STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE FISH AND GAME DEPARTMENT WILDLIFE DIVISION
13 December 2021
Bear Season Update - Final
The 2021 statewide bear hunter harvest represented the fifth highest harvest in New Hampshire history. This year’s harvest was similar (-4%) to the preceding 5-year average (922 bears) and 25% below last year’s record harvest (1183 bears). The harvest consisted of 475 males and 410 females resulting in an overall harvest sex ratio of 1.2 males per female. Method-specific harvest sex ratios included 1.3 m:f for bait, 0.8 m:f for hound and 1.1 m:f for still hunters. A breakdown by region and method follows.
2021 IN-SEASON BEAR HARVEST TALLY COMPARED TO PREVIOUS 5 YEARS
| North | WMUs | A, B, C2, D1 |
| Region | Total Harvest | 173 bears (81 females, 92 males) |
| Harvest by method (# bears) | Bait (127), Hound (19), Still (27) | |
| 5-year mean harvest (2016-2020); % change | 164 bears; +5% | |
| White | WMUs | C1, D2, E, F |
| Mountains | Total Harvest | 271 bears (117 females, 154 males) |
| Region | Harvest by method (# bears) | Bait (163), Hound (44), Still (64) |
| 5-year mean harvest (2016-2020); % change | 276 bears; -2% | |
| Central | WMUs | G, I1, J1, J2 |
| Region | Total Harvest | 258 bears (133 females, 125 males) |
| Harvest by method (# bears) | Bait (140), Hound (37), Still (81) | |
| 5-year mean harvest (2016-2020); % change | 297 bears; -13% | |
| Southwest-1 | WMUs | H1, I2 |
| Region | Total Harvest | 72 bears (33 females, 39 males) |
| Harvest by method (# bears) | Bait (39), Hound (13), Still (20) | |
| 5-year mean harvest (2016-2020); % change | 95 bears; -24% | |
| Southwest-2 | WMUs | H2, K |
| Region | Total Harvest | 98 bears (41 females, 57 males) |
| Harvest by method (# bears) | Bait (57), Still (41) | |
| 5-year mean harvest (2016-2020); % change | 84 bears; +17% | |
| Southeast | WMUs | L, M |
| Region | Total Harvest | 13 bears (5 females, 8 males) |
| Harvest by method (# bears) | Bait (4), Still (9) | |
| 5-year mean harvest (2016-2020); % change | 6 bears; +117% | |
Interpretation of harvest data and ages of harvested bears will be complete and available by mid-winter.
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
| SUM | SUM | SUM | SUM | SUM | SUM | |
| 898 | 587 | 1053 | 886 | 1183 | 885 |
