New York hunters harvested an estimated 1,759 black bears during the 2025-26 hunting season, marking one of the highest totals on record, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
DEC Commissioner Amanda Lefton said the statewide total ranks as the second-highest since tracking began in 1955, with the Southern Zone setting a new harvest record.
State officials report the overall harvest was about 4 percent higher than in 2024 and 18 percent above the 10-year average.
The Southern Zone accounted for the majority of the take, with an estimated 1,202 bears harvested. That region also produced the 10 heaviest bears recorded during the season. In the Northern Zone, hunters took an estimated 557 bears—slightly below 2024 levels but still above the long-term average.
DEC officials say the record numbers reflect decades of wildlife management efforts and the continued expansion of the state’s bear population. Once limited to remote areas like the Adirondacks and Catskills, black bears are now found across most of New York, except Long Island and New York City.
The Southern Zone has seen particularly strong growth, surpassing the Northern Zone in harvest totals since 1998 and accounting for the majority of the state’s bear harvest in recent years.
Among notable figures from the 2025 season, the heaviest bear weighed 562 pounds and was taken in Ulster County. Hunters reported bear harvests in 74 of the 88 wildlife management units open to hunting.
DEC gathers harvest data through required hunter reports and physical examinations conducted by staff and cooperating taxidermists and processors. Officials say the information helps guide wildlife management decisions and ensure sustainable hunting opportunities.
Hunters who submitted a tooth sample for age analysis will receive confirmation of their bear’s age, along with a commemorative patch, later this year.
