Two of the heaviest five bears harvested in New York were taken in St. Lawrence County, according to the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).

A hunter shot and killed a 485-pound bear while hunting in Waddington, for the second heaviest reported bear harvest for 2023. The heaviest reported bear was 550-pounds, and was taken in Broome County.

A hunter took a 415-pound bear in Macomb, which was the fourth heaviest bear reportedly taken this past year.

Scaled weights of field dressed black bears were submitted for 21% of the bears reported by hunters or that were checked by cooperating taxidermists and DEC biologists in 2023.

During New York’s 2023 seasons, hunters harvested an estimated 1,356 black bears with 485 bears harvested in the Northern Zone and 871 bears harvested in the Southern Zone. This was a slight increase in bear harvest from the 2022 seasons (1,318), but remained below the five- (1,450) and ten-year (1,484) bear harvest averages.

“Black bear populations continue to expand into areas occupied historically,” said DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos. “This expansion is a conservation success story and robust populations afford great hunting opportunities. DEC encourages New Yorkers to learn the BearWise basics to help live more responsibly with bears and reduce the likelihood of human-bear conflicts in their backyards.”

Black bear harvest data is gathered from two main sources: harvest reports required of all successful bear hunters and the physical examination of bears by DEC staff and cooperating taxidermists.

Harvest estimates are made by cross-referencing these two data sources and determining the rate at which hunters report bear harvests in each zone. In fall 2023, DEC will send a commemorative 2023 Black Bear Management Coordinator Patch and a letter confirming each bear’s age to all hunters who reported their bear harvest and submitted a tooth for age analysis.