STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE FISH AND GAME DEPARTMENT WILDLIFE DIVISION
10 January 2024
2023 Bear Season Update - FinalThe Statewide bear harvest for 2023 totaled 712 bears. This year’s harvest was 31% below the 5-year average (1,034 bears) and 38% below the 2022 harvest (1,156 bears). The harvest consisted of 392 males and 320 females resulting in an overall harvest sex ratio of 1.2 males per female. Method-specific harvest sex ratios included 1.4 m:f for bait hunters, 1.1 m:f for still hunters, and 0.6 m:f for hound hunters. The below average bear harvest this past season is a reflection of the strong fall mast crops, most notably beech nuts that were available across the New Hampshire landscape. A breakdown by region and method can be found below.
| North | WMUs | A, B, C2, D1 |
| Region | Total Harvest | 168 bears (83 females, 85 males) |
| Harvest by method (# bears) | Bait (131), Hound (21), Still (16) | |
| 5-year mean harvest (2018-2022); % change | 196 bears; -14% | |
| White | WMUs | C1, D2, E, F |
| Mountains | Total Harvest | 165 bears (74 females, 91 males) |
| Region | Harvest by method (# bears) | Bait (111), Hound (21), Still (33) |
| 5-year mean harvest (2018-2022); % change | 303 bears; -45% | |
| Central | WMUs | G, I1, J1, J2 |
| Region | Total Harvest | 206 bears (90 females, 116 males) |
| Harvest by method (# bears) | Bait (128), Hound (29), Still (49) | |
| 5-year mean harvest (2018-2022); % change | 317 bears; -35% | |
| Southwest-1 | WMUs | H1, I2 |
| Region | Total Harvest | 61 bears (23 females, 38 males) |
| Harvest by method (# bears) | Bait (38), Hound (8), Still (15) | |
| 5-year mean harvest (2018-2022); % change | 102 bears; -40% | |
| Southwest-2 | WMUs | H2, K |
| Region | Total Harvest | 94 bears (45 females, 49 males) |
| Harvest by method (# bears) | Bait (56), Still (38) | |
| 5-year mean harvest (2018-2022); % change | 106 bears; -11% | |
| Southeast | WMUs | L, M |
| Region | Total Harvest | 18 bears (5 females, 13 males) |
| Harvest by method (# bears) | Bait (4), Still (14) | |
| 5-year mean harvest (2018-2022); % change | 10 bears; +80% | |
Interpretation of harvest data and ages of harvested bears will be complete and available by spring.
| 2023 Bear Harvest Tally Compared to Previous 5 Years | ||||||
| 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | |
| SUM | SUM | SUM | SUM | SUM | SUM | |
| 1053 | 886 | 1183 | 892 | 1128 | 712 | |
cc: Fish & Game Staff Fish & Game Commission US Forest Service UNH
