October 25th, 2022 by WCBC Radio

Day one of the Maryland black bear hunt concluded Monday with 22 bears, including nine males and 13 females, checked in. The largest bear was an estimated 294 pounds. The breakdown by county was five bears harvested in Allegany, one in Washington and 16 in Garrett.

This year's bear hunt continues through Saturday.

According to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, the annual bear hunt, now in its 19th year, "is an important management tool used to slow the increase of Maryland’s black bear population and limit expansion of Maryland bears into the eastern suburbs and cities."

DNR issued 950 hunting permits this year.