I was in my office when the press release came in from the NYSDEC, announcing new areas for bear hunting were being opened this fall. I nearly fell out of my chair when I saw WMU 7M and Chenango County were included. I'd been of the belief that it would be several years before bears would be legal game in Chenango County, once densities grew to what DEC felt were adequate to support hunting them. Apparently they are already, or at least the wildlife managers felt so. The DEC estimates there are 6,000 to 7,000 black bears statewide, but that is an estimate, so it could be higher or lower on any given year.
The nearest county to Chenango that had bear hunting last year was Broome, where only 10 bears were taken last fall, six of them during the archery season. Another bordering county, Delaware saw hunters taking a total of 56, 27 during the archery season and 29 during the regular firearms season. Otsego County only had three taken, all during the firearms season.
In retrospect, I think I understand why DEC opted to open the new areas to bear hunting so soon. One needs only to look at the increasing bear-people conflicts occurring in northwestern New Jersey, northeastern Pennsylvania and in New York's Catskill region. Bear densities have steadily climbed in these areas, to the point where residents are complaining about the increasing conflicts with bears and the damages they're inflicting on property. As these areas' bbear densities grew, the overflow of bruins have increased their ranges into new areas where bears were previously rare or almost unheard of. By acting now, the DEC probably hopes to have some degree of management capabilities to keep the bear population in check before densities reach problematic levels.
Because natural wild foods-berries, fruits, mast, etc. – supplemented by field corn were so plentiful this year, bear sightings in our county have been lower than last year's, when natural foods were scarcer and bears often visited residences seeking garbage, birdseed or pet foods that were left outside. But by their very shy nature, bears tend to stick to denser cover whenever possible, so unless one is crossing a road, field or other open areas, they're not often seen during daylight hours. Sightings alone belie whatever the total population of resident local bears we do have, so there could be more than we think. They just stay out of sight whenever possible.
Before hunters, especially regular firearms hunters, get the idea their chances of harvesting a bear in Chenango County this fall is good, there area several factors to consider. Denning is triggered by the length of daylight, the amount of the bear's body fat and the availability of food. Since food has been plentiful this year, and bears have been able to store plenty of body fat, so many, especially the females (sows), may start denning before the gun season opens, especially if we get cold and snow just prior. Typically, female bears enter their dens first in the late fall and are the last to emerge from dens in spring. Males (boars) tend to den and emerge later than sows. Of course bowhunters may see more because of their earlier hunting season.
I often wonder what my late dad, who was an avid sportsman, would have thought should he still be alive today. In his era, pheasant, grouse, woodcock and rabbits were both plentiful and accounted for the bulk of local hunters' attention. Deer came along a bit later, but the short hunting season often only temporarily drew hunters away from pursuing small game. Then, years later, came the coyotes, the wild turkeys and now the bears. I'm sure Dad would be amused by all this, but I also think he would bemoan the loss of his beloved small game hunting, especially pheasant, grouse and woodcock.
Today, the vast majority of local hunters are drawn to hunt deer and wild turkey and little else. Now, we can probably add black bears to that short list. And when I consider the effort required to be successful on these three game species, maybe Dad and his contemporaries were smart ... it's a lot easier bringing a couple one-pound grouse or two-pound pheasants out of the bush than a 150-pound deer. I won't even consider the consequences of downing a 300-pound bear. I hope you have lots of friends along or someone with a log skidder.

Thank you, hunters and anglers
This Saturday, Sept. 27, is National Hunting and Fishing Day, a day to recognize the many benefits the licensed sportsmen and women of this nation have done for us all, non-sportsmen included.
Even in today's renaissance of eco-consciousness, hunters and anglers remain the most stalwart supporters of wild things. Hunters and sport-shooters now pay for more than 80 percent of all conservation and habitat programs in America. Through licenses, tags, permits, fees and special excise taxes on firearms, ammunition, bows and arrows, they've paid – and state fish and game agencies have successfully plied – more than $5.3 billion since 1939. And they pushed for this tax on themselves. Anglers have been the primary agents in assuring our waters and fisheries remain clean and continue to improve. Through the efforts of Trout Unlimited, the Izaak Walton League and other angler associations. The quality of our fishing waters and angling remains solidly entrenched.
No conservation system has accomplished more. Yet most Americans also take it for granted, unaware of the mechanisms that sustain this public resource. They see more wildlife every year but are oblivious to why that's so.
The amusing irony is that American society, which has looked down its nose at hunters more sternly with each passing generation, is now discovering that hunting and fishing are our nation's best conservation vehicles and have been all along.