors, including relatively favorable weather and potentially increased hunter effort related to the coronavirus pandemic, said Randy Johnson, DNR large carnivore specialist.
"Folks may have had more time to devote to hunting bear this year than in other years," Johnson said.
The statewide hunter success rate was 36% this year, compared to 32% in 2019. But this year in the three zones in primary bear habitat (A, B and D) it ranged from 63 to 69%.
The agency sets bear quotas in each of four zones to meet objectives, such as reducing nuisance complaints and agricultural damage.
After a decade of historically high kills, the DNR reported declines in bear populations in some regions and dropped the statewide quota from 5,000 in 2017 to 4,550 in 2018 to 3,835 in 2019 to 3,650 this year.
Its goals for this year were to to stabilize the bear populations in Zones A, B and C and slightly increase the bear population in Zone D.
With a kill of 1,438 in D (238 bears or 20% over quota), it will likely have to cut back the permits in northwestern Wisconsin next year.
Still, the state had 24,000 bears in the most recent estimate and Johnson
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The primary method of kill this year for bear hunters was hunting over bait (76%), followed by use of dogs and bait (13%), dogs (10%) and other (1).
The registrations by sex were 52% males and 48% females.
Hunters mostly used firearms (85%), although vertical bows (10%) and crossbows (5%) were also represented.
The data are preliminary and could change slightly as they are further evaluated, Johnson said.
Bear hunters should be aware of a change in zones for the coming season. As part of a review of its bear management program and a new plan approved last year, Wisconsin will move to a sixzone (A through F) bear format in 2021.
Johnson encouraged hunters to closely review the zone boundaries prior to submitting their 2021 bear hunting applications. Hunters have a Dec. 10 application deadline for bear permits.