Hunters in St. Lawrence County took 111 black bears during the 2016 hunting season, according to the Department of Conservation (DEC).

New York State hunters took 1,539 black bears total, including 514 in the northern zone, which is down from last year, DEC says.

The Town of Fine saw the largest bear take in St. Lawrence County, with 17 bears taken. Here is a breakdown of bear take totals for each town in St. Lawrence County

• Brasher - 1

• Clare - 9

• Clifton - 4

• Colton - 12

• DeKalb - 1

• Edwards - 4

• Fine - 17

• Fowler - 1

• Gouverneur - 1

• Hermon - 9

• Hopkinton - 15

• Lawrence - 2

• Oswegatchie - 1

• Parishville - 7

• Piercefield - 2

• Pierrepont - 4

• Pitcairn - 7

• Russell - 14

“New York has excellent bear habitat and vast, accessible public lands that offer exciting opportunities for bear hunting,” said DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos.“Black bears are thriving in New York currently, and are a great resource for both out-of-state and local hunters.”

In the Northern Zone, 514 bears were harvested, approximately 12 percent fewer than in 2015, but on par with the historical average. Bear harvest in the Northern Zone tends to alternate between strong harvests during the early season one year, followed by strong harvests during the regular season the next year, based primarily on cycles of food availability. In 2016, hunters were most successful during the early season, taking 238 bears, while the regular season produced 167 bears.

In 2016 514 black bears were taken in the northern zone compared to 583 in 2015. The five-year average for 2011-2015 is 472 black bears. The historical average for the northern zone is 515, which covers 1991 through 2000.

Hunters took a total of 1,025 black bears in the Southern Zone, about 10 percent fewer than in 2015, but slightly more than the recent five-year average. Nearly equal numbers of bears were taken during the bow season, 379 bears, and regular season, 398 bears. The early season, which occurs only in a handful of management units in the Catskill region, yielded 228 bears.

New in 2016, junior hunters were allowed to take black bears during the Youth Firearms Big Game Hunt over Columbus Day weekend. That hunt overlapped with the early bear season in the Northern Zone. Ten junior hunters in the Southern Zone were able to take advantage of the new opportunity and harvest a bear.

A complete summary of the 2016 bear harvest with results and maps by county, town, and WMU is available at www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/42232.html.