State bear hunt lottery application opens
Even though the season is still about four months away, the Department of Natural Resources today opened the application period for the black bear hunt lottery. Last year the state received 3,850 applications for 260 permits.
DNR will issue the same number this year, the seventh season since a 51-year moratorium was lifted. To-date, hunters have killed 343 bears, with an overall sucess rate of 12 percent.
The 2011 season, limited to Garrett and Allegany counties, will run from Oct. 24-29, with a quota of 55 to 80 bears. The hunt will end when wildlife managers determine the quota has been met.
Lottery applications will be accepted online until 11:59 p.m. on Sept. 2. Phone applications will be accepted at 1-888-579-6768 between 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. from Aug. 22 through Aug. 26.
Regardless of method, only one application per person will be accepted; attempts to enter multiple times will result in disqualification and forfeiture of all fees. A $15 nonrefundable fee (credit card, check, or money order) must accompany the application. Anyone who fails to pay by noon on Sept. 5 will be removed from the drawing.
Checks and money orders should be made payable to MDDNR Black Bear and mailed to MDDNR Black Bear, P.O. Box 360, Frostburg 21532.
The lottery will again use the Preference Point System. Hunters who apply this year will receive one entry in the random drawing as well as one additional entry for each past consecutive year they have applied since 2007.
